International Clerkship Report

Rodrigo Espinosa-Marvan, August 2006

Sponsoring Office:  Guadalajara, Mexico
Receiving Office:     London, England

The application process for the clerkship took a little more than six months to complete however it was more than worth it. The graduate recruitment team in the London office helped me through the whole process and patiently answered the many questions I sent them on a semi-daily basis. They really made an effort to make sure every detail was taken care of.

I arrived in London on 27 May 2006, right outside the gate at the airport there was a driver waiting to take me into London which was great. The driver took me to the accomodations that had been arranged which were right in central London.

The following Tuesday (Monday being a Bank Holiday) I arrived for my first day of work. I was placed in the Finance department which, although it was not my first choice, proved to be probably the best practice group I could have been put into. Everyone was very friendly and keen to get me involved (when possible) in aspects of their work.

During the six weeks I spent in Finance I got to know a lot of people in the department and managed to form part of a group that exist within the practice group. I was invited to go golfing on one weekend as well as to get together on a Saturday to watch the first England match of the World Cup.

Midway through my placement, 15 new clerks joined the Firm on a vacation scheme, the clerkship changed considerably after that. We sat through seminars that explained a lot of aspects of the work the Firm does which was helpful, but even better were the tasks that we were given. I felt that they really tested you and put you on the spot to see how well you can react and generally work.

All in all, the experience was great and I would more than recommend it to anyone. It was a fantastic summer.