Career paths: Sarah Leiper-Jennings

Why corporate law? 

At school, I enjoyed subjects that involved analysis and constructing arguments, and I was given career advice that those skills were useful for a lawyer. Initially, I wanted to be a criminal barrister, but after shadowing one during my studies, I decided that I was probably better suited to becoming a City solicitor. I studied for a law degree at the University of Cambridge and took an extra year of management studies at the Judge Business School, which confirmed that working with businesses was what I wanted to do.  

I did several vacation schemes while at Cambridge. One was at Ashurst. I was drawn to Ashurst because of the culture, people and the quality of the corporate transactions they worked on. After completing my legal practice course at Moorgate in 2011, I joined Ashurst’s training programme, which gave me the opportunity to take on responsibility, while feeling well supported by the firm.  

What did your training at Ashurst entail? 

I started in the international finance team and then moved into real estate. My first secondment was during my finance seat, when I spent three months with the real estate finance team at GE Capital.  

Getting that experience early on was invaluable, mainly to help inform an understanding of how to improve my relationship with clients. What became clear was that clients often just want a commercial answer and to be reassured that you’ve done the underlying legal work to get that answer.  

I then moved into corporate, predominantly working on M&A and private equity matters. My training ended with a six-month secondment to Ashurst’s Dubai office, where the work was varied, but largely focused on energy and infrastructure.   

I wanted broader corporate experience, which returning to qualify in the corporate team in London allowed. After qualifying, I remained with Ashurst for 18 months, working on equity capital markets and public and private M&A transactions. 

Why the move to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher? 

I joined in March 2015, in part because I wanted an opportunity to join a growing corporate team with ties to the US, and also to increase my exposure to both domestic and international deal flow.  

The corporate team has grown exponentially over the past 10 years and it has been amazing to be part of that growth. The firm has an entrepreneurial and collegiate culture, as well as a free-market system, which makes it a great place to be as an associate. It gives associates the opportunity to thrive and the flexibility to pursue their own career goals.  

In October 2018, I went on an 18-month secondment with the corporate team in New York, mainly advising on US private M&A transactions. It was an amazing opportunity to learn more about the similarities and the differences between UK and US deals, and also to spend more time working with colleagues from across the pond. 

Is there any one deal that stands out for you? 

In recent years, acting for the banks on The Hut Group’s £5.4bn IPO in September 2020 probably stands out the most. At the time, it was the second largest tech listing ever on the London Stock Exchange by capital raised. It was also the first deal that I worked on under lockdown restrictions during the pandemic and it was amazing to see how quickly everyone adapted.   

What are your future plans? 

The focus of my practice is public M&A and equity capital markets, which involves advising on IPOs or secondary fundraising and takeover code matters, among other things.   

I’ve also advised on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, particularly ESG-related reporting obligations. I want to continue working with colleagues to grow those areas of our transactional practice.  

I am also a member of the diversity, transparency and inclusion committee in the London office. I organised and hosted a panel of international women at Gibson Dunn for International Women’s Day in March to discuss breaking the bias. It’s important to me to continue to promote gender diversity and social mobility in the industry.