Matthias Kirsch is an associate within mainstream Corporate at Linklaters in Düsseldorf. He joined because he liked the reputation Linklaters had for their client base, the quality of work they undertake and the atmosphere among colleagues.

“The thing that I appreciate most is the open culture here. People are always prepared to help – if you’ve got a major workload, colleagues will offer to help you out. There’s a real team spirit to it and the feeling here is always very ‘human’. To succeed in the firm, you really need to be a team player.

“There were a lot of other things that appealed to me of course, like the chance to work using the English language. And also the global nature of the work that’s intrinsic in everything we do. Here the deals you do are really challenging; you need the ability to stay focused and remain resilient. But it’s worth it as it’s those deals that often make the national headlines and it’s incredibly satisfying when, through team effort, a complicated transaction is successfully completed and recognised.

“My career highlight to date is being part of the team that succeeded in a takeover battle, with part of the work being done in India and a final spurt over 36 hours non-stop. We worked solidly and didn’t get much sleep, but the sense of teamwork and the feeling when it was completed was brilliant – and made you forget the tougher moments along the road.”