What’s it like interning in NATO’s Office of Legal Affairs? Hear from a Duke Law student!

During their 1L summer Duke Law students do internships in a wide variety of legal offices, but my terrific research assistant, Léa Frenkel, had a rather unusual one.  She served as the only American intern in the Office of Legal Affairs at NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. 

That office is headed by my friend Andrés B. Munoz Mosquera who is, among other things, one of the world’s top lawfare scholars.  (Andres is also a Lawfire^® contributor – see here)

Léa worked most directly with Brigadier General Dr. Pavel Kriz who heads the office’s legal operations team. He describes her as “very smart, hardworking, goal oriented, but humble, kind and friendly at the same time.”

Incidentally, the legal operations team puts out the excellent Legal Vigilance Bulletin (you can get it registering on the e-LAWFAS site https://lawfas.hq.nato.int/)

Here’s Léa:

What interested you about this opportunity?

As a JD-LLM in International and Comparative Law, I was focused on finding an internship where I could apply my interest in international relations in a legal setting. I became particularly interested in the security aspect of international law through Duke’s National Security Law Society, which exposed me to the importance of preserving the rule of law when addressing pressing issues of national & international security.

Since this idea underscores the mission of the Office of Legal Affairs at NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, which counsels NATO’s strategic military command, the opportunity to join their team for the summer and observe how professionals work towards this goal in practice seemed like a no-brainer! 

What were some of the highlights?

Given the ongoing and intense security conflicts across the globe, NATO is a particularly relevant institution when it comes to shaping the direction of international security – I looked forward to getting to observe the inner workings of the organization at this busy time.

My most impactful project involved creating a “flash legal vigilance assessment” (an urgent request for legal analysis meant to guide the organization’s strategic operations) regarding Georgia’s foreign agent law.

Getting to see how the Office of Legal Affairs (and my own legal research and analysis) played a role in the development and implementation of strategic operations intended to preserve global security was an eye-opening experience which I am grateful to have been included in. 

How did this experience inform your career plans?

As the only American and the only law student in the Office of Legal Affairs, which was staffed by both attorneys and non-attorneys from around the world, the opportunity to work in a highly multi-cultural and interdisciplinary environment reinforced my interest in combining my studies of law, foreign languages and political science.

In addition, the exciting nature of international security work, which was often related to issues at the center of major news headlines and political debates, has made me even more motivated to continue learning how I can use my legal education to pursue a career in the field.

About the Author

Léa Frenkel (J.D./LLM ’26) is a rising 2L at Duke University School of Law. She grew up in Yorktown, New York, and graduated from SUNY Binghamton University, where she double majored in Political Science and Russian Studies and minored in music. In addition to interning with the Office of Legal Affairs at NATO this summer, she also studied at the Duke-Leiden Summer Institute in the Hague. At Duke, Léa serves as the Vice-President of Programming for the National Security Law Society and is involved with the Duke Law Run Club.