Stockholm secondment story

Emerging from the airport to find I had exchanged a bright spring day in London for snow and sub-zero temperatures in Stockholm seemed, at first, like a deal gone very wrong indeed. However, I soon realised how beautiful Stockholm was in winter with the snow adding yet another layer of charm to the narrow streets of the old town with its small cafes and bars offering a warm refuge against the winter chill while blocks of ice float by in the harbour.

A few months on, the snow has now gone and the temperature is slowly climbing. The "Venice of the North" (as it is often described) is even more stunning in the summer sunshine.

Stockholm, although a small city, has a lot going for it with a huge variety of eateries, bars, theatres, shops (alongside the omnipresent H&M) and a museum for everything you could possibly imagine. I am fortunate enough to be living in the old town with its cobbled alleyways and medieval buildings. My journey to work couldn’t be a greater contrast to the Northern Line and takes me past Stockholm Cathedral, the Royal Palace, along the waterside and through the central park - all in under 15 minutes.

Working at Mannheimer Swartling is much like working at Slaughter and May. The ethos and approach of the two firms is strikingly similar and there is the same emphasis on quality and high standards. I am in the corporate commercial group and have worked on a variety of matters ranging from biofuel supply agreements and a public procurement project to investment projects in sub-Saharan Africa. I am enjoying the level of responsibility I have been given here and, although it has been daunting at times, it is great experience. My Swedish colleagues are warm and welcoming and are genuinely excellent fun to be around, even if they do have a strange habit of eating lunch at 11am. I thoroughly recommend a secondment to Sweden.

• Will Foster
• Trainee secondment