Penny Angell

• Degree: Law, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge
• Joined: 1993
• Practice area/group: Banking (Acquisition Finance)
• Office location: London

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.

I was first attracted to Hogan Lovells by their university road shows – the people I met were clearly excellent lawyers, yet down-to-earth and fun. My first impressions were confirmed during my summer vacation scheme at the then Lovells, and again when I was interviewing for the then Lovells and other firms. Our “open door” policy encourages trainees and junior lawyers to seek advice from the partners. This non-hierarchical structure promotes an ethos of supportive teamwork, a factor that continues to fuel my enthusiasm for the firm and my job. The atmosphere is professional but fun, which is essential in my line of work; deal timetables frequently involve late nights, but with a great team they are always bearable.

The breadth of practice at Hogan Lovells also distinguishes us from other firms. Unlike many City firms, Hogan Lovells has a highly regarded Dispute Resolution practice, plus leading practices in a wide range of more specialist areas such as Intellectual Property, Employment and Competition law. The advantages of this are twofold. Firstly, trainees have a much wider choice of departments in which to qualify; most specialist areas have a stand-alone practice with its own client base, rather than the “corporate support” departments common to other firms. It also means that Hogan Lovells corporate and finance lawyers can call on a host of recognised experts to advise on issues relating to mergers and acquisitions, thus delivering high quality transactional advice to our clients.

When choosing a firm to apply to for your training contract, the most important factors to me are the firm’s culture, the quality of training, breadth of practice and opportunities on qualification. I believe Hogan Lovells offer a compelling package on each of these counts.