Webinar with lawyer Mark Moolhuizen
‘If you are studying to become a lawyer, but are not certain if the legal profession is the right place for you, then my advice is to just do it. Try it!’ This was one of the many recommendations from Leiden alumnus Mark Moolhuizen, a partner at law firm Van Doorne, given during a webinar held at Leiden Law School.
On Monday 26 November, for one whole hour pre-registered students could put questions to Moolhuizen about his studies, his work and his career. The lawyer was visible to participants throughout the webinar and he answered the incoming questions directly. The hour was easily filled with the questions. When asked what character traits are necessary to become a lawyer, he answered that having an inquisitive nature in particular is essential. ‘You have to have the skills and the drive to understand everything about a case, since you will be required to explain it in clear and comprehensible language to clients for example.’
Moolhuizen was pleased with how the webinar had gone. ‘It was a great experience. And also a bit strange talking while your target audience is not actually seated in front of you.’ The lawyer thought that good questions had been put to him. ‘I was glad with every question because it was a form of contact with the viewers at home as it were’. He hopes that his webinar will have triggered the curiosity of students for the legal profession. ‘I hope that the distance between students and the profession has been narrowed slightly, and that they now think: you know what, I’ll just have a go.’