Victor Ding, a corporate associate currently seconded from Herbert Smith London to Hong Kong, believes, “secondments bring together different working cultures. A secondee is a conduit for new ideas passing from one office to another.
“I studied at the University of New South Wales and graduated with a combined degree in commerce (majoring in finance) and law. During my third year, I participated in the firm’s vacation scheme and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Herbert Smith people were very open and made my time fun but also challenging. I participated in a mock trial as part of the vacation training programme and was heavily involved in an injunction.
“Aside from the vacation programme, what also appealed to me about Herbert Smith was the fact that it was a global international practice with offices around the world. I like to travel so the opportunity to do so as a trainee and an associate was too good to refuse.
“In the past year or so, I have been heavily involved in a hostile takeover offer, an initial public offering and various merger and acquisition transactions. The hostile takeover offer was one of the more challenging pieces of work I have been fortunate to advise on. Not only did it require a deep understanding of the legal rules, but we also had to consider and anticipate the actions of the other side – akin to playing a game of chess. At one stage, we were advising on setting up call centres and sending SMS messages aimed at wooing the target company’s shareholders.
“From my experience, having worked in both London and Hong Kong for the past 4-5 years, I have found the culture of the firm to be very team oriented and focused on helping clients.
“My secondment has, so far, opened my eyes to the ways that different offices within Herbert Smith operate. The work I have done in Hong Kong has provided me with valuable experiences to take back to London.”