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International Secondment Spotlights : Spain & France
Adriana Marin, Garrigues, Taxand Spain and Paul Paris, Arsene, Taxand France, recently completed a unique 6-month international secondment experience within Taxand Global.
Recently, Adriana Marin, Garrigues, Taxand Spain and Paul Paris, Arsene, Taxand France, two young dynamic associates have both completed a unique 6-month international secondment experience within Taxand Global.
As part of Taxand’s commitment to fostering international collaboration and enhancing expertise across borders, Paul and Adriana were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the tax systems of neighboring countries, swapping their place—Paul in Spain, and Adriana in France.
Their journeys not only deepened their understanding of French and Spanish tax legislation but also broadened their professional horizons, providing them with invaluable insights into cross-border tax practices and lasting relationships.
In this interview, Paul and Adriana share their experiences, challenges, and key takeaways from their time abroad, offering a glimpse into the enriching secondment opportunities available within Taxand Global.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words (relevant experiences, current role, fun facts etc.)
Adriana: My name is Adriana Marín and I am currently an associate at Garrigues, Madrid Office, since 2019. I work mainly on the general and international taxation fields, assisting in M&A transactions and general tax advisory and compliance. I particularly enjoy the international projects I have the opportunity to collaborate with.
Paul: Originally from Nantes and a Parisian by adoption, I joined Arsene as an intern in 2019 and am now a senior associate on the Apollo team (specialized in corporate tax).
How did this secondment opportunity come up for you? What motivated you to apply?
Adriana: Garrigues has a consolidated International Training Program that had always interested me, since I have always enjoyed spending time abroad and being able to engage in international projects. As a child, I attended a French school, so I am lucky to consider myself fluent in French. This, together with the fact that I was informed that both Arsène and Garrigues were interested in promoting an exchange experience among young lawyers that would enable both firms to deepen their already strong ties made it clear for me that I had to take this opportunity and make the best out of it.
Paul: A bit by chance. In December last year, all the managers and associates I work with heard the same thing from me: I was dreaming of going abroad for a few months, and if possible to Spain. I was extremely lucky, because two months later, Garrigues contacted Arsene to send someone from their company to our offices, and they wanted it to be reciprocal. That’s how Adriana, from the Garrigues Madrid office, came to Apollo, and how I joined the international tax team in Madrid.
Did you have the opportunity to work on any unique or particularly interesting projects?
Adriana: During my time abroad, I was able to understand how some issues that we are normally addressing only from a Spanish perspective can be dealt with from the French side. In particular, being able to exchange points of view and knowledge with our French colleagues was highly enriching.
Paul: I had several opportunities to collaborate with Garrigues colleagues on cross borders matters including both France and Spain. Every project was interesting as it gave me opportunity to learn how to work a bit differently from usual, and to notice how close our firms are in term of habits.
What new skills or knowledge did you gain from this experience that you believe will benefit your career? How has it benefitted your client work so far?
Adriana: Although technical skills are always important, I must emphasize on the possibility of understanding a different mindset when it comes to addressing tax issues and client matters – and even commercial aspects – in a foreign country. Also, being able to witness how a consolidated firm from another country addresses both client issues and day-to-day matters has been a most valuable experience.
Likewise, the “linguistic immersion” must not be disregarded. It is now vital for me to be able to understand and communicate in a foreign language other than English in a technical and professional environment. I can proudly say that I can now address complex issues in French (which French clients particularly appreciate) thanks to this period spent abroad. I hope this will be an important asset for the Garrigues-Arsène collaborative relationship in the future, as it proves to start to be the case now.
Paul: I got to know my colleagues in Madrid, and I think that this was both the main objective of the secondment, and the most valuable asset I could have. This will for sure, in the future, create opportunities for both firms.
Did you find any mentors or key figures that influenced your experience?
Adriana: I would like to specially thank all the Apollo team at Arsène (within the corporate tax specialized group). Their willingness to welcome me and help me out with no matter what kind of issue both professionally and personally was something that I will always value. Also, the team in Garrigues that gave me this opportunity and supported me throughout the process.
Paul: Partners of the Garrigues international team were all very welcoming and made my stay super smooth. My best mentor was Jaime – my colleague right next to me – who taught me Spanish every day with loads of patience.
How valuable were the new connections you made during your secondment? Have you kept in touch?
Adriana: It is obvious that the professional connections I made are extremely valuable. It is clear that both sides can now count on each other when needed at just a phone call distance. Apart from that, since the atmosphere during my secondment experience was unbeatable, I can proudly say that I have made friends for life in 6 months, just as I have done at my own firm, where I have been working for the past 5 years.
Paul: I’ll remember, and keep in touch with, several members of the team I was part of, and especially Rafael Calvo and Juan Camilo Sanchez, partner and team manager, who did so much to make my stay as rewarding and enjoyable as possible. Juan Camilo even came to Paris recently for a quick drink before flying back to Madrid.
How do you think this experience has shaped your perspective on international work opportunities?
Adriana: Even if I have always been a strong sponsor of international work opportunities, this has confirmed my view that the future for large tax-specialized firms lies with international projects. In this regard, it is vital that us, young lawyers, create the network needed to enlarge our common client base and efficiently provide our clients with a holistic advice in a globalized world. We must enhance these opportunities, so that the information and workflows are precisely that, actual flows rather than rigid procedures.
Paul: This secondment showed how many opportunities there can be, as every member of the Garrigues team had already had the opportunity to work at least once on a mission involving France. We are lucky to be part of a first-tier network, and this is confirmed by the number of multinational companies who trust us to assist them. But it also showed me the necessity to involve local experts on all the assessments we have, as knowing both Spanish and French tax rules is more than I can handle!
What were the biggest challenges you faced professionally during your secondment?
Adriana: As a tax professional the biggest challenge when facing an international environment is always precisely the local component of our field of expertise. Tax is technically complex, so it is indeed challenging to understand tax issues that are not addressed from our local perspective in the first place. Although it is impossible to acquire deep knowledge of another’s jurisdiction tax system in 6 months, this experience has enabled me to understand, at least, the mindset behind French tax system and sources of the laws and regulations that compose it.
Paul: As I kept on working mostly with our team based in Paris, the biggest challenge was maintaining the link with my partners and colleagues so that our missions could be executed without any problem. This was made much easier thanks to new devices and tools we can use to work from away, but one still has to work pretty hard in order to make it smooth for everyone.
Can you describe the differences in the work culture between your home office and the one you were seconded to? What was is like living in major cities like Madrid/Paris?
Adriana: It was clear to me that my home office is part of a very large firm that has a very “corporate-like” structure compared to that of the one I was seconded to. However, it surprised me how the day-to-day issues (career, client management, HR, etc.) are pretty much the same. The whole Paris experience was just perfect. Thanks to this opportunity I was able to spend 6 months in my favourite city in the world and meet incredible people.
Paul: Work culture is very similar, almost identical between Garrigues and Arsene. We have the same way of working and supporting one another, which is great. Coming from Paris where every place is crowded and sun does not shine so much, spending 6 months in Madrid was like a dream! I really enjoyed the city and no doubt I will return at least once a year to go on discovering.
What would your key piece of advice be for anyone considering a secondment?
Adriana: It is very important to be willing to fit in the team you are seconded to, the professional aspect is obviously key, but the real asset we can keep from this experience is acquiring a second team in another firm – and another country – on which we can count for our future projects and collaborations.
Paul: If you have an opportunity to be part of such an adventure, don’t even think about it and go for it!
How can Taxand support future secondment candidates?
Adriana: I would suggest that a “standardized” system was put in place, so that both the firms and the secondees can take the most out of the experience, knowing that there is a “back-up” system behind us. Us, at Garrigues, have been doing this for years, but I think it would be very interesting to establish a secondment network within Taxand to create greater opportunities among all the countries where the firms are based.
Paul: I feel lucky that Garrigues suggested that secondment to Arsene, and think that all Taxanders should have, during their career, an opportunity to spend a few months abroad, in Spain or another country. Taxand could make that possible by suggesting more secondments and coordinating these experiences in order to make it each time easier for the firms to welcome
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