Meeting with Verena Wieditz, graduate (2014) and lawyer in Apple's global legal team

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND? 

I pursued a master in Economic Law after having completed my undergraduate and US law cursus in the US. During my undergraduate studies, I completed an exchange with Sciences Po, which is how I became intimately familiar with the school’s curriculum and reputation for excellence, making the choice to come back for an additional law degree an easy one. As an undergraduate student and a person who grew up between the European, US and Asian continents, I was always drawn to becoming an international lawyer, and given how international Sciences Po’s student body and faculty is (let alone Paris as a city), it’s the perfect spot for students with global ambitions.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE AT SCIENCES PO LAW SCHOOL?

Sciences Po Law School offers the incredibly unique experience of studying with internationally acclaimed professors and private practitioners from the world’s most prestigious law firms, international organizations and governmental agencies, while also offering its students the opportunities to participate in international moot court and mock trial competitions, all whilst studying right in the heart of Paris. I was part of the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court competition team both as a competitor and a coach my second year, under the tutelage of acclaimed international legal scholar Professor Makane Mbengue who routinely represents nations in front of the International Court of Justice.

Having studied at Sciences Po allowed me to learn with and from an immensely diverse and international group of competitive, bright and motivated students, and this undoubtedly contributed to my comfort in conducting and participating in complex multi-cultural, multi-lingual negotiations where understanding the other parties’ cultural context is highly relevant.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB TODAY?

I am currently a dually US-French qualified attorney and part of Apple’s global legal team based in California, which is an incredible privilege.

Whereas I began my legal career in international arbitration, I eventually transitioned into Intellectual Property law (more specifically entertainment), which, given the caliber of clients one represents, ultimately is not that different when it comes to the attorney-client relationships and the high expectations that clients have from you. What I love most is seeing their fantastic ideas come to fruition. Entertainment law is a sub-niche of Intellectual Property law. Negotiating and drafting rights acquisitions, chain of title, development and production agreements, talent (actor/writer/director/ producer) agreements will generally all fall into this category. 

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

At Apple, I’m part of the Apple TV+ team and currently focus on original content creation. As a globally operating company, I plan on continuing to put my international legal skillset to good use and aid the creative teams in creative world class, highly curated, award winning and impactful original shows and feature films by acclaimed internationally acclaimed producers and directors, featuring top notch diverse talent. I’m part of an amazing team and look forward to working with them for the next years.

ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE JOINING SCIENCES PO LAW SCHOOL?

For those who are considering joining Sciences Po or who are about to embark on their adventure – one thing I’d say is that there are so many different opportunities, coursework and activities you can pursue, it might be difficult to choose, so do your research beforehand. Further, the two (or three, depending on your curriculum) years really do fly by, so be selective and protective over your time, but really do take advantage of the incredible network that you’re actively creating or have just created. Definitely make sure to reach out to alumni and get as much information on the role/internship that you’re considering, and ask them about what they do on a day to day basis to see if this is might be a good fit for you long term. Also, don’t be shy to follow up with people multiple times if you don’t hear back (whether it’s regarding an internship or just trying to take them to coffee) lawyers are very busy people, and sometimes (…often!) just overlook emails.

If you’re not a French native speaker and nonetheless pursue the French language track like I did in order to sit for the Paris Bar exam, note that it will indeed be a lot more challenging than the English track – but also a lot more rewarding. Remember that big firms aren’t for everybody, and there isn’t a one-size fits all approach to finding your dream career.

Also, no matter which specialty you end up choosing, that particular specialty won’t necessarily define what kind of lawyer you can become down the road.

Verena Wieditz, Graduate of the Sciences Po Law School, Master in Economic Law, Programme Global Governance Studies (GGS), 2014.