Elena Afonina – Secretary

When I look back to my first day in this job, I realise that I'm a completely different person now. In four years I've learnt so much from my colleagues' experience and it's boosted my knowledge beyond what I ever thought possible.

I joined Freshfields after being headhunted from the environmental sector. I jumped at the chance because, even as an outsider, I could see the impressive client list and knew of their reputation as a successful, hard-working top tier law firm. Once I started my job, working for a partner and two associates in the finance department in Moscow, I started to see what makes Freshfields so highly respected. There's an order to everything that happens here, and everyone just understands how things have to work. The part I love most about my job is billing, because I need to constantly communicate with our clients and their assistants. It keeps me active, and I'm always looking for ways to make the process smoother and simpler.

Part of Freshfields' success is down to the fact that we have many different personalities. Freshfields support every member of staff, both professionally and personally.

The last four years have completely changed my life. It's not just the change from the environmental sector to the legal sector - most of all it's having a career that pushed my potential and allowed me to grow.