Linklaters LLP |

I was born in Singapore but came to the U.K. to study. Two decades later I’m still here, having trained at Linklaters, qualified into their Restructuring and Insolvency practice, and being made a partner in 2021.

Linklaters offers its clients an experience that’s hard to beat. We give them the best advice, informed by a deep understanding of their business and sector, and help them find their way through complex challenges while insulating them from the stresses of the process. In my practice area, the rewards are there when you help save a business and people’s jobs.

As for our people, they get to work in a hugely collaborative, inclusive environment where there’s every kind of opportunity – including formal training, on-the-job learning, client and overseas secondments – all designed to help them reach their full potential.

What I really like about Linklaters is the feeling that you can learn something new every day. Even as a partner, there are opportunities to stretch yourself and become a better lawyer or leader. For instance, I get to shape the direction of the business and drive positive change in the workplace. At the same time, I may be supporting junior lawyers and mentoring school children or other external professionals, and participating in pro bono projects.

My advice to students wanting to get into this business is: have a clear understanding of why you want to do this. Having a sense of purpose can be really helpful – it anchors you. And never stop being curious. Make it your business to understand everything. There is no task you will not learn from.

I was born and raised in Mumbai, India. While studying law there, I did Linklaters’ Summer Vacation Scheme and was offered a Training Contract, which I took up in 2014.

Linklaters is truly a diverse firm and takes care of its employees. You are always encouraged to be yourself. No opportunity is out of reach because of where you came from or what you look like. And everyone has a voice and an opinion that matters.

What I like about the firm, apart from the headline-grabbing, multi-jurisdictional work, are the people. They’re incredibly talented and I learn something new from them every day.

They’re also extremely friendly and great fun. In fact, Linklaters has several sports and social clubs – you can join a choir, a football club or even take up adventure running. Plus, there are activities everyone can join in together – like office drinks at the end of each week or social events organised by your department.

The single piece of advice I’d give a student considering a career in law is: keep an open mind and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Every experience will shape you as a person and a lawyer. You will most likely learn from your mistakes as much as you will learn from your successes.

The Linklaters’ Summer Vacation Scheme gave me a great insight into the firm, its people and working practices, I attended a variety of talks from different departments and completed two case studies as well as a mock client pitch.

Now, as a trainee with the firm, I’m responsible for workstreams on transactions. This includes completing my own underlying reviews, and liaising with specialists to get their input. The result is a due diligence report we send to our clients. In addition, my job gives me a great chance to draft ancillaries and research different points of law for specific tasks.

One of the best things about Linklaters is the support you get. Such as an allocated principal who makes sure you’re exposed to interesting work – and who helps you manage your workload.

As you’d imagine for a high-profile law firm, it attracts interesting individuals from whom you can learn something new every day. At the same time, the people genuinely care about how you’re getting on, especially if they see you’re busy.

What’s more, Linklaters cares about diversity, as evidenced by their Get Ahead programme which I attended – just one of many diversity initiatives taking place. We like to have fun too. We have team get-togethers every fortnight or so. Not to mention big events like the summer party.

I studied law at the London School of Economics. In my first year, I attended Linklaters’ Pathfinder scheme, then became a Linklaters Brand Ambassador in my second year. After attending their Summer Vacation Scheme in 2019, they offered me a Training Contract.

Currently, I’m sitting in Private Equity. My responsibilities vary from drafting documents to communicating with clients and opposing counsel. I also support the team by organising documents and monitoring workstream developments. When you’re coordinating work across practice areas and global offices, it’s easy to feel like you’re part of something big.

Recently we worked on the takeover of a public company by a private equity firm. Everyone worked incredibly hard to a tight timeframe. But it was worth it when the takeover went through. Cue celebrations!

At the same time, I’m mentored by senior team members, which is brilliant. And each month I can meet up with a firmwide mentor for further trainee development and guidance.

My favourite thing about working at Linklaters is the people. Everyone is willing to help, and the culture is friendly, inclusive and open. In fact, my team operates an open-door policy, so it’s easy for people to stop by with a question or for a chat. The people are also very social with everything from department get-togethers, informal drinks, catch-ups and Christmas parties to attend. And the trainee network has their own social events too.