January 30, 2025, by Joe

Julia Struk-Zawadzka – Transparency International UK

My Virtual Internship at Transparency International UK

My 10-week placement was a virtual internship with Transparency International UK (TI-UK). I worked as part of their business integrity team as a business integrity officer, and was supported by a mentor. My internship was divided into 2 main parts, where I first worked on a research task, followed by some work on TI-UK’s corporate benchmark tool. For the research task, I spent the first 5 weeks looking into how AI is used in corporate compliance and summarised a legal document, which I encapsulated into a 20-minute presentation for the team.

I was given a degree of freedom with this broad topic, and so I focused my research on a range of areas that I thought were particularly interesting not only to me, but also to TI-UK. This included looking into greenwashing, public procurement, and financial services. The presentation was a success as I prepared thoroughly and enjoyed discussing my findings in front of the very friendly team.

Working with the Corporate Benchmark Tool

This experience allowed me to present in a formal setting, allowing me to practice my communication and presentation skills, which are valuable for the legal career I am pursuing. Next, I spent some time familiarising myself with TI-UK’s corporate benchmark tool, which is a self-assessment tool that participant companies use to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their anti-corruption and bribery programmes.

My tasks here were to come up with some questions for the tool, using my previous research on AI in compliance, and specifically the risks this brings to businesses. I then did some data analysis of the benchmark results from 2024, which allowed me to put into practice some of the Excel formulas my mentor previously taught me. To complete these tasks to a high standard I had to keep open-minded, as I used a new skill set, which included analysis of quantitative data and problem solving, which are not skills I often use within my university work.

Key Takeaways and Advice for Students

The internship was therefore a great opportunity to practice these new skills and to challenge myself. Another benefit of the internship were the great contacts I was able to make. Beyond the team at TI-UK, I was put in contact with two commercial lawyers at Mayer Brown, with whom I was able to have some great conversations. This is not something I was expecting to get out of the internship, and so I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to have these discussions.

Overall, I would recommend students to take up a placement due to the many benefits it will provide. You will be able to develop new skills, challenge yourself in a new environment, and gain a feel for what it is like to work in a given field. Students will therefore be able to gain valuable experience by being given an opportunity to put their skills and knowledge into practical use, which is great for personal development and for your CV!

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