What Makes a Successful Litigation Secondment Program?

Kate Driscoll spoke to Law.com about her experience on secondment at Morrison Foerster client McKinsey & Company, where Kate covered for associate general counsel Veronica Ip while she was on parental leave. In a joint interview with Veronica, Kate discussed what attracted her to the opportunity, the logistics of the arrangement, and how both she and Morrison Foerster benefitted from the experience.

“I now have a much deeper knowledge and appreciation of McKinsey culture, which as Veronica said at the outset is a unique one,” Kate said. “It’s a great one. But it’s important to understand how to approach the business, what their concerns are, and how to deliver legal advice in layman’s terms that can be easily understood – especially on some of the types of matters that we work on, which can be investigations and some sensitive matters. That’s a skill that Veronica has really mastered. Having that time to shadow her was really helpful for me to learn that approach because it’s very different from being at a firm where you talk to lawyers all day and you can just keep that vernacular going.”

She added: “I also have an understanding of the wider scope of McKinsey’s global legal strategy, instead of just focusing on a discrete task. I think coming back to MoFo, I’m able to see how my work on a particular matter may impact a broader legal strategy. I think that’s very helpful in terms of providing legal advice to McKinsey.”

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