Joining honert as a young professional

So many choices: I could imagine many options for the start of my legal career after various internships and stages of my federal law clerkship: joining a large law firm, working as in-house counsel for a major corporation, doing business consulting work, becoming an executive assistant at a DAX-listed corporation, etc. Yet, I ultimately decided to start my legal career at honert, a boutique law firm specializing in M&A and tax law – a decision I definitely would make again if I had to.

“HAVING A GOOD PERSONALITY AS AN ATTORNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING AN EXPERT ON § 145 OF THE STOCK CORPORATION ACT.”

When I had my job interview at honert, they used this statement to illustrate one of the major benefits of working at their law firm and the significant differences between working at honert and working for a large law firm. Having worked at honert for several years now, I can confirm that this statement is true. While large law firms often emphasize specialization in a narrow field of expertise, a boutique law firm like honert, if only due to its small size, provides new attorneys with an opportunity to gain deep insights into client matters. After an early “baptism by fire” new associates soon work directly – and independently – with clients on a daily basis. It is certainly a prerequisite that young attorneys be eager to take on responsibility in order to earn the trust and confidence the partners place in them. Even working for a boutique law firm is not a nine-to-five job. Some projects may require working late into the night. Unlike at many large law firms, however, there is no “face time” at honert. When your work is done or your workload is less between two projects, there is no obligation to be constantly in the office just for the sake of being there