London Associate Jack Elliott had only been working for the Firm for a short time when he got the opportunity to do a six-month secondment with global investment bank JPMorgan in 2022.

Jack, who works in the Debt Finance practice, was seconded to JPMorgan’s Investment Banking Lending Legal team, getting an invaluable chance to grow his and the Firm’s relationship with this important Key Client.

He says: “The possibility I’d get opportunities like this was one of the reasons I joined such a highly regarded global firm as White & Case.

“I was flattered to be asked to go on secondment with such a strategically important client so quickly. It gave me a very early opportunity to get exposure to the client, build relationships and see things from their perspective.”

The team Jack was seconded to has around 10-12 people and sits on a legal floor in JPMorgan’s London office. It provides legal advice on EMEA-originated loan products and supports various business lines involved in arranging a variety of debt products.

Jack says: “The work was very fast paced and varied, including policy reviews of legal documentation, assisting with a host of ad hoc legal issues from people across JPMorgan, and managing external counsel when help was needed beyond the in-house team.

“I was effectively a ‘first responder’ when it came to legal issues, with a lot of autonomy, and got to work on multiple different matters simultaneously.

“The role required managing different stakeholders and providing varying levels of support to several different business functions. The key was to meet the needs of JPMorgan’s clients while also protecting the bank.”

The secondment was challenging but rewarding, helping Jack understand JPMorgan in a way you can only achieve from the inside.

He says: “I quickly learnt that, as well as providing prompt legal advice, working in-house required seeing the bigger picture and providing advice in a constructive and understandable manner. I was expected to be very accessible at all times and had people across the business regularly reaching out to me for support.

“Closing the deals was always the most rewarding part, because it gave me a sense of pride in achieving a good result for both JPMorgan and its clients. I also enjoyed the amount of meaningful conversations I was able to have with people across the business. I made so many contacts and friendships that can only be useful now I’ve returned to the Firm.”

Jack’s experience was particularly useful for JPMorgan as it continues to grow its direct lending practice. He says: “I’ve worked on a couple of direct lending matters in recent times so was able to assist them on two of their first transactions where they didn’t have that expertise.

“One ended up being a big success for JPMorgan and the client.”

Jack also arranged for three of our partners, Rich Lloyd, Jeremy Duffy and Hadrien Servais, to run a training session for the JPMorgan legal team, which was well attended and appreciated.

As part of his role on secondment involved managing external counsel, Jack also got an invaluable insight into what the client likes and doesn’t like when it comes to outside assistance.

He says: “JPMorgan hold themselves to very high standards, so they expect their external counsel to do the same. They want efficient, impactful support and it was clear they were sometimes underwhelmed with the service they receive.

“From the Firm’s perspective, I saw that the in-house team was consistently impressed with our service, but our challenge is to compete against the entrenched relationships they already have so we become a ‘go-to firm’ and get a greater share of the work.

“Proving we can provide a distinctive client experience is difficult, but secondments like mine give us a chance to build personal relationships, trust and identify potential growth opportunities that will help us towards that goal.

“It’s a gradual process, but I think JPMorgan valued the fact we were investing in them and deepening the relationship.”

Certainly, the secondment seems to have been beneficial to everyone involved.

Jack says: “From my perspective, it gave me an insight into what JPMorgan wants and requires from its law firms. This will help us deliver exceptional and tailored legal advice going forward.

“From the Firm’s point of view, JPMorgan is a client we’d love to build even better relationships with. They work with so many firms on a daily basis that standing out is difficult. Rich and I took a strategic approach and have drawn up a roadmap identifying potential opportunities with the help of insights I gained from the secondment and the knowledge I’ve grown of what they want from external counsel. The relationships I’ve built should be beneficial to both the Firm and JPMorgan.

“I would highly recommend a secondment to anyone who wants impactful client exposure and to deepen their knowledge on how to deliver on a great client experience. If you can, identify a secondment that is exciting to you and that is an organization you’re invested in building a closer relationship with.

“Not only is a secondment a unique experience which delivers invaluable insights, it helps build your network within White & Case and with the client.”