Jana Chwaszcz

I joined A&O a couple of years ago without knowing what it is like to work for an international law firm. This was not seen by A&O as a disadvantage – the selection process taught me that A&O values people of diverse backgrounds if they show a genuine interest.

As part of the trainees rotation system, I commenced my work in the corporate department – M&A section. After that I was transferred to banking, and then to the ICM team, which were fields I had little or no previous experience in. The opportunity to work in different practice groups helped me to discover what I would like to focus on in the future. Since passing the Czech Bar exam, I have been working as an associate in the corporate department and on selected ICM projects. I have experienced two six months secondments in London that brought me another perspective.

What I enjoy most is the team in Prague. We obviously spend a lot of time together on deals, but we also like to spend time with one another outside of work. The office has a number of team building activities, and we also take initiative ourselves to organise or participate in sports competitions – squash, charity runs etc – and many others.

It is true that the work is challenging, but with interesting projects, colleagues who are also my friends, and the excellent professional support, I really enjoy it.