What was the appeal of corporate law?
I thought a career in corporate law would give me broad exposure to different areas, and I would be constantly learning new things – whether tax, employment or jurisdictional issues. There’s some truth to the view that a corporate lawyer is a jack of all trades, master of none, which is not a bad thing. I was proved right when I joined Travers Smith as a trainee in 2015. Within a transaction, the process might be broadly the same, but the businesses are always different. I enjoy project management, especially on cross-border transactions.
What did you learn at 3i?
I was seconded about seven months post-qualification to 3i, which was initially a bit daunting. But 3i saw I had legal skills and that was all that mattered. Gaining a greater understanding of their interests and priorities was great, and it was interesting to see how the fundraising process worked. The fund I was working on was investing, so I could see the whole process and how it worked internally for 3i.
What is your current role?
I’m three-years qualified now and have a mid-level role, which means I have reporting and supervising responsibilities. I have a direct link with partners, negotiating and drafting principal transaction documentation, and I also supervise trainees and junior associates in drafting ancillary documentation. There’s a lot of project management – providing client updates, managing deadlines, reviewing documents and keeping in touch with the wider deal team across the firm, inputting into the due diligence reports. Cross-border deals amplify that. Delegation is important, as you can’t do everything.
Is there a transaction that stands out?
In 2019, Travers Smith acted for Inflexion on its acquisition of Marley, a company that makes roof tiles, and for Marlin on the sale of QualiTest, an artificial intelligence software testing business, to Bridgepoint for around $420m. They were two completely different businesses and experiences. But a client that stands out was one of my first as a trainee. We were acting for Carlyle Group on their acquisition of software provider Eggplant. Working with a partner, a senior and a junior associate, each person’s role was clear, which was a very useful reference point.
When I moved to tax, I worked on the share offer for the management team. On qualifying, I continued doing the portfolio work for the business. In June 2020, Eggplant was sold to Keysight Technologies for $330m, so I saw the full cycle from acquisition to sale. It was very satisfying to see how investment in the business helped it grow – with offices overseas and bolt-on acquisitions – and then see it being sold to a strategic buyer.
Do you also do charitable work at Travers Smith?
Travers Smith supports and advises Refugees at Home, which connects people with a spare room to refugees needing accommodation. It’s very important to have perspective and to see that, however busy and frantic things can get in my job, I can take a step back and count my blessings. People think of corporate lawyers as buying and selling companies, and maybe not for pro bono work. It’s good to be able to use my legal skills in a practical way for good.
The firm is also supportive of my work as trustee for the Wonder Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering women and girls through education. As a woman from Sudan with five sisters, it’s something I’m passionate about, and it has had very clear results. If you help women specifically with education, it undeniably has a direct positive effect on the societies that they live in.
And the future?
The next step is to become a senior associate at five years post-qualification. That means taking more responsibility with clients and on the technical drafting of documentation. But my ambitions are more skills-based than having a two- or five-year plan. I want to have more autonomy in transactions, get better at my job and continue to enjoy what I’m doing.
About the article
This is extracted from the full article in the Corporate Financier November 2020 edition - exclusively for Corporate Finance Faculty & Faculties Online members - who can access our award winning magazine in its originally designed form, and our extensive archive brought to you by the ICAEW Corporate Finance Faculty.
