Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I was born and have lived all of my life in London. I have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity for a good education and the time to devote to building my skillset. I have always had a curiosity of how things work and this led me to study chemical engineering at university. While a degree that I learnt a lot from I found early on it wasn’t quite the field I wanted to work in; taking the transferable skills I applied to law vacation schemes and insight days.
What inspired you to apply for this role with Goodwin?
It feels like a small entirety ago when I first applied to Goodwin; a lot has certainly happened. I applied to Goodwin because from what I could see from the outside it had what I was looking for. I had decided that I wanted to work at an American style law firm, this was because of the leaner teams and greater opportunity to get hands on experience. Moreover Goodwin has a world renowned presence in tech and life sciences, something that I was very interested in. More importantly I knew that you miss 100% of the shots you do not take and wanted to learn more about a relative newcomer to London.
What excites you most about becoming a Trainee?
The opportunity for responsibility on a case and working with colleagues to deliver for the client. The chance to see what I can bring and how I can shape the direction of the firm. As well as the balance struck between an American style team with English firm teaching; a balance that I do not think can be rivalled.
What do you find most interesting with the sector?
Law is a dynamic field with many facets and elements that are accessible with work but the same fundamental toolkit of the law. Stimulation is not only found in the law but in the negotiations and drafting; where it is the lawyers role to consider all manner of possible futures and build a contingency plan while facing push back from the opposing side.
What has your experience of the culture been so far?
I have been fortunate enough to have had my vacation scheme in person which really allowed the firms culture to shine through. I had been told how important culture was within the firm, which is exactly why every single partner wanted a part in hiring the next intake, but it was not until I was there that I understood. The team were open to question upon question, I was even able to arrange a meeting with a life sciences associate because I wanted to know more and hadn’t been allotted! I sat down with partners who made time to ask how it was going and wanted to help me understand anything that was not clear. Every member of the team would take time to answer questions, and I did come with quite a few. The culture is one I am excited to be a full part of soon and something that just needs to be felt and not just read about.
How important is diversity to you and what is Goodwin doing in this space at the moment?
Diversity is key to the success of a team. Lack of it leads to loss of perspective, dampened idea origination and lost talent. Goodwin is championing diversity through its long standing work with firms like aspiring solicitors which aims to increase the diversity of the legal sector. Goodwin continues to strive for diversity and this is shown in their attainment of Diversity Lab’s Mansfield 4.0 Certification, which shows that Goodwin includes everyone in considerations for promotion initiative. Goodwin has also taken steps to address the barriers faced by professionals of colour in the legal profession. They have established a Black anti racism task force, a black organisation for leadership and development and the women of colour initiative.
Finally, any tips for anyone who’d like to apply for a role at Goodwin?
I would say reflect on all of the opportunities you have taken to build your skillset, even if they didn’t quite work out, and detail how you grew from them. Do not hold yourself out to be the person you think a recruiter or partner of a firm wants; present your true self because that is what the firm will be looking to understand. Every moment in the process will be a learning point so stay adaptable and eager to learn and push yourself.