A personal journey to associate
What’s it like to nd your personal path from trainee to associate? Here’s Stelios Charitopoulos, talking about his training contract and nding his calling in competition law.
My secondment meant that I spent my third and fourth seats with the Competition teams in London and Brussels immediately before qualifying. As a result, I was progressively doing associate-level work even as a trainee. So when I made the leap to associate in the Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation team, it was a very smooth transition. That said, you do assume a lot more responsibility – which can feel daunting at ¿rst. However, senior members of the team were always on hand to provide support and there were plenty of bespoke training sessions that helped me along the way. Thanks to the ¿rm’s global presence and the strength of our practice group, I get to work with high-pro¿le, multinational clients across a wide range of industries. At the same time, I advise on some of the best and most complex matters in the market. It’s incredibly satisfying, not to mention professionally ful¿lling, to be a part of projects that make headlines and set legal precedent. Stelios Charitopolous Associate in the Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation team
I chose Hogan Lovells for a number of reasons, but at the top of my list were things like the ¿rm’s reputation, culture and well-rounded training contracts. More importantly, during my vacation scheme here, I was welcomed as a member of the team in all of the departments that I joined. I saw ¿rst-hand that the opinions of trainees are genuinely valued; and that there’s a lot of support for trainees to challenge themselves, take on early responsibility and develop as lawyers and individuals. I really enjoyed each and every one of the seats on my training contract, which included working with the International Arbitration and Debt Capital Markets teams. But as I’d suspected during my university studies, I ended up enjoying competition law the most. With a mix of UK and EU law and a focus on economic theory, it’s an incredibly dynamic area of law that’s constantly evolving to keep up with changes in the markets. Another highlight was my ¿nal seat on secondment in Brussels. I got to experience competition law from a dĭerent perspective and grow my personal network – both within the ¿rm and in my ¿eld more generally. Considering the close collaboration between the London and Brussels competition teams, this has been invaluable to me as an associate. Overall, it was an incredible opportunity to be at the centre of European competition law, surrounded by EU institutions.
“There’s a lot of support for trainees to challenge themselves, take on early responsibility and develop as lawyers and individuals.”
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