I’m a senior associate in real estate. I qualified at Herbert Smith in March 2006 having trained at the firm. I studied History at Cambridge University and then completed the law conversion course and LPC.
Variety of work
I think Herbert Smith has a very broad mix of work. We’re obviously well known for our contentious work but we’ve also got a very strong corporate department and our specialist teams are thriving as well, for example, tax, competition, finance and real estate. That was mirrored throughout my training contract at Herbert Smith where I was exposed to very high quality contentious work in the litigation and arbitration division but then also was given the opportunity to work on very high profile transactional deals in corporate and real estate, giving me a very well-balanced and rounded training contract.
Approach to clients
I think we put the clients first and we work with them to understand their commercial rationale and business needs before trying to provide them with legal advice that will suit their ultimate end. And we also offer a cross-disciplinary approach with our corporate, finance, real estate and competition teams, for example, working closely together with the clients so we can service all of their legal needs and they don’t need to look elsewhere.
What makes us different?
I think the key difference between Herbert Smith and other law firms is the sense of collegiality here. We work in small teams across the firm so you tend to know the people you’re working with very well. So even when we’re doing the high profile, high value deals, you feel like you’ve got the support network and the people around you who are highly talented but supportive and helpful at the same time.
Career path
I’ve chosen to stay at Herbert Smith not only because of the variety of work on offer and the supportive environment within which I work, but also due to the extensive internal and external training which I’m offered on a daily basis. This contributes not only to my legal skills but helps me become a more rounded lawyer and business person.