Why did you decide to become an M&A lawyer? Was there anyone who inspired you early on in your career?
I sat with the M&A team in my second trainee seat and within a fairly short period I knew that I really wanted to qualify into that team. It felt like the M&A lawyers were at the centre of all the action and had more exposure to the broader commercial and strategic drivers for the deal. One of my mentors was our former corporate partner Iain Wagstaff, who sadly passed away a few years ago – I learnt an immeasurable amount from him and he was definitely one of the people who has inspired me most during my career.
What has been the absolute deal highlight of your career so far and why?
The Just Eat Takeaway.com merger was probably the deal highlight of my career so far. It was a truly transformative transaction and had just about every complex public M&A issue arising on the same deal.
How do you think practising M&A law is going to change in the coming years? What do you think will have the biggest impact?
Without a doubt LegalTech is going to make big changes not just for M&A lawyers but across the board. Tech tools have already improved efficiency and have automated some of the more time-intensive administrative tasks, such as AI-assisted due diligence, meaning that junior lawyers’ time can be freed up for more substantive and complex work.
Tech is also a great enabler when it comes to D&I which I’ve also seen an increased focus on, not only from clients but also internally at Linklaters. We aren’t going to achieve proportional representation overnight but is absolutely an area we are going to see increased focus and real change in the near future.