Second-year law student Lacey Lorenzen is pictured at the Congreso de los Diputados in Madrid, Spain.

I decided to pursue law school after volunteering in Amman, Jordan where I got to meet with victims of human trafficking in a women’s prison. I knew I wanted to do something in the field of international law regarding conflict mediation, criminal law, atrocity crimes, and human rights.

When I toured the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, I felt the connection that all of the staff and professors had and the environment felt so different from what I had read about from students and alumni at other schools. The opportunities that McGeorge School of Law offered for study abroad, an internship abroad, and the Concentration in International Law were the final deciding factors for me when choosing a law school. So, I knew I would make it work to participate in the Salzburg Graduate Study Abroad Program no matter what it took.

Second-year law student Lacey Lorenzen tours Madrid, Spain. Lorenzen is pictured with two colleagues from her internship, Amparo Inigo (MSL ‘98) and Daniel Bernal.

What I didn’t know going into the program was that I was going to get the most amazing placement in Madrid, Spain. I worked at Natra Chocolate International for five weeks with the company’s in-house counsel, Amparo Inigo (MSL ‘98), and her associate Daniel Bernal. From day one, I was welcomed with open arms, invited to all meetings, and introduced to everyone from the general staff to the Director of HR and CFO.

During my five weeks at Natra, I got to attend and lead out meetings about client and provider contracts, edit contracts including writing new clauses, and digitalize contract templates for online completion. Aside from contracts, I learned about trade law and compliance, corporate law, banking and financing, HR, and environmental law. Since a new green initiative had recently passed in the European Union, I got to sit in on meetings where I learned first-hand how legislation affects company’s procedures and practices from the ground up. Since the primary working language at Natra is Spanish, I also got to learn a lot of new legal vocabulary, translate documents, and practice my language skills!

Second-year law student Lacey Lorenzen has lunch with colleagues from an internship in Madrid, Spain.

I do believe that what made the placement so special is how inviting Amparo and Daniel were, and how happy they were to have me there! They took me to lunch, invited me to their homes for BBQs and dinner, and showed me around the best spots in Madrid. They were just so fun, and Natra had one of the best working environments I have ever been in. Since its the Natra headquarters, the staff includes marketing and design, finance, IT, HR, and legal (which was the smallest department with only two lawyers to cover 7+ countries with offices and factories). The whole office eats lunch together everyday and works so collaboratively that it sets a high standard for where I want to end up working after law school!

Second-year law student Lacey Lorenzen tours the Spanish Congress in Madrid, Spain. She is pictured with Vice President of the Spanish Congress Jose Antonio, and her colleague Daniel Bernal.

I think my biggest takeaways from my internship are that I learned how much I love contract drafting and negotiations, I learned extensive Word and Excel skills, and I really got to see and practice how in-house counsel engages with their clients and customers – both Natra itself and their relationships with other companies. While the international law that I got to practice was private corporate law and not the public law I intend to practice, it was incredibly fascinating and I loved every second of it. I also got to eat a lot of free chocolate, so it was a win-win!

By Lacey Lorenzen, a second-year student at McGeorge School of Law.