Like Sleeping Beauty, the Czech republic awoke from her 40 years of hibernation under Soviet rule and Prague reappeared as a top destination for other European visitors keen to see her “amazing Baroque architecture” (or drink themselves silly on stag weekends). Only Prague could have described her emergence from communism as a Velvet Revolution, and indeed, the city brims with elegance and romance. Situated on the Vltava River, the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site dominated by a castle. After you’re done with the city, weekends hold trips to the western spa towns, while the Sumava Mountains of south Bohemia offer superb hiking. Prague has reclaimed her cultural, artistic and musical life, and from the eclectic mixture of artistic and architectural styles - Gothic to art deco, cubist to high renaissance - to the clink and chatter of Czechs enjoying a post-work drink, Prague will enchant even the most cynical trainee.
Work: Trainee postings to Prague can involve corporate, real estate, banking, litigation and a spot of IP. Our sources typically found they had very good levels of responsibility, telling us: “You have a real chance to get stuck in here as it’s a smaller office environment.” This part of Europe has been popular with foreign investors. For example, energy provider Dalkia recently made its presence felt by acquiring a power plant in the city of Kolin. As you might expect, the international firms play a big part in advising these foreign investors. The economic downturn was definitely felt in Prague: though there were still secondments in the past 12 months, some of our sources complained that there was “not that much work floating around,” even at the larger firms. The most affected area was real estate, but already there are signs of “green shoots.”
The magic circle firms Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy usually have one trainee here per rotation. This is also the case for the likes of Norton Rose, White & Case and Cameron McKenna. Bird & Bird was the most recent to set up shop in the Czech capital, focusing mainly on IP matters. Our sources generally liked the atmosphere in their offices and described them as “quite sociable - people made a real effort to invite us out in the evenings.” English is spoken widely in the work environment.
Rest and play: Having opened this feature with a reference to Sleeping Beauty we decided to ask one of our female sources whether Czech women really are as pretty as it is claimed. She told us: “They really take care of themselves; I quite often see attractive women with less than attractive men.” Ouch! Anyone who loves food must be warned that Czech cuisine is “quite heavy” and “dumpling-based” so watching what you eat unless you’re prepared to kiss goodbye to your ‘unbearable lightness of being’ in Prague. As per usual, the law firms arrange accommodation and your apartment will most likely be “very European with large rooms, high ceilings, rustic beams and ornate tiles on the floors.” Most of the chosen apartments are close to the city centre and the office, and you’ll likely hook up with other UK trainees on a regular basis to see the sites. On your agenda will be the Charles Bridge and the Petrin Tower, though one trainee dismissed them as “very touristy.” Instead, they recommended a pint of Czech brew while watching the sunset from a bar. When you're not listening to the strains of Dvorak wafting out of an apartment downstairs, you can hear live jazz, opera, rock and dance music for a fraction of London prices. At weekends, don’t forget: “You are linked to the rest of Central Europe and Eastern Europe as well.”