Gatehouse Chambers property and probate silk Brie Stevens-Hoare KC on coming out, fitting in and how the profession needs to continue to push back against toxic narratives
‘There is still fundamentally an issue with how women are perceived in the legal market and how well they can traverse the seniority ranks. It says a lot more about our profession than it does about women.’ So argues Tamara Box, Reed Smith’s former Europe and Middle East managing partner and now head of structured finance.
The outlook now, while not exactly bleak, is not as bullish as it should be. Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Women deal stars five years on”
Legal Business first named Freshfields’ Victoria Sigeti a rising star in 2016 while only a year into partnership. Judging by the sheer volume of plaudits she receives for her work in the most competitive product line in City law, she has now well and truly, well… risen. Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Private equity stars”
Herbert Smith Freehills’ Caroline Rae is something of a torchbearer for female success in M&A. Last year, she led the £7.8bn acquisition of Western Power Distribution for National Grid. ‘Take your most exciting M&A deal and times it by ten,’ she says of the transaction. Continue reading “Alphas revisited: M&A stars”
Showcasing a striking client list that includes the likes of KKR, Viridian, JPMorgan, First Reserve, Silver Lake, BlackRock and Blackstone, Simpson Thacher’s Sinead O’Shea is at the top of her game. Having qualified in Ireland, O’Shea has worked in the firm’s New York and Hong Kong offices. ‘Moving to Hong Kong was a huge challenge as I went there right after becoming a partner and having my second child,’ she admits. ‘I knew nothing whatsoever about the Asian market and the cultural setup there.’ Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Finance stars”
While horror stories have become increasingly rare in recent years, RPC’s head of corporate Karen Hendy recounts an awkward story from early in her career when she was the only woman present in a meeting room. ‘One of the partners looked at me and asked me where my corporate partner was. The room went silent.’ Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Mid-tier stars”
Chatting with a male managing partner recently about – what else – the hire of Kirkland’s debt superstar Neel Sachdev into Paul Weiss in London, talk eventually turned to the Barbie movie (obviously).
With the managing partner intending to see the film soon, I ask him to report back on whether he thinks its messaging is as anti-male as many critics have suggested. His reaction? ‘Isn’t it about time something was not all about how great men are, for a change?’ This is an interesting point, and segues us nicely into our cover feature this issue on the City’s standout women dealmakers, five years on from our influential ‘Alphas’ analysis. Continue reading “Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough”
‘Firms have to be flexible and acknowledge they may have fantastic senior associates who want to put their partnership ambitions on hold for a few years while they have a family.’ Isabella Roberts, Simmons & Simmons
Following on from our Alphas 2.0 feature, we ask female deal stars to talk about the challenges they have faced and still plague the industry today
Michal Berkner is one of the most distinguished M&A lawyers in Europe, advising on some of the region’s most complex and strategic cross-border transactions in life sciences and tech. She joined Cooley’s London office in 2018 from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she had practised in M&A for more than 20 years.
Michal’s clients include strategic buyers and sellers and investors in public and private companies ranging in value from multiple millions to billions of dollars. Continue reading “Sponsored Q&A: Michal Berkner, senior M&A partner at Cooley in London”
