Life as a Schellenberg Wittmer Lawyer

From day one you will be part of our dynamic team and learn about our work, our law firm and our people. You will gain practical work experience and receive training on-the-job and through our professional courses.

Gain Experience

When joining us as a Student Trainee, you are involved in a range of real-time legal cases from the firm's various practice groups enabling you to practice the theories you studied at university.

Build your Professional Network

We celebrate individuality at Schellenberg Wittmer and recruit Student Trainees from numerous Swiss law schools, which means you will meet and work alongside colleagues from different backgrounds.

Depending on the type of internship you join, you will be assigned a mentor who will provide you with ongoing guidance, support and help you to establish your network.

Open-Door Policy

We operate an active open-door policy. This means that over 150 lawyers are always on-hand to discuss your future academic steps and career prospects, as well as to offer personal advice. We also organise regular social events so you can get to know colleagues in a more relaxed and informal setting.

Start your Legal Career with us

As a leading Swiss business law firm, we have high expectations and take a long-term view when hiring Student Trainees. When interviewing a candidate, we think about his/her future as a Trainee Lawyer or as an Associate. Our student internship program is not only an opportunity to gain first-hand experience working in a leading Swiss business law firm. It could also be your first step to an exciting career with Schellenberg Wittmer.

The Internship Programs we offer

Two-Month Internship in Zurich (Year Round)
Offered throughout the year to students with a Bachelor's degree (at the time of the internship) and, as a general rule, from a Swiss law school. The two-month internships start at the beginning of each uneven month (January, March, May, etc.).

From day one, you are a part of our team and combine real-life work experience with formal training at our regular in-house education courses. An assigned mentor will provide you with ongoing support and guidance, and at the end of the internship you will receive a performance review and feedback.

Summer Internship in Geneva
We offer students registered in a Swiss law school and who have completed at least six semesters (at the time of the traineeship) the opportunity to gain practical experience at our Geneva office. During the six weeks, you will share the office with a Trainee Lawyer and work on the firm's cases assisting lawyers from various practice areas, and take part in internal work sessions, client meetings and hearings.

In addition, you will take part in our Summer Internship Program, which includes workshops based on cases handled by our firm in various fields of law, legal writing and workshops. You will also attend presentations on postgraduate studies, working in a foreign law firm, the attorney traineeship (incl. ECAV), the Geneva Bar and various visits (courts, judiciary institutions, etc.). A mock trial will wrap up the final days of your internship.

Become a Student Trainee

Spaces are limited, and demand is high for our trainee positions, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Please send us your application (curriculum vitae, cover letter, academic records, evaluations of papers as well as other certificates, qualifications, job references, etc.,) for consideration.

Our Zurich and Geneva internships are open to students enrolled in a Swiss law school. At the time of the internship, candidates should have completed at least six semesters of their legal studies (Geneva) or acquired all ECTS to obtain the Bachelor's degree (Zurich).

We are looking for candidates with an outstanding academic track record and excellent language skills. Depending on the office, candidates must speak French or German fluently and have an advanced level of English. A good command of German is also required to work in our Geneva office.