Mentors' impressions

 


Ana Lucia Tomić (HPB - Director of Compliance and Management Board Support)
: "Thank you for letting me be a part of this little think-tank that I think some good things will come out of. When you start working, it will really be difficult. But everything passes. The best decisions that you will make will be the ones that you did by making bad decisions first. Don't be afraid of bad decisions and learning from your experience because this is a part of evolving into great lawyers that all of you, I'm sure, after today, will be."

Antita Pejić Ilišević (Henkel - Head of Legal): "I would like to thank Danijel for involving me in this project. This was really a pleasure and it was really refreshing to see your opinions and your perspective on this topic. The exercise itself is really complex, but it is something that will come across your table at one point, especially if you are an in-house lawyer. What I would suggest is: keep an open mind, don't dig yourselves in books, laws and regulations - think outside the box as much as possible because it will help your colleagues - you will not only be a lawyer, but a colleague, trying to help them. Always try to find a good, creative solution for the business, but the one with which you will be satisfied because if you are not satisfied that this is correct, that this is legally alright, you won't find happiness in what you are doing."

Berislav Čižmek (Dealmaker and Networker, CEO/Owner at CBBS Ltd): "It was a pleasure participating today in this workshop with Ana and Lucija, with all the other students and mentors. It was a nice experience. I am very positive about the quality of the attitudes and the knowledge of the students and law graduates. I think all of you are well prepared for the future career and the challenges that will come in front of you. It was also a good experience for me, listening to law experts and their attitude to different kinds of problems. I believe that this project, which has been created and had as its main target the idea to provoke different kinds of opinions, dialogue and communication, has completely fulfilled this task."

Mario Rašić (ZŠEM): "The case is very intense, it's very challenging for both the mentors and the students (...) Sometimes there's is not a unique solution - you always have to keep in mind the pros and cons, and the effects of your decisions and your proposals (...) I hope that this case will guide the students in their future work, in developing their personalities, so they finish this academy by improving in all aspects of their lives."

Saša Pigac (sales professional): "The case is, although very complex, highly possible to happen in real life. It represents a big benefit for law graduates and students who can, in this way, understand all possible issues that might happen one day (...) There is no one and only solution for cases like this one. You always have to understand how to approach it - you have to discuss it with the business owner, your HR colleagues (...) Sometimes there are benefits for the company not to follow strictly the rule of law because, at the end of the day, in the short or long term, it will bring an additional benefit for the company."

Michael Nam (business coach): "It was a pleasure to work with Ana and Dina. It was a very demanding case to solve. They were always looking for clarifications in the case. What I also liked was the energy level of the discussion. (...) Overall, I leave here with a very good impression of your teamwork."

Candidates' impressions


Ana Rukavina
: "I'm really glad to have participated in this project. I would like to thank the organisers - such a thing has not been seen in Zagreb yet - well done! I'm happy to have met my colleagues - young and ambitious people. The mentors were superb - both normal and successful at the same time. We have learnt from our mentor that we have to learn a lot, be persistent and work a lot because it all pays off in the end!"

Ana Šporčić: "The day was really interesting and educational. One thing I will definitely remember is that as lawyers mustn't advise by purely quoting legal norms but we have to look at the given situation in a broader context and as such provide our client with an option to make a decision on their own, but which will still be within the legal framework. We have to be creative and careful at the same time."

Andrijana Capan: "This was a wonderful experience. I believe it's important that all the participants of this project have become connected, which is not that easy in our business. My mentor, not being a lawyer himself, has taught me to look at the bigger picture, to always put myself in the other party's position, and to always see how to satisfy both parties. It's important to put aside our own attitudes, and instead to slowly try to understand and make all parties in question content. This project has given me exactly what I wanted, and even more than that - I have learnt how to approach a problem, i.e. what the first question I need to ask myself when presented with a problem would be. No matter how simple it may seem at the beginning, it is usually not, so we should put all possible questions and answers on paper in order to see the bigger picture because it is only then that we can solve the problem. That's why I think that this was a really really valuable experience."

Eni Mohorić: "This was a really nice experience since I am a person who is not used to talk in front of many people, but with time I became relaxed. I think it would be useful to attend projects like this one because one day we will have presentations in front of a group of people, especially in companies during meetings, so it is important to work on our public speaking skills and learn how to be relaxed. Mentors have taught me how to better introduce myself via my CV, to say what we have done and learnt at our previous positions and not just enumerate our work experience. Furthermore, no matter which degree we obtain, we don't have to focus and limit ourselves only to one job or domain - we can always change our mind and do something else, something which fulfils us."

Iva Kuten: "I'm extremely glad to be a part of this project because this is a special project with a multidisciplinary approach - we simultaneously check our professional competences, train our speaking skills and carry out personal evaluation. I would like that this becomes a tradition and that as many young people as possible join the project. While working with my mentor, I've learnt that although we all have the same starting point, although we all learn from the same sources, our opinion in the same situations can differ significantly and that every lawyer can have their own viewpoint and approaches to solving a certain case."

Lucija Dujić: "When I was presented with this case, a hundred questions arose because I don't yet have a lot of experience. Being part of the discussion with you, I got a lot of answers to these questions. I believe this is a really good experience which we will benefit from in the future. The mentor has provided me with a different way of looking at a problem, since he is not a lawyer, but an economist."

Maja Poprženović: "This project was great and I hope you will invite us again when you organise similar projects in the future. This was the first workshop for me in general and I think this is an excellent opportunity for those who have just finished their studies or have only started working since they don't know what the future has in store for them. While working with our mentor, we have realised that we can start applying theory into practice only when we finish university, which is only the first step, and that we always have to build up our knowledge. We have also learnt that working in a law office is much different than working in a multinational company, but that we should not be afraid to try both and find out what suits us more."

Manuela Vukelić: "I think we've learnt a lot and I think we will all solve future problems with a more self-confident attitude. We have also met many wonderful and quality people. As far as the case is concerned, it wasn't difficult when first looking at it, but I overlooked some things. Now I've come to understand how to look at certain things from different angles."

Mario Ivančev: "I believe that senior experts and older colleagues do not help the young ones as much as they should. It is important that we become aware of a way of thinking to which we haven't yet been used - today we've learnt how to think in certain situations, but maybe in other we'll have to think in a different way. From my mentor, I've learnt more about this way of thinking - how to organise a certain issue. During the discussion, we've covered and discussed approximately ten questions, and I saw one, two or three on my own. I believe that in practice no issue repeats itself, and that's why it is not important to learn how to solve only that particular issue, but to learn the way of thinking about solving these kinds of situations. This project is ideal for this."

Nino Andonović: "This kind of workshop is a novelty in the entire education of lawyers. At university until now I have met a very few examples of real practice, especially the one happening outside the courts. This is actually a unique opportunity in which one can get into contact with real-life examples of a career in law in the business world. It has immensely helped me by additionally confirmed my desire to really be involved in this area of law. I have come to understand that something that looks a bit trivial at first glance actually represents a huge and complex problem that requires one's full attention, at the same time making us realise that there's not a lot of time to solve a complex situation. It is vital to set a firm ground and identify what the real problems are and to what pay attention. I think was a great practice in prioritising because, despite the fact that all these problems are big and important, some of them are significantly more important than others. I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity and I hope there will be more of them in the future."

Tamara Dorešić: "This was an excellent experience for people who don't have so much experience in business world - to combine business and law. Lawyers and business people don't think in the same way, which is something one learns during their whole life. Therefore, to learn any kind of a new perspective on a new issue is an advantage. This case was an example of how a lawyer looks at the facts and quickly makes their assumptions, whereas a businessperson sees hundreds of other problems."

Zvonimir Brzić: "This kind of experience of approaching a certain case doesn't seem so difficult and complex at first, but the deeper we go into it, the more I realise that one should approach every case with the same amount of concentration. The mentors were really pleasant to talk with, and they have given me a lot of advice that I will make the best use of in my future career."

Photos taken by students of Private High School for Arts, Zagreb

Daria Reškov - Paola Reškov - Nikolina Tucman