Source: US Global Legal Monitor
Today’s interview is with Tanja Krüger, a foreign law intern working with Foreign Law Specialist Jenny Gesley in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress.
Describe your background.
I was born in Berlin, the capital of Germany. With around 3.9 million inhabitants, it is the country’s most populous city. At the age of 18, I moved away from my hometown to pursue my studies in Halle, a city located south of Berlin and near Leipzig in eastern Germany. However, I ultimately found my way back to Berlin for my current legal traineeship.
What is your academic/professional history?
I studied at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Halle, where I completed the First State Examination in law (equivalent to a juris doctorate degree in the United States). Driven by a strong interest in international and European law, I specialized in international, transnational, and European law during my studies. Building on this specialization, I spent a semester abroad at the Ghent University in Belgium and pursued an LL.M. in European Law at Université Panthéon-Assas in Paris, France, where I gained deeper insights into the various areas of European law and its regulatory framework.
Currently, I am completing my legal traineeship at the Higher Regional Court of Berlin. As part of the two-year program, I have worked with a civil law judge of the court, at the local public prosecutor’s office, the Foreign Federal Ministry of Germany, and a major U.S. law firm in Berlin. The internship with the Global Legal Research Directorate (GLRD) is the final stage of my traineeship, which concludes with the Second State Examination and qualifies me to practice law in Germany.
How would you describe your job to other people?
As a foreign law intern in the GLRD of the Law Library of Congress, I support my supervisor, Foreign Law Specialist Jenny Gesley, in responding to requests from members of Congress, executive agencies, courts, and the general public concerning the jurisdictions of German-speaking countries and the European Union (EU). I carry out legal research, prepare detailed reports, and engage in comparative legal analysis. I also write articles on new legislation and notable legal developments in these jurisdictions for the Law Library’s Global Legal Monitor.
Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?
My strong interest in international law and in the similarities and differences between legal systems motivated me to go abroad and seek an internship that would allow me to work across a wide range of jurisdictions. The Law Library of Congress is an ideal setting for this, as it enables me to contribute research on German-speaking jurisdictions and the EU while gaining valuable insight into how U.S. institutions approach complex legal questions.
What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Law Library of Congress?
It is fascinating that the Law Library of Congress is the largest law library in the world and part of the largest library in the world. The Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress is especially impressive, and it houses one of only three surviving complete copies on vellum of the Gutenberg Bible. You can see it for yourself when visiting the building, and I was told that staff changes the pages on display every two to three months to help preserve the Bible.
What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?
In typical German fashion, I worked on an asparagus farm as a teenager to earn some pocket money and sold the beloved white and green asparagus during the asparagus season between April and June.
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