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The Cambridge dictionary defines secondment as a period of time when an employee is sent to work somewhere else to increase the number of workers, to replace other workers or to exchange experience or skills. The example given is “his involvement with the project began when he was on (a) secondment from NASA to the European Space Agency”. While my own secondment hasn’t involved travelling to space, it has led me to a new environment much closer to home: Natural England.
Natural England is a non-departmental public body which advises the government on the natural environment. This includes statutory duties to protect, manage and enhance England’s landscapes, wildlife and habitats.
When I first began reading about Natural England, all of the above quickly sparked my interest in the organisation. Having only experienced legal work within a law firm environment, I saw a secondment as a valuable opportunity to broaden my experience and understanding of legal practice from a different angle. At the same time, working within an organisation with a clear public role appealed to me, as any legal advice would be directly tied to outcomes beyond the organisation itself.
I’m only eight weeks in, but my experience at Natural England has been invaluable for so many reasons, which I explore below.
Office and people
One of the most rewarding parts of my secondment at Natural England has been the people and the environment in which I’ve worked alongside them.
The legal team at Natural England works closely with the governance and external affairs teams, which means you’re able to work with colleagues from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds, each bringing a different way of thinking to the same problem. The team also works across the different offices, supporting projects across the country – I’ve had the opportunity to work with colleagues in the Bristol, London and Exeter offices.
Working in-house involves getting to build relationships with people working in completely different roles, from ecologists to project managers. You get to see first‑hand how each function plays a vital role in delivering the organisation’s objectives. It’s a reminder that legal work doesn’t exist in isolation, and that effective outcomes depend on collaboration across the whole organisation.
Ultimately, the exposure to different people, roles, and environments has been invaluable. It’s made me more confident working with a broad range of stakeholders, more curious about how organisations function as a whole and more appreciative of the fact that everyone, regardless of role, has a part to play.
Learning and building confidence
A secondment isn’t just about experiencing a different area of law but learning how you work as a lawyer. Working within a public body has meant engaging with unfamiliar subject matter, a different risk appetite and various stakeholder considerations.
Our internal clients are already specialists in their field who predominantly seek advice from lawyers on the legal and commercial risks of their project or proposal. For example, I recently assisted with advising on a number of species licensing decisions. It’s been refreshing to revisit analysing black letter law, requiring the analytical skills I first developed in my university days.
The secondment has also highlighted just how central risk is to the way legal input is prioritised within a public body. Where a project is perceived to present a higher level of legal risk, it will most likely require the legal team to allocate more attention and resources to it. This contrasts with private practice, where urgency is typically driven by client timelines and expectations. It has been interesting to see how differently priorities are set in practice.
Developing judgement and skills for qualification
My secondment experience at Natural England so far has required me to approach legal issues with a broader brush; balancing legal risk with operational realities and organisational objectives. Working in a public organisation has made those considerations particularly tangible, as the consequences of decisions and advice are so visible and have wide implications.
Overall, the secondment has been a valuable opportunity to step back, reflect on how legal advice is delivered in practice and develop a broader perspective that I hope will benefit me as I approach qualification this September.