The role
I am a Senior Associate in the Structured, Asset-Backed and Real Estate Finance team ("SABRE"), which sits within the firm's Global Financial Markets practice, and I specialise in Real Estate Finance.
I am originally Scottish-qualified, but moved to Manchester upon qualification and shortly thereafter qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales. I moved to London and joined Clifford Chance in 2021. From my training contract onwards, I have worked almost exclusively in Real Estate Finance.
Your journey
I would love to be able to give a noble or inspiring reason as to why I initially chose to study law, but the truth is simply that I had a stint working in a law firm as a teenager and law seemed to be a fairly interesting and varied potential career path worth pursuing. I don't think that I fully committed to the idea of being a lawyer until I was actually studying law and realised that I was quite good at it and regularly found myself deeply interested in the subject matter.
How I came to be a real estate finance lawyer was simply down to personal preference as to certain areas of law and practice. When I started my training contract, my first supervisor was a specialist in real estate finance and provided an excellent introduction, giving me really good quality work and exposure. A good mentor can make all the difference!
My interest has been sustained by the challenges encountered on a near daily basis and the satisfaction that comes with completing a deal after a lot of hard work. As a real estate finance lawyer, I love that I can look at the end-product of my work – be it a skyscraper, hotel, shopping centre – and think "I had a hand in that".
My motivation
There's a great team spirit not only in our London office but across the global Clifford Chance network. I do a lot of work with our European offices and there's a real sense of camaraderie on deals. I find that the people I work with have such an impact on my own motivation and happiness. The work itself is often fast-paced and we usually operate within short timeframes. There's rarely a quiet day, and every deal brings a unique challenge. It's highly rewarding to watch a transaction progress through to completion, and I still get a massive surge of euphoria every time a deal crosses the finish line.
Culture and atmosphere
Diverse. Collaborative. Hardworking.
My advice
A career at Clifford Chance is highly rewarding. You will work on amazing deals with incredible people. Equally, you should be prepared to work hard and be challenged every day. This job is often incredibly demanding, and regularly involves long hours. Make sure you carve-out some time for yourself doing something you enjoy. Get away from the office whenever you can. Make the most of your weekends and holidays.
