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“Incredibly exciting and varied”Legal traineeships at thyssenkrupp AG’s compliance department
Even during his law studies, John Cebreco knew that he wanted to think outside the legal box in his future job. During his legal clerkship at thyssenkrupp, the Essen native gained his first first-hand insight into a particularly exciting, global company - and was immediately impressed. So enthusiastic, in fact, that only one employer came into question after his studies.
Five stations of the legal traineeship
Even when he was a law student, John Cebreco knew that he wanted to think outside the legal box in terms of his future career. The Essen native was able to gain a first-hand insight into a particularly exciting, global company during his legal traineeship at thyssenkrupp – and was immediately won over. So won over, in fact, that he had his sights set on just one employer after graduation.
After taking his exams at the University of Münster, John embarked on his legal traineeship, the practical part of his training to become a qualified lawyer, in 2021. “The traineeship is split into five stages,” John explains. “The civil stage takes place at a municipal or regional court, the criminal stage at the office of a public prosecutor or criminal judge, the administrative stage at a public authority or administrative court and the legal and elective stage at a law firm or, in some cases, at a company.”
“Making a positive contribution to the company culture”
As John had been interested in economic matters from a young age, he realised early on that he wanted to combine the two disciplines of law and economics in his career. He was also attracted by the chance to conduct investigative work and make a positive contribution to the company culture. That’s why he researched companies with a strong compliance department – and struck gold when he came across thyssenkrupp.
He was more than just familiar with the industrial and technology group of companies having grown up in Essen. Indeed, John also has a familial connection to thyssenkrupp, but that wasn’t the only thing that convinced him to apply to the Essen-based company.
“At thyssenkrupp, you can become a legal trainee either as a part of your legal traineeship or as part of an elective traineeship. And I opted for the former.”
This gave John the chance to familiarise himself with many of the different career paths available to lawyers at an early stage in his legal traineeship.
Treating others with respect and humanity
John also has particularly positive memories of the application process: "I had my first interview directly with the Head of Compliance Investigations after my application," says John. "The interview was very pleasant: they took a lot of time to not only talk about technical topics such as the structure and organization of the department and the currently relevant fields of activity, but also to talk about interests and hobbies. It felt like a conversation at eye level. This respectful, humane and confident approach was what made me decide to join thyssenkrupp. And as I found out during my station and when I started my career, this type of interaction is the foundation of our daily work."
Taking on responsibility early
During his traineeship, John was immediately involved in ongoing processes: In addition to research tasks, the budding fully qualified lawyer also took on interviews and was even able to attend a court hearing on a case that he had supervised himself. "During my research, I was able to set my own priorities and thus provide impetus that related in particular to our core compliance topics," reports John. As a result, John was able to independently take on both investigations that were triggered by a report in the thyssenkrupp whistleblowing system, for example, as well as planned compliance audits that were not triggered by a specific incident very early on after starting his career. He was always able to rely on the support of his team and superiors.
Joining thyssenkrupp as a Compliance Officer
This is another reason why John would recommend a position at thyssenkrupp to other trainee lawyers: "You get a first-hand insight into a global company, work on exciting topics and have fantastic colleagues."
So it's no wonder that John decided to remain loyal to thyssenkrupp after successfully completing his traineeship. Since March 2023, he has been strengthening the "Legal & Compliance Investigations" department as a Compliance Officer.
"The work in the Investigations department is incredibly exciting and varied. It requires independence, initiative, perseverance, discretion and respectful interaction. I quickly realized during my traineeship that I have a very good opportunity here to combine professional and personal growth. I can also play to my communicative strengths, as I am in daily contact with colleagues from Legal & Compliance and the employees of the companies both nationally and internationally."