Name: Katherine Moir
Firm: Clifford Chance
Position: Partner
Trained at: Macfarlanes
In Hot 100 for: Work on complex transactions, particularly in relation to listed plcs. Read her full Hot 100 profile.
What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?
Doing my first deal as lead executive while on secondment at 3i. The deal value was tiny but I was negotiating with external lawyers for the buyer and it gave me my first real taste of responsibility, deal dynamics and the buzz of closing a deal.
Who has been the most influential person in your career? Why, and how have they helped you?
Tim Lewis, a senior corporate partner at Clifford Chance. We worked together at Macfarlanes where I started my career. Tim put me forward to go on secondment to JPMC when I was still relatively junior, which was a great experience. We have also worked together on many transactions since moving to Clifford Chance. I have learnt a huge amount from Tim and he has been a sponsor and trusted sounding board since my career began.
What was the best career decision you ever made, and why?
Moving to Clifford Chance. The firm has such a breadth of clients, work and expertise, all over the world, that the opportunities are endless.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?
Believe in yourself and go for it. It will take commitment and there will be many times when you feel out of your comfort zone; everyone experiences that as they progress so try not to be phased by it. Seek counsel from others more senior to you and find a sponsor; no one achieves success by themselves. And somewhere amongst all that try to find some balance in your life; it’s a marathon not a sprint!
What work or career-related project or activity would you really like to do, but don’t have time for?
If I really want to do something, I will find a way.
