Position: Associate, Tax
Education: Natural Sciences, Cambridge University; GDL & LPC, BPP
Joined Clifford Chance: 2006
Qualified: 2008

The firm goes to great lengths to make life as easy as possible for you. Everything you need is on site and the firm has incredible resources in terms of facilities and support.

Some people may view that as encouraging you to stay in the office longer but that's not how I see it. It's more a case of making life easier. I would want to go to a gym even if we didn't have one here - but the fact that we have such a great gym, swimming pool and squash courts on site means that I can fit my exercise in more easily leaving more time for other activities.

I had a rewarding and varied experience as a trainee, starting in Asset Finance before going to Milan for my second seat in Capital Markets, and then coming back to Financial Regulation before my final seat in Tax, which is where I qualified.

While I was in Milan I worked on a number of innovative deals, including the first Italian hybrid bond issuance and the listing of a massive fashion company on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), a first for Milan. Because Clifford Chance's overseas offices are smaller, trainees are often given greater responsibility. When I was in Milan I often performed the tasks of a junior lawyer.

In Financial Regulation I worked on cross-border transactions and was part of the team that worked on the Barclays bid for ABN AMRO. The deal spanned over 70 jurisdictions so the scale of our international network was critical. We had twice-weekly meetings with the client on the regulatory side as we drew together compliance approvals from so many different jurisdictions. There were teams on the corporate side working on the bid itself and other international offices and local firms were also involved. My role was to co-ordinate the different team members and make sure that we all knew what everyone else was doing.

As a trainee on transactions in Capital Markets you are typically co-ordinating deals, helping to draft and circulate the transaction documents - in particular the prospectuses for issues of debt or shares. The paperwork itself isn't necessarily that exciting but it has to be done accurately and quickly, which gets the adrenaline flowing.

My final seat in Tax was the most rewarding. Finance tax law is complex but this also means that it is intellectually stimulating. I have found that the analytical skills I developed whilst studying science at university have been very helpful in getting to grips with the legislation and applying it to structured deals.

I was lucky to qualify into Tax as the advisory areas, such as Tax, tend to be more competitive. I definitely made the right choice and am enjoying the new responsibilities associated with being an NQ. There is a huge amount of Tax law to learn. This can feel daunting at times but there is a lot of support available: the department organises structured training sessions and it has been my experience that the Senior Associates and partners here have always been willing to take the time to explain difficult or new areas.