Why did you decide to become an M&A lawyer? Was there anyone in particular who inspired you early on in your career?
I started off my training contract with Linklaters sitting in the M&A team and quickly realised that I really valued and enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with clients on strategically important transactions, and to work with a broad range of teams and offices within the Linklaters network. It’s a great way to build relationships. During that first seat I worked on a demerger of a company and its UK listing, and 15 years on I am still working with that company as a key client of the firm – which is a real testament to the opportunities that you have as an M&A lawyer to build relationships and become a trusted adviser.
Can you describe a time when something didn’t go according to plan career/deal-wise and what you learnt from it?
A recurring theme for me during my career has been the importance of flexibility, which often means making the most of opportunities as and when they arise, even if they weren’t part of my original plan. For example, when I was about four or five years post-qualification, I was asked to spend some time working in our financial regulatory group. I hadn’t planned on spending time within Linklaters outside the M&A team but, given that M&A markets were quiet and our Financial Regulatory Group was busy, it made sense to refocus efforts for a few months. Looking back, I am so pleased to have had that experience – it gave me a much better understanding of the regulatory regime that my clients work within, and of the work carried out by my Financial Regulatory colleagues. It also gave me the chance to work on bank consortia arrangements, which has been a great stepping stone for the JVs and consortia deals that we see in the fintech space.
What are your top tips for those looking to become M&A partners?
Put your client at the heart of what you do – each client will have their specific objectives and their preferred ways of working with their lawyers to achieve that objective, and our role as M&A partners is to support that.
Empower your teams to deliver M&A transactions alongside you, and then to maintain the relationship with clients after the deal is done. One of the best parts of this role is seeing my team progress and step into the role of leading on client relationships.
Keep a sense of perspective – we work on high profile and challenging transactions, but ultimately being an M&A partner is about not only what you do but how you do it. Culture is so important within a team – no matter how big the transaction or how important the outcome, I always want to be able to look back and feel that I managed the deal and worked with our team and the client in a way that is consistent with my values and the values of the firm.