Alexandra Stableforth

Alex studied her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney. She joined Linklaters as a trainee in March 2007. She’s enjoyed seats in IP and Litigation, and secondments to Brussels, the Mary Ward Legal Centre and, upon becoming an associate, Lloyds Banking Group.

Complex challenges on a global scale.

The reasons I decided to join Linklaters are many. I love the challenge posed by deals with cross-border jurisdictions, the huge diversity of colleagues and clients, and the fact that Linklaters does some of the biggest, most legally creative and groundbreaking deals in the world. I was also drawn to the international aspect of the firm – the ease in going on secondment and the frequency with which we communicate with colleagues in our international offices. Finally, there’s the calibre and size of Linklaters’ clients. They require complex solutions to a huge range of legal issues in jurisdictions all over the world.

The road to becoming an associate.

During my time here I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in IP and Litigation, done a competition secondment to Brussels and been on a litigation secondment to the Mary Ward Legal Centre – a charity dispensing free legal advice to people with low incomes. Taking on so much responsibility during my final trainee seat, and working under extreme time pressures, really prepared me to work faster and harder. It was great preparation for what was to come as an associate.

Talk about innovative transactions.

As an associate, I’ve been enjoying an immensely rewarding experience on secondment at Lloyds Banking Group. I’m working in the Group Legal Department litigation team at Lloyds Banking Group. It’s a particularly exciting time for Lloyds at the moment and there’s a lot of work to be done - often groundbreaking and creative. It’s exciting seeing the work in which I’m involved discussed in the media, but also frustrating reading inaccurate accounts.

Evolving the way we work.

Working in a small legal team within a large business is frequently very different to working within a law firm. In a law firm, the law takes precedence and its authority is usually unquestioned. However, different divisions of a client’s business are often unaware of the legal requirements governing the projects on which they are working, and don’t display the same deference a lawyer might when the law is pointed out to them. It is often necessary to break down the law to make it more useful for the business, which can be difficult where an area of law is particularly complex.

Why secondments are important.

This secondment has been beneficial in so many ways. Not only do I now know the names, faces and business priorities of all of the key figures with whom I come into day-to-day contact, but I have a clearer picture of the priorities of the business and what’s feasible. That will be invaluable when I return to the Linklaters office. It has also highlighted the importance of the commercial aspect of decision-making and explaining the law in a less complex manner.