Yuri Shumilov – Associate

I had already invested a lot in my future, so finding the right position was important. I worked hard at university, studying while holding down a full time job and getting some legal experience so I could join an international law firm after graduation. Two years after qualifying I'm proud to say I am an associate, and creating a name for myself in the Russian restructuring market.

In the last 18 months, restructuring has been my focus. It is challenging because this is something totally new in Russian law.. In fact, I worked on the first Russian restructuring project - it was immensely pressured and challenging but also incredibly satisfying to be involved in ground-breaking work. What I love about this kind of work is that it constantly pushes me to be creative. Each business and situation is so different. I work with all types of clients from property developers to tyre and leasing companies.

In my experience if you know what you want, you will go far at Freshfields. I call it a self-service firm because from the beginning you will get lots of responsibility, and if you can handle it, you'll thrive. There's no heavy-handed partner supervision, just a friendly atmosphere where being courteous is as important as being professional. One great thing about working at Freshfields is the quality of the links between the offices - we know each other on a social level, meeting at conferences and sector group meetings.

It's also nice to have a view of the Kremlin from my office window.