Ruth Sander

Title: Associate
Division: EU and competition
Location: London

I joined Herbert Smith as a trainee in August 2005, after taking Law with Law Studies in Europe at Magdalen College, Oxford.

I knew that I wanted to specialise in EU and competition law, and that Herbert Smith had a strong reputation in this field. I did vacation schemes at Herbert Smith, Linklaters and Freshfields and enjoyed the time I spent at Herbert Smith the most – there was a great mix of people on the scheme, which was also reflected in the people working here.

I think Herbert Smith has a good reputation in the market as somewhere that will provide top-level legal advice, which is focused on finding the right commercial/practical solution for each client. In terms of the "Herbert Smith type" I don't think there is one – there really is a diverse mix of people, from all sorts of backgrounds, rather than "identikit City types".

The culture is friendly and supportive – and whilst there is no getting away from the fact that sometimes you have to work fairly long hours, there is certainly no "jackets on chairs" culture. There is a recognition here that work/life balance is not just a HR buzzword, but something that helps you become a better lawyer.

For me personally the working environment here has been better than I ever expected in terms of the amount of support I have been given to trial for the GB lightweight women's rowing team. Other firms talk about "flexible working" but in practice it either doesn't work, or means you accept that your career will stagnate – which hasn't been the case for me.