Summer Reflections: 2L Melissa DeClue Interns with Aircraft Manufacturer Airbus in Toulouse, France
2L Melissa DeClue spent the first half of her summer taking classes in Madrid, Spain, and the second half interning for aircraft manufacturer Airbus in Toulouse, France.
DeClue reflects on the experience here.
"SLU LAW’s Summer Law Program at the Madrid campus was an amazing cultural and educational experience. The six-week program offers the opportunity to face new challenges with other law students. I personally do not speak Spanish, but I was surrounded by people who had a decent understanding of the language.
The classes were relatively small, which offered a great one-on-one connection with the other students and the professors. SLU LAW’s program also offered tours of Madrid, such as a cultural walking tour, a tour of the Constitutional Court and a law firm visit. The visits expanded my knowledge of Spanish law and the overall practice. My favorite experiences were the visits to the Mercado de San Miguel and Plaza de España. The program is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After I finished the program, I began a six-week internship with the aircraft manufacturer Airbus in Toulouse, France with a SLU LAW alum. The internship was arranged with the help of SLU LAW faculty, and was catered toward my interests and future career goals. After law school, I hope to attend a university to get my LL.M. in aviation law before pursuing a career either with an airline, aircraft manufacturer or a governmental entity.
During the internship, I mainly worked with the mergers and acquisition legal department. It was the perfect learning opportunity because prior to my arrival, Airbus had joined a partnership with Bombardier for the C-Series line of aircrafts, so I worked on various projects in relation to this deal with the M&A legal team. I also worked with other legal departments on numerous projects, which included putting together a stockholder’s consensus liability disclaimer and helping the anti-trust department on collusion research. These experiences helped foster in me a new interest in mergers and acquisitions, specifically with the process of negotiating, researching and closing a deal between another company. Overall, the internship was a wonderful opportunity to engage in the area of law that I hope to practice one day.
By the end of my summer I had worked abroad and managed to travel all across Europe (including Rome, Venice, Florence, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Ibiza, Formentera, Prague, Dresden, Dublin, Munich, Montpellier, Monaco, Sault, Porto, Paris, Brussels, Edinburgh and Reykjavik). Every city offered a unique perspective and changed the way I think, especially in regard to my approach to everyday life. My new perspective will help in future endeavors, particularly when handling future negotiations.
I would highly recommend the SLU LAW Summer Law Program in Madrid and an internship abroad to anyone interested in gaining international and comparative law skills to later utilize in their legal practice."