Aditya Sarkar

Aditya studied Law at the National Law School of India University in Bangalore. He joined Linklaters in March 2008 and is now in his fourth seat,on a Banking and Projects secondment in Singapore.

A different approach.

As a trainee recruited from law school in India, I didn't come through the LPC process. So I began my first day feeling a little apprehensive, but that only lasted a few minutes. I was made to feel part of the team almost immediately, and my first few days were so hectic that I didn't have time to think about much else. The other trainees went out of their way to support me, too. And, from what I‘ve seen in my Linklaters experience to date, this continues throughout one's career.

Getting the most out of my seats.

What I most like about the job is being able to work on things that are so complex: it takes me a while to completely understand them. But that's why I joined. To be part of something that operates on a global scale, where the work is challenging and I can grow as an individual. As a trainee, there are often things you don't understand. But if you're willing to ask questions and really make an effort in understanding the complex transactions, you'll find the experience incredibly rewarding.

Breadth and depth

In my opinion, the real edge of commercial law is in global transactions – where you actually see the mechanics of finance at play. To really learn about the law as an instrument in global finance, one has to work somewhere where there will be sufficient exposure to those transactions and Linklaters is uniquely positioned in this respect. But the breadth of work has been a real eye opener – I’ve worked on everything from the Lehman Brothers insolvency to the widening of roadways and the sale of power stations.

Exploring the unknown.

Teamwork is perhaps the single most important element that goes into making Linklaters successful. I've worked with lawyers from the Congo to Russia – and they've been nothing but inspiring. From what I have seen, clients come to Linklaters when they need something done that has never been done before. And when it's not been done before, everyone at Linklaters comes together to make it happen.