CMS Cameron McKenna: Lee Donovan

Why CMS Cameron McKenna?

It does not matter how much you prepared at university or law school, starting your first seat at one of the top European law firms is like being thrown in at the deep end of a very large pool. The thing that sets CMS Cameron McKenna apart from other city firms is that you don’t just have a single lifeline in the form of your supervisor; you are surrounded by them. This support proved invaluable when I was involved in completing one of the top UK PFI deals in just my second week in the Infrastructure and Project Finance team. Knowing that I had the support of the entire team gave me the confidence to present problems, and suggest solutions, face to face to clients who were later surprised to learn that I was a first seat trainee.

CMS Cameron McKenna being a client focused firm has a large effect on your training contract. The sector based approach involving teams created from different departments for individual clients and deals and means you get a real variety of work. Working with colleagues in Projects, Real Estate and Corporate as a single team allows us to understand each deal in full which in turn gives us a better understanding of the clients. Another huge advantage of training at CMS Cameron McKenna is that you are actively encouraged to spend your second seat away from the London office on secondment to either a client or another CMS Cameron McKenna office. This opportunity to take on more responsibility and experience the firm from either a client’s point of view or that of another CMS Cameron McKenna office is one I look forward to greatly.

CMS Cameron McKenna prides itself on its ‘People’ but it is not until you start at the firm that you realise why this is so important. The people in the office are not only intelligent, but more so they are balanced and diverse. The fact that after just a few months I have already been able to involve myself in a number of pro bono schemes and sport teams illustrates the work/life balance achievable but also shows that people actually want to do external activities with their colleagues; something I had not experienced in previous office jobs. CMS Cameron McKenna has in recent years tried to shake itself of the ‘friendly’ tag in a bid to show its serious side but it is exactly this ‘friendly’ atmosphere which sets it apart from other firms. The deals CMS Cameron McKenna has advised on and awards it has won speak for themselves, it is the people who ensure you get top level training in an environment you actually enjoy.