More meet-ups and more foreign exchanges are top of the agenda for the new president of Jurismus.
UK lawyer Sophie Hearle takes on the role after four years on the board of the group, which brings together young European lawyers from Eurojuris law firms to network and learn.
And following the challenges of the pandemic, she is keen to see members meeting face-to-face once more. “Our congress has had to be postponed for a further year, but we are hoping to add some new events on the calendar once we are able to meet up,” she explained.
The next congress will be held in Rotterdam in 2022, and Sophie is keen to see ideas for subsequent events submitted by Jurismus members. “We would like to hear from anyone in Jurismus who is keen to showcase their firm and their home city or town,” she added.
Sophie is also eager to reignite the JUMP programme – the Jurismus marketing partnership programme – which enables peer to peer learning, with a young lawyer visiting a colleague in a different country for hands-on experience over two to five days.
“By working together and getting to know the structure and dynamics of work in another country, it allows strong bonds to be formed between young lawyers. This is one of the most important aspects of Jurismus, helping to learn how to build cross-border relationships and navigate cultural differences,” she explains.
Sophie studied law and French at the University of Leeds and Université Jean Moulin, Lyon III, later studying at BPP Law School in London, following which she joined East of England firm Ashtons as a trainee in 2014. A member of Ashtons French legal services team, she advises on French and English estate planning, taxation, wills and probate.
She is also a self-appointed ambassador for Eurojuris within Ashtons, regularly circulating requests for specialist cross-border input from and to other member firms.
