Madrid secondment story

My year at Uría was a varied mix of work, with transactions that I would not have had the chance to see in London, including financing and licensing solar plants with Uría’s prestigious renewable energies group.

My Spanish benefited from my time in Spain but an unexpected surprise was being able to use my Arabic. Uría’s Iberian location provided exposure to North African clients; a definite highlight of my secondment was working on a transaction in Arabic out of the Lisbon office with trips to Tripoli!

It wasn't just the professional experience that made my time in Madrid memorable, I also had the opportunity to cement friendships I began as a trainee and start excellent new ones. It is certainly a bonus having a friendly voice on the other side of the line now when I call on Madrid for advice (be it in relation to a transaction or tracking down an elusive handbag).

Enjoying Madrid's many (many) culinary delights was a definite vice I nurtured, and living ten minutes from the Bernabeu gave me the chance to enjoy Madrid's football scene (and provided me with a sighting of Los Beckhams).

I also had the chance to see much of Spain, including attending the America's Cup in Valencia (and enjoying a home cooked paella prepared by one of the associates from the Valencia office).

My personal experience in Madrid and the strong bonds I made within Uría confirmed the importance of secondments to building and maintaining relationships with the individuals at our "Best Friend" firms and offering a truly international service.

• Elham Saudi
• Associate secondment