Brussels secondment story

As part of my seat in the Competition group, I was lucky enough to spend three months working in our Brussels office. I had my own apartment in the heart of the EU district, a short walk from the office, in a building shared with some of our "Best Friend" firms. I quickly settled into working life in Brussels and learned never to leave home without an umbrella - the weather is even more unpredictable than in London!

As the Brussels office is smaller than the London office, I was given more responsibility. This included exposure to some very interesting work, further enhanced by working in such close proximity to the European Commission. One of my favourite tasks was delivering papers to the Directorate General for Competition followed by a lengthy wait for the mysterious "greffe" to come and take delivery.

Outside the office there was never a shortage of things to do - from shopping on Avenue Louise to drinking coffee and eating waffles at the Grand Place. The streets of Brussels are bustling with cafes and restaurants serving "moules frites" and other national treasures. On Friday evenings, my fellow trainees and I (often accompanied by the associates) would make the short walk from the office to Place du Luxembourg to meet with other expats on the revered Brussels "list" for a glass of "vin rouge", usually followed by dancing at one of Brussels’ finest establishments.

• Adeola Adeyemi
• Trainee secondment