Sidley leader Yvette Ostolaza on role models, ambition and private investment in law Alex Ryan Yvette Ostolaza is Sidley’s management committee chair – a role she has held since 2022 – and a commercial litigator.…
‘I’m sure I made a ton of mistakes’ – McDermott’s Coleman on fresh thinking, leadership lessons and why scale matters Alex Ryan Everyone told me how miserable law school was, so I decided that if I was going to be miserable, I…
The Client Profile: Arm legal chief Spencer Collins on humble starts and career successes Joe Boswell I had a humble start in life – and the hunger I developed from that gave me an edge. After…
Freshfields’ Charles Hayes on emotional intelligence, Formula One deals, sheep and daring to press the button Georgina Stanley I’ve always had a strong work ethic. My brother is severely mentally disabled and we were extremely close growing up.…
‘Full-service firms all say the same thing – but we’ve been opportunistic’ – John Quinn on AI, funding and suing banks Alex Ryan I actually considered joining the navy. I went down to the recruiter’s office in Claremont, California, the college town where…
‘Debunk assumptions by doing surprising things’ – Paul Weiss’s Nicole Kar on succeeding in City law Elisha Juttla Ahead of International Women’s Day, Nicole Kar, global co-chair of antitrust at Paul Weiss, discusses thriving in the deep end…
Life During Law – Simon Levine Anna Huntley I didn’t grow up with law in my life. I come from a non-professional background and my parents didn’t go…
Life During Law: former A&O chief Wim Dejonghe Alex Ryan Former Allen & Overy senior partner Wim Dejonghe was named Management Partner of the Year at the Legal Business Awards…
Life During Law: Freshfields’ London head Mark Sansom Georgina Stanley I nearly drowned in a river in Wales when I was four. It had been raining a lot and the…
Life During Law: Nick Scott Georgina Stanley I’m the only one in my immediate family who isn’t a scientist – they’re all biologists and engineers. My grandfather,…
Life During Law: Scott Hopkins Alex Ryan When I was 18 I left Vancouver to play ice hockey in university in Japan. That got me off on…
A&O’s Wim Dejonghe on mergers, money and his plans for life after law Alex Ryan I wanted to go into sports. I was a sailing instructor, close to professional. But then I had knee issues,…
Life During Law: Richard Lever Holly McKechnie The Godfather is a great film. Tom Hagen was a bit of an inspiration. There’s that scene where he turns…
Life During Law: Natasha Luther-Jones Nathalie Tidman When I was 12, I was a competitive swimmer, and I used to swim every morning before school. If you’re…
Life During Law: Sandra Paul Ayesha Ellis I head up our criminal defence and police investigations team as well as our sexual misconduct in the workplace practice.…
Life During Law: Georgia Dawson Holly McKechnie I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I was growing up. I went through periods of thinking maybe…
Life During Law: Jeroen Ouwehand Elisha Juttla I never thought I would be a lawyer. I’m from Amsterdam, and I did a student traineeship in 1991, which…
Life During Law: Paul Dolman Nathalie Tidman I certainly didn’t have a burning desire to be a lawyer from the age of five years old. I definitely…
Life During Law: Nick Vamos Mark McAteer Did I always want to be a lawyer? No. I didn’t think I wanted to sit behind a desk, so…
Life During Law: Karen Seward Megan Mayers I grew up in a shipbuilding town in the north. Barrow-in-Furness. Bill Bryson described it as ‘the very worst town…
