“Sometimes specialising opens up more doors than it closes.”

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

As a junior associate in New York, my most vivid impression was a sense of being overwhelmed by not knowing what work was coming next. It was a bit like standing blindfolded in the surf – you know there’s another wave coming, but you don’t know when exactly or how big. It took a while, but at some point the picture started to come together and I got better at predicting what was coming next. Eventually I started to feel a sense of exhilaration with every new deal when I realised that no matter what came my way, I was equipped to manage these new challenges.

Tell us about a sliding doors moment when your career could have gone in an entirely different direction?

I started my career in New York and moved to London for a two-year stint in 2010. This was the London of cash-only taxis and kitchens closing at 8.30, so I missed the conveniences of Manhattan during that time. Returning to New York in 2012, I quickly realised that the corporate legal market in London had so much more to offer me as a gateway to Britain and Europe and its cultures, languages and people.

I got lucky and picked up a random call from a partner with whom I had previously worked who was building a new team in London and made the jump back to London in January 2013. I can’t imagine how different the last decade would have been in New York (or wherever it would have taken me).

What’s the hardest question you’ve ever been asked at interview, and how did you answer?

US recruiting interviews pre-2008 included a lot of softball questions, but the toughest situation I had was a partner who stared at my CV in front of me in silence for 10 minutes, only to say at the end of that time that “there’s something not right here.”

That statement ended up being a launchpad for a 90-minute conversation about divergent paths, roads less travelled and accepting the opportunities life presents. I was surprised to receive an offer straight after and even more surprised to accept it.

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

At some point, everyone must narrow future options. Be conscious of that, and be thoughtful when considering how and when you make a decision, like specialising in a practice area, that might seem to close some doors, so you make that decision instead of the decision getting made for you. But once you have made your decision, stick with it. Sometimes specialising opens up more doors than it closes.

Tell us about ONE former colleague who you miss, and why? (It doesn’t have to be a lawyer)

This is a difficult question for me, having just moved to Paul Weiss from a place where I had many close friendships and great working relationships – and it’s made even more difficult given the many new and old friends who are now my colleagues at Paul Weiss! I’m very much looking forward to getting to know my new colleagues and reconnecting with old friends here.