General practice
S&C lawyers are truly generalists and the training program certainly embodies that. Currently in a Finance seat, I may find myself working on a project financing in the morning, and on a restructuring in the afternoon. This enables me to gain exposure to very different types of finance work and to learn alongside lawyers with very different working styles, all in a few months. For me, the wide range of the work, combined with the fact that there is always a cross-border element, makes every day interesting and filled with new opportunities. Upon qualification, most S&C solicitors join the firm’s General Practice Group, and continue to explore a mixture of M&A, capital markets and finance work, which I am certainly looking forward to doing myself.
Office & trainee intake
The size of our trainee intake (five currently), and of the London office more generally, is smaller compared to other City law firms. The small trainee intake was conducive to us juniors becoming a very tight-knit group, always supporting one another to do our very best. Further, I really enjoy the smaller office size because it gives everyone the opportunity to build rapport early on, which, in turn, helps us to work together more efficiently. It may also mean higher levels of responsibility early on. For example, being one of three S&C solicitors working on a matter where the other side has eight solicitors means that even as the junior on the deal, I am treated as an integral part of the team and trusted to have ownership over my own work streams. It can be a very steep learning curve, but rest assured, there will always be someone to turn to for guidance where needed.
Culture
S&C has a very friendly working environment. As with every law firm, there is an official hierarchy in place, but on a day-to-day basis, everyone is approachable and always happy to have a conversation. S&C partners have an open-door policy, and I’ve always felt welcome to ask questions and put forward ideas. At S&C, we also enjoy having lunch in the canteen together, and our social events, ranging from Friday night drinks to pub quizzes, darts or pétanque, to name only a few, are always very popular and a great way to get together in a more informal way.