Career
At SKW Schwarz, you work at the highest level. While enjoying the freedoms and opportunities of a mid-size corporate law firm. We operate on entrepreneurial terms. We execute what others claim. Try it. Visit us on Instagram and get an insight into our daily work, our offices, and much more: https://www.instagram.com/skwschwarz/
Information for lawyers
Information for trainee lawyers, interns and research associates
Information for non-legal staff and office assistants
- Negotiation techniques
- Self-marketing for lawyers
- Self-organization / Work-life balance
- Pitch and pricing
- Networking and acquisition
SKW Schwarz is a nationally and internationally operating business law firm. One of the features of our firm is the comparatively young age of our partners. Perhaps the most important thing for new colleagues is the large scope of freedom we are offering for professional development.
This becomes clear as soon as you become a team member. We do not work in large, fixed teams, but rather in small units. At our firm, you are clearly assigned to one or two partners, but are always working for other partners as well. This gives you the opportunity to gain a broad range of experience and knowledge before you decide to specialize in a certain field of law. In addition, we do not want to train “file clerks” to clarify the detailed legal questions in the background. Our associates come into contact with clients as soon as possible. That helps us – and above all you – to progress.
SKW Schwarz also has a strongly entrepreneurial attitude. This is something we also look for in our lawyers, and which the lawyers in turn can take advantage of themselves.
Also, if you wish to become a partner, our entrepreneurial environment can help. Your ability, not time, is what is important – you will not have to wait until some other partners leave the firm. To become a partner with us, your personality needs to fit in, you must excel professionally, and you need a clear advisory profile. You need to have your own clients already or be able to submit a convincing business plan that holds out the prospect of business. Then: Welcome as a new partner at SKW Schwarz.
In addition: our structures make it possible to combine work and family life. If an employee needs to cut working hours for a certain period of time, our internal processes can make up for the required differences. And, of course, at our firm there is always also the option of working from a “home office” under special circumstances. We enjoy our work, but we are aware that we all have a life outside of work.
Your possible career path at SKW Schwarz:
Let’s start with the basics: you should have excellent legal knowledge, which should ideally be proven by means of honors degrees. We are pleased to see a doctorate or comparable additional qualification. Good English skills are mandatory, knowledge of other foreign languages is welcome.
Having said all that, we can get a bit more specific: our clients value us for our proven legal competence, our in-depth industry knowledge, and our solution-based professional work. We will also be applying these requirements to you.
Now we get to the key points: because we advise businesses and business people, you should have a special interest in and understanding of economic circumstances – you will then gain experience and industry expertise during your daily work. No specialist knowledge in a certain legal field is required, but of course, we are pleased if you have it. And you should think entrepreneurially – no, you must think entrepreneurially. Please consider this point honestly, because it is something that we are really implementing. So, if you have initiative, motivation, and the will to build something for yourself, then we should definitely get to know each other.
“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American philosopher and author. We can see the truth in that and that's why, in addition to their specialist training, we train our lawyers in legal “soft skills” and personal skills such as advancing English language skills to suit the profession of a business lawyer.
Specialized professional training
Specialized professional training “on the job“ is performed in the specialist areas and practice groups. You will have the opportunity to gain new knowledge every day. In this task, we rely on suggestions from the practice groups and on our lawyers’ own initiative. You can choose the topics for further training and training events on a strictly individual basis – you will know best what helps you to progress. Or you can suggest training measures to us. Everything that expands your personal competence or extends the relevant practice group can be incorporated into our training program.
Specialist lawyer
Do you want to acquire a specialist lawyer title or equivalent qualification? Excellent, because it coincides with our interests. That’s why we will support you energetically in achieving this objective.
Legal soft skills – the SKW Schwarz Campus
Two lawyers. Both have excellent legal knowledge. One is very good. The other is very good and successful, because he applies soft skills, which help him to use his specialist knowledge in an optimum manner and move into the limelight.
With us, you can further develop and improve your soft skills. In cooperation with Bucerius Law School, one of the leading institutions in Germany (see here for details), we are offering our lawyers the following seminars, including:
Presentation skills
The feedback from seminar participants is outstanding. Content is constantly being developed further and we expect that all of our lawyers will go through the entire program once during their careers.
Foreign language training
Sound general knowledge of English is indispensable in our law firm – but it is not enough when it comes to providing in-depth economic legal advice. That is why we offer our lawyers special “legal English” classes that focus specifically on this topic.
Mentor system
We place great value on trust and communication. For this reason, team members are all assigned a mentor, a partner with whom to discuss their situation openly and honestly. For example, they may want to talk about career planning, or internal procedures at the firm, or anything else that concerns them. You will meet with your mentors on a regular basis to discuss your wishes and issues, and the mentors will return the trust you place in them.
Secondment
Expanding your horizons is always a good thing. Because, after all, it helps you, and therefore also the firm, to progress. That’s why, if you are interested and the right person for the position, we offer you the option of a secondment – either at a company or at one of our best friend firms overseas.
Send us your application to human-resources@skwschwarz.de. You can also write directly to the relevant office:
Berlin
Dr. Martin Römermann
Kranzler Eck
Kurfürstendamm 21
10719 Berlin
T +49 30 889 26 50 - 55
m.roemermann@skwschwarz.de
Düsseldorf
Andreas Seidel
Steinstraße 1 / Kö
40212 Düsseldorf
T +49 211 82 89 59 - 0
a.seidel@skwschwarz.de
Frankfurt / Main
Dr. Magnus Hirsch
Mörfelder Landstraße 117
60598 Frankfurt a. M.
T +49 69 63 00 01 - 46
m.hirsch@skwschwarz.de
Hamburg
Frank van Alen
Ferdinandstraße 3
20095 Hamburg
T +49 40 334 01 - 41
f.vanalen@skwschwarz.de
München
Dr. Matthias Nordmann M.A.
Wittelsbacherplatz 1
80333 München
T +49 89 286 40 - 149
m.nordmann@skwschwarz.de
Some tips for your application
You can send us your application documents by postal mail. You can also apply by email. The best way to send digital documents is in PDF format.
Your cover letter is very important to us. What particularly interests us is why the position that you are applying for is of interest to you, and of course why you are suitable for that position. If you can also provide proof of this based on several positions from your resume, that would be even better.
Your resume should be short and concise and should not exceed two pages. Ideally, your most recent activity should be shown first.
Irrespective of whether you are applying by postal mail or by email: please attach your most important references and certificates. If you are sending scans by email, please note that the maximum file size should be 10 MB.
What happens next?
Firstly, we consider all applications very carefully. Then we invite the candidates who seem most suitable to us to an initial interview. During this interview, you will not only meet the partners from the specialist area that you have applied for, but also all partners from our Recruiting Department.
If we are able to win you over – and vice versa –, we will make an appointment for a second interview. Then we have a more in-depth conversation and talk in concrete terms about joining the firm. Sometimes other associates will participate in the meeting as well.
Communication about the application is generally handled by our Recruiting Department.
What process does an interview follow?
An interview for us is a dialogue, not an interrogation! We are trying to get to know you better. In general, we ask you to take us through your resume and explain why you have applied at our firm and why you are interested in the particular position. We want to understand where your strengths are, what motivates you, what is fun for you, and what your objectives are. Of course, the interview is also an opportunity for you to find out more about us, the department, the partners and lawyers with whom you would be working. For that reason, we are very happy to answer your questions. We will then make a quick and simple decision.
All theory is gray. As important as underlying knowledge from your studies is, the time comes when you need to put it into practice. We would be pleased to assist you in this endeavor and get to know talented young professionals during their lawyer and elective traineeships. In return, we have something to teach you: all about the daily business of nationally and internationally operating lawyers.
Comparatively young partners are also a feature of our law firm. We prefer working together at one level rather than by the rigid hierarchies and HR pyramids found at large law firms. In one area, however, we are definitely able to compare ourselves with the “big guys:” the challenges that we are placing on our professional competence.
Have you already passed your first state examination? Congratulations, we are looking forward to your application.
If you are not that advanced in your studies yet, don’t let this discourage you. It is just that there are more positions in our firm for trainee lawyers and scientific employees than for interns.
So much for the technicalities. Something else that we value is technical interest and a great deal of willingness to learn. So that we can put you to work in the best possible way, please let us know the field of law in which you wish to gain practical experience. We particularly like to see applicants who have already gained some initial experience or who are able to provide concrete evidence of their interest in a certain area.
As a business law firm, we also expect curiosity and openness towards business relationships – after all, our employees need to understand what our clients are doing. Last but not least, as an internationally operating law firm, we require our applicants to have sound knowledge of the English language and would be pleased if you are fluent in other languages as well.
Your integration into our firm’s daily operations is important to us. Take our word for that. Each staff member is allocated a mentor who is always available to answer your questions and deal with any concerns. The mentor’s job is to integrate you well in to the specialist area that you are interested in. There, you will work in our small, flexible teams directly with the partners. This means that you are right in the middle of the legal practice – and because our teams frequently work in an interdisciplinary manner, you will gain solid insight how your preferred area interacts with other fields of law.
Another advantage of this training is the opportunity you will gain to learn from proven experts. Our partners have a great deal of scope for professional development and therefore choose their field of law based on the area they prefer rather than on internal requirements. This means that each of them is dealing with topics about which they are really passionate. This enthusiasm is something that you are sure to benefit from during your training. On the other hand, it also means that we expect a real thirst for knowledge from our trainees and scientific employees, rather than simple conscientiousness.
This approach will definitely pay off because working at SKW Schwarz is highly varied, which will be the case even right at the beginning of your legal career. You will have the opportunity to experience the law firm practice up close and to get involved. Research, creating memos, statements, expert opinions, as well as drafting scientific articles will all be part of your work.
Trainees are also involved in drafting documents, attending court hearings, and participating in client meetings. You can already see that being a trainee at SKW Schwarz involves a lot more than churning out files for the partners. Our aim for you as a trainee is not to find a way to use you, but to find appropriate challenges for you. We just want to see how you handle the everyday life of a business law firm.
This is why our trainees and scientific employees participate in internal training and education, but also in our social events within the firm. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at our events.
Send us your informative application to human-resources@skwschwarz.de. The files should ideally be in PDF format. Scans of references, certificates, and other documents should preferably be sent in low to medium resolution to consider the limits of our mailbox (maximum of 10 MB if possible).
Please send postal mail applications to the relevant office:
Berlin
Dr. Martin Römermann
Kranzler Eck
Kurfürstendamm 21
10719 Berlin
T +49 (0)30 8 89 26 50 - 55
m.roemermann@skwschwarz.de
Düsseldorf
Andreas Seidel
Steinstraße 1 / Kö
40212 Düsseldorf
T +49 (0)211 82 89 59 - 0
a.seidel@skwschwarz.de
Frankfurt / Main
Dr. Magnus Hirsch
Mörfelder Landstraße 117
60598 Frankfurt a. M.
T +49 (0)69 63 00 01 - 46
m.hirsch@skwschwarz.de
Hamburg
Frank van Alen
Ferdinandstraße 3
20095 Hamburg
T +49 (0)40 3 34 01 - 41
f.vanalen@skwschwarz.de
Munich
Dr. Ulrich Reber
Wittelsbacherplatz 1
80333 München
T +49 (0)89 286 40 - 184
u.reber@skwschwarz.de
In your application, please also let us know which field of law you are interested in.
We can’t do it without you: there are many tasks within a law firm that are essential to its success, but that are only indirectly connected with the work of the lawyers.
A friendly welcome from the receptionist is often the beginning of a good client relationship. An alert eye ensures that deadlines are always kept and appointments are never mixed. The seamless networking of practice groups throughout Germany and partner firms around the world also requires communication and organizational skills. That's where you come in.
In addition to the lawyers, our team also consists of legal assistants and marketing and office management employees. We regularly look for qualified staff in this area, whether with professional experience or trainees. We offer interesting and challenging positions in a very pleasant working environment.
Let’s be honest: anyone can be average. But we don’t want to be just like anyone else. We want to stand right out from the crowd. That's why we expect all of our team members to challenge their own abilities. We look at their academic and professional careers for evidence that they have already done this. But to be clear, our decision about your employment is not simply based on grades and formulas. After all, we place high value on our pleasant working environment – one that can only exist if all of the team members fit together. Working well with others, courtesy, and dedication are therefore very important for applicants.
Our clients are often international – you will probably have already noticed that if you looked at this website. Good knowledge of English is therefore a must, and we are very pleased if applicants can speak other foreign languages.
When you apply to train with us, we would prefer that you have completed the Mittlere Reife or Abitur high school graduation programs. You will need good grades in German and English. And, of course, you should be proficient in using word processing programs.
We also offer internships for school students, who want to gain insight into the professional world. Just ask!
We already mentioned it above: good English skills are important in our law firm – but the legal vocabulary that you need here is not usually something you would learn at high school or even at technical college (and, between us, often not at university, either). Because of this, we organize regular internal training courses, which are available to all of our employees.
We also provide ongoing training for legal assistants. We are one of the most important training law firms at all of our offices – and our proven qualities also make us one of the most prestigious firms. We don’t simply leave teaching to the technical college, but rather provide our trainees with comprehensive “on the job” training, as well as internal training sessions. Usually, training begins regularly on September 1 of each year. In principle, it lasts for three years, but in exceptional cases, this can be cut to two and a half years or even just two years.
You are welcome to obtain information about our current job offerings from our contacts on site or, of course, to proactively apply with all of your documentation. For school student internships, a short application is sufficient – a cover letter, CV, and a copy of your most recent school report.
If you apply by email, as is generally preferred, please send all of the documents as PDF documents to human-resources@skwschwarz.de. To take into account the capacity of our mailbox, we would also like to ask you to pay attention to the file size of scans – low or medium resolution files are entirely sufficient (if possible, a maximum of 10 MB).
Please send applications by postal mail to the respective office:
Berlin
Dr. Martin Römermann
Kranzler Eck
Kurfürstendamm 21
10719 Berlin
T +49 (0)30 8 89 26 50 - 55
m.roemermann@skwschwarz.de
Düsseldorf
Andreas Seidel
Steinstraße 1 / Kö
40212 Düsseldorf
T +49 (0)211 82 89 59 - 0
a.seidel@skwschwarz.de
Frankfurt / Main
Dr. Magnus Hirsch
Mörfelder Landstraße 117
60598 Frankfurt a. M.
T +49 (0)69 63 00 01 - 46
m.hirsch@skwschwarz.de
Hamburg
Frank van Alen
Ferdinandstraße 3
20095 Hamburg
T +49 (0)40 3 34 01 - 41
f.vanalen@skwschwarz.de
Munich
Karin Tiganila
Wittelsbacherplatz 1
80333 München
T +49 (0)89 286 40 - 141
k.tiganila@skwschwarz.de
Awards
Current Jobs
Our highly specialized teams consist of our own employees as well as lateral entrants. This mix of ingrained and fresh perspectives enables our success. We currently want to fill the following positions:
| Position | Area | Location |
|---|
We are growing
Does one of our open position sound interesting? Then we are very interested in receiving your application. There is no suitable job offer for you? Generally, we are happy to receive your unsolicited application.
Send application