International Interns

The Zone team were delighted to have two interns with us from Europe during their summer break. Let us introduce you to Emma Palombi from France and Kevin Kurth from Germany.

Emma Palombi

I am in my second year of university studying law in France, and a legal internship in a foreign firm is required to complete my studies.  Coming to New Zealand appeared to be the perfect match to meet these expectations whilst improving my English-speaking skills.  I am pleased Zone Law accepted my application as an intern, and I have just completed my time with them.

As well as learning about Intellectual Property Law, I also got an overview of Trust Law, something I could not do in France where the use of trusts is not as widespread as in English speaking countries.  The internship was also a valuable way to become more familiar with legal documents and the English legal vocabulary.

Besides from the professional experience I have gained, I have also discovered a country that surprised me.  New Zealand stands out from all the other countries I have visited, by its unique identity and beautiful landscapes.

I would like to thank each person in this amazing team for welcoming me and being so nice to me during my stay.

Emma Palombi

Kevin Kurth

After obtaining a first law degree, a future lawyer in Germany must go through a mandatory clerkship in order to obtain the necessary practical skills, including a set of written exams.  I chose to spend three months following these in New Zealand, both to extend my practical skills and to take some time off after 8 years of study.

Although I only had a little knowledge about Intellectual Property Law, the team at Zone Law were happy to have me as an intern.  After a few days getting familiar with the way things work and reading into New Zealand Trademark Law, I was already writing my first legal papers and doing research for current cases.  The team were very generous with their time, and because of this I was able to gain an excellent insight on what it takes to be a successful IP lawyer.

As well as the lessons learned for my future professional life, the time in New Zealand taught me a lot on a personal basis.  I was reminded how important it is to get into an unfamiliar environment in order to improve – always staying open minded and remaining curious – and not to get down when things don’t work out the way you thought they would.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Karen and Theo for giving me the opportunity to work with Zone Law.  I would also like to thank Alice, Celine, Chris, Heather, Jeremy and Swetha for the great time I had.  You made it very easy for me to feel comfortable quickly and I wish you all the very best for the future.

Kevin Kurth