After qualifying in New Zealand, I started my career at a commercial law firm in Auckland before moving to Linklaters Brussels in 2012, to specialise in competition law. In New Zealand, Linklaters enjoys a reputation as a major global law firm, not just as a UK firm. They seemed to offer a genuinely full-service across regions, whereas other firms may have a global presence but were more limited in capability.
Culturally, we’re quite unique. It’s a very collegial, social environment. And based on what I’ve experienced at previous law firms, I think the culture is much more supportive. You’re regularly working with colleagues from France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Belgium, Spain and Germany – you can call any of them and find someone who’s ready to help.
Linklaters has also run a number of initiatives to facilitate work-life balance and to encourage junior colleagues to interact with clients. The firm is committed to building a well-rounded approach to work. So Partners make a real effort to be available, and to help you along. Their focus is not so much on pure billables, but on providing learning and development opportunities.
The focus on people extends to our clients, too. There’s a tendency in law firms, particularly for juniors, to see clients as a sort of mythical creature rather than a person trying to get through their day successfully. The problem is that this mindset isn’t conducive to natural relationships. So we strive to remember our clients are effectively just like us, and colleagues at all levels are offered training in client engagement. It’s all about recognising that a good lawyer isn't a robot. We need to step back and say, “how can we solve this in a way that’s going to make the client, colleagues and the regulator happy?”.
It’s not all possible on day one, of course. I think when you first come in, some junior lawyers – me included – try to run before they can walk and put a lot of pressure on themselves. My advice is, take your time and learn from all your experiences, good or bad. Because that’s how you become a great lawyer.