London and New York – two of the busiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world, and both at the heart of the Firm’s global strategy. So, when London Associate Hayley Mitchinson got the chance to go on assignment to New York last autumn, she grasped the opportunity with both hands.

“I’m based in the Financial Restructuring & Insolvency Group in London,” she explains. “We work closely with our equivalent team in New York and a secondment opportunity came up.

“When I first joined the Firm seven years ago I worked in Singapore for six months as part of my rotation between different departments and I really benefited from the experience. It was a great way to get a perspective on a different market and culture, and living away from home for an extended period of time is a bit of an adventure too. The opportunity to experience working and living in New York appealed to me for the same reasons.”

Hayley flew over to the Big Apple in October and quickly integrated into the team.

“I’ve been made to feel really welcome.”

She says: “I’ve been made to feel really welcome. It’s a relatively small team in New York (with four partners and nine associates), and it’s been great to get to know them all well.

“The Financial Restructuring & Insolvency Group in New York does similar work to what we do in London, but obviously covers the US side of the restructurings and bankruptcies.”

Elements of New York life have taken a while to get used to, but Hayley is embracing the experience.

She says: “Unlike London, New York is very much a 24-hour city. It’s such a big, hectic place, but any culture shock has been positive – it’s a great place to be at this point in my life because there is always something going on.

“If anything the choice of restaurants and bars is overwhelming, but it’s a nice problem to have.”

Settling into New York life was made easier by the support Hayley had when moving over. She says: “White & Case takes care of everything in terms of making the move over smooth and simple. I’m living in the East Village in downtown New York, which is similar to Shoreditch in London – it’s a fun, vibrant area, and the commute into work is easy.

“I do miss my friends and family, but I’m really enjoying my time here.”

Hayley is also taking the opportunity to travel and has already visited New Orleans, Chicago, Washington DC and Park City in Utah. She also hopes to visit California later in the year. But it’s the opportunity of working in the New York office that she says will give her the lasting benefits to take back to London later in the year.

She says: “I am currently working on the restructuring of Seadrill, an oil and gas company, which could lead to them filing for bankruptcy. If so, it will be the first time I’ve been through the Chapter 11 process.

“Far more cases tend to go to court here, which is one of the main differences.”

“I’m also getting experience of the difference between UK and US law. Far more cases tend to go to court here, which is one of the main differences.”

So would Hayley recommend overseas assignments to others in White & Case?

“Definitely,” she says. “It’s one of the benefits of working for a global firm and I feel really lucky to have been given the opportunity. I’m learning a lot that will benefit my career and also hopefully the London office, such as a better appreciation of how our New York colleagues work, and experience of different restructuring and bankruptcy processes processes.

“In the past I’ve also been on a client secondment and I’d recommend them to anyone. These opportunities give you a more holistic perspective and really do bring the network closer together.”