Lara and Baraj

Hello, we are Lara and Baraj.

We had the opportunity to complete our summer work experience with Freshfields across both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices. As final-year law students from the University of Manchester and the University of Edinburgh, we were eager to gain first-hand insight into life at a leading international law firm and to deepen our understanding of corporate law in practice.

From the outset, we were made to feel part of the team, working alongside trainees, associates, senior associates, and partners who were generous with their time. A notable highlight was engaging with lawyers from Freshfields offices worldwide, including London and Brussels, which underscored the breadth and global reach of the firm’s practice.

Working with the Corporate team gave us a clear understanding of the transactions they advise on and the role Freshfields plays in some of the region’s most significant deals. Training sessions on areas such as M&A, from initial term sheet through to completion, alongside a Q&A with the Disputes team, showed us how legal principles are applied in practice and how different practice areas operate together.

What made the Abu Dhabi office particularly distinctive was the calibre of its client base and the scale of its work. The team advises many of the region's leading investment authorities on complex, cross-border transactions. This work sits at the intersection of the Corporate M&A and Funds practices, with lawyers advising on strategic acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, fund formation, and investments across multiple jurisdictions. Seeing how these teams collaborate to support sovereign and institutional investors highlighted Abu Dhabi's strategic importance as a financial centre and Freshfields' trusted role in delivering integrated legal advice on some of the region's most significant transactions.

A particularly rewarding task in the programme was our group business development project, in which we analysed a prospective client, developed a proposal and delivered a pitch presentation to partners and senior associates. It offered valuable exposure to the commercial thinking behind an effective client pitch and how legal advice is tailored to a client’s objectives. Alongside this, we contributed to a range of client-facing documents spanning asset and share purchase transactions, private equity investments and wider investment activity across the region, which strengthened our understanding of the commercial landscape in the Middle East and of the work undertaken by the Abu Dhabi Corporate team.

We are incredibly grateful to the Freshfields MENA team for their generosity and for making us feel welcome throughout our time here.