International Clerkship Report

Jason Cheng, July 2006

Sponsoring Office:  Singapore
Receiving Office:    London, England

Introduction

Baker & McKenzie is a law firm known to be truly international in outlook and boast of lawyers qualified under various jurisdictions working in the same office.  I received an invitation to apply for the Baker & McKenzie international summer clerkship at the Law Faculty one day and have never looked back since.  Being a highly coveted international placement, I never harboured high hopes of being offered what would turn out to be an opportunity of a lifetime.  The experience was amazing to say the least and beyond description.  Notwithstanding, I shall attempt to describe my life as a summer clerk in the London office.

Experiences at the London Office

I was awe-struck by the way in which the summer clerkship programme was painstakingly put together by the graduate recruitment team.  It was an excellent mix of social events, essential trainings, presentations as well as a good feel of work in the Baker & McKenzie London Office.  Curtains were raised with a day of telephone and IT training as well as a tour around the office.  Having been on previous clerkships with local law firms in Singapore, it was evident from the training provided and attention given to the staff that Baker & McKenzie truly values its human resource.

General

It was evident that Baker & McKenzie takes good care of their international clerks.  My accommodation was a mere 10 minutes walk to work and it was a luxury especially since many have to commute by the London underground.  Apartments in central London do not come cheap and the fact that I was housed in a cozy apartment in the heart of the city further illustrates Baker & McKenzie's commitment to the International Clerkship programme.  There was a culture of work existing in perfect harmony with play at Baker & McKenzie.  I was in London at the height of the world cup fever and there was a wide projector screen in the cafeteria where the staff could catch a match and unwind after work.  The atmosphere of the cafeteria was electrifying whenever there was a world cup soccer match and especially so when England was playing.

I was assigned to the pensions department for three weeks and moved to commercial department for the rest of my clerkship.  Despite being hard at work, my supervisors occasionally checked to see if I was getting on fine and there was never a question too ignorant to be answered by my supervisors.  The system of trainee "minders"(mentors) acted as an additional safeguard to ensure that summer clerks do not get " lost in the woods."  With so many tending to my needs, I was never lost.  Indeed, it was very much a home away from home.  I was fortunate to have my clerkship coincide with the local summer clerkship programme and it was good fun getting to know each and everyone of them.

Work and Training at the London Office

I was assigned challenging tasks to work on.  These included research on pension-related business acquisition scenarios (which served as a way to acquaint myself with pension regulations in the UK), researching on pension input period, updating the pensions info-bank etc.  What was really impressive at Baker & McKenzie was that there were information databanks on various aspect of law and it facilitated research so that lawyers can be brought up to speed regarding a certain aspect of law.

My seat at the commercial department was no less challenging.  I was helping out my supervisor in relation to a cross-border transaction which involved corresponding with law firms in many countries worldwide.  This was where the international reach of Baker & McKenzie helped immensely because colleagues on the other side of the world could be contacted at the click of a mouse to provide legal advice with respects to their respective jurisdictions.  I also undertook some research.

There were also various presentations that the summer clerks had to work on which included a negotiations game, a commercial awareness programme and a client sales pitch.  These programmes brought the summer clerks closer as there was a need to work together to produce results.  It was really enlightening to research into various aspects of the Firm and it was an eye-opener for me to witness how summer clerks from differing culture work together to create a truly memorable presentation.  The icing on the cake was the fact that everyone went home with a prize and a great experience to wax lyrical about.

There were also talks by various departments about the work they undertake. It was insightful because I was given an overview of the work undertaken by the different departments and the London office in general.

Social Events and Talks

The various social events were a great way of mingling and getting to know trainees, associates and partners in the Firm.  There was even an opportunity to interact with the management committee of Baker & McKenzie London over lunch.  What was particularly memorable was that the managing partner made an effort to go around the table to speak to every summer clerk in the room.  This is again testament to the culture of Baker & McKenzie, one of taking the effort to go that extra mile.

I never felt out of place as an international summer clerk.  On my fourth day of the clerkship, I was invited to attend a pensions department client event at Hampton Court Palace (incidentally, the first visit to a former palace in my life).  Before the reception, one of the partners brought me around the palace and explained its history to me.  For that, I am most grateful.

I requested for a trip down to the Royal Courts of Justice to have a look at the workings of the Courts and was promptly brought there by an associate from the dispute resolution department.  I also had an opportunity to sit in and listen to a few cases at the Royal Courts of Justice.  It was interesting to have a look at how legal proceedings are conducted in the UK.

What I gained from the Programme

I must reiterate that this international placement had been a truly amazing experience and surpassed all my expectations.  It was with a heavy heart that I drew the curtains on my time in London but I left with a bag filled with memories, experiences and an appreciation of how the London office functions on a daily basis.  I am confident that this understanding will place me in good stead when I begin legal practice in the near future.  This clerkship had equipped me with a knowledge of how solicitors qualify in the UK for practice and deepened my understanding of the legal industry in the UK.  This would be crucial should I find myself working with lawyers from the UK on a transaction.  In addition, by being involved in some transactions, it provided me with a glimpse of the quality work regularly undertaken by Baker & McKenzie and the challenges facing lawyers.

Finally, this clerkship gave me a good feel of what it was like working and living in London which differed quite a bit from working and living in Singapore.

Acknowledgments

I must express my gratitude to Justine Beedle from the Graduate Recruitment Team for going further than that extra mile to make sure I was getting on fine, the whole pensions department and the commercial department, in particular my supervisors Tracey Akerman and Bernard Moloney, the ever-diligent trainee minders Sally Inwood and Laura Venn, the extremely friendly and approachable Chris Saunders and Charlotte Harrington, the partners of pensions department who made my experience very memorable indeed, the Graduate Recruitment Team, Baker & McKenzie. Wong & Leow (Singapore office)  for making my placement possible and everyone else who made this clerkship possible or rendered aid in one form or another.