I presently work in the International Arbitration group. Prior to this I worked in the Derivatives & Financial Regulation group and the General Banking group.
The transactions here are much more challenging and sophisticated than those that I worked on in India, which is a natural consequence of London's highly evolved financial markets. Practice areas are also more specialised and afford one the opportunity to engage with an area of law in depth. In contrast, as a junior associate in a mid-sized firm in India, my practice was much more general in nature and varied from securities and derivatives law to private equity investments and outsourcing.
While I initially missed the level of responsibility I had while working in India, I was excited to be a part of ground-breaking deals in Clifford Chance. Responsibility came with time once you showed initiative and the people you worked with were confident about your abilities. I was also pleased to find that one's designated role in the firm didn’t confine one to doing only what was expected of that role. As an example, the firm's India focus affords excellent opportunities to contribute to business development and recruitment, which ensures that one's role in the firm is well-rounded.
As the firm's largest and pivotal office, the London office has a dynamic work environment. The opportunity to be involved in headline-making deals makes it an exciting workplace.
The diverse and international employee profile makes one feel comfortable here whichever part of the world one comes from. Most importantly, I have found the people to be friendly, helpful and willing to guide juniors.
With the building's excellent fitness facilities (my personal favourites being the squash courts) and other corporate benefits like the Arts Club and talks by international personalities like Mohammed Yunus, Clifford Chance is not an "all work and no play" organisation.
Coming from a mostly warm country, I never thought I'd say this but the London winter is quite manageable with warm clothes, gloves and of course, an umbrella. The last should be your essential accessory given the city's penchant for unexpected rain! Spring and summer are simply gorgeous here with the numerous parks being conquered by sun-worshippers and picnickers.
While pursuing my LLM in London, I enjoyed sampling the city's smorgasbord of cultural activity - theatre and musicals, music concerts ranging from jazz to world famous Western and Indian classical music and its restaurants serving every possible kind of world cuisine. The city has a unique buzz, which I'm still hooked onto!
I joined Clifford Chance on 15 February 2007. I previously worked as an associate focussing on securities and derivatives laws and private equity investments at ALMT Legal, Mumbai.
