Hot 100 career quiz: Jones Day partner Anna Cartwright

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?

We were advising on an auction disposal for a client where they switched buyers moments before signing.  We had agreed all of the documents with the first buyer and I assumed that it was just a negotiation tactic when we all walked out of one law firm’s offices and turned up at the new buyer’s lawyer’s offices early one evening.  Little did I know that we would spend the next 48 hours in those offices without leaving and get the deal signed with the new buyer at the end of it.  I can still vividly remember how strange daylight looked when we eventually left those offices 48 hours later!

What is the wisest thing anyone ever said to you (and who said it)?

A senior partner of Jones Day who has since retired said to me as a trainee that you should assume that every single email you write is going to be read by the last person in the world you would like to read it.  Given how much the world of email dominates all of our lives, I probably still think about this piece of advice at least once a week and often more. It is a good thing to remember on those fraught occasions when you might feel tempted to tell another lawyer what you really think.

More importantly though, it reflects a more basic principle I really believe in.  In everything you do and say at work, it is so important to think about the other person’s perspective and try to understand how they will interpret your message.  I genuinely think that reflecting on this makes you a better colleague and adviser to clients.

Who (for better or worse) has been the most influential person in your career? Why? 

That is such a tough question to answer!  I have been very fortunate as I have spent my whole career at one law firm, having joined Jones Day as a trainee in 2003. People always ask me why that is the case and the answer is an easy one – the people. I have had the privilege of working with a huge number of brilliant lawyers at Jones Day. I have worked with lawyers from all over the world and many of them have been a hugely positive influence on me – always finding the time to answer my numerous questions.

I am well known for having a tendency to ask lots of questions so I am particularly grateful that my Jones Day colleagues have been so patient and answered almost all of them!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do? 

I am a big believer in luck and so often a successful career is about being in the right place at the right time.  However, I think that if you focus on finding a job you enjoy and then throw everything you have into it, this tends to be a winning combination and usually leads to a great outcome.

If I had to pick two top tips for anyone who wants a successful career in law, I would tell them to firstly always find the confidence to ask all your questions – it never ceases to amaze me how often I have asked a question with a great deal of trepidation in some pressurised meetings, only to discover that others had the same question but hadn’t plucked up the courage to ask.

Secondly, find ways to gravitate towards the people you enjoy working with – we spend a lot of time at work as lawyers and it makes life so much more fun if you enjoy working with those around you.

What’s your best friend from law school doing now?

All of my closest friends from law school are still lawyers in London, which is probably remarkably rare these days. One of them, Adam Brown, a first class litigator, is my fellow partner at Jones Day. It’s great having worked through my whole career alongside Adam.