We are Rumaisa, Faisal, Prudence and Yasmine a group made up of two law students, one SQE candidate, and one pre-law student who came into the Freshfields Dubai work experience programme with different backgrounds but a shared drive to explore life at a world-leading law firm. What we found was not only a clearer picture of what corporate law entails, but also an environment where we were encouraged to learn and grow.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with warmth, mentorship, and support. Our first week was spent with the Dispute Resolution (DR) team, where we were involved in a wide range of matters from mapping legal risks, to analysing the Bahraini Civil Code for corporate provisions, and reviewing statistics and procedures within arbitration. We even explored niche areas researching global jurisdictions and international frameworks. For most of us, it was our first exposure to regional litigation and arbitration, and we walked away with a much deeper appreciation of the complexities behind it.

In our second week, we joined the Global Transactions (GT) team, where we turned our focus toward corporate, commercial, and regulatory work. We supported the team by summarising UAE regulations, reformatting legal decisions into accessible internal resources, and comparing UAE free zones and onshore legal frameworks. While typically legal departments are seat specific, the GT team gave us exposure to a broad range of experiences that broaden our perspective and sharpened both our research and drafting skills.

Beyond the tasks themselves, some of the most valuable takeaways came from the people: the trainees, associates, and partners who took the time to share their experiences, answer our questions, and remind us that the law benefits from a team effort. Whether it was a conversation over coffee or a quick debrief after a task, every interaction gave us more confidence.

We’re all walking away with a richer understanding of the law, a clearer vision of what we want in our careers, and a lot of gratitude.