While the senior management was out of town looking for investors, it was De Angelis who was charged with, as she puts it, “keeping the home fires burning,” and preparing documents for the team on the road. One big responsibility was taking long documents and distilling them down. She says it felt like “tremendous flattery that they would trust me to recognize what’s important.” Not that it’s always comfortable. McFarlane warns, “It might be scary at the beginning, if you’re not used to dealing with clients. You might be the one left to make a decision.” But he believes this is one of the strengths of secondment: you get to “push yourself out of your comfort zone,” he says.

Whether it’s working as an all-around lawyer or as a regulatory specialist, going on a secondment allows an associate to experience legal work in a very different way than at a law firm. Kilby, during her time in-house with GM, discovered that “media articles [about the company] become much more visible, because you care about the company.”

For McFarlane, at Clark Inc., one large difference was the company of the people he worked with. “In-firm you’re working with other lawyers, but in a company it’s broadening your experience. Here, you’re sharing offices with CEOs and CFOs.” This, he says, “opens your eyes to behind the scenes.” Wright agrees: “I’m learning an area of law but also from an outside perspective. In the office it’s nearly 100 per cent accountants, so I get to interact across disciplinary lines. I can see how different cultures work.”

This isn’t just about the big picture either. “A secondment allows a lawyer to see the business side of the story. For instance, when you write a memo, what happens when it gets to the client,” De Angelis points out. Secondments allow an associate to see directly the results of memo writing. And, depending on where you’re working, you might move from purely legal issues into related topics.

At one point, De Angelis found herself managing the company’s data room. That might not seem particularly close to the law, but, since De Angelis also had control over what information was being given to potential investors, looking after the data made a lot of corporate sense. And it meant De Angelis, like the other associates working in business, would come away with a better sense of what happens once her legal advice leaves the firm and goes out into the world.

This difference in perspective is appreciated by the law firms when the associates return. Michelle Gage, the director of student and associate programs at Ogilvy Renault, says one reason her firm supports secondments is it “opens [the associate’s] eyes to the client’s perspective,” and that this, in general, “makes our lawyers better lawyers.” John Rogers, the CEO of Stewart McKelvey, thinks secondments are a valuable part of the associate experience. “Whenever you can step into someone else’s shoes,” he says, “and see life from the other side, it provides a better perspective.” He adds it also “builds skills and relationships that allow an associate to move ahead.”

The clients benefit as well from what lawyers learn when they’re seconded. Fisher of the OSC says, “Bringing someone in from a law firm allows them to understand what we do and why we do it.” She feels the experience lawyers get with the organization means they have “an educated consumer going back; it builds a bridge.” But it isn’t all one-sided. Fisher says one advantage associates bring is “fresh ideas and the latest ideas.” As well, when they’re coming in to work on a specific project, they bring a new concentration and enthusiasm, which may be exactly what the project needs.

The ways in which one secures a secondment are almost as varied as the secondment experience. According to Rogers, most of Stewart McKelvey’s associate secondments are initiated by the client. “Usually there’s some change in personnel in the legal department,” he says, “or they need assistance for a short-term or significant project.”

Other firms have more formal programs. At Ogilvy Renault, articling students have the chance to take two-month rotations to one of the firm’s clients. That’s how Kilby ended up at General Motors. With these types of secondments, typically the business manager or associate manager at the firm will approach an associate that he or she feels will fit well with the client.

But not every secondment is initiated by the firm. Wright’s secondment with the auditor general came about thanks to his continued contact with a professor from law school. The auditor general’s office had approached the professor looking for someone to come and work with its staff — and Wright’s name came up.

At that point, it was up to him to sell the secondment to the firm. “I had to pitch the experience,” he says, “trying to figure out how it would benefit my future practice and the firm.” He was successful and is now about halfway through what he considers a great opportunity to build his knowledge in an area he hopes will be central to his future career.

Relevance to the future should be a major consideration if you’re thinking about taking a secondment offer. De Angelis recommends asking yourself, “Where does this fit into my career strategy?” McFarlane echoes this sentiment and suggests asking yourself, “Is this an area I want to focus in? Is this position a good fit?”