Nadia Saggi, Associate
Title: Associate, Corporate
Education: Law, National Law School of India, Bangalore; LLM, Warwick University
Joined Clifford Chance: 2006
Why Clifford Chance? I think the firm’s international experience and network means it’s well positioned to anticipate the needs of people from different backgrounds and to value their different perspectives and insights. This makes it very well geared up to take on foreign-qualified lawyers.
I remember when it came to making a decision about which firm to join, I just felt more comfortable with Clifford Chance. The firm seemed very open to my background and wanted to accommodate my experience and academic background. I came in on an 18-month training contract that took my experience in India into account, so I wasn’t starting all over again, which was important to me. One of the highlights of my career to date has been my involvement in the firm's recruitment campaign in India. When I was in my second seat as a trainee I was asked if I wanted to help and since then I have returned to India several times to visit universities and help market the firm.
Coming to this 30-storey building for the first time you’re bound to feel a little intimidated. This is a very big firm, but I think there’s a very strong sense of ‘one firm’ here. It’s also a very diverse place, which makes it interesting. I think we combine very effectively across time zones and use our diversity as an advantage in advising our clients. At the same time, the fact is that on a day-to-day basis you are working with your own team and, from my first day here, I found that people throughout the firm were very interested in helping me. You can walk into pretty much anyone’s office and say ‘Do you have a minute?’ or ‘I’ve been told you’re the person to ask about …’ and they’ll make time for you.
Obviously your training contract is a great time to develop your legal skills. As a trainee, I was part of teams working on front-page deals. It’s pretty exciting to see your name in the Financial Times’ London Today page alongside that of the partners on the deal. Your training contract is also a great way of getting to know people and building up your network. I was seconded to Barclays for six months and to Barclays Capital (BarCap) for three months. Secondments are a chance to understand clients’ businesses and their needs at a much deeper level. You also build stronger relationships with the client and when you return to the firm you’re in a great position to help your colleagues.
A lot of the client work I do now relates to insurance and funds. We’re working at the cutting edge of the sector, looking at regulatory issues and liaising with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on how the law and policy should evolve for the future. It’s intellectually demanding and different every day. Our clients come to us because they have encountered a problem that is new so we’re looking at issues that haven’t been tackled before, breaking new ground – it’s actually very exciting. Essentially what we are doing is finding solutions to clients’ problems and being proactive to help them improve profitability.
