International Clerkship Report

Reeba Doogal, October 2006

Sponsoring Office:  London, England
Receiving Office:     Singapore

As a second year law student keen to gain an insight into commercial law, the prospect of engaging in Baker & McKenzie’s unique International Summer Clerkship was a truly overwhelming one.  This was especially the case as the Clerkship would allow me to experience the practice of commercial law in the city of London and compare it to that in the Asian subcontinent.  Being aware of the scale of Baker & McKenzie’s global identity and presence, I was keen to explore the immense learning and personal development opportunities on offer to lawyers and trainees at the Firm.

My time in the London office began with my participation in the London Summer Vacation Scheme, where I gained experience in the Tax and Corporate departments. During my time in the London office, I was able to learn about the way in which an international law firm such as Baker & McKenzie operates, as well as the nature of the work they undertake.  This put me in great stead for the international leg of my placement, as I felt familiar with the working environment and culture of the Firm, as well as experienced in the legal work I would be given the opportunity to conduct.
 
After my three week placement in London, I arrived in Singapore anxious to learn more about the global practice of Baker & McKenzie.  But I was also able to appreciate how exciting this journey would be as I stood admiring the breathtaking landscape of the city in the humid climate of Singapore.  Having been received from the airport and driven in style to my luxury accommodation in central Singapore, I realized how meticulously this internship had been planned in order for me to derive the greatest learning benefit and enjoyment from this experience.

Indeed, this continued on my first day at work where the Singapore office reciprocated the close care and attention which the London office had extended to me. They were conscious to help me maximize this immense learning and personal development opportunity by organizing close one-to-one training sessions and breakfast and lunch meetings during my first few days. This enabled me to build strong personal relationships and contacts within the Firm.

Being a much smaller office, I felt I was able to get a more realistic insight into the work of a trainee lawyer. Working in the context of large international transactions in the Banking & Finance department, I was delegated work conferring real responsibility, whether this was conducting significant legal research or drafting legal documents and clauses.  Alongside this, there was a strong emphasis on broadening the scope of my learning, by organizing a tour of the Supreme Court of Singapore for example.

The Clerkship also provided me with the opportunity to explore the diverse city of Singapore, something which the friendly and forthcoming lawyers at Baker & McKenzie encouraged and facilitated during my three weeks there. I felt that a helping hand was always available to me, on both a personal and professional level, which made the entire experience a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

In many ways, the Clerkship exceeded my expectations. I feel that I have been able to contribute to and experience first-hand the buzz of working on major international deals and transactions. Moreover, I have been able to fully understand Baker & McKenzie, in terms of its global identity, working culture, and its international legal practice. In light of this, I had no qualms about accepting the training contract offer which the Firm extended to me on return from my Clerkship, keen to pursue a career in commercial law with a firm that I knew would provide me with some of the best opportunities in the field.