The Hot 100 career quiz: “My first trainee job was tracking down a reindeer expert”

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?

My first ever task was being asked to identify a reindeer behaviour expert for a personal injury matter.  I was beyond delighted when after some long days and nights and endless enquiries  I found an expert based in Tromso with a 17-page CV. The matter went to trial and the judge found the expert to be “wholly convincing”; a sentiment I would echo having spent hours (and hours) discussing what normal reindeer reactions are!

What is the thing in your professional career that has terrified you or taken you out of your comfort zone the most?

I constantly feel outside my comfort zone, I don’t think that being in my comfort zone is a fulfilling place to be! Is that just me?!

I do also remember so well my first ever case as a trainee solicitor in the construction department, it was a House of Lords Hearing (now the Supreme Court – shows my age) and I had to prepare all the court bundles.  I was truly in awe watching the barristers engage with the judges and essentially debating the case but my heart skipped a beat each an every time they needed to turn to a specific page in the bundle.  Thankfully, all the right pages were there but it taught me a very important lesson early on: get the basis right so you get trusted with the more complex work.

What is the wisest thing anyone ever said to you (and who said it)?

“Join Simmons” James Pollock (head of the Insurance and Construction group at Simmons & Simmons )

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?

There is no magic rule I can point to. I have been incredibly lucky in my career working with some excellent people who were truly top of their game and I have always had real role models to aspire towards. Ultimately, professional services firms are about people so surrounding yourself with people you enjoy working with is key.

What’s your best friend from law school doing now?

I had a number of close friends and we all hung around together, we were a diverse bunch, one is a very successful partner in a law firm in Italy so its always great catching up particularly in Italy! Another became Solicitor General at an offshore jurisdiction and now practices at the criminal bar and also handles fraud cases. Another is head of knowledge management at a law firm. A couple left the law altogether and I suspect lead a somewhat calmer life than that we enjoyed while at law school!