Sayo read law at the London School of Economics
Law and English were my best subjects at school
I knew that I would choose the legal profession as a career, so when it came to choosing my degree I opted for Law because I wouldn't have to spend a year doing the conversion course.
In my first year at LSE I took part in a programme that encouraged students to take a closer look at commercial law
The programme was organised by a group of top law firms. For two days we toured the firms, learnt about what they did, took part in negotiation games and got to question a panel of lawyers. I was sold. I did four vacation schemes - two with magic circle firms, including one with Freshfields. It was a difficult decision but I enjoyed the three weeks I spent with Freshfields the best. They really tried. I had real work to do in intellectual property/information technology and dispute resolution and every three days there was some well-organised social event. They even went to the trouble of taking us to Paris for the day to visit their office.
Getting a place on the vacation scheme doesn't secure you a training contract
You still have to go through exactly the same interview process as everyone else. But it helped to have a feel for the firm. I knew that everyone was friendly and I didn't feel intimidated.
The accelerated LPC took only six months
So with six months to go before my contract started, I got myself a temporary job with another law firm doing risk and compliance work, saved the money to buy a car, and then spent time relaxing with friends.
My first seat was with intellectual property/information technology
It's quite a leap from being a student to being a trainee, but some of the partners and associates already knew me from the vacation scheme, which helped. I also had a great supervisor.
Then I spent six months in banking
The transactions are big and involve several law firms. The trainees are the people who organise all the documents, and who make sure that everyone delivers. We proof read, we review the changes in the contracts, and we have to be able to know where a document is immediately. The attention to detail is phenomenal. And when it comes to finalising the contracts and getting the documents ready for signing, that's our job too.
Now I'm doing a six-month seat in a corporate team
Most of my time is spent on one huge transaction - a takeover involving our teams in Europe and the US. I still check and compile documents, but I also do first drafts of the less complicated documents: witness statements, press announcements and claim forms. You keep learning and the progress is real.
Yes, the hours can be long
A good day is home by 8pm. But the time you put in is noticed, and you get days off in lieu when you work consistently long hours.
