Hot 100 career quiz: Twitch’s Nik Slingsby

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

My most vivid memory of being a trainee was getting the chance to do a training seat in Beijing with Bird & Bird in the 2000s. I’d studied Mandarin Chinese at university and it was a fantastic opportunity to combine my degree with the practical application of law. The city was teeming with cranes and construction; skyscrapers, metros and airports were being built at breath-taking speed ahead of the 2008 Olympics.  

It was still early days for many British law firms in China and although the potential of the market was undoubted, it was unproven. At that stage the Chinese market was still focused around trying to attract foreign direct investment, joint ventures and IP infringement actions. Now the market has evolved almost 180 degrees, with Chinese tech companies the leaders in many of their technologies and focusing themselves on foreign investment. This experience helped to shape the focus of my career on international technology law.

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

The first week of my training contract, we had a series of induction lectures. For five days solid, they covered all of the usual topics: introduction to the firm, how to behave, how to dress… We had one final lecture on the generic topic ‘How to do well at the firm’ and then it was the pub and the weekend. Expectations and concentration levels were low.

The partner came in, dispensed with the Powerpoint and just said one thing ‘Do good work, on time’. He promptly walked out.

The clarity and brevity of message resonated and the memory has always stuck with me.

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

I’m very grateful to my partner during my training seat in Beijing for giving me a template for how to combine being good at one’s job and being a nice person. Law is a very complex and competitive profession but this captures for me one of the fundamental challenges.

Frequently, resources are scarce, meanwhile expectations are high. He is someone who never has a lot of time, but is always very generous with it. He has an admirable sense of perspective and this shines through in his work and behaviour.  We are still friends now and I value his judgement and pragmatism.

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

Play to your unique strengths. It’s tough to stand out in a crowded field and law firms/recruiters are inundated with CVs from similarly accomplished candidates. If you have a specialised skill that would be appropriate, mention it in a hand written cover letter, which you can scan and attach to your application. People appreciate the personalisation and it helps you to stand out.

Also be prepared to think long term particularly, with moving in-house. The role in your desired company/field might require experience that you don’t currently have; the roles might be scarce and the competition tough. Any moon shot, requires interim steps and it’s fine to take another role for a couple of years which will get you the experience and better position you for a second chance. You will hopefully have 40 years of a career, in that context, even sideways moves will provide a worthwhile return on investment if it gets you to where you’d like to be.

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

He’s a Youtube star commenting on stock performance. He faces the daily challenge of being funny and engaging while talking about interest rates. His legal training helped him write the very big disclaimer below his videos stating that his views don’t constitute financial advice. Otherwise, he’s very happy not using any of his legal skills.