The special POELLATH drive - from research assistant to lawyer.

Antonia Puglisi, Associate, Private Funds, Berlin

When I first had contact with POELLATH back in 2017, I was surprised at how warmly I was received. 

I had just completed my first state exam and was looking for a position as a research assistant. Until then, I had had no contact with large law firms and had no idea what to expect.

My interview took place on the 16th floor of the Berlin office at Potsdamer Platz. The POELLATH team was very friendly and first gave me an extensive tour of the office – from the kitchen with rooftop terrace to our office dogs. Nothing was left out. I had not expected such a relaxed atmosphere. That’s why I quickly decided to join POELLATH as a research assistant. A special plus for me was that I was allowed to bring my dog to the office.   

My time as a research assistant was great. Since POELLATH considers it very important to focus on the training of its employees, we had numerous training workshops, up to and including training weekends, where there was also plenty of fun to be had. At POELLATH, people work together and not against each other. Even today, my colleagues take a lot of time for me when it comes to my training and further education. This made it much easier for me to enter the legal field of “private equity”, which was completely unknown to me until then. 

I was particularly impressed by the reaction of my supervising partner, who did not recommend that I join his team again for my legal traineeship. Instead, he advised me to look elsewhere and form my own opinion of the world of large law firms. However, he said if I wanted to come back afterwards, the doors would always be open for me.

And that's how it turned out. Now I work as a lawyer in the “private funds” department at POELLATH. This is also one of the things that makes POELLATH special: Most of the positions are filled by former research assistants and trainee lawyers. Because once you have experienced the POELLATH drive, you won't get away from it so quickly.

In the meantime, I mainly deal with aspects of supervisory law and fund structuring. My supervising partner takes a lot of time for me and my training. It is very important to him that one understands the background and does not just carry out a task. Early on, he let me work very independently and allowed me to have my own client contacts.

Lara Reifenschneider Portrait
Lara Reifenschneider
Senior Legal Recruiter
+ 49 (89) 24240-144 call