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Jessica O'Gorman on training at and qualifying with Dechert LLP
Dechert is an international firm with offices
across the globe. The leading London firm of
Titmuss Sainer Dechert was an established
and successful outfit before it merged with
US firm Dechert Price & Rhoads in 2000.
Since then the London office has kept much
of its British identity and office culture, and
retained a lot of UK-based clients and work.
The American influence has manifested itself
in attracting a much greater variety of work
and transactions of a far more international
nature.
On a personal level, the advantages of
working here have meant a generous salary,
the opportunity for international secondments
and exposure to international deals. I was
responsible, for example, for liaising with
foreign counsel in 12 jurisdictions including
the US, Korea, Brazil and the Cayman Islands
on a refinancing deal.
The firm's six-seat rotation system suited me
perfectly. I was initially unsure as to what
areas would interest me so it allowed me to
experience a variety of departments and make
a fully informed decision on qualification.
The flexibility of the system also meant
that once I had found an area which suited
me, I was able to spend more than one seat
there to consolidate my experience in that
area. Indeed, during my
training contract,
I spent a total of one year in the Corporate
and Securities Department before qualifying
there in September.
Some of that time was spent on secondment
to the Corporate department of our New York
office. I was able to apply my experience of
transactional work in London to the deals
with which I assisted in New York. The
transition was surprisingly easy and despite
my having no knowledge of US securities
laws, or indeed US law at all, the team made
me feel that my input was valued. Much of
the corporate work from our London office is
international so we often deal with lawyers
from our other offices. It was nice to be on
the other side of the Atlantic partnership and
work alongside associates who I had perhaps
spoken with but never met before. Since
firms have no concept of trainees in the US,
I was given more responsibility and client/
partner contact than I generally experienced
in London. Admittedly, the best aspect of my
US secondment was the experience of living
in New York. I was provided with a lovely
apartment off Central Park and received
an "allowance" for the "inconvenience" of
living in New York, which helped me to take
advantage of all the fantastic restaurants and
bars that New York has to offer!
Throughout my
training contract Dechert
offered a significant amount of responsibility.
However I have never once felt overwhelmed
as it was coupled closely with attentive
supervision, a tailored training programme,
occasional words of wisdom from my
mentor and a genuinely supportive working
environment. I have found Dechert to be a
great place to do exciting work with fantastic
people, and to be a firm which takes a genuine
interest in investing in your skills and
developing your career.
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