Trainee Olivia O’Hara
First seat: Corporate Second seat: Investment Funds Third seat: Litigation
There’s an enthusiasm at Kirkland that is very contagious. I spotted it at a graduate recruitment fair and now I’m experiencing it for myself.
People are excited about their work and proud of their role, which makes you want to step up, do better and be of the same calibre. Associates and partners take a real interest in you and are generous with their knowledge. My supervisor in my first seat, Corporate, was very generous with his time and explained essential trainee tasks, alongside walking me through the complex legal elements of transactions. Even the senior partners care about the trainees and invest time in them. My work in the Funds team was varied, challenging and fast-paced. Over the course of my six-month seat, I saw the full cycle of a fundraise, from the initial phases of marketing through to the closing of a fund. This has given me a comprehensive understanding of how Private Equity Funds are structured, and the legal reasoning behind it. It’s a genuinely meritocratic environment, where if you do the work and learn quickly, you earn the right to be included in more complex tasks.
It takes repetition and practice and it’s as much about learning on the job as the more formal training sessions. But the great thing is you have space to make mistakes. Everyone makes them and that’s OK, you then learn from them and your supervisor is on hand to ensure your work product is client ready. In addition to general team events I was also able to attend an amazing diversity event through our Women’s Professional Network with professional ballet dancers performing inside St Paul’s Cathedral. Not only were there lawyers from our firm in attendance, but also various private equity clients. I found it invaluable having the opportunity to engage with them all, and ultimately already start to build my professional network.
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