What are legal secondments?

Jul 12, 2022

Written By Thomas Cserep

Doing a secondment is an amazing opportunity to grow as a solicitor. We have put together everything you need to know about secondments and the benefits it will provide to your legal career.

What are secondments?

A secondment is referred to a period of time when a solicitor is sent temporarily to work with a client more closely in their in-house legal department or at one of the law firm’s overseas offices.

To qualify as a solicitor in the UK, you need to accumulate two years of work experience in the legal industry. Known as a training contract (or on the new SQE route as qualifying work experience), it is the first long-term work placement of your legal career.

Secondments on a training contract usually last around 6 months and it is a chance for you to develop new skills and improve your job prospects after qualifying as a solicitor.

Secondments come in all shapes and sizes, but we can broadly divide them into two types. You could have the opportunity to join the in-house legal team of one of your firm’s clients or be relocated to one of the law firm’s overseas offices. We will consider the differences between these two options and how they can positively shape your legal career.

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Client secondments

A client secondment would see you working directly with your client as you would become an integral part of their in-house legal team.

It is a great way to see what working in law is like outside the walls of a private practice and see the legal industry from the client’s perspective.

As part of your placement you will be working more closely with your client, helping them improve efficiency and reduce business costs by evaluating legal risk. By being part of the in-house team, you will directly see your work’s impact on your client’s operations and you will be heavily involved in decision-making processes.

A client secondment will give you a more comprehensive legal education. Unlike law firms that tend to specialise in a particular area of law, in-house departments have to deal with all of the company’s legal matters. It is therefore a wonderful opportunity to dip your toes into a variety of topics that you otherwise wouldn’t on your training contract at your firm.

During your time with your client, you will gain a range of new traits. For example, you will see how law operates in a real-life business context, which will help increase your commercial awareness.

You will also be involved in bilateral meetings with non-legal departments, which will help you develop vital communication skills, such as the ability to break down complex legal terms to a lay audience who do not necessarily have a background in law.

An in-house secondment will allow you to become a well-rounded solicitor who has gained experience in a variety of roles in the legal sector. Thus, you will be an attractive candidate to both law firms and in-house legal departments once your training contract ends.

International secondments

International secondments also come with plenty of benefits that will allow you to advance your career as a solicitor.

First and foremost, you will get to travel and work in a new country for your work and explore it in your free time. From the context of your career, you will gain an insight into how the legal industry operates on an international level.

Just like with a client secondment, you may be tasked to deal with areas of law that you did not at your home office. This will not only allow you to develop vital skills such as adaptability, but also acquire experience in a legal area that you have not tried in the past. In fact, you may choose to pursue further opportunities in that specialisation later on if you enjoy your role.

Overseas offices where aspiring solicitors do secondments are usually smaller than the office that they were sent from. It is very likely that you will be given more responsibilities than you are used to, which in-turn will make the transition from a trainee to a newly qualified solicitor much easier.

Whether you choose to do one in-house or overseas, a secondment will allow you to enhance your career and gain skills you otherwise wouldn’t on an ordinary training contract at a law firm.

Secondments