Raquel McKenney, New York Associate

You learn a lot at interviews and the one I had here was very different from my experience at other Wall Street firms in New York. I spent half a day at the office, and met the two partners who headed the corporate practice and the head of the Latin American team. It was friendly, relaxed and very dynamic: all the things that have come to characterize my life as an associate here. I’d expected formality from a firm with such a long standing British presence; I experienced the opposite. Freshfields felt younger, less formal and closer to me as a person.

The corporate team has grown and consolidated since I joined. There are now around 20 of us in the corporate team in New York and the growth continues. The work we do has the complexity and profile that you’d expect from one of the world’s leading law firms and the relatively small size of the team means each one of us has the opportunity to learn and use a broad spectrum of skills. Above all, though, it’s the international nature of my work, my colleagues and the firm itself that makes this such a remarkable place. In the New York office, we have Australian, English, German and American Partners and we’re home to seconded associates from our offices around the globe.

This makes for an incredibly diverse office and enables us to provide exceptional legal solutions to the most complex international problems. Recently, I worked on a deal that involved 17 different jurisdictions and we were able to offer a totally seamless service. Time differences were the only challenges and they’re beyond our control.