Broadened perspective through client-secondment

As a lawyer at a business law firm, you come into contact with many different companies and industries. A client secondment means that you are seconded to one of our clients, which gives you as an employee an opportunity to broaden your perspective and grow in your role as an advisor and lawyer.

Fanny Wieru is a former associate in our corporate group and in this article she talks about her year on loan to a telecom company in Stockholm, where she now also works.

Hi Fanny, what are your experiences with client secondment?
- I was seconded as a corporate lawyer for one year from November 2022. I was asked and thought it sounded exciting, so I said yes! My role was to work on corporate governance. The company, a firm in the telecom sector, is based all over the world, so it would be like stepping into a whole new world. 

What is the main difference between working at DLA Piper and the company you seconded to?
- The biggest difference, and what took some time to get used to, is that it is such a big company and the way you work. At a law firm, there is usually a clear start and goal with a case, which is not the case to the same extent at the company where I was. There are issues that run for a very long time, or a very short time.

What experiences have you gained?
- Firstly, I have gained insight into how things work in a large global company, how the board works, how corporate governance works in practice and many other things. I have also become more independent in my work.

- Working at a company is a positive experience - I think it helps to better understand clients and their needs, what kind of advice they want and how the advice should be delivered.