It was during my second year at university that I started to give some serious thought to my career. Despite studying History, I knew I wanted it to be finance-related, so I focused on a job in the City. However, after work experience, open days and insight schemes in a variety of different fields, it was corporate law that drew me in.

With that in mind, I started to explore many different law firms, and three things about Baker McKenzie really stood out: its global reach; its focus on diversity; and above all, the friendliness of its people. Additionally, it was one of the few firms to allow second-year non-law students like me to apply for a Vacation Scheme.

I had an amazingly varied training contract, which ranged from Pensions to Corporate Energy and Infrastructure to Intellectual Property and Technology, before a six month secondment with the Sydney office’s Energy, Resources, Infrastructure and Corporate team. Working abroad was something I had wanted to experience, ever since learning more about it during my Vacation Scheme. I therefore really appreciated the wholehearted support I received from the Firm in providing the opportunity to work on the other side of the world and in an area of law in which I would later choose to settle.

Regardless of the seat, I always felt during my training contract that I had plenty of responsibility, and a chance to immerse myself in everything that was going on. Nowhere was this more true than on my international secondment, where I continued to enjoy the first-rate training provided by Baker McKenzie, while getting stuck into working in a different country, office and team. The experience really made me appreciate both the similarities that come with working in a Firm that embraces a one-firm approach, while simultaneously being conscious of the cultural differences unique to every country.

Having now returned to London as an associate, I look forward to building on everything I learned, as well as the contacts and relationships I made as a trainee. The energy space continues to be an exciting and ever developing field to work in, and I’m incredibly excited to see where that takes my career next.