Profiles
Everyone who works here is ambitious, driven and smart, but you’ll also discover that this is a friendly place to work – a place where people are always willing to share their knowledge and insight with you.
In this section you can hear direct from some of our current trainees, associates and partners. They talk about why they chose Hogan Lovells, how their career has developed and what life is like working here.
Alastair Keatley
I currently sit in Product Liability and Commercial Litigation.
My work so far has been a good variety of banking litigation for the firm’s biggest litigation client and other types of work for our technological clients. This varies from assembling evidence for hearings to drafting and helping piece together advice or statements. The international nature of our cases means that you’ll frequently liaise with colleagues in our international offices. In my short experience this has included Moscow, Tokyo, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Vera McManus
My first seat was in Insolvency, where I was involved in several large transactions. For my second seat I have moved to IP, where I’m currently involved in a potential patent litigation. I am enjoying the increased opportunity for client contact that IP offers. I regularly sit in on conference calls and meetings with clients and potential expert witnesses.
Ewan Viney
Compared with other interviews and assessment days I had attended I found Hogan Lovells’ the most welcoming. Whilst the assessments were demanding, they gave me an opportunity to perform to my best. Throughout the day everyone I met spoke extremely highly of the firm, including the trainees that joined us for lunch.
Yehram Choi
Since joining Hogan Lovells, I have noticed that it invests a lot in its trainees. To help prepare you for the work that’s in store, there are various talks and training sessions relevant for the seat you are in. There is a good structure to the training contract here, so every trainee is guaranteed a decent level of experience. Despite the structured nature, you have a say in shaping your training contract.
Laurence Dace
My first seat has been in Capital Markets, specifically working on derivatives documentation. Having been unsure what to expect, I have been genuinely surprised at the opportunities afforded to me to correspond with clients and review and draft documents.
Elisabeth Bennett
As a trainee I do not feel intimidated about asking as many questions as I need to in order to understand the work I am doing and the wider context of the deal or case, which I think makes this a great firm to train at.
Swaroop Kadambari
My first seat was spent in the Banking group. I really enjoyed the fast paced nature of the work and found that despite the time pressures, associates and partners were more than willing to spare their time in explaining the various intricacies of a deal. It was very interesting to read the deal documents and try and glean how the credit crunch and subsequent Government pressure on banks to lend has affected our clients’ lending practices.
Emma Bosworth
During the summer of 2007, I spent three weeks at Hogan Lovells on a vacation scheme. I had already completed two at other firms but instantly knew that Hogan Lovells was the firm that I wanted to train at. Not only was the work incredibly interesting, everyone from partner level down was genuinely enthusiastic about the work they completed.
Helen Ward
I currently advise on a variety of insurance and reinsurance issues, with half of my workload concerning retail insurance products such as home, travel and motor insurance. As well as advising on general regulatory issues I am involved in reviewing policy wordings and drafting distribution agreements between those who sell retail insurance – such as supermarkets and banks – and the insurers that underwrite the products.
Rob Evans
Having originally trained as an engineer, I spent four years working for a multinational engineering firm before deciding on a change of career to law. I was attracted by the variety offered by a career in law, and when I found out more about Hogan Lovells I was particularly impressed by its breadth of practice. I applied for a training contract at the same time as applying for the law conversion course.
Briony Worthing
By the end of my first year at university I knew I wanted to pursue a career at a City law firm. It was difficult to differentiate between the big firms as they all looked very similar on paper. That is why my vacation placement at Hogan Lovells proved so invaluable. I spent time at other firms, but Hogan Lovells was the only one where the lawyers, partners included, were happy to explain things and involve me in their work. Even though it was a short placement I learnt a great deal, so I accepted their offer of a training contract without hesitation.
Victoria Ellison
Having decided on a career in the legal profession I was faced with the task of choosing where to apply for a training contract. Prompted by a desire to work with high profile clients at an international level, I researched various City firms and spoke to as many people as possible, both at firms and law fairs; my first experience of Hogan Lovells was at a university careers workshop. I subsequently completed a vacation scheme at the firm, which provided a useful insight into life as a practicing solicitor and the type of work I might be involved with. The opportunity to meet people and experience the firm’s atmosphere first hand proved invaluable and I decided this was the firm for me.
Claire Lau
I joined Hogan Lovells in August 2006 as a trainee, and qualified into Real Estate two years later. Upon starting my training, I wondered how I would know by the end of two years what area to qualify into. I needn’t have worried. I sat in the Real Estate department in my second seat of training and after the fifth month I knew I had found the right area. Thanks to the quality of training and breadth of practice areas offered by Hogan Lovells, the vast majority of trainees experience similarly strong feelings about where they want to qualify.
Oliver Wilson
In the second year of my law degree I heard a lot about vacation schemes at various City law firms. It wasn’t easy to choose between them, but I eventually applied to the vacation scheme at the then Lovells. Having heard that it was designed to give a real insight into the firm, I spent three weeks in different departments, revelling in the opportunity to find out about day-to-day work and take part in the group exercises. What really impressed me and made Hogan Lovells stand out from the rest, was the high level of partner involvement with trainees and junior associates. I also got on well with the people I met and felt the firm’s culture suited me very well, something which I think is crucial in choosing a place to work.
Matthew Towers
Choosing the right law firm is a difficult task. When I first started looking, all the firms appeared to be remarkably similar. Each one claimed to be international in scope, with offices around the world and a capacity to provide top-end legal advice to the most high profile clients. In the end my decision was rather simple, as two key factors seemed to distinguish Hogan Lovells from the rest.
Mark Reynolds
I studied law at Trinity College Dublin before moving to London to complete a Master’s degree in law at King’s College London. Upon graduating I worked as a project manager for a large multinational corporation and although I enjoyed the work, my real ambition was to become a solicitor, to challenge and develop my legal skills.
Helen Kimberley
I joined the firm as a trainee in 2005 and, having completed a seat there during my training contract, I qualified into the Commercial and Regulatory team. I advise clients in the consumer, communications, retail and life sciences sectors on a wide variety of commercial arrangements. My work varies from day-to-day contracts to complex strategic commercial arrangements including supply of goods and services arrangements, endorsement agreements, agency relationships and copy clearance. I work for a great deal of household names and I find it really interesting learning about how different clients run their businesses. I enjoy being involved in commercial decisions as well as advising on the strict legal issues and consequently I get to work on some very interesting and challenging projects.
Oliver Spratt
I saw the possibility of an international secondment as a particularly appealing feature of a training contract at Hogan Lovells, and spending six months working in the corporate department in Paris did not disappoint. I found my time there to be a hugely exciting and enjoyable experience, which gave me great exposure to a wide range of high profile and very interesting client work, and a real appreciation of the truly international nature of the firm.
Richard Diffenthal
Given that I joined an international law firm, I always knew that the work would entail an international element. However, I never envisaged that I would have the opportunity to live and work overseas as a qualified lawyer – about 18 months after qualifying I was asked to go on secondment to a client in Tokyo.
Jennifer O’Connell
The culture of Hogan Lovells is the aspect I like the best about the firm. Although Hogan Lovells is a major player in the legal market globally, there is a sense of belonging for the individuals who make up the firm. I feel that I am constantly exposed to some of the best legal minds in the market yet my contribution also matters and I am not just a cog in a giant machine.
Guy Potel
I joined the then Lovells in 2008 as a senior associate in the Corporate Finance group. Prior to that, I had worked for another leading international law firm. Since joining I was made Of Counsel in 2009 and was subsequently elevated to the partnership in May 2010, on the day that Lovells merged with Hogan & Hartson. My specialist areas encompass equity capital markets, public and private acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures and general corporate advisory work.
Penny Angell
Having joined the then Lovells as a trainee in 1993, I qualified into the London Banking group in 1995 where I specialised in acquisition finance. Since qualification, I have spent the majority of my time advising on the financing by senior and mezzanine lenders of acquisition finance and other leveraged finance transactions. Following two years on secondment to a South African law firm, I returned to London in 2000 and, in May 2002, I was elected to the partnership. My experience of other law firms has given me an insight into their differences and, in particular, the positive influence people can have on the culture of a firm.
Ben Higson
I joined the then Lovells as a senior associate in the international corporate practice in 2007. I was made Of Counsel in 2008 and elevated to the partnership on 1 May 2009. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, I worked in another leading international firm.
Nicola Evans
One of the things that I like most about Hogan Lovells is that all of its lawyers from trainee and beyond are encouraged to be entrepreneurial; everyone is encouraged not only to become involved in client development plans but also to maintain and develop their own relationships with both new and existing clients.
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