Career Stories | Ella Nummela, Legal Assistant Trainee, M&A

Ella Nummela works as a legal assistant trainee in Hannes Snellman’s M&A Team.

How did you end up working at Hannes Snellman?

I first learned about Hannes Snellman at a meet & greet event at our school as a first-year student. Before that, I didn’t even know that it would be possible to work at a law firm as a BBA student. I had a feeling that a law firm would be an interesting work environment and different from what I was used to. I became really interested in the trainee programme after the visit and after searching the company websites. When it was my time to apply for an internship, I knew I wanted to apply here.

Which team do you work in and what is included in your “normal working day”?

I work in the M&A Team. My normal working day begins with checking my calendar, e-mail, and doing some day-to-day administrative work. I also get to assist the lawyers and other assistants of our team with tasks regarding to projects or meetings. There has not been two exactly similar days because the tasks vary and, in my opinion, it keeps the work interesting.

What have been the biggest learnings or takeaways for you during your traineeship?

Having the courage to take on new tasks that you are not familiar with. That way you get to learn so much more.

What kind of skills are important for a legal assistant trainee?

Good IT skills are really helpful because you get to use different software on daily basis and also good English skills because a lot of the material is written in English.

Do you have any advice for students applying for traineeships or the legal assistant traineeship in particular?

Trust yourself and don't think that you're not good enough or fit enough to apply. Even though it sounds like a cliché, remember to be yourself.

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