Yuna Midani (Oh) ’24 Reflects on Her Experience as a Summer Clerk at a Law Firm in Belgium

Meet Yuna Midani, a recent graduate of the Albany Law School Class of 2024. While at Albany Law, Midani made significant strides, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and a passion for the legal field. In this interview, she shares insights from her summer legal clerk internship at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) in Belgium, reflecting on her experiences and the skills she developed. Join us as we delve into her story and learn about her time at BCLP and the impact this opportunity had on her legal journey.

Q: TELL US ABOUT YOUR INTERNSHIP.
A: From August 2023 to November 2023, I worked at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner ("BCLP") within its Antitrust, Competition, and Trade team in Brussels, Belgium, as a summer legal clerk. BCLP is a prominent and reputable firm of international presence with 31 locations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

My daily responsibility was summarizing and encapsulating legally relevant news surrounding the European Commission, Sustainability, and Competition Law. I was given the responsibility to review and analyze foreign subsidy regulations and decisions on mergers distorting competition in markets. I provided analysis and tracking summaries on precedent decisions by Competition Markets Authorities, the Fair Trade Commission, and the European Commission on mergers and acquisitions. 

I was also given opportunities to attend international conferences being held in Brussels, Belgium. It was an exciting time because European organizations were enacting AI law and the Digital Markets & Services Act. When I attended these events, I drafted meeting notes to make points about stakeholders' discussions. I was given the opportunity to present my research in front of general meetings with partners and associates in the Paris and London offices.

Q: WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE POSITION? WHY DID YOU WANT THE INTERNSHIP?
A: I wanted a legal internship, where I could utilize my linguistic skills in French, Korean, and Chinese, and my previous international experience at the United Nations and UK House of Commons. And it had to be a paid internship. Given my financial situation, I needed to get paid for my internship experience. BCLP has provided me with stipends, amazing housing in Brussels, and a monthly salary.

Q: LOOKING BACK ON WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED AS AN INTERN, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? 
A:I am most proud of the presentation I did to update about Litigations under the Digital Markets Act as it is an emerging field of law. And I am very proud of my accomplishment of working alongside one of the world's premier competition lawyers.

Q: IN WHAT WAY(S) HAS THIS EXPERIENCE IMPACTED YOU? 
A:This internship opened my eyes to the significance of green innovation and sustainability. In many regards, it is my observation that European lawmakers are forerunners on this issue of green investment and innovations. This experience taught me to think within the minds of companies and corporations. As a lawyer in the field of competition law or mergers and acquisitions, it is crucial that I get in the habit of educating myself about changing markets, the economy, and politics.

Q: FINALLY, ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS LOOKING FOR A SIMILAR INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP? 

A: I may have three pieces of advice for students. First, invest in foreign language education. I am a native South Korean and English is my second language. Even though I lived in Geneva, Switzerland for three years. During undergraduate programs, it took me a great deal of effort to learn other languages. I majored in international relations and French. There is no shortcut to learning a foreign language. 

I also have been humbled by many exceptionally gifted speakers of multilingual individuals I have met, including Mark Logan MP (Conservative member of Parliament in the United Kingdom). He is a British MP, who speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently. It is easier to speak another European language for native English speakers, however, to compete in a legal market, I suggest that you challenge yourself by learning Arabic, Chinese, or Korean.

Second, visas or work permits have to be considered and addressed when you are applying for an international work scheme. In Belgium, your employer applies for your work permit. Other countries may be different. If you are an international law lawyer, you must be on top of your research about visa and work permit concerns and timelines. With the growing number of migrants and refugees to European countries and other parts of the world, you must anticipate some delays or other restraints based on your nationality and type of visa.

Third, do more than you are asked or get paid. Focus on the process, rather than results. Be prepared to feel disadvantaged at times. International law is a difficult and competitive field to break in and stay on. This means that there are many applicants who could easily replace you in the job market. Therefore, most lawyers in international organizations and the field of international law, unless in other fortunate circumstances, sacrifice a great deal in certain areas of their lives. This could be paying for your own travel accommodations or having to work originally assigned for someone else, being unable to visit to your family and missing out on your family events, and so on. I am of the belief that if you love this field, you will not spend time complaining about such realities.