Olga Komarova – Billing manager

I started at Freshfields in 2004 as a secretary in corporate. It was the first time I'd worked in the legal profession, the atmosphere was completely different to what I was used to. The work's fast-paced, and there are many challenges. For me, it means multi-tasking, which was new but now feels like second nature. There are always different challenges enabling you to continuously grow.

My role changed and I became an assistant to one of our partners. I then took a break on maternity leave and when I returned everyone was very supportive and welcoming. My role evolved once again and I am now in the accounts team. It has been an interesting and varied career journey at Freshfields, but I have enjoyed all my jobs.

Within my current job I am supporting the client as much as I am the company. I work very closely with our chief accountant. She is wonderful lady; she is patient and helpful and has taught me a enormous amount. The Russian system may be seen as complicated - all the paperwork needs to be signed, stamped and sealed. So I need to get everything absolutely right, and then because we use double accounting, I've also got to reconcile it with our international records.

There have been some memorable moments over the years, one that stands out for me was the day before I went on maternity leave. Many colleagues made the effort to wish me well and provided a special send off. I felt valued and touched and it made me look forward to coming back.