Law specialisms : Corporate

Jessica Adam is a senior associate in the corporate department at Macfarlanes LLP. She is dual qualified in England and Scotland and specialises in mergers and acquisitions and private equity.

What does the work involve?

One of the best things about being a corporate lawyer is the variety of work. The deals we act on range from buying and selling private companies and businesses to takeovers of publicly listed companies; from setting up international joint ventures to restructurings and demergers.

As the corporate lawyer on the deal, you will generally be at the heart of what's going on. You will draft and negotiate the legal documents (for example, a sale and purchase agreement on a company acquisition or a shareholders' agreement on a joint venture). Almost all of our deals involve working with specialist lawyers in other departments, such as the tax, pensions, employment or banking departments, or with other professional advisers, such as accountants, investment bankers and overseas lawyers. So a big part of our role is also as project manager helping to manage and to pull together all of the different aspects of the deal, coordinating with other lawyers and advisers and ultimately bringing the deal to a successful close.

In addition to transactional work, we also advise clients on company law issues that may arise from time to time (for example, questions on directors' duties and liabilities or shareholder rights) and on regulatory matters (for example, compliance with the London Stock Exchange listing rules and the Takeover Code).

Who are the clients?

Clients include investment banks, private equity houses, UK and international corporates, and sovereign wealth funds. Many of our clients are based overseas so you will often find yourself working on deals spanning multiple jurisdictions.

What do trainees do?

At Macfarlanes we work in relatively small deal teams and so trainees form a really important part of those teams. A typical deal team will be made up of a partner, a senior associate, a junior associate and a trainee. On larger deals, there may be two or three junior associates and trainees. Trainees work closely with all members of the team and will often be given responsibility for specific aspects of the deal.

Being an integral part of the team means that you will get real exposure to clients - both at meetings and on conference calls - right from the outset. It also means that from time to time you may have to work late alongside the rest of the deal team. 

As a corporate trainee, your workload will vary depending on the type of deal. It might be a specific piece of research, carrying out a legal due diligence exercise in relation to a target company (including coordinating with specialists and overseas lawyers), drafting ancillary documents for a takeover bid or helping to prepare for the completion meeting. 

Why should I do it?

• Every deal and client is different
• You will get involved with and be at the heart of interesting and challenging deals
• If you are smart, motivated, committed and enthusiastic then you’ll make a good corporate lawyer
• You definitely won't get bored