I’ve had some other good news as well… I am off to a major international investment bank for my next seat to work directly under the Head of Litigation of the entire bank. I did have the chance to apply for many overseas placements, however this secondment really was not one to miss in terms of experience. I am a little nervous to be out of the Silk Street environment, however I’m sure things will be fine once I find my feet, and of course the firm provides great support to people it sends to clients. I will give you an update in April, but until then… wish me luck!

As promised in my last blog I thought I would answer a question that a lot of future trainees think about… what will the working hours at a magic circle law firm be like? Although it depends largely upon which department you are in, I can honestly say that it has been easier to manage my time than some people told me it would be before I joined. Every trainee will be busy at times throughout their training contract, however, if you have been particularly busy for some time everyone understands that things need to be more balanced. There can also be times where a trainee can be quite quiet. However generally is it a good thing to be busy as it means you are very involved in the deal. One of the ways that I think Linklaters differentiates itself from some other firms is that your contribution and efforts are always taken into account. If you do have to work late, it is usually with the rest of the deal team, including the partners, so there is a really good team spirit. There is also great administrative support to ensure that you are only at the office late when working on things that actually require you to, rather than just photocopying and hole punching.

Also as mentioned in my previous post, I can confirm that banking lawyers actually can’t sing. The evidence was the Banking Department’s karaoke night that took place last month. Despite the sounds produced being capable of breaking glass, much fun was had, and it was a really good opportunity to get to know some of the younger members of the mainstream Banking practice. The Restructuring & Insolvency group also had a Christmas dinner which was really nice. I was sitting next to a partner and some of the lawyers who have largely been out of the office working on the administration of Lehman Brothers in Canary Wharf.

Yes, Christmas did come to Silk Street, and with it brought that man in a beard and red hat (that would be our head of department dressed up as Santa). We have a secret Santa in the department, and I got a collection of Latin Jazz CDs… a big thank you to my secret Santa. They are good to listen to and help me to imagine myself in hotter climates at this time of the year.

Until February…

But it’s not all work at Linklaters! (My motto: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy) Actually, later this evening is the Annual R&I Client reception, which is being held in Tower 42, the tallest skyscraper in the City of London. In true Linklaters style, I’m sure it will be a smart affair, with the great and good from the banking sector in attendance. The other event that I’m really looking forward to is my department’s ski trip which will take place early next year. From what I hear, it will be great fun and a great way to get to know colleagues better.

As mentioned in my last post, I think that one of the best things about working at Linklaters is the amount and quality of the training. From day one I felt that the firm’s commitment to training was second to none. On the vacation scheme we had training seminars every morning, which were always followed by the famous vac scheme breakfasts (they know that the way to a trainee’s heart is through their stomach). Next up was the Linklaters LPC, which I cannot recommend highly enough. The firm ensures that the best tutors teach the LPC at the College of Law at Moorgate (a stone’s throw from our Silk Street office), with the course’s content being designed specifically for Linklaters' future trainees. This means that you get a good familiarity with the firm's precedent documents before even starting the training contract. Plus there are extra modules built into the course that the standard LPC does not cover in order to give Linklaters’ students a head start in more of the firm’s practice areas. This makes the Linklaters LPC more challenging than the standard LPC course, however also more rewarding and relevant for practice at a magic circle law firm. The training doesn't stop there, as each department has training courses for new joiners, as well as there being a major training seminar normally being held every week. Today, I attended a presentation in our auditorium given by an investment banker on the topic of market recovery.

Next time on “Andrew reveals all” … the truth about the hours culture in law and how banking lawyers really can’t sing!

After university I went to the College of Law in London to do the Linklaters-specific LPC, which I cannot recommend highly enough, and which I’ll talk more about in a later blog. Although I started work at the firm in September 2008, I feel like I’ve been part of the Linklaters fold for a lot longer as you are at law school with all the other Linklaters trainees in your intake and there are a lot of social events and training sessions organised by the firm during the LPC year.

In September 2008 I started my first seat in the Mainstream Corporate department, where I worked on some of the biggest deals to ever hit the press. As Linklaters picked up so much of the work surrounding the financial crisis, I really felt like I was at the hub of a firm that was being trusted with the most important and complex work in the world. It is common for firms to say that the deals they do are reported in the financial press, however, the deals I worked on in Corporate were the headlines of the national press everyday. Needless to say it was a busy time and we all had to work very hard, but I was given real responsibility and I couldn’t have asked for better work in terms of quality.

My second seat was in the Competition/Antitrust group. As an advisory seat it was very different from the transactional work I was doing in Corporate. Advisory seats tend to involve more legal research and drafting instead of transaction management. However one thing remained constant… the quality of the work. At no time was I simply re-hashing standard pieces of research for the client. The questions posed were always pushing the margins of what had been done before which proved to me that clients really do come to Linklaters with the most challenging and groundbreaking issues. My Competition seat was both intellectually challenging and immensely rewarding.

I’ve just started my third seat which is in the Banking group, sitting with a Partner who specialises in Restructuring & Insolvency. I’ll let you know how I’m getting on in my next blog entry, however with the economy the way it is I’m sure I’m going to be busy with very good work. Already I feel that the group is extremely friendly and people are genuinely happy to help if I have questions.

Until next time …