Oliver Wilson

• Degree: Law, New College, Oxford
• Joined: Autumn 2005
• Practice area/group: Corporate
• Office location: London
• Favourite film: Pulp Fiction

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.

After finishing my LPC I joined Hogan Lovells as a trainee in August 2005. I started with some weighty (but interesting) research tasks during a seat in Banking Litigation, followed by a seat in the Commercial and Regulatory department. For my third seat I was lucky enough to go on secondment to our Paris office, before returning to London for my final seat in the Project Finance department. The difference between the departments was vast. For instance, in Project Finance I worked on one large project, but in Commercial and Regulatory I advised different clients on different matters every day. The experience proved invaluable, and helped me choose a practice area. I applied to the Commercial/Corporate department, where I work on a mix of private M&A and commercial contracts.

Before starting as an associate I had the opportunity to take three months’ unpaid leave to go travelling in Central America with a couple of other Hogan Lovells trainees. Having returned to start my career as a qualified lawyer, I immediately found myself advising Sport England on its involvement with the London 2012 Olympics and other sporting projects. My enjoyment of contractual drafting was one of the main reasons why I applied to the department, and the opportunity to do corporate work has also been rewarding, one particular highlight being my involvement in the acquisition of a Formula 1 team by our client.

In 2011 I was lucky enough to go on a client secondment to ITV, where I was involved in their online and on-demand team, working particularly on issues with ITV player.

Having worked here for six years I would definitely recommend Hogan Lovells. It has everything: interesting clients, international scope, a diverse range of practice areas, an exceptional training programme, and an open and balanced culture.