Topics: Law school, learning tips, top of the class, University of Lucerne, career path, law internship, Gabriel & Bucher AG.
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Hello Mr. Wolfisberg, thank you very much for making yourself available for an interview. You completed both your bachelor's and master's degrees in 2022 as the top of your class at the University of Lucerne. How did you organize your time during school to achieve academic excellence?
During my bachelor's studies, I used the semester time intensively, so I could rely on a solid foundation during my master's studies. This allowed me to work at 20% as a research assistant during my master's studies and still maintain a high level of performance.
Which subjects were you particularly interested in and which were particularly challenging for you?
I was especially interested in the classic subjects, which are sometimes perceived as somewhat conservative and often described as "dry" by non-lawyers: property law, inheritance law, contract law, and civil procedural law were my main areas of interest. Administrative law and the fundamental subjects, in particular legal philosophy and sociology of law, posed a particular challenge for me. The latter because they critically examine the classic legal disciplines from a meta-perspective.
Were there specific habits or routines that you developed to foster your success?
A serious preparation and follow-up of the individual lectures during the semester helped me not to have to significantly increase the learning effort during the examination phases and to focus on solving old examinations.
Serious pre- and post-processing of each lecture during the semester helped me to not have to significantly increase the amount of studying during exam periods and to focus on solving old exams. - Jonas Wolfisberg
What resources or tools have been particularly helpful to you during your academic career?
On the one hand, I always took my lecture notes by hand, which gave me considerable advantages in memorization. On the other hand, I am convinced that the classic works of standard literature should be retained as textbooks in studies. Even though it is almost impossible to cover the needs of both practitioners with thirty years of professional experience and first semester students completely in such works, I was able to benefit significantly from reading such books: On the one hand, they helped me acquire the ability to understand complex legal texts and identify the essentials within them. On the other hand, reading the legal classics not only allowed me to acquire my legal knowledge, but also to adopt a legally correct language, which I could use in case solutions and term papers. Moreover, this way I learned a lot about the correct way to cite literature and jurisprudence.
How did you balance your extracurricular activities and hobbies with your academic commitment?
Especially during my bachelor's studies, I considerably reduced my extracurricular activities during the semester, but was able to devote myself to these during the lecture-free time and in my master's studies, where the overall academic burden was significantly lower.
What are your professional goals?
I will be taking the bar exam in the canton of Obwalden in October 2023. Subsequently, I will start a dissertation at the University of Lucerne. Of course, it would be nice to be able to pursue the academic path a little further, but a lot in this area depends on chance. Ideally, it would be possible to combine academic and practical activities, as practical impulses often prove very helpful for research. During my legal internship at Gabriel & Bucher AG in Sarnen, I came across two topics that still need research and each of these I addressed in an essay. In any case, my goal is to have at least a small teaching assignment in the future.
I consider it essential to acquire a solid foundation in the classical subjects during the bachelor's program, especially if the bar exam is to be taken later. - Jonas Wolfisberg
What advice would you like to give to current law students?
I consider it crucial to establish a solid foundation in the classic subjects during the bachelor's degree, especially if the bar exam is to be taken later. This foundation can then be deepened and/or broadened during the master's degree. When choosing the law firm for my internship, it was the right path for me to select Gabriel & Bucher AG, a small firm with a broad orientation. This way, I was able to gain insight into numerous areas of law during my internship and familiarize myself with the respective legal writings. Personally, I was not ready to trade this broad insight for a mere partial insight at a large law firm. In my opinion, the emphasis in this phase of education should not be placed on enhancing one's CV.
Thank you for the interview and the advice, Mr. Wolfisberg. We wish you much success in your next career steps.