I work in the general litigation group in the London office, doing a wide variety of contentious work. I am currently working on a retail banking case being heard in the High Court, a complex offshore trusts case in Jersey and a large regulatory investigation.
The work varies from India in several ways. Although I was more involved with judges and counsel in India, from what I've seen, law firms focus to a much greater extent on appellate litigation than firms in India. Also, because there is no formal split profession in India (although there is a functional split), lawyers in law firms have greater opportunities to do their own advocacy before firms instruct councel.
I am in a large general litigation group with 15 partners and about 45 associates. Although a large group means that you do not always get to know your colleagues very well, it is a very friendly group with a regular schedule of well-attended social events, and (due to its size) a very wide variety of work.
The best part about working at the London Clifford Chance office has got to be the swimming pool! No, but seriously, what I appreciate the most is that there is so much effort put into taking care of lawyers and providing facilities and support so that all you have to think about is your work, without worrying about anything else. The facilities - from the gym, to the games room, restaurant, shop, and dry cleaning are outstanding.
London is famously grey and dreary, but the sun does come out in summer and everything is very pleasant. Besides, you get used to the weather - I even caught myself telling my parents (in India) on the phone that "it's a beautiful day today", once when the sun came out…
There are so many interesting things to do in London. Too many to mention, but if I had to pick one unique experience, it would be watching Wimbledon semi-finals on Centre Court.
I chose Clifford Chance as I felt it was the most diverse law firm among the major London firms and also the one that treated you well and let you do your job without interference.
I joined Clifford Chance in August 2005. Before joining Clifford Chance, I studied for an LLM at the London School of Economics, and before that I spent a year clerking for Justice SSM Quadri in the Supreme Court of India.
