Getting out of the office to see how the real world works can be a bonus for any desk-bound professional, especially if it involves a ride in a Harrier jump jet. Lawyers involved in the UK’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project found that the ideal way to grasp the challenges of mid-air refuelling was to see it for themselves – from on board a fighter aircraft or Royal Air Force VC10.

Understanding a client’s business should be second nature for a lawyer, but when it comes to European public-private partnership work, any additional insights can help.