Suha, Farah and Mariam

Hello. 

We are Suha, Farah and Mariam.

We recently had the opportunity to complete our summer work experience with Freshfields at the Dubai office. As we all came from different stages academically, we were excited to gain first-hand insight into life at a leading international law firm and to better understand how legal and business teams collaborate to deliver exceptional client service.

Our internship began with a welcome lunch, where we met our fellow interns, trainees and our DR and GMAC buddies. It was a great introduction to the firm and immediately created a welcoming and supportive environment. Throughout the programme, everyone was generous with their time, offering advice about their careers and sharing valuable insights into life at Freshfields.

During the two weeks, we attended presentations introducing us to different areas of the business. Sessions with the Marketing, Business Development and Business Support teams demonstrated how these functions contribute to the firm's success beyond legal practice, highlighting the importance of collaboration across departments. We also completed a series of online learning modules, which provided a useful introduction to the firm's professional standards, compliance requirements, and working practices.

A particularly valuable aspect of the programme was the opportunity to shadow lawyers and observe their day-to-day work. Seeing cases develop in real time gave us a greater appreciation of the practical and commercial considerations involved in advising clients. Alongside this, we completed a legal research task focused on due diligence and shareholder agreements, which strengthened our understanding of the role these documents play in corporate transactions and allowed us to apply legal research skills to practical scenarios.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone at Freshfields Dubai for making us feel so welcome throughout the programme. The combination of practical work, informative presentations, and opportunities to engage with professionals across the firm has given us a valuable insight into the collaborative culture of Freshfields and has further strengthened our interest in pursuing a career in law.