Munich secondment story

Having been eager to go on secondment since the start of my training contract, I jumped at the opportunity of spending six months in Munich with leading German law firm, Hengeler Mueller.

I was treated as a member of the Hengeler team from day one and was really impressed by the friendliness and approachability of my colleagues, who were all keen to give me tips on how to get the most out of my time in Bavaria.

Hengeler's Munich office focuses on corporate and commercial work and I was involved in a range of M&A, equity capital markets and private equity transactions. I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks working in Berlin in relation to an IPO and, as my German improved, my daily contact with clients increased. Overall, this experience made my secondment an excellent stepping stone between training and qualification.

Outside the office, Munich has a lot to offer, from parks and museums to beer gardens and football, all of which helped ensure that I was never short of visitors. Being so close to the Alps, I was also able to head to the lakes and mountains on weekends during the summer and travel further afield to explore some of Austria and Northern Italy.

• Philip Linnard
• Trainee secondment