Credit Suisse

Caragh Deery  

Trainee secondment to Credit Suisse

During the first seat of my training contract in our Disputes and Investigations group, I developed a strong interest in contentious work, and I was keen to explore this interest further through a client secondment.

For my third seat, I seconded to Credit Suisse's litigation team. Throughout my secondment, I gained exposure to a wide range of work, including contractual disputes in multiple divisions of the bank; litigation on a number of issues; and regulatory enquiries. The main difference between my work at Credit Suisse and my work at the firm was the wider range of smaller matters that I worked on at a given time while on secondment – this provided me with a great opportunity to gain a more holistic insight into the diverse range of contentious work that an associate in our Disputes and Investigations Group might undertake. 

The most rewarding piece of work I undertook on my secondment involved taking the lead on internal data collections for a disclosure exercise. Not only did this experience help develop my understanding of the relevant procedural rules and broader court process, but it also enabled me to develop a more in-depth understanding of the business by liaising with individuals across relevant business divisions to understand the systems and data sources they used.

Moreover, being on client secondment provided invaluable insight into how business demands impact strategy and risk appetite, and provided a fresh perspective into what it means to provide the best services to our clients. Liaising with a number of external law firms across my matters exposed me to different methods of dealing with and presenting information to clients; this helped to inform my view of the techniques I hope to take forward in my career as I begin to develop my own personal style.

My time at Credit Suisse took place during a time of significant change for the business, following its merger with UBS. I felt very lucky to be part of a bright, dynamic, and welcoming team of individuals who took everything in their stride. Coming together as one combined legacy Credit Suisse and UBS litigation team by the end of my secondment made the experience even more enjoyable.