Position: Associate
Education: Law, University of Durham; LPC, College of Law Moorgate
Joined Clifford Chance: 2008 including a 6 month secondment as a trainee to
Barclays Bank PLC: 2008-2010

Working at Clifford Chance gives you the opportunity to be involved in some of the most high profile and strategically important transactions for our clients. For example, I recently assisted on advising The Carlyle Group on its agreed £1bn acquisition of RAC from insurance group Aviva.

This was a great deal to be involved with and was a team effort across most of the departments at the firm. My role on the transaction was mixed, combining transaction management and drafting of the shareholders' arrangements. The work was also of a high quality - it is not unusual for junior associates or trainees to be given an opportunity to draft the first cut of important transaction documents.

The firm also has an incredible global brand which is reflected in the international nature of the work. Nearly all of the matters I have worked on have had a cross-border element. I previously worked on the offer by Suntory, the Japanese-based alcohol and beverage company, to acquire the European drinks manufacturer Orangina Schweppes Group from Lion Capital and Blackstone. This required me to liaise with colleagues across six jurisdictions in Europe. The variety that comes with cross-border matters is important to me; having previously lived in China, Russia and Australia.

As a trainee I spent six months on secondment to the Group General Counsel's Office at Barclays Bank PLC. Given what was happening with financial regulation globally at the time, the work was very interesting and included reviewing guarantees, assisting with intellectual property law policies, US securities due diligence and advising the bank's global community investment team (which was great to be involved with). This was a rewarding opportunity to develop both my legal and client skills.

Trainees at the firm are all given opportunities to either go abroad on secondment to another office in the Clifford Chance network or to a client. I would highly recommend a client secondment. You are able to quickly get a feel of what clients want and to see a more commercial side of law. This sort of experience no doubt makes you a better lawyer.

I am currently an Associate in the Private Equity team within the Corporate Finance department. This is an area in which we are very strong, and I am really pleased with my decision.