🚨 Reed Smith has just announced its Direct Training Contract route!
The deadline is 20th June.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="VLV" data-source="post: 48434" data-attributes="member: 9603">Hi LM, I am a corporate solicitor (2 yrs PQE soon) with a focus on M&A work, I trained and qualified at a regional firm. I am eager to move to London and work in the corporate department of a top firm. However, many of the vacancies I want to apply for require that the applicant trained at a City firm. I am looking for some insight into what was expected of you as an associate so I can compare the skills and experience I have to that level of expectation. For instance, I am aware that firms expect their juniors to be commercially aware, but could you give me an example of a situation where you would be expected to apply such knowledge? As another example, when I attended a ULaw PSC course in London the teacher seemed to suggest that she would expect trainees (in her previous role) to be able to calculate and comment on a company's financial leverage ratios after reviewing their accounts in anticipation of a kick-off meeting. This is beyond what would be expected from a trainee at my firm but it would be helpful to know if this is the standard at your firm? What would be the expectations of a corporate junior in a client meeting? If I draft a lengthy email or prepare a shareholders' agreement, I would take time editing it - were you in an environment where there was an expectation to get the drafting right the first time, particularly in terms of efficiency? You mentioned in a previous post points about thinking on your feet and trusting that someone can carry out good quality work - are you able to add context to this? Is good quality work something that is correct and produced in a timely manner or does it go the extra mile to add value for the client in some way? I ask because I sometimes overlook what I am already achieving when I do not know where the benchmark is. I understand working in London would involve longer hours; greater volume of work; tighter deadlines; larger teams; more demanding clients and deal values are much higher, but I am looking for more specific insight into what is expected in terms of knowledge and experience. What was your role in respect of transactions, for example? In my current position, I work directly for partners who worked at international City firms for a substantial period. I am:- regularly the first point of contact to clients (CEOs/ owners of mostly private /family-owned businesses);- responsible for aspects of transactions (disclosure, ancillary docs, organising signing/closing) usually valued at up to £20m; - project managing transactions; and- responsible for leading smaller deals, including negotiating key documents with the other side. In general, what I would like to be able to assess is whether I meet the knowledge / experience criteria of my City counter-part and work to fill any potential gaps where I do not.  Finally, thank you for starting this thread - I find that there is much less information available concerning career progression once you qualify unless you have the benefit of a mentor. Thank you for your time. V</blockquote>

Verification: Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?

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