University: University of Nottingham
Degree: Law
Year of qualification: 2024
Position: Associate
Department: Corporate
Pronouns: He/him

What attracted you to a career in law?

I was initially attracted to a career in law when studying the English legal system during my A level in politics. I was intrigued by the law-making procedure and the multifaceted nature of the English legal system. This led to me reading law at university, which affirmed my interest further!

Why solicitor not barrister?

I enjoy teamwork and collaboration, which lends itself more to a career as a solicitor. I also wanted to work closely with clients and be involved in the commercial decisions clients make.

How did you decide which firms to apply to?

I whittled down the elements of a law firm that were most important to me (ie, figuring out whether I wanted a US or a UK firm, small trainee intake versus large trainee intake and the firm’s practice areas). Once I had established these, I researched law firms to identify the ones that best matched my criteria.

I also engaged in informal chats with current solicitors at these law firms. I spoke mainly to junior lawyers to get a better picture of what a day in the life at these law firms would look like. Most law firms also offer open days or virtual experiences – these were useful to gain further insights.  

What kind of legal or non-legal experience did you have before applying, and how did it help when you were making applications?

I engaged in both legal (eg, work shadowing) and non-legal work experiences (eg, sports coaching, hospitality work and tutoring) before starting my training contract. All of these experiences were beneficial and helped me to develop transferable skills that I continue to use in my career today.

I believe that the various work experience I completed helped me during the application process as I could use it as evidence of my competencies (eg, examples of working in a team or in a pressurised environment).

How does the qualification process work at the firm?

Around March of your qualification year, HR will speak with the heads of each department to establish whether they want to advertise a newly qualified (NQ) vacancy within their practice group. If they do, they’ll put together a business case to hire an additional associate into the team and present it to the London managing partner for approval.

Around April time, HR will release the approved internal jobs list for NQ positions, reflecting each department’s needs. You’re then required to submit a CV and cover letter as part of the application process and, if selected, you’ll attend a formal interview with the hiring partner(s). Decisions are then made within a couple of weeks. You should know by May of your qualification year whether you’ve been successful in obtaining an NQ position at the firm.

Please outline your area of expertise. What might you do in a typical day?

I’m an associate in K&L Gates LLP’s corporate team, which covers a wide variety of corporate law areas (eg, private M&A, private equity transactions and equity capital markets).

As a junior lawyer, I gain exposure to all areas of corporate law, which is rewarding and mentally stimulating as no two days tend to be the same. On a typical day, I usually draft and review certain corporate documents (eg, share purchase agreements and related ancillary documentation), carry out due diligence on a target company our client is seeking to buy and liaising with other departments to give specialist input into a deal. For example, this might involve working with our employment team to provide input into employment warranties in a share purchase agreement.

I also have a lot of client exposure (whether this is by way of email or on calls), where I set out points that we require their instruction on and explain the legal position on certain matters.

Please discuss a current/recent specific deal/case, outlining your role in the matter.

I worked for a US client that was purchasing certain software assets of a UK company to incorporate the software into their business model.

My role included carrying out corporate due diligence on the target UK company and working with my colleagues in our employment, intellectual property (IP) and data protection teams to provide specialist due diligence input.

I also worked closely with the corporate partner in drafting the asset purchase agreement and reviewing certain ancillary documents (eg, the disclosure letter and corporate approvals). During these workstreams, I continued to work closely with my colleagues in our employment, IP and data protection teams.

What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of life as a lawyer?

The most rewarding aspects of life as a lawyer are helping your client realise their various corporate ambitions. We sometimes work with a company from their infancy to becoming a multinational entity – I find it rewarding to support clients in this journey. The collaborative nature of the work is also rewarding, as well as being able to tackle seemingly complex legal challenges with a team of your peers.

Challenging aspects can include (but not always!) periods of long hours and managing competing deadlines. However, with experience, you learn to manage these deadlines, communicate capacity and switch off in moments of calm to maintain a good headspace.

What makes your firm stand out from the rest?

The small trainee intake and lean deal teams give junior lawyers exposure to high-quality work from the outset of their careers.

The work/life balance is also probably as good as it can get for a City lawyer. If you're not working on an intense stage of a deal, or have just completed a deal, there’s no expectation that you remain at your desk for the sake of it. Partners are also conscious of junior lawyers not burning out and encourage breaks to be taken where possible.

The friendly and approachable nature of the partners, who take a genuine interest in furthering the careers of junior lawyers, also sets K&L Gates apart from the rest in my opinion.

What skills/strengths do you need to be a successful solicitor?

There’s no one-size-fits-all and each solicitor will have different strengths and weaknesses. This is why being able to work well in a team is important, so the firm can leverage everyone's strengths to provide a top-quality service for our clients.

Being able to handle prolonged period of intensity and keeping calm under pressure is also a key skill to have as this is something clients and partners value. Having the hunger to approach challenging and novel legal issues is also a key skill for junior lawyers to develop.

What’s the wider culture like?

There’s a focus on maintaining a good wider culture outside of work at K&L Gates. We have a dedicated canteen, where our chef does a wonderful job making lunches for the employees and people try to step away from their desks at lunch to eat together. We also have monthly drinks trolleys, where people can gather to enjoy a drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) to catch up with colleagues in a relaxed environment. If the weather is good, we also have drinks on our private terrace overlooking St Paul's, which is an amazing view!

On top of this, there are numerous diversity and inclusivity groups at K&L Gates. I’m a member of the multicultural society. We organise events at the firm to celebrate the multicultural make-up of our office. The firm values these initiatives and is supportive of lawyers getting involved and putting on events (either internal or client facing).

The firm also has a five-a-side football team, which is very popular, and a run club, enabling employees to socialise and stay active!

Does your department largely work independently, in support of another dept or is it routinely supported by other depts?

The corporate department works very closely with other departments and offices. Cross-collaboration within the firm is encouraged.

Corporate deals frequently require specialist input (eg, from the employment team to advise on employee transfers and from the real estate team to advise on real estate matters). Being able to work with lawyers in different practices is rewarding and interesting for junior lawyers as you gain indirect exposure into different areas of law.

How often as a trainee were you communicating directly with clients (calls, attending meetings)?

Trainees are in contact with clients from the outset at K&L Gates. I was able to email clients directly (while getting partners/associates to review draft emails before sending) and attended client calls. This exposure is one of the best parts of a training contract at K&L Gates.

What’s your signature dish?

I enjoy making simple but flavourful dishes to enjoy with my friends or partner. Currently, I like to make a baked cod orzo with mushrooms and samphire, which pairs well with a crisp sauvignon blanc!