N. (Negar) Moghtader, LL M:
"The real issue is always the person behind the case"
"As a lawyer you learn the most important lessons in practice. My practice currently covers the fields of employment law and contract law. I've memorised the map, I know the roads and my colleagues make good guides. The thing I like about employment law is that what I do really makes a difference to people. Employment matters affect people personally: the real issue is 
always the person behind the case or the individual behind the business. The great thing about contract law is that you're actively involved in what people are trying to work together to achieve or the issues they're struggling with one another over.
In my third year at secondary school I already knew I wanted to study law. I think my background had something to do with it. In 1994 my parents and I came to the Netherlands from Iran. We had to deal with legal issues and the way the law was explained and interpreted. That fascinated me. After my degree in International and European Law at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, I found my first job at the District Court in Roermond.
One of the judges I worked with encouraged me to become a lawyer. She had been a lawyer for 25 years herself and thought I would do well. The main evidence supporting her belief was my communication skills. I wanted to do it, but first I needed to work on my CV. That's why I chose to do interim work. You can try out lots of different things and you get to know the full scope of the field you're working in. During that period I became interested in employment law and gained quite a lot of experience in it.
Based on that experience I applied to a medium-sized firm in Eindhoven. First real estate and administrative law; later on I also had some cases involving social security law and employment law. I realised pretty early on that my future lay in employment law. Because I want to make a difference for people. That's why I looked for a firm with a strong specialisation in employment law and a focus on practical solutions.
When Monique - we did our professional training as lawyers together, now she's my colleague - told me that she'd been hired by Swart & De Schepper I looked on their website. It turned out they still had a vacancy. I sent an email and noticed that they took action straight away. I was impressed.
I got my place here in September 2010. I'm given the freedom to develop myself further to become a lawyer, specialising in employment law and contract law. I'm lucky enough to be able to call on Marco and Martijn to help me. They know their subjects and are well able to pass on their knowledge and experience. That's one of the reasons I've felt at home at this firm from day one."
