Our people
Jacob Bruchez
Trainee Solicitor, Dubai
"I like to think that lawyering is a distinct vocation; it requires constant learning, and it has its own language, logic and customs."
Give a brief overview of your role at the firm now, when you joined and your background before joining.
I am a trainee solicitor currently starting my third seat. So far, I've completed seats in Private Equity (London) and Litigation and Dispute Resolution (Dubai). I joined Clifford Chance in February 2023 on the back of the GDL and LPC – I secured my training contract in 2020 whilst locked down during Covid. Before converting to law, I studied Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic, Persian) at the University of Cambridge, as part of which I spent time in Iran, Oman, and Egypt.
I spent my early years in Poynton, a Cheshire village turned Manchester commuter town just to the west of the Peak District. Whilst much of my family are in Poynton, my father, sister, and nephew live in Bournemouth on the south coast. We moved there just before I started at Bournemouth School, the (mostly) all-boys grammar school which I attended from year 7 through to A-levels.
Why did you become a lawyer and what prompted and sustained your pursuit?
Principally, I wanted to take the academic skills learnt at university and apply them in commercial scenarios. Moreover, I like to think that lawyering is a distinct vocation; it requires constant learning, and it has its own language, logic, customs etc. I've also come to appreciate the fact that on any given matter, lawyers are fortunate to be acting for a particular client, and only for them – there's a luxury to that clarity and it's enjoyable to try and deliver the best outcomes for them.
What motivates you in your role?
I can't
overstate my father's influence on my interests. He studied genetics and
microbiology as a young man, working as a research scientist before switching
to a series of sales, marketing, and senior management roles at pharmaceutical
companies. Nowadays he's a superb firm-but-fair chemistry teacher. He's always
encouraged me to be curious about science, innovation, and commercial strategy.
In this
light, I recently attended COP 28 for a day. I spent all my time there in the
"startup village" speaking to entrepreneurs about their businesses
and the commercial and wider significance of the technologies underlying them.
Much like everyone at Clifford Chance who has trained me, the startup
professionals were remarkably accommodating of my questions. Whether it's
science, languages, corporate structures, or obscure lines of caselaw, I think
it's this need to dig deeper until I get to the bottom of something that keeps
me ticking along.
How would you describe the culture and atmosphere at Clifford Chance?
The two things that stand out to me are:
(i) people look out for each other day to day, especially amongst trainees.
(ii) the firm's leadership is big on more junior colleagues speaking up. More generally, the Dubai office is very sociable plus there are plenty of team- and office-wide events at which to get to know everyone.
What are the key skills you have developed here which have been invaluable to your career?
Communication and resilience – and the two are linked. At times, I've worked harder than I ever thought I could, and I won't pretend that it was entirely pleasant.
Still, this has taught me two things:
(i) I can in fact work very hard for a prolonged period to achieve somewhat remarkable things.
(ii) I could only do that thanks to the team taking an active interest in its members' workload and wellbeing, redistributing work where necessary and being on hand to help each other out.
What do you like most about your job?
There's loads to learn about law, business, finance and much more – plus there are plenty of extremely knowledgeable people around to learn it from.
What is your key advice for anyone considering a career at Clifford Chance?
If you decide you'd like to work at a top-tier international commercial law firm, get to know Clifford Chance as best you can. Attend one of the recruitment webinars. Apply for a vacation scheme. Go through the website and get to know more about the firm.
What's the best piece of advice you've received since joining?
(i) Be responsive.
(ii) Most things are better in bullet points.
(iii) Be willing to say something like, "leave it with me" or "I'll see what I can figure out and get back to you [this afternoon] with any queries".
(iv) Do the basics well – take pride in monotonous stuff.