Dishonesty allegation dropped

A managing partner has been suspended from practice for 12 months after he admitted backdating a client-care letter in order to make a file “look as good as it could” when disclosed.

Jonathan Peter Durkin, admitted in 2012, was running Prosperity Law’s Liverpool office when, in 2023, he created a client-care letter with appended terms of business but dated it to appear as though it had been prepared three years earlier.

Durkin, who acted for a client in a partnership dispute, later conceded to colleagues that the document had not existed at the relevant time. He admitted his conduct was reckless and lacked integrity, but denied dishonesty.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) noted it had “difficulty in understanding how the backdating of a document could be anything other than dishonest” but, on balance, decided it would not be proportionate to hold a full hearing on the issue given Durkin and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had both accepted the seriousness of the misconduct. The tribunal therefore granted leave for the SRA to withdraw the dishonesty allegation.

The tribunal initially rejected a joint proposal from Durkin and the SRA for a three-month suspension, inviting them instead to agree a more “substantial” sanction. The revised 12-month suspension, starting 23 July 2025, was approved.

The SDT noted there had been no direct loss to the client, although a negligence claim was later pursued. It concluded that the incident had “undoubtedly harmed the reputation of the legal profession” and imposed costs of nearly £25,000.

In mitigation, which was not accepted by the SRA, Durkin said he had been stressed, overworked and facing personal difficulties at the time, describing the backdating as a lapse of judgment and an isolated incident.

Beats places like New York, Dubai, Qatar and Singapore

The London Commercial Court (LCC) has cemented its position as the world’s leading centre for complex commercial litigation, with parties from a record 93 countries appearing before it in the past year.

New figures from the Law Society’s International Data Insights Report 2025 show that over 60% of litigants came from outside the UK, underlining London’s global dominance in resolving high-value business disputes.

The court delivered 196 written judgments between October 2023 and September 2024, surpassing international rivals in New York, Dubai, Qatar and Singapore.

Speed is also a defining feature of the court. More than half of contested trials (54%) were completed within just four working days, a higher proportion than in previous years.

Unsurprisingly, London’s status as a hub for arbitration feeds into this caseload — around one in five LCC claims arises from challenges to arbitral awards, according to the report.

The top foreign litigants came from the UAE (68) and the US (66), while the number of Russian parties more than doubled year-on-year, rising from 27 to 60. Other frequent users included Cyprus, the Cayman Islands, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

From a late decision to study law to becoming a partner at Slaughter and May, Lorna Nsoatabe shares how embracing opportunities, valuing people, and staying optimistic have shaped her journey

I wasn’t particularly set on law from a young age,” admits Lorna Nsoatabe, partner at Slaughter and May. During her A-levels, she leaned towards studying medicine before a final decision to study law at university. She enjoyed her degree but hadn’t yet decided what she’d like to do after graduating. What she did know was that she wanted a job involving people, teamwork, and challenge. Seeing many peers apply to commercial law firms, she decided to give it a go — reasoning that it would tick those boxes and make good use of her degree. “I applied, without a huge amount of thought about what’s going to happen in 10 years, but more just, I think I’ll enjoy the immediate life as a trainee and hopefully be good at it,” she recalls.

That leap of faith paid off. Nsoatabe began her training contract with the firm in 2012, gaining experience across corporate, financing, competition, real estate and Disputes and Investigations. It was her competition seat that clicked, and she qualified into the group in 2015. Looking back, she says her progression wasn’t pre-planned but the result of seizing opportunities — she worked hard so that “when the next step came, I was ready to take it.”

But why competition? She loved the team, describing a supportive department where everyone worked hard but “didn’t take themselves too seriously” — the mix of humour, humility and excellence was very appealing. The work also appealed. “I wanted to use my law degree while also understanding how clients work and explore the business side of things — even using my maths a little bit.” It combined legal analysis, commercial awareness, and a touch of economics and policy. She “really likes the mix of that business, law and economics” and found that combination “just worked for me.”

Competition also appealed because it is a ‘people’ practice area. “It’s a real people department,” she tells Legal Cheek Careers, involving constant interaction with business teams, in-house counsel, boards and CEOs — an aspect she still enjoys. Years on, her favourite part of the job remains “the people aspect” above all.

To succeed in competition law, Nsoatabe emphasises the importance of the human element as much as the technical. Strong legal skills are essential, but so are communication skills and common sense. “Can you get clients to talk to you and share what’s concerning them? Share what they really want to happen so you can help them make it happen?” she asks. Building trust enables you to truly help the client, while good judgment and pragmatism are key to finding sensible paths forward.

Shifting to the firm, she highlights the appeal of Slaughter and May’s multi-specialist approach. Lawyers at the firm aren’t confined to narrow specialisms; instead, they work across a broad practice area, handling the wide range of matters within it. This ethos brings variety — “nothing is boring, you get genuinely new things every day” — and the challenge of constantly pushing beyond your comfort zone. While this is not for everyone, she explains that “there are real benefits for our lawyers, who develop excellent legal skills and our clients who work with lawyers able to support them on a range of matters”.

This breadth fosters collaboration. “We rely on our colleagues to share their expertise,” she explains. People readily call each other for advice, creating a “really supportive” and notably uncompetitive environment where, as she puts it, “we talk to each other, instead of competing”.

Another distinctive feature is Slaughter and May’s international approach. Rather than a large global network, the firm partners with the leading independent firms in each jurisdiction. This model “encourages us to communicate really well” and consistently deliver excellent work so that each overseas partner “thinks, ‘yes, I want to work with the firm again’”. Clients, in turn, benefit from seamless, high-quality service across multiple jurisdictions.

For Nsoatabe, the multi-specialist philosophy keeps her work exciting. “If my client has any issue across the whole realm of what Competition law involves, I’m able to help,” she explains. That means continually encountering unique legal scenarios and learning new skills, but also developing a really in-depth understanding of her clients. This broad base also sharpens her as an adviser when it comes to spotting potential issues which may impact a client.

Now over a decade into her career, she notes the fundamentals have stayed the same as she rose from trainee to partner — but expectations evolve. As a junior, everything was new but as a senior, you’re expected to handle the unfamiliar with confidence. Even so, new things still come across her desk, and the firm’s training equips lawyers at all levels to tackle “cutting-edge issues no one’s seen before”.

Outside client work, Nsoatabe has championed diversity and inclusion. As an associate, she spent nearly seven years chairing the firm’s diversity network, which celebrates and promotes racial and ethnic diversity. Now, as a partner, she continues as the group’s sponsoring partner, mentoring leaders and advocating for the network in management. “I’m there in a supportive capacity and as a sounding board,” she says. The mission is to “make the firm better, make it more inclusive — a working environment in which anyone, irrespective of your background, can develop and thrive.”

One of the network’s highlights is the annual Carnival event — a celebration inspired by the Caribbean carnival, with music, food, steel drums, and a talk about Carnival’s history. The event brings colleagues together for fun and learning, becoming a highlight of the year. What Nsoatabe finds most rewarding is seeing young colleagues take the lead. Trainees, junior associates and others across the non-legal teams, are encouraged to run events and bring ideas to life. Empowering junior staff has been “a really lovely thing,” she says, and cites witnessing their enthusiasm and success as her proudest achievement.

Nsoatabe believes diversity networks are much more than just PR. They foster inclusion and belonging, which in turn boosts young lawyer’s confidence. “You meet people who are like you, who think like you, who have had the same experiences as you… you have that space to have a conversation, to discuss things that might be difficult or challenging for you,” she explains. They also drive practical change by advising HR and leadership on cultural considerations or current events impacting colleagues. Having a dedicated group for these issues ensures “genuine change and impact can happen”.

Looking at the wider profession, Nsoatabe is hopeful but realistic. “We’ve seen a huge amount of growth in the last 10 years,” she notes, but there’s more to do before the profession truly reflects people from all backgrounds. Her wish is simple: that progress continues so that, in 10 or 15 years, diversity is “just a given” and every organisation knows how to create an inclusive workspace.

As we wrap up, she offers advice for aspiring lawyers. Firstly, enjoy it. “I think it can be a really great job and a really rewarding job,” she says. “Lean into enjoying it and try and have the best time possible”. Take up opportunities, get involved, and “put your hand up for things”. That said, if something isn’t right, don’t simply give up. Instead, speak up and try to make it better: “If you’re not enjoying it, or there’s something that you think can be done differently, try and make a bit of change.” In her experience, people are often receptive: “oh yes, you’re entirely right, we haven’t thought about that, how can we do better?”

Finally, she urges an optimistic mindset. Every generation faces challenges, but “being positive about your own career and about what you want from it, is a much better place to be than just worrying about it. Work hard, stay positive, and never forget the people around you.”

Lorna Nsoatabe will be speaking at ‘What does a world of difference look like? With Slaughter and May’, a virtual student event taking place Tuesday 16 September. Secure your place now.

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Advice from a future Magic Circle trainee

1 September marked the start of the 2026 trainee recruitment cycle. Future Magic Circle trainee and Legal Cheek writer Ryan Scott shares his top tips for securing a coveted training contract this application season.

1. Meet as many firms as possible

That dreaded application form staple — “why this firm?” — is often the first and hardest hurdle for future trainees to cross. From the outside, City firms can look very similar: international presence, ‘dynamic’ work, Band 1 rankings… basically, a load of corporate waffle.

Meeting firms directly, however, gave me a much clearer picture — not just of their practice areas and sector strengths, but of their culture, their people, and whether I could actually see myself fitting in.

Open Days run throughout September to December (and many firms reimburse travel!). You can tour offices, chat to trainees and partners, and pick up tips for the application process.

Legal Cheek also runs its Virtual Law Fairs and firm-specific events throughout the application season. I attended last year while doing my applications, and skipping through the different firms’ booths felt a bit like speed-dating: some I clicked with straight away, others I knew weren’t a match, and a few surprised me completely — ones I’d never even considered until I met them.

To keep this long-winded metaphor going, it’s also where I met the ‘one’ for the first time — my future firm.

2. Figure out what matters most to you

Be honest about your priorities. A fat salary? A plush office on Bishopsgate? Free weekends?

For me, it was Band 1 rankings across the board — that way, I could explore a variety of seats, confident I’d be working on top-quality matters while learning from the best. A large trainee cohort and strong international presence mattered too. This might make some feel like just another cog in the machine, but I saw it as a chance to connect and collaborate with colleagues across the globe.

Others might prefer the smaller cohorts on offer at some boutique or US firms, where trainees take on much greater responsibility from day one and face a steeper learning curve.

A great starting point is The Legal Cheek Firms Most List (and I don’t just say that because I work here now), which lays out the number of trainees, salary, working hours, international presence, secondment opportunities, and more.

3. Create a shortlist of firms

Once you know your priorities, narrow your focus to around 10-15 firms — and dive deep. Clifford Chance alone received 5,804 applications in 2022. I’d hazard a guess that the other Magic Circle firms were broadly similar, putting the total combined applications for the quintet in the tens of thousands each year.

A scattergun approach to applications — sending generic applications to dozens of firms in the hope that one sticks — rarely works. By creating a shortlist, you can dedicate more time to research, tailor each application properly, and keep deadlines manageable.

Last year, I whittled my list down to 12 firms that aligned with my priorities, and that excelled in the practice areas and sectors I was interested in (more on this later).

4. Track deadlines

Plan ahead. Application season moves fast, and December will sneak up before you know it.

I was working full-time as a paralegal while applying, balancing the 9–5 office job with the 5–9 application grind — and sacrificing my annual leave to travel down to London for Open Days. Focusing on only 12 firms made this (slightly) more manageable.

Record each firm’s deadlines for vacation schemes and training contracts — Legal Cheek’s Key Deadlines Calendar is great for this. And check if deadlines are rolling: Slaughter and May, for example, reviews applications as they come in, so early submission is key. An 11:59pm submission on deadline day probably won’t cut it.

5. Go beyond the surface

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List is a brilliant starting point, but don’t stop there. Dig into firm websites, Chambers and Legal 500 rankings, reports, podcasts, newsletters, articles, even LinkedIn posts.

Focus on what genuinely interests you — it makes your application read far more authentically. In my case, that was the net-zero transition. I went to webinars and combed through firm websites to find specific deals I could namedrop in applications and interviews.

Handily, Legal 500 even provides “work highlights” for each practice area, showcasing the matters that firms are particularly chuffed with.

6. Reach out to current trainees

Messaging trainees on LinkedIn feels a bit like cold-calling — but in my experience, it’s nothing to stress about.

Every trainee I’ve reached out to has been extremely generous with their time. And remember: most are only a couple years older than you and can vividly recall the trials and tribulations of application season.

But be respectful of their time. Generic and open-ended questions like “Tips for a TC?” rarely get replies. Do your homework — maybe a bit of LinkedIn stalking — then ask about the seat they’re in or what they enjoy most about it. Show you’ve thought about your question, and you’ll get a far better answer.

7. Organise your research

All that research is useless if it’s saved in some random folder on your computer that you’ll never find again. Find a system that works for you to collate and organise it. Mine was a giant Excel spreadsheet (aptly named “Firm Megatable”).

Firm names ran across the top row, and areas of research down the first column — practice area specialisms, key sectors, legal tech, big-name clients, training contract structure, secondments, pro bono, diversity initiatives, recent mandates, and so on.

The beauty of the Megatable was being able to compare firms easily. You can see at a glance in which areas Firm A is stronger than Firm B — which then feeds straight into tailored answers.

Whether you like Word, Pages, or a notebook with pretty highlighters, the key is to have one system and update it consistently.

8. Tailor your applications: why, why, why

One of the biggest mistakes I see is failing to answer the “Why?”.

“I attended a webinar on the firm’s net-zero work.” Great — and? What did you learn? Why does that motivate you to apply here? Did it spark further research, or interest in a specific deal or report? Go deeper, and show some genuine engagement. It’s all about linking your experiences to your motivations.

If you reference a deal, don’t just say “I found this interesting.” Explain why — the regulatory complexity, the cross-border elements, the financing structure — and then link it back to the firm’s strengths and your reasons for applying.

9. Don’t be afraid to stand out

Early Talent teams sift through thousands of applications each cycle. The last thing they want to see is the same copy-pasted, ChatGPT-ified paragraphs on a loop. Authenticity is an asset.

Non-legal experiences can be extremely compelling. While some candidates may have completed every vac scheme in the City, balancing part-time work for years alongside your studies can demonstrate more dedication and resilience than a brief two-week stint at a firm.

It’s all about drawing connections between your experiences (legal or not) and the skills needed as a trainee.

In a recent interview I did with future trainee Layla Qazi, she drew on “unorthodox” experiences — including building a university roller-skating society from the ground up — to evidence her leadership, collaboration and initiative. She went on to secure a training contract at Taylor Wessing.

10. Build your commercial awareness

“Commercial awareness” — the buzzword that sends chills down fledgling lawyers’ spines. It isn’t a single skill; it’s a habit of noticing how organisations make decisions, how firms make money, and how headlines affect clients. You won’t become the next Alan Sugar after one binge of the FT; commercial awareness builds up gradually. As the saying goes, it’s a marathon, not a sprint — so start early, not the night before applications.

My top resources:

• Books: All You Need to Know About the City by Christopher Stoakes makes complex economic and business concepts accessible and easy to understand.

• Newsletters: LittleLaw and Legal Cheek Weekly Round-Up are both free. Watson’s Daily (paid) breaks down headlines into ‘what this means for industry X’ — the exact skill you need to build for interviews and case studies.

• Podcasts: FT Daily Briefing and Legal Cheek Podcast during my morning commutes.

• News: CityAM (free), and the FT (if your university provides access because £39/month is steep).

Closing note…

Everyone’s journey is different, and comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t try to mould yourself into what you think a corporate lawyer should look like — be yourself and focus on what matters to you. Research thoroughly and craft applications that genuinely reflect your interests and personality.

Legal Cheek Careers speaks with Clyde & Co’s Tom Bedford about his work in professional negligence and regulatory defence, and what it’s like to represent solicitors accused of wrongdoing

Tom Bedford, a specialist in professional negligence and regulatory defence at Clyde & Co, began his career as a junior lawyer acting for banks in negligence claims against solicitors and surveyors. After a couple of years, however, he “fancied switching sides.” “I didn’t love the idea of suing my own profession,” he laughs. He moved into defence work, representing solicitors facing claims and regulatory investigations — a decision that has shaped his career for more than a decade.

Bedford’s path into this area of the law was not one he originally planned. As a law student, he considered becoming a family lawyer but quickly realised that line of work wasn’t for him. “I don’t think this is for me,” he recalls thinking, after finding the area “very emotionally challenging”. However, he knew he wanted a “people-focused” career in law. During his training contract at Eversheds, he gained experience across a range of practice areas, but by the time he qualified in 2009, Bedford had discovered a passion for litigation. “I liked the idea of representing other people’s interests,” he says, noting that every case carried a compelling human story behind it.

When Bedford qualified during the financial crisis, he was faced with a choice between employment law and professional negligence. He opted for the latter and hasn’t looked back. “I thought the work was very varied and interesting — there are so many different things that can go wrong,” he says of what drew him to professional indemnity work. Defending lawyers also meant working with legally savvy clients. “You’re reporting to people who get it,” he explains, pointing out that his clients — often fellow solicitors or their insurers — understand the legal process, allowing for “a really nice, sensible conversation” instead of lengthy explanations. He enjoyed feeling part of a close-knit sector — being “part of a club” within the wider legal world.

Bedford’s practice today spans both defending negligence claims and representing lawyers in disciplinary proceedings. “My job is nice because it’s quite varied,” he tells me, describing how he divides his time between fighting cases and broader responsibilities like client training, mentoring junior lawyers and even helping with the management of the firm. “I love the variety that I have now in my job,” he adds.

After more than a decade at his previous firm, Bedford joined Clyde & Co 14 months ago as partner in the firm’s Bristol office. “No firm can offer globally what Clyde & Co can offer on solicitors’ liability. Clydes essentially wrote the book on this area!” he says of the insurance law giant’s appeal. Another big draw was the firm’s entrepreneurial culture. “If you want to do something, it can be done. No one’s going to stop you unless it’s something really mad,” Bedford laughs. With its strong reputation and high standards, the firm has given him an ideal platform to further grow his practice.

I ask Bedford what qualities make a good lawyer in his specialist area. Unsurprisingly, he emphasises the importance of empathy and strong communication. Professional negligence and regulatory cases can be intensely personal for the clients involved. “Particularly in the regulatory aspect of my practice, I’m acting for individuals who may be facing career-damaging sanctions,” he explains. “People think solicitors are tough cookies but for anybody these are extremely stressful situations to deal with.” Bedford sees his role as not only handling the legal complexities but also supporting his clients through the ordeal. “You should be providing pastoral support because you want to put your clients in the best possible position to defend themselves,” he says. “On a human level, no matter what someone’s done, they’re entitled to be represented, and they deserve that support.”

Equally, building trust is crucial. “It’s never left me that it’s such a huge privilege to be asked to advise people about something that is really important to them – their business or their career,” Bedford reflects. Earning that privilege means fostering strong relationships. He finds common ground with clients and reassures them through clear, frank communication. “You want people, if they have that problem again, to come back to you,” he says, adding that being approachable and honest is key to encouraging that loyalty.

Having solicitors as clients puts Bedford in a somewhat unusual position – one with distinct advantages and a few challenges. “Solicitors make great clients because they understand the job I’m doing and I understand theirs,” he notes. However, the flip side is that a legally trained client will quickly spot any lack of expertise. “You have to know what you’re talking about, because if you don’t you’ll quickly be found out,” Bedford cautions. He advises junior lawyers never to bluff. If he doesn’t know something, he’ll readily admit it and go find the answer. “Saying ‘I don’t know, but I’ll go away and look at it’ is definitely the best course of action to build trust with clients,” he says. Another test for young lawyers in this field can be managing ego. Without independent experts to call upon in solicitor negligence cases, it often falls to Bedford and his colleagues to tell a fellow lawyer — sometimes one far more senior — that they’ve made a mistake. “When you’re junior and you’re saying to somebody much older than you, ‘Actually I think you’ve made a mistake,’ it can be quite difficult,” he admits. “But there are ways to do it.” The key, he stresses, is to “lean on those same communication and relationship skills to navigate the situation.”

He has also noticed the profession itself being held to higher account. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has sharpened its focus on lawyers’ personal conduct outside work, he says, which is leading to more disciplinary cases from off-duty missteps. Bedford reminds juniors that solicitors hold a “special position in society” — “it’s not just any kind of commercial job,” as he points out — and predicts such scrutiny will only increase. “I think we will see more and more of that,” he adds.

As our conversation draws to a close, I ask Bedford for one final piece of careers advice for those starting out. “Be yourself,” is his response. He acknowledges that the hunt for training contracts and junior roles is “hugely competitive”, so it’s natural to want to put your best foot forward — but he insists that authenticity is paramount. “Some people will love you and some people won’t,” Bedford says. “If you’re completely yourself and you’re not successful [with an application], then probably you wouldn’t be happy there — you’re not the right fit.” And if you do find a place that appreciates the real you? “If you go in authentically and the firm likes you, I think it’s a recipe for success — and for happiness,” he finishes.

Tom Bedford will appear on the panel at ‘Ethics and the law – with Clyde & Co’, a virtual student event taking place TOMORROW (Tuesday 9 September). Apply now to attend.

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A US lawyer — who shares the same name as the tech billionaire — takes legal action against Meta over the repeated removal of his Facebook pages

A US lawyer with the same name as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta, the parent company of the social media giant, because his pages keep getting suspended.

Unlike his Silicon Valley namesake, Indianapolis lawyer Mark S. Zuckerberg has spent the past three decades practising law, specialising in consumer bankruptcy and debt relief.

This name mix-up is no new phenomenon. Zuckerberg told reporters that his account has been suspended five times over the last eight years, having first opened a Facebook account in 2009. You can’t accuse him of lacking a sense of humour about the whole situation: in 2015 the attorney launched a tongue-in-cheek website called IamMarkZuckerberg.com. Zuckerberg told Wired in 2016 that “It was kind of funny. I had my real two minutes of fame.”

However, it seems that his patience has run out. According to the lawsuit filed at Marion County Superior Court, Zuckerberg claims that the repeated suspensions have cost him thousands of dollars in lost business.

“It’s not funny,” Mr Zuckerberg told website WTHR-TV. “Not when they take my money.”

The lawyer is accusing Meta of negligence and breach of contract after paying $11,000 for advertising on the site for his business, which he argues was improperly taken down.

“It’s like buying a billboard… and then they put a blanket over it,” he told the website.

Emails with Facebook he shared online reveal accusations of not using his ‘authentic name’ and warning that the account would be permanently disabled if the issue continued. Zuckerberg continuously provided them with various forms of ID to verify his identity, but it was not enough.

His account was shut down in May and only restored after the lawsuit was filed.

Meta has since released a statement, saying it has reinstated Mark [S] Zuckerberg’s account, after finding it had been disabled in error. We appreciate Mr Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future.”

He’s reportedly seeking reimbursement, legal fees, and an injunction — but has joked he’d settle for an apology, or even just a handshake, from the other Zuckerberg.

ULaw SQE student Layla Qazi on her journey from history graduate and tax consultant to future trainee

Future Taylor Wessing trainee Layla Qazi didn’t set out to be a lawyer from day one. She read history because she loved the subject and liked the flexibility of converting later, and she always had law in mind.

“I was so happy to get in,” she says of studying history at Oxford, adding that the subject isn’t “so divorced from law that it’s not really a difficult adjustment.” But as a non-law undergrad, she quickly realised the profession doesn’t necessarily come to you. “As a non-law student, you have to go out and seek things a lot more,” she says. She missed out on first-year insight schemes, simply unaware of them as a history student. The silver lining? “There are so many different entry points now and it’s great if you do a first-year insight scheme, but it’s not necessary to get a training contract.”

In her second year and beyond, she became a fixture at law fairs and networking events. “I don’t even think I could count how many I went to. I went to so, so many,” she laughs. Fairs can feel like speed networking, but even a few minutes with a couple of trainees gives you something real to reference later — and sometimes you discover a firm you’d never thought about.

Off the back of that she joined the university’s commercial law society and moved from attendee to organiser, sitting on the sponsorships committee and emailing graduate recruitment, setting up panels and chatting to trainees. Seeing “the other side of it” made those application form staples much easier. The dreaded “why this firm?” stops being so difficult when you’ve spoken on a more personal level with the firm about team sizes, the support trainees get and which seats are on offer.

Qazi stresses that there’s no single trick to success but focusing on what genuinely interested her and being honest about the fit really helped. She knew early on that the sectors drawing her in were tech and life sciences. That guided her research and helped her craft a consistent story across applications and interviews. “You can dive into your specific interests and create a bit of a story for the ‘why law’ and the ‘why this firm’ question,” she says.

She also drew on “unorthodox” experiences to evidence her skills. In one application she wrote about helping run her university roller-skating society. It was small when she started, but after she convinced a few friends to join, she and the committee grew it into something much bigger. “It’s so random, but honestly the non-traditional stuff really does stick out if you can show that you’ve got a bit of personality and drive.” The lesson, she says: you don’t have to be president of the law society to have something interesting to say. “I worked the Next Boxing Day sale,” she jokes. “That will teach you something about resilience. Honestly.” And that’s what firms are looking for.

Between university and law school, Qazi took what many would see as a detour: a year as a tax consultant at EY. It turned out to be a perfect primer for vacation schemes and, soon enough, a training contract. “The biggest thing for me is confidence,” she says. Coming into vac schemes after time in a corporate environment meant she wasn’t fazed by writing to clients or speaking up in meetings. “You’ll have to do things like presentations to partners and I’m like, ‘I’m just going to pretend this is my manager.’” Perhaps most importantly, it sharpened her writing style. History essays and client emails are different beasts; in practice “you still have to analyse things but with a view to an answer… it’s got to have your client in mind.”

Her tax job turbo-charged her commercial awareness, too. Anticipating the impact of the government’s annual budget or changes to the ‘non-dom’ tax regime, and thinking about how these changes would impact her clients, soon became second nature. Building on that foundation, she developed a daily habit of reading newsletters like Finimize and scanning the Financial Times — which made the buzzword “commercial awareness” far less daunting.

From there, she dug deeper into a handful of topics she genuinely cared about, turning to law firm podcasts and sector reports that translate abstract headlines into client issues. Those bridges from “news” to “what does this mean for this client and our firm?” are, she points out, exactly what interview case studies probe. Picking news topics she found genuinely engaging — tech and life sciences — kept the routine sustainable and the conversations authentic.

Vacation schemes confirmed law was the right path for her, securing spots at Osborne Clarke, Pennington Manches Cooper, Cooley, and of course Taylor Wessing. When asked about her favourite practice areas so far, she says every seat has had its own highlights.

At Taylor Wessing, she especially enjoyed the breadth of her seats, ranging from banking and finance to tech, IP and information. “Broad teams,” she explains, “let trainees explore and find a niche without feeling pigeonholed too early.” That open-mindedness extends to qualification, too: when friends ask her what type of lawyer she’ll be, she replies wherever the work and the seats take her.

With her training contract at Taylor Wessing secured, Qazi began her transition from historian to lawyer with The University of Law. She has just completed her PGDL and will be sitting her SQE exams there over the next year. “The PGDL course at ULaw did a great job of starting things from the basics and building different concepts up,” she explains. “The structure of the course meant it was never overwhelming … I feel very confident going into the SQE having had the ULaw PGDL as a foundation.” Converting from history to law is a sprint through core subjects; doing it within ULaw’s structured programme, with clear materials and a supportive teaching team, made the leap feel manageable.

Looking ahead, she says: “The course has definitely developed my critical analysis abilities and encouraged me to think about academic concepts from a practical perspective. Next summer … the SQE Plus part will let me explore different practice areas ahead of starting my TC.” Having already endured long stretches of exams — first at university, then as a tax consultant, and now with the PGDL and SQE — she’s eager for the finish line. “What am I most looking forward to? Finishing the SQE,” she laughs. “Exam-free” life can’t come soon enough.

If she could advise her first-year self, she’d start with reassurance: follow your interests, build skills, then learn to frame them in a lawyerly light. “I was so surprised the roller-skating thing went down so well!”. The point isn’t to collect a checklist of “law-only” experiences. It’s to show initiative, teamwork, time management and resilience — the qualities firms look for in trainees. Whether it’s building a university society from scratch, surviving a Boxing Day rush at Next or presenting to senior people at work, every experience counts if you can draw out the skills. “Relax and do what you want to do,” she says, “but also do law stuff as well.” That balance has kept her motivated — and made her applications feel personal rather than generic.

For students starting out, her advice is straightforward. Meet as many firms as you can early on — at fairs, talks and virtual events — rather than relying solely on what’s on their websites. Think carefully about the sectors and environments you’ll thrive in, then build your narrative around that. Make use of university and law school resources: newsletters you’ll actually read, podcasts you’ll actually listen to, and reports that translate abstract headlines into challenges and opportunities for clients. At the same time, pursue the passions and interests that genuinely appeal to you — non-legal experiences are just as important. And if your path isn’t linear, that’s fine. A year in industry can make you calmer, clearer and more client-focused when you eventually step through a firm’s doors.

With her PGDL completed at ULaw and the SQE ahead this year, she’s now closing out the study phase and looking forward to day one at Taylor Wessing. The destination hasn’t changed since those early career talks, she’s simply taken the route that made the most sense for her — and picked up a toolkit along the way that will let her hit the ground running when client work begins.

Legal Cheek Live in London takes place in-person NEXT WEEK on Thursday, 11 September. The afternoon features a series of careers and commercial awareness workshops delivered by top law firms as well as a careers fair featuring early talent and graduate recruitment teams. Register to attend now.

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Isolated incident

A junior solicitor has been suspended from practice for 12 months after admitting he altered correspondence with a client in what he described as a “moment of panic”.

Michael Peter Goodwin, 40, joined Talbots Law in 2021 and had been qualified for less than two years when he mistakenly sent an email to the wrong address in a residential property matter.

Instead of immediately admitting the error, he amended the forwarded version the following day to make it appear it had been correctly sent first time round, writing: “I understand you’ve not received the attached.”

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found his dishonesty was confined to a single email and accepted it was a “brief, isolated incident rather than a prolonged or sustained act”. No harm was caused to the client.

The tribunal noted the misconduct brought “minimum benefit” to Goodwin, beyond perhaps sparing him some embarrassment over the initial mistake or the consequences of potential data breach.

Goodwin admitted the alteration at an internal meeting three months later, before resigning from the firm and self-reporting to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). He accepted at the time that “he knew it was wrong and should not have done it”.

In mitigation — which the SRA did not accept — Goodwin said he had been under considerable emotional strain and struggling with the pressures of practice. Additional medical evidence was heard in private.

The SRA said the conduct was deliberate but carried out “in panic and haste”, stressing that Goodwin had shown remorse, made “open and frank admissions” and cooperated with the regulator throughout the investigation.

He agreed to a 12-month suspension and to pay £12,500 towards the SRA’s costs.

Taylor Wessing’s Emma Danks discusses the evolution of private equity, the firm’s ambitious culture, and her advice for aspiring solicitors

“There’s a huge amount of ambition here and no complacency,” says Emma Danks, head of the UK corporate group at Taylor Wessing, reflecting on what drew her to the firm 15 years ago. After over a decade at a Magic Circle firm, Danks joined Taylor Wessing in 2010 to help grow its then-burgeoning private equity practice. “It was very attractive to join a team that was growing and ambitious,” she recalls. Fifteen years on, she hasn’t looked back.

Qualifying in 2001, Danks cut her teeth amid the mid-2000s private equity boom, and later weathered the 2007-2008 global financial crisis that reshaped the market. The post-crisis landscape sparked her interest in the mid-market segment, making Taylor Wessing’s more entrepreneurial platform an appealing next step. Now a senior partner, she leads the firm’s corporate practice and advises on private equity transactions day-to-day. Danks acts for private equity sponsors on buyouts and private M&A deals, as well as for the management teams of PE-backed companies — a mix that gives her “a really nice view of the whole market,” she notes.

While Danks was initially drawn by Taylor Wessing’s growing private equity practice, it’s “the energy and the entrepreneurial spirit” which is keeping her at the firm 15 years later. The firm is full of “very bright lawyers who are driven to do the best job they can for their clients and to win more market share,” she tells me. This ambitious but collaborative ethos means there’s little room for egos. In short, it’s a “really high performance but friendly place to be.”

Early in her career, Danks found herself drawn to transactional work. “There is a particular inclination most lawyers have, either towards transactional, advisory or disputes work,” she says. For her, deals hold a special appeal because “you’re creating something” for the client rather than fighting an opponent in court. She enjoys digging into the commercial drivers behind a transaction — understanding what the business does and why a deal matters to a client — and collaborating with the other side to reach an agreement (while still “protecting your client’s position,” of course). Delivering a deal that is important to a client brings “a real sense of satisfaction and professional pride,” Danks says.

When Danks qualified as a private equity lawyer, the industry looked very different. “It’s a more sophisticated asset class today”, she notes, with deal structures far more complex than 25 years ago. “There is a wider range and number of private equity funds. So they’ve got different styles of investing,” Danks explains. “25 years ago, it might have been more of a classic ‘we will acquire a majority and hold it for three to five years and then we’ll sell it’ situation. Whereas now you have funds wanting a longer hold period or they might acquire just a minority, which then requires a different negotiating style.” Private equity has also entered the public consciousness as PE firms have acquired household-name brands, she adds, and its techniques have “influenced the broader M&A market in lots of different ways.”

This constant evolution is part of the appeal of private equity for Danks. “I never wanted to get to a stage in my career where I think, ‘I can do this in my sleep,’” she laughs. The ever-changing nature of the private equity space means she is always learning and adapting. That can be frustrating at times, she admits, but it suits lawyers who are “intellectually curious” and like to be challenged — and for her it’s “a really enjoyable part of the job.”

I ask Danks whether one deal in particular stands out in her memory. “I would say one of the standout career highs for me was a deal we did in 2019,” she responds. The Taylor Wessing team advised the private equity arm of Standard Chartered on its spin-out from the bank into a new independent fund. “We were working with brilliant clients. They were at the top of their game, really bright. It was personally very important to them as well because they were creating a whole new fund,” Danks recalls. Complex deals like this don’t get off the ground without some serious hard work, of course: “We were in the trenches all together,” Danks recalls, describing weeks of intense negotiations as lawyers from multiple firms hammered out the terms. A “real career highlight”, the deal landed Danks’ team “Private Equity Team of the Year” at that year’s British Legal Awards. It was also a roaring success for her clients: “They successfully spun out of the bank and have been a very successful private equity fund in their own right – I’ve actually just had the invitation through for their sixth anniversary celebration!” she tells me.

Today, the market presents new challenges. The past few years have been “turbulent,” as Danks puts it. A post-pandemic surge of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in 2021 gave way to a slowdown as interest rates rose and political and economic uncertainty made many businesses cautious about making significant investments. “Markets like stability,” Danks says. “Changes of government around the world and US tariffs early this year have meant a lot of dealmakers have paused to let everything settle. However, although the volume of deals has dipped, I’ve found the deals which have happed have been more high value.” And there have been certain sectors bucking the trend. Tech and life sciences assets “have continued to be really competitive.” She shows particular excitement around artificial intelligence, where acquiring an AI-driven company can be a “fast-track” for traditional businesses — why spend years developing a new technology in-house “when you can buy a company that’s already done it”?

In this uncertain climate, lawyers have a crucial role in helping clients navigate deals. Danks sees her job as twofold: first, offering clients a broad perspective on market “commercials” gleaned from her experience across many transactions. Her team works on far more deals each year than any single client, so “they like us to give some market insights,” she explains. Second, a good lawyer will “future-proof” agreements to withstand whatever arises from the counterparty or the wider business environment in the months and years to come.

Before wrapping up, I ask Danks what career advice she would give to her younger self or a new trainee. She recommends gaining as broad experience as possible and being unafraid to question things. “Take time to get as much experience as you can,” she advises, “and always try to look into the corners of every issue — maintain an intellectual curiosity at all times.”

Emma Danks will be speaking on the panel at Legal Cheek’s upcoming virtual student event ‘Inside the global dynamics of M&A — with Taylor Wessing’, taking place virtually on Wednesday 24 September. Apply now to attend.

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National law firm confirms it did not advise deputy PM on £800k flat stamp duty error

Shoosmiths has moved to distance itself from the political row surrounding deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, after its name was wrongly linked to her £800,000 flat purchase that resulted in underpaid stamp duty.

The national law firm had previously acted for Rayner, and the BBC News reports it was responsible for setting up a trust for her son in 2020. This past connection fuelled speculation online that Shoosmiths had also advised on her property deal.

But the firm has now confirmed it gave no advice on the flat purchase that saw Rayner pay up to £40,000 less by not applying the higher rate of stamp duty reserved for additional homes.

A spokesperson for Shoosmiths said:

“We did not act for the Rt Hon Angela Rayner in relation to the purchase of her Hove property and/or the SDLT aspects of that property. Ms Rayner is not a current client of the firm and has not been for some time.”

Rayner is facing calls to resign over the matter. The Labour MP has rejected claims she deliberately avoided tax, saying she relied on legal advice that did not “properly take account” of her circumstances.

Those circumstances include the court-ordered trust, created to manage compensation following a medical incident that left her son with life-long disabilities.

When her divorce was finalised in 2023, Rayner and her ex-husband transferred part of their stakes in the family home in Greater Manchester into the trust, where they both act as trustees.

This arrangement allowed for a “nesting” set-up, meaning the children could remain in the property while the parents alternated living there. Rayner later sold her remaining 25% stake in the home to the trust in January this year, receiving £162,500.

Rayner said she has contacted HMRC to clarify how much tax she owes.

The identity of the lawyer or firm she consulted is still unknown.

52 out of 71

Pinsent Masons has kept on 52 of its 71 qualifying trainees this autumn, giving the firm a retention score of 73%.

Nineteen of the newly qualified (NQ) solicitors join the firm’s finance and projects team, with 13 heading to transactional departments, 10 to property, and another 10 to risk advisory services.

Elsewhere, Bird & Bird revealed a 75% retention rate, keeping 15 of its 20 qualifiers. The group includes five in commercial, five in IP, two in disputes, two in corporate, and one in employment.

Elsewhere, Lewis Silkin confirmed it will retain five of its six final-seat trainees. Two join the firm’s employment practice, while the remaining three qualify into IP, corporate, and the digital, creative and commerce team.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2026 shows that NQs at Pinsents start on £105,000 in London, while their counterparts at Bird & Bird earn £102,000. At Lewis Silkin, NQ salaries sit at £85,000.

Trainee retention rates: the story so far…

(scroll right if using )

Firm	Trainees	Retained	Retention Rate	NQ Destinations
Wedlake Bell	8	8	100%	2 to insolvency; 1 each to commercial disputes, construction, corporate, tax, IP/commercial, and private client
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	31	29	94%	Undisclosed
Irwin Mitchell	53	48	91%	14 to Business Services Group; 12 to Medical Negligence; 9 to Court of Protection & Public Law & Human Rights; 8 to Private Client Group; 4 to Personal Injury; 1 to General Counsel
RPC	18	16	89%	6 to insurance; 6 to disputes (3 IP/tech, 2 commercial litigation, 1 media); 4 to corporate & commercial
Watson Farley & Williams	18	16	89%	5 to asset finance; 4 to project finance; 2 to corporate; 1 to debt capital markets; 2 to disputes and 1 to finance in Dubai; 1 to disputes in Bangkok
Clifford Chance	57	49	86%	Undisclosed
Macfarlanes	28	24	86%	Undisclosed
Lewis Silkin	6	5	83%	2 to employment; 1 each to IP, corporate, and digital, creative & commerce
Linklaters	40	33	83%	Undisclosed
Bird & Bird	20	15	75%	5 to commercial; 5 to IP; 2 to disputes; 2 to corporate; 1 to employment
Pinsent Masons	71	52	73%	19 to finance & projects; 13 to transactional; 10 to property; 10 to risk advisory
A&O Shearman	54	37	69%	Undisclosed
Withers	14	9	65%	Undisclosed

85%

Baker McKenzie has announced an 85% retention rate for its latest batch of London trainees. Of the 20 qualifying trainees, 17 are staying on in newly qualified (NQ) roles with the firm.

The cohort of fresh-faced associates will spread across a range of practice areas. Disputes takes the largest share with four NQs, while employment welcomes three. The corporate teams also see new joiners, with two each heading to corporate M&A and corporate energy & infrastructure, and one apiece to corporate finance and corporate private equity. Other destinations include antitrust & competition (two NQs), intellectual property (one NQ), and financial services regulatory (one NQ).

James Robinson, Baker McKenzie’s London training principal, said:

“We’re proud to welcome our latest cohort of newly qualified lawyers into the London office as they take the next step in their legal careers. Our commitment to nurturing talent continues through competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and industry-leading training. Our London office plays a pivotal role within our global network and offers lawyers an exceptional platform to collaborate across jurisdictions, deepen their expertise and work on our clients’ most complex cross-border deals and matters.”

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2026 shows NQs in the firm’s London office earn £145,000, up from the £61,000 second-year trainee salary.

Trainee retention rates: the story so far…

(scroll right if using )

Firm	Trainees	Retained	Retention Rate	NQ Destinations
Wedlake Bell	8	8	100%	2 to insolvency; 1 each to commercial disputes, construction, corporate, tax, IP/commercial, and private client
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	31	29	94%	Undisclosed
Irwin Mitchell	53	48	91%	14 to Business Services Group; 12 to Medical Negligence; 9 to Court of Protection & Public Law & Human Rights; 8 to Private Client Group; 4 to Personal Injury; 1 to General Counsel
RPC	18	16	89%	6 to insurance; 6 to disputes (3 IP/tech, 2 commercial litigation, 1 media); 4 to corporate & commercial
Watson Farley & Williams	18	16	89%	5 to asset finance; 4 to project finance; 2 to corporate; 1 to debt capital markets; 2 to disputes and 1 to finance in Dubai; 1 to disputes in Bangkok
Clifford Chance	57	49	86%	Undisclosed
Macfarlanes	28	24	86%	Undisclosed
Baker McKenzie	20	17	85%	4 to disputes; 3 to employment; 2 each to antitrust & competition, corporate energy & infrastructure, and corporate M&A; 1 each to corporate finance, corporate private equity, intellectual property, and financial services regulatory
Linklaters	40	33	83%	Undisclosed
A&O Shearman	54	37	69%	Undisclosed
Withers	14	9	65%	Undisclosed

Clifford Chance lawyer Alex Panayides reflects on his career journey and the exciting work he has undertaken along the way

“I came to Britain at the age of eight, having left Cyprus as a refugee when Turkey invaded in 1974,” says Alex Panayides, dispute resolution partner at Clifford Chance. Speaking over fifty years later, Panayides has built a career studded with high-profile cases. From insurance litigation following the 9/11 attacks, to the controversies around the Qatar World Cup 2022, to litigating the salvage rights to the wreck of RMS “TITANIC” — the list is impressive.

A Clifford Chance ‘lifer’, the firm first caught Panayides’ attention during his second year at university. Reading law at Oxford University — but “without any firm intention to become a lawyer” — Panayides recalls “one of my rare visits to the college library” during which he discovered “fellow law students filling in application forms for what were then called articles, now training contracts.” With Britain’s economy in decline in the early 1990s and graduate jobs scarce, he sent out a few speculative applications in the hope of securing a role.

Clifford Chance “stood out” because of its international outlook. “At that time, the firm was expanding into Europe when the majority of London firms were very, or in fact exclusively, UK focused,” Panayides explains — an attractive prospect for a globally-minded student. Training contract secured, he joined Clifford Chance, became a partner in 2002 and, 30-something years later after joining the firm, he’s still there. He is a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution practice, leads the firm’s oi & gas disputes practice and the disputes practice in Africa.

During his training, Panayides sampled a range of practice areas — property, banking, even a stint in New York — but it was the firm’s shipping department that ultimately hooked him. “It was awesome, frankly,” he tells me. “I did all kinds of fun work that was in the news and enormous amounts of travelling.” In the pre-email era, Panayides had to get to where the work was, spending much of his time as a young lawyer working from shipyards around the world, from Singapore to Brazil to Mississippi. This was “a wonderful way to learn”, not least as he was able to get a taste of an “extremely unusual” mixture of transactional and disputes work.

Later in his career Panayides chose to focus full-time on disputes. I am keen to know what it was about contentious work that appeals to him. “Because I find it perpetually interesting and varied,” he replies. “No two disputes have been the same, and I still learn something new every day”. Over the course of his career Panayides has tackled “the sorts of problems that people don’t believe can be solved.” Illustrating this point, he jumps back into one matter in particular: “I spent about 10 years arguing about whether 9/11 was an act of war, or an act of terrorism,” he tells me, “which of course had enormous repercussions in numerous contexts, including insurance and finance” Panayides found himself “navigating law and politics on a topic that was not just in the headlines; it was the headline for so long.” Commuting back and forth from New York “on some occasions on Concorde” was also “extremely exciting for a relatively young lawyer.”

Another career highlight he singles out is a pro bono project for Save the Children which held a deeply personal resonance. “Save the Children decided, with exceptional ambition, to procure, crew and deploy a rescue ship to pick up refugees in the Mediterranean.” The project came off in record time: “It was an amazing success,” Panayides reflects. He recalls that “Save the Children, when I started working with them on this, didn’t know that I myself had been a child refugee who had crossed the Mediterranean in a small boat some years previously — for them that was just mind-blowing.”

With a career spent at the sharp end of global disputes, Panayides has witnessed first-hand how world events can upend the business landscape. I ask what key geopolitical issues are occupying his clients right now. “If one had to distil everything that’s going on into one word, it would be ‘uncertainty’,” he replies. That uncertainty, he explains, is the most “challenging thing for markets and governments because it chills investment decisions and can cloud the intentions and plans of politicians”. US trade tariffs, China’s developing global ambitions, conflict in Europe and the Middle East have all contributed to the volatile environment. For clients trying to navigate these choppy waters, this is “obviously extremely challenging”. We live in an age of information overload — “there is much more data and information and insight available to any of us with a computer than at any previous time in history,” Panayides says. This “puts a real premium on the skills required to declutter an issue and really understand what’s going on at its core”.

Even having just scratched the surface of Panayides’ career it’s not hard to see why he finds the work engaging, but there are two other key factors which mean he loves his job: the firm’s people, and its culture. “We’re not at all hierarchical. We like to have a laugh even in the challenging and difficult moments,” he says. “It’s always a team effort.”

As we wrap up our discussion, I am keen to hear Panayides’ advice for aspiring lawyers. “Keep an open mind,” he says. “The training contract is a wonderful opportunity to experience lots of different kinds of law.” He would discourage law students from having a rigid idea of where they want to qualify. “Have an idea by all means,” he says, “but when you start rotating through the practice areas, give your best effort in all of them because you might surprise yourself about what you actually enjoy. And choosing an area you find genuinely stimulating is crucial: “The demands can be immense,” Panayides admits, “but it’s amazing how hard you can work and still be cheerful if what you’re doing is what you enjoy.”

Alex Panayides will be speaking on the panel at ‘Geopolitical risk, trade and the law — with Clifford Chance’, a hybrid student event taking place TOMORROW (Thursday 4 September). In-person spots are now fully-booked but you can still apply to attend virtually.

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Convicted earlier this year

A trainee solicitor has been hit with restrictions on where and how he can work in the legal profession after being convicted of criminal offences.

Salhan Mukesh was working as a trainee solicitor at Birmingham’s MCS Solicitors when he was convicted in January 2025 of common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence at Dudley Magistrates’ Court.

According to a decision notice published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the regulator found that Salhan’s conduct made it “undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice” without prior SRA approval.

As a result, Mukesh is now subject to a section 43 order, which prevents him from being employed by any solicitor or law firm regulated by the SRA unless the regulator grants permission.

Mukesh — who, according to the notice, remains employed by the firm — has also been ordered to pay £1,350 in SRA costs.

Linklaters’ Shamin Choudhury, managing associate and co-head of the firm’s global sports sector group, discusses building a sports law niche at a Magic Circle firm, the legal and commercial forces shaping the sector, and his advice for aspiring sports lawyers

“We officially set up the sports practice in 2019,” recalls Shamin Choudhury, managing associate and co-head of Linklaters’ global sports sector group. He and a veteran partner spotted sports deals ballooning in value and complexity to the point a Magic Circle firm could add real value and apply global expertise. Armed with that insight and a passion for sport, Choudhury helped grow Linklaters’ sports law offering as a newly qualified solicitor — and he’s been at the heart of its growth ever since.

Choudhury, a former state school student who studied law at Warwick University, admits he “didn’t quite enjoy” the dry academic side of his degree until a practical law-and-business module hooked him and made him see a future as a solicitor. By graduation, he still hadn’t secured a training contract. Instead, he took six months to travel and worked briefly as a temporary paralegal at Goldman Sachs, an experience that gave him a glimpse of the finance world and how it operated.

He eventually landed a winter vacation scheme at Linklaters in late 2016, seated in structured finance — a department he jokes he “still doesn’t fully understand what every part of the team does” — which led to a training contract offer. During his training, Choudhury rotated through a series of transactional seats from banking to private equity, including a secondment in Dubai. “I always knew I was more of a transactional lawyer than a litigator,” he reflects. He qualified in March 2020 having just returned from secondment, just as Covid lockdowns hit which he says was an unusual start to life as a new associate.

Right as he qualified, an early mentor, partner Julian Davies, saw the sports sector on the cusp of something big. Sports deals were reaching sizes and levels of complexity where “it made sense for us to be involved,” Choudhury explains. So in 2019 Linklaters formed its dedicated sports sector team, with Davies spearheading and Choudhury handling much of the early legwork from the transactional side. What began as a speculative venture with an open “give it a go” mentality quickly gained momentum.

Choudhury continued his structured finance work (which often lent itself well to unique sports deals) even as sports mandates started to flow in. “We got a lot of mandates from various types of institutions in the sports space, and that’s where we really grew our practice,” he says of the early mix of sports-related M&A, regulatory and financing matters. In 2023, he spent nearly a year on secondment in New York, serving sports clients while further honing his finance skills. Having now worked in London, Dubai and New York, he brings a global perspective to the practice. Today, as co-head, he coordinates and works with a network of lawyers across the firm whenever a big sports deal comes in. “It’s not six or seven people sat in a corner doing sports work every day,” he points out. Instead, specialists from competition, litigation, corporate, finance and other teams assemble around each sports matter, marrying their expertise with a shared passion for the sector.

His client work is equally varied. One day might involve quietly chipping away at a long-running project; the next could bring urgent calls requiring quick thinking and reactive advice. “You’ve got to manage your day well,” Choudhury says, describing how he juggles steady deal work with ad hoc queries by setting priorities and pulling in colleagues as needed. Amid it all, he carves out time for business development, constantly looking for new opportunities and connections. He urges junior lawyers to do the same from early on: building confidence and a network is an ongoing part of the job, not something to leave until you’re senior.

Over the past few years, Choudhury has amassed an enviable roster of sports-related work. Much of it is confidential, but a few highlights can be shared. On the club side, he helped a long-term client go from minority ownership in 2021 to majority ownership of Norwich City FC by 2025. “We’ve assisted in the journey of acquiring a small piece to becoming the steward of the club,” he smiles, having guided the client through incremental share purchases and the maze of football regulations that come with club ownership. His team has also been involved in private equity investments across sports, including in league-based deals and media rights — though details remain under wraps. More recently, he’s advised on a deal spanning across women’s football, basketball, cricket with others in the practice advising in the fast-paced sphere of Formula 1. It’s an eclectic practice that, he jokes, makes his mainstream finance deals feel less exciting to others by comparison.

Choudhury sees a few major trends powering the sports law boom. “Women’s sport is front and centre for many now and represents a strong business opportunity,” he says, highlighting the surge in interest and investment in women’s leagues and clubs. Investment within and originating from the Arabian peninsula is another driver — countries in the region are pouring resources into sports at home and abroad, rapidly transforming the landscape. Then there’s the continued rise of competition law issues in sport. From breakaway leagues to clubs and players challenging regulations and laws, stakeholders are more alive than ever to their legal rights and increasingly willing to compete in legal forums. As deals get larger, “clubs, leagues and investors are getting more clued up about protecting their own interests,” he notes.

With these opportunities come challenges. One is the sheer volume of regulation: sports businesses must comply with layers of sporting rules on top of ordinary law. Another is bridging the cultural gap between traditional sports insiders and the finance-savvy investors now entering the arena. “These two groups have not typically worked closely together in the preceding decades,” Choudhury explains — and part of his job is translating between the passion of sport and the pragmatism of business. Finally, there’s often tension among stakeholders themselves. Sport is an inherently emotional investment, he notes. Owners who are fans at heart want to win trophies, which doesn’t always sit easily with the need for sustainable, profit-minded management of a pure business. Negotiating that balance is often important for a lawyer to understand — a rounded commercial view is a powerful tool for any lawyer, he notes.

For those keen on this field, Choudhury’s advice is straightforward. He emphasises that “sports law” isn’t a single defined discipline — “there’s no Sports Law Act,” he quips. Rather, it’s a collection of legal areas applied to a sports context. So focus on the aspect that excites you most — be it finance, regulation, media or something else – and get as much exposure to it as possible. That could mean writing about sports-related legal issues, volunteering with a sports organisation, or simply reading up extensively. Networking is also key. Choudhury encourages reaching out to people in the industry for insights — “nine times out of ten, they’ll say yes,” he notes — but he advises having a clear purpose when you do, rather than a vague request to chat. And don’t worry if your route isn’t linear. Choudhury himself took a winding path, and believes those extra experiences only helped. It’s a long career — “a marathon, not a sprint” as many of his mentors have advised over the years — and the world of sports law will reward genuine passion and the initiative to seize opportunities when they arise.

Shamin Choudhury will be speaking at ‘Behind the game: Explore sports law — with Linklaters’, a virtual student event taking place on Thursday 25 September, from 4pm to 6pm. APPLY NOW.

@linklaterscareersuk It’s Summer Vacation Scheme Season! Here are our Top Tips for Day 1: Arrive early – a little extra time helps you settle in and shows your enthusiasm Introduce yourself – greet your new colleagues and fellow schemers, and let your personality shine Dress professionally and comfortably – first impressions matter, so choose something professional that you feel good in Don’t forget your notebook and pen – you’ll want to capture key insights along the way Come along with Jess to see what a day on the scheme really looks like! #vacationscheme #linklaters #career ♬ House Glamor Fashion – PMsound

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Prioritising additional chargeable work over potential work–life balance benefits

Lawyers are increasingly using AI tools to drive up billable hours, with more than half admitting they spend the time saved by automation on extra chargeable work.

The findings come from a new report by LexisNexis, The AI Culture Clash, which shows 61% of lawyers now use AI in their day-to-day work, up from 46% in January 2025.

Most lawyers (56%) said they used the time saved with AI to increase billable work, while nearly as many (53%) used it to improve their work-life balance.

Associates across firms of all sizes are prioritising billable work over wellbeing, with larger firms in particular focusing on the commercial gains AI can deliver.

“Lawyers are proving that AI delivers clear commercial returns,” said Stuart Greenhill, senior director of segment management at LexisNexis UK. “They’re using it to increase billable hours, rethink pricing models, and deliver more value to clients. Firms that treat AI as a strategic investment, not just an efficiency tool, will gain a decisive edge in profitability and client satisfaction.”

Despite the surge in usage, the report highlights a cultural lag. Only 17% of lawyers said AI is fully embedded in their firm’s strategy and operations, while two-thirds reported their organisation’s AI culture is slow or non-existent.

Confidence is highest among those using tools designed specifically for the legal sector, with 88% of users reporting greater trust in outputs grounded in verified legal sources. This follows several high-profile incidents where lawyers used general AI tools, only to discover that the tools had fabricated cases, which were then inadvertently included in legal submissions.

The research also warned of a potential talent risk for firms that fall behind. Nearly one in five lawyers said they would consider leaving their organisation if it failed to adequately invest in AI — a figure that jumps to 26% at large firms.

Almost half of lawyers (47%) now expect AI to transform billing models, up from 40% earlier this year, with law firm leaders and general counsel among the most attuned to the shift.

Work-life balance and lack of career progression among key drivers

Junior lawyers are leaving law firms in droves, with the number of associates quitting the profession almost doubling in the past year, according to new research.

The BigHand Legal Talent & Resourcing Report 2025, which surveyed more than 800 senior figures across UK and US firms, found 16% of junior associates and 17% of senior associates walked away from private practice in the last 12 months, up from just 9% in both groups in 2024.

The findings highlight what BigHand dubs the “million dollar problem”, with each departure estimated to cost firms up to $1 million (£790,000) in lost revenue, recruitment and training.

And it’s not just about money. Losing associates heaps pressure on those who remain, fuels burnout, and drains institutional knowledge — a cocktail that risks further departures and even higher costs.

Why are so many lawyers voting with their feet? According to the report, the main drivers are hybrid working, the desire for better work–life balance, and limited opportunities for career progression. It also reveals that a growing number are leaving private practice altogether, either quitting law or moving in-house

Mid-sized firms appear to be feeling the squeeze the most, with tighter budgets and smaller teams making each resignation hit harder.

BigHand’s analysis suggests that firms still relying on “gut feeling” resourcing are part of the problem. Around 43% of work allocation decisions remain lawyer-led, often based on personal preference rather than profitability or skill.

The report argues that better data-driven resource management — including real-time insight into lawyer capacity, skills and workloads — could help stem the exodus, improve retention and even boost profitability.

The report argues that effective resource management is key not only for efficiency but also for keeping talent engaged and supported.

A&O Shearman’s Francesca Bennetts discusses her exciting work at the cutting edge of legal tech and her advice for young lawyers navigating a changing legal landscape

“I didn’t study law at university,” says Francesca Bennetts, partner at A&O Shearman, kicking off our interview ahead of her appearance at our upcoming virtual student event, ‘The Hybrid Lawyer: Where human expertise meets artificial intelligence’. Instead of law, Bennetts pursued an undergraduate degree in theology, which she “absolutely adored” and which helped her develop valuable skills in critical thinking and research. Still, law had always beckoned, so after graduating she took a one-year conversion course to qualify as a lawyer.

Bennetts ultimately chose Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) to start her career – and the deciding factor was the people. In her interview for a training contract, the conversation drifted onto an unlikely topic: kitchenware. “We ended up having a really in-depth discussion about the relative merits of Le Creuset versus different saucepans,” she laughs. “That personal touch made an impression. They just seemed very human and that made my decision for me. A&O really felt like the place for me,” she says.

Once at the firm, Bennetts’ first seat as a trainee proved a baptism of fire: derivatives and structured finance. “Coming from a theology background, I had absolutely no idea what derivatives would be,” she recalls. “It was full of complex commercial transactions and a whole new taxonomy to learn”. It was challenging, but her supervisor was David Wakeling – now head of the team Bennetts herself would later join — and the group’s innovative mindset quickly captured her imagination. The team, she noticed, was “very interested in thinking outside the box, leveraging technology and streamlining processes” even back then. That forward-thinking attitude resonated with her.

After trying seats in litigation and even an international secondment to Rome, Bennetts returned to the derivatives department to qualify, drawn by its mix of complexity and innovation. She spent the next few years working on major finance deals, while her team continued to test tech-driven ways of working.

That experimental ethos paid off when regulatory changes required repapering huge volumes of contracts. Bennetts’ team built a platform called MarginMatrix in partnership with Big Four player Deloitte to automate the process. “We built the tech infrastructure and provided the substantive legal advice and template amendment agreements, and then Deloitte helped with the outreach and repapering,” she explains. Using this approach, they helped eight clients update their contracts — rather than just one or two via the traditional manual approach.

“That really started triggering a thought that this could be a specific practice area,” Bennetts says. In its wake, the firm established the Markets Innovation Group (MIG) – a practice dedicated to tech-enabled legal solutions. Since then, the MIG has tackled projects such as the Brexit and LIBOR transition and grown substantially. Now she helps lead the group, which is focused firmly on generative AI. “How can we best use generative AI to make ourselves more efficient internally, but also to build solutions for clients?” Bennetts says, outlining MIG’s guiding question.

One answer has been the group’s flagship product, ContractMatrix, developed in collaboration with AI start-up Harvey and Microsoft. The tool enables users to open any legal document in Word and query it using generative AI. The twist, Bennetts explains, is that the AI’s answers are “grounded and benchmarked” against the user’s own data– so lawyers can instantly compare the AI results against their trusted precedents and extract reliable insights from documentation previously agreed.

It’s clear that A&O Shearman’s investment in innovation goes well beyond lip service. Early on, the firm’s senior leadership made generative AI a strategic priority. “We made a proactive decision that we wanted to be on the front foot on adoption rather than reactive,” notes Bennetts, adding that this approach saw A&O become the first law firm to roll out generative AI firmwide and develop its own tool with Harvey. “We’re not afraid to try things and see how they work,” she adds.

This culture of experimentation thrives on collaboration. “We can bridge the gap between law and tech,” Bennetts explains of her team’s close partnership with the firm’s developers. That approach has created an “unusual synergy” at the firm. “That two-way conversation is absolutely critical,” she says, ensuring tools like ContractMatrix are truly “built by lawyers for lawyers”.

Despite the firm’s strong tech focus, Bennetts reassures future lawyers that no one expects them to be coding experts. “We’re not expecting people to come into the firm who already know everything they need to know about using tech. That’s not a prerequisite,” she says. The firm provides extensive training and resources to help new joiners get comfortable with these tools. Junior lawyers are encouraged to use them (within sensible guardrails) and even offer feedback. “Provided you follow the rules, we really want you to use this tech and tell us how you’re using it, because we can learn from people coming through with new ideas,” Bennetts explains.

So, is the rise of AI changing what it means to be a junior lawyer? Bennetts believes core qualities remain the same – with one notable addition. “The only thing I would ask of someone coming into the firm is a willingness to try,” she says. Trainees are “already going to be bright and eager to learn” – the extra quality she looks for is “a curiosity about using technology”.

To illustrate how tech can enhance a lawyer’s role, Bennetts recounts a story from early in her career. As a teenager on work experience, she once spent hours manually comparing contract drafts because the firm hadn’t enabled Word’s track-changes feature. “It sounds insane to me now,” she laughs. But adopting new tools didn’t diminish the need for lawyerly skill. “I don’t think the advent of track changes has meant I’m a worse lawyer,” Bennetts says. “All it has done is taken the mechanics of finding the changes away… The crucial bit was actually analysing the impact of those changes”.

She sees AI in the same light. Tools like Harvey might “do some of the grunt work, which means we get to the critical thinking, analytical part of our tasks quicker”. But “for juniors, that’s a good thing because that’s the bit that you’re training for,” she adds. Of course, technology is “not yet at a stage where we can take an answer and assume it’s right”, so lawyers must still “critically assess the outputs and validate” what the AI produces. In other words, critical thinking and judgment remain as important as ever.

As we wrap up our discussion, I ask Bennetts for a highlight of her innovation journey. She fondly recalls an early “eureka” moment while beta-testing a Brexit contract automation. She and her team had coded complex logic into a template — then held their breath and “pressed the button” to generate the document. When the draft appeared on-screen, “it was like our firstborn child… the logic worked, the right provisions had dropped in,” she remembers, and the pride of that achievement has stayed with her. Since that moment, the MIG team at A&O Shearman has gone from strength to strength and has made a name for itself as a force driving AI adoption in the legal profession. Future lawyers, watch this space!

Francesca Bennets will be speaking on the panel at ‘The Hybrid Lawyer: Where human expertise meets artificial intelligence — with A&O Shearman’, a virtual event taking place on Monday 8 September. Apply now to attend

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In our latest Career Conundrum, a trainee solicitor is thinking about getting a puppy — but how will she juggle life as a dog mum with the demands of a training contract?

“Hello Legal Cheek. Due to start my training contract soon (regional office of an international law firm) and wondered what your readers’ experiences were of owning a puppy while working as a trainee/lawyer? I’m aware I’m going to be working more than just 9-5, but my average hours look quite reasonable compared to some law firms on your Firms Most List. I will be living with my bf in a flat and would look into getting him or her (I don’t have one yet) walked during the day. Thank you.”