I was in Guimarães for an internship experience at the law firm Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo for four weeks between November and December 2015. I graduated on September, so I hoped that an internship experience abroad could clarify my ideas about my future. On my return I was probably even more confused than on departure, but I enjoyed each Portuguese day to get as close as possible to the local culture and the legal profession. I certainly could not find a better study than the one in which I had the pleasure of working: each person I met had some words to share (strictly in Portuguese despite my bad knowledge of the language) and some advice to give about my future. My way came up to the qualification as a lawyer, then took a deviation that led me to work in a public institution but I remember with pleasure the time spent in Guimarães. The best moment I remember is the Christmas dinner with partners and lawyers of the law firm, an excellent opportunity to better know people and Portuguese food!
During the month I spent in Guimarães, I got the opportunity to get to know the warm and cheerful culture of Portugal and of its people. Not only did I fully enjoy my staying in Portugal due to the fenomenal cities and nature that surround Guimarães, but also due to the welcoming and growth-oriented atmosphere in the office.
Throughout the STEP experience, all the team members made me feel welcome and did not hesitate to help me, both from a work-related perspective and from a social one. What I really appreciated, and what I appreciate even more nowadays after having had work opportunities in other offices as well, is the fact everyone at Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo e Associados made me feel to be a part of the team. I believe that in order to work effectively, it is necessary to also feel comfortable with the colleagues and I can say that the atmosphere I experienced at work in Guimarães is one of the best I ever had the chance to experience. This is something that had a positive impact on me, as nowadays I always try to create a positive and welcoming environment in my team as well.
During the month I spent in Guimarães, I got the opportunity to get to know the warm and cheerful culture of Portugal and of its people. Not only did I fully enjoy my staying in Portugal due to the fenomenal cities and nature that surround Guimarães, but also due to the welcoming and growth-oriented atmosphere in the office.
Throughout the STEP experience, all the team members made me feel welcome and did not hesitate to help me, both from a work-related perspective and from a social one. What I really appreciated, and what I appreciate even more nowadays after having had work opportunities in other offices as well, is the fact everyone at Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo e Associados made me feel to be a part of the team. I believe that in order to work effectively, it is necessary to also feel comfortable with the colleagues and I can say that the atmosphere I experienced at work in Guimarães is one of the best I ever had the chance to experience. This is something that had a positive impact on me, as nowadays I always try to create a positive and welcoming environment in my team as well.
In the years following my internship, I did a LL.M. in international tax law and specialised myself in transfer pricing. After an initial work experience in Luxembourg, I am now living and working in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Hoping that at some point we will have the chance to meet again, I wish the best to you and to everyone else at Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo e Associados.
Thank you very much for the great experience I had with all of you!
Thanks to the Elsa Step Project, I did a traineeship at GLXLTM office, in Guimaraes, Portugal. During this period, I had the great opportunity to learn how to do the typical work of a lawyer.
GLXLTM law firm satisfies two different aspects: a professional side and a playful aspect.
By the one hand, I learned legal skills I didn’t know before it, I expanded my legal knowledge, both in theory and in practice, even participating in court hearings. By the other hand, I have to thank my mentor, Ana Ribeiro Costa, and all the other lawyers, who have made me feel part of this big family.
I will certainly never forget this magnificent experience.
I did an internship at the law firm Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo in 2014 and I can say it was a fantastic experience. I had the opportunity to learn many new things, to deal with excellent professionals and with a different legal system than the Italian one. During the internship I followed several cases and I studied particular issues relating to company law . Years later, I still feel the need to thank the law firm Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo for giving me this opportunity because it allowed me to grow both as a professional and as a person. If I became a lawyer, it is also thanks to the skills I acquired during this internship. It is an experience that I would redo and recommend to everyone.
As a last-year law student in my home-country Bulgaria and participant in the ELSA STEP program, I did an internship at GLX & LTM in the winter of 2013. I went to Portugal by myself and without knowing anyone or speaking the language. Frankly, my family and friends thought that this was a crazy idea. Yet, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. I obtained a deeper understanding of the Portuguese culture, broadened my skills and personal horizons, gained new friends and great experience related to my major. I was able to travel every weekend and besides Guimaraes, I explored other places like Lisbon, Porto, and Braga. The atmosphere and the people at GLX & LTM were amazing and everyone went above and beyond to help me adapt and have a pleasant stay. My colleagues included me in their everyday lives as much as possible. They showed me Guimaraes (I can hardly imagine a more charming little town), brought me to a soccer game of the local team Vitoria Guimaraes, to local festivals, and to different restaurants and bars. They assisted me every time I needed help or guidance. I hold my time in Guimaraes and GLX & LTM very close to my heart, as I truly believe that it transformed me into a more adaptive and mature person. Currently, I work as an Associate at the Bulgarian office of one of the top 10 global law firms called C/M/S: https://cms.law/en/bgr/people/maria-harizanova.
When I heard talking about Portugal my mind goes immediately to lovely Guimaraes.
I remember I arrived very early in the morning of a rainy Sunday in autumn. I was kind of schocked because I didn´t know exactly where to go, so I had my breakfast and I reached the place of my stay. A sleepy brasilian guy opened the door. I felt confused. I went to sleep and on the next day I went to visit the city with a guy I got to know on a Internet forum. The city was nice and weather was rainy but not cold. Without checking it, I started to like the city. On Monday at work I got to know a lot of nice people, I was surprised by the number of young people working there.
During my experience in Guimaraes I got to know nice workmates, a lot of Erasmus students and I had the possibility to go to stadium and to the local fest Pinheiro, which every Guimaraes inhabitant was waiting to for all the year.
I also remember the Christmas dinner with the firm and the Portuguese food, amazing.
A special mention goes to my friend Bernardo, who really made my stay unforgettable.
GLXLTM isn’t simply a law firm. There at GLXLTM, they must have found the magic formula to combine top level professionals and yet a people-friendly working environment. The result is the highest goal-oriented legal expertise devoted to client satisfaction, and the ideal workplace for every lawyer. I was honoured and pleased to be part of this family, even if for just a breef period.
I would like to start by saying that I had a wonderful experience in GLX on any aspect. First of all, I made friends with many of you in the firm, like you, Pedro Loureiro and Rui Melo (I still remember when I attended as a guest the radio programme Submarino with Rui – we had such a great time). At the same time, I had the opportunity, albeit in a short time, to be exposed to numerous initiatives, among which, drafting in Portuguese language an article on the “Italian bankruptcy law and how to collect tax credits deriving from foreign creditors “, an“article on the possibilities of bringing an action before the European Court of Justice in the field of criminal law and the European Court of Human Rights by private individuals. Furthermore, I attended several criminal and civil cases, in the Portuguese courts of first and second instance.
Ittention and care towards me, even if I was a young intern, was…terrific! And I still carry this experience with me as one of the most beautiful and formative moments of my career.
This highly educational internship gave me the opportunity to expose myself to the labour market with an interesting wealth of experience. And thanks to this, a few weeks later I started working in the legal department of one of the leading Italian telecommunication companies (former H3G – of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd Holding Group).
However, after this experience in the legal sector, my career made a big shift. I’ve always had the dream of working in the nonprofit sector and, finally, since 2013, I have been working in the United Nations (especially WFP and FAO) as Human Resources expert and Project manager, based around Europe and for some time in East Africa. I am currently based in Rome, where I settled with my family (my partner and my little daughter Adele) and I work for the World Food Programme.
I had the amazing opportunity to be part of the ELSA Student Trainee Exchange Program (ELSA) at Gama Lobo Xavier, Luís Teixeira e Melo e Associados two years ago. I recall it as one of the most well-rounded experiences I have ever had. The team at GLXLTM was truly welcoming from the very beginning, making me feel part of the team straight away. The bond was palpable, and I still remember the day we all spent visiting Braga and playing go-karts. During my stay at GLXTM, I had the opportunity to work on intellectual property, a subject that had always interested me and I believe is of great value for a skilled lawyer. Currently, I am working at a prestigious national law firm in Madrid. Thank you very much, GLXTM Team!
My internship in Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados was a unique experience! Special thanks to Ana and Bernando, I have been welcomed with such a warm manner by the firm which was more than anything I could have asked for. I acquired not only professional skills but also practical skills that were useful for my personal life. Working next to professional lawyers really gave me an insight of what is expecting me in my further career and encouraged me to proceed as an international lawyer.
Thanks to their encouragement, I have worked in many different countries and currently, doing my Masters in Queen Mary University of London.
In 2015, I had the great opportunity to come in Guimarães for my first professional experience abroad. I was very well supported by the correspondents of ELSA’s Student Trainee Exchange Program and the team at the office of Gama Lobo Xavier, Luis Teixeira e Melo e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, SP, RL. This experience was a good occasion to learn on myself in a personal way and improve my abilities to work in English on various European subjects. I definitely enjoyed my time in Portugal by visiting Porto and Braga and celebrating the foundation of Guimaraes’s city.
I am now working at the General Secretariat for European Affairs to the Prime Minister in Paris, France, on environmental and biodiversity issues. This experience in Guimarães confirmed my determination to work at the international and European levels.
First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of my colleagues (lawyers and trainees) who welcomed me with open arms, patience and kindness.
This traineeship was an extraordinary experience where I practiced speaking Portuguese and English, as well as learning about the Portuguese law.
I was able to work as a translator (in English, French and Portuguese) in different areas of law and was also given the opportunity to work and accompany the lawyers on a Portuguese divorce, as well as a civil liability case. The whole team was very attentive to what I liked to work on and what I was specialized in, and gave me tasks in accordance to my area of law.
I highly recommend this lawyer’s office, which was an incredible opportunity to learn and practice, and whose members were wonderful. I only wished the internship lasted longer : one month went by so quickly !
Obrigada GLX LTM !
