Baptism by fire
Her primary school teacher was convinced she would end up saving the whales with Greenpeace. Even as a child, Maastricht University alum Susanne Schnabel couldn’t stand injustice. If a classmate was bullied, she had to intervene. It was this trait, combined with her “big mouth,” that led her to the legal profession. For the last 12 years, Schnabel has worked at Tripels Advocaten in Maastricht. “I don’t go around bragging that I’m a lawyer. This is just my job.”
Her father might well have given her the final push towards law. “I was quite a handful as a teenager, and I remember my dad saying, ‘Maybe you should do something with that big mouth of yours,’” she says with a laugh.
Schnabel considered studying in Amsterdam, but chose her hometown of Maastricht for its Problem-Based Learning. She thoroughly enjoyed her student days. “What helped was that I found it relatively easy. I skipped plenty of lectures, but the weeks before the exams I was able to shut myself off and knuckle down. That’s still how I work today. I need pressure.”
Hospitality industry
An added bonus of studying in Maastricht was that she was able to keep her part-time job, behind the bar at In den Ouden Vogelstruys. Later, this gave her an advantage at Tripels, which represents many hospitality entrepreneurs. “That whole world appeals to me. It’s nice that I can still be involved as a lawyer.”
The hospitality industry also prepared her for a legal career by introducing her to people from all walks of life. “You have to be able to deal with different kinds of people, talk to them and put your finger on the problem. That empathy has to come naturally, but a part-time job in hospitality definitely helps.”
Fight
During an internship at Tripels, Schnabel made such a good impression that she was offered a job before completing her master’s degree. She locked herself in her parents’ attic and wrote her final thesis in three weeks. Not long after, she entered the stately office building on the Brusselsestraat as a 23-year-old trainee lawyer.
“As a rookie, you have to fight to be taken seriously. There were times when I was just dying inside. I did my first hearing after only a week. It was a visitation arrangement with a child who had been placed under supervision; I was assisting the mother. I had no idea what it was going to be like. I had to show right off the bat that I wasn’t afraid to speak up. It was a baptism by fire. That’s what I’ve learnt over the years: that I develop and grow mainly when I’m super uncomfortable.”
Introvert
This doesn’t change the fact that a large part of her work consists of ploughing through documents in her office. Schnabel runs a civil practice specialising in tenancy law. “You have to be able to handle the fact that it’s a lot of research. I typically spend whole days reading, analysing and applying case law, writing letters and dictating.”
Her experience with interns shows that not everyone is cut out for this. “Some are wildly enthusiastic, whereas others prefer to be more active; they want to get out and about. That’s why internships are so important, because it’s the only way to find out what suits you. Deep down, it’s a good thing I’m actually quite introverted, otherwise I’d be very unhappy in this profession.”

Rental issues
Schnabel assists various types of landlords as well as tenants. For example, she collaborates with the Huurteam Zuid-Limburg to help students who have a dispute with their landlord. “There are lots of landlords in Maastricht who act like the rules don’t apply to them and have made a business model out of refusing to return deposits,” she explains. “They just assume foreign students won’t come back for their money.”
Yet, more and more students are finding their way to her. They receive subsidised legal aid, which means Schnabel is paid by the government. “Not necessarily interesting from a commercial point of view, but these are things I get a kick out of. A landlord who ignores the rules and treats people badly is likely to receive a strongly worded letter from me: pay up or I’ll sue. Sometimes it only takes one or two letters on my office letterhead to settle the matter.”
Future
On LinkedIn, she gives personal insights into her life as a lawyer. “For many people, the threshold to pick up the phone is very high. They’re afraid it’ll be super expensive right away, or that you only turn to a lawyer when you’re on the cusp of suing.” She wants to make legal assistance more accessible in the hope that people will approach her before matters get out of hand. “I’m not an old-school lawyer. I don’t see this work as giving me some kind of special status; it’s just my job.”
A job she undeniably enjoys, as is clear from her many plans for the future. Schnabel would like to specialise further in tenancy law and is keen to train law interns. “I also want to write a column; drafting legal documents is not much of an outlet for my creativity. Who knows, maybe one day—I’ve said it out loud now!”
Text: Jolien Linssen
Photography: Susanne Schnabel
I’m not an old-school lawyer. I don’t see this work as giving me some kind of special status; it’s just my job.
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