Andrew Houghton, trainee talks about his seats to date and his work with Sainsbury’s.
What’s your background?
I read Law at Leeds University before doing my LPC at Nottingham Law School. My commercial awareness improved during my time at university and I realised that I was particularly interested in the business world. I joined CMS Cameron McKenna in August 2009 because I was looking for a career that would be constantly challenging and offer me a structured path to follow.
Why did you choose CMS Cameron McKenna?
I was looking for a firm that would give me a broad range of work and a wide choice of seats, together with a strong calibre of clients as well as excellent training and supervision. CMS Cameron McKenna is an international firm that attracts a wide range of strong clients, possesses experienced personnel and expertise in its key areas.
What seats have you undertaken in your Training Contract to date?
My first seat was in Insurance Litigation and I’m just about to finish my second seat in Real Estate. There are key differences between the work undertaken in the two departments, particularly between the litigation and transactional elements. However, the daily activities are similar, such as discussions with the other side’s solicitors and drafting documents from court forms to leases. Very shortly I’ll embark upon my third seat in Corporate, which I chose because I believe that I’ll gain exposure to the firm as a whole and to working as part of a wider team due to the corporate department requiring wide ranging expertise from across the whole firm to support its work.
What’s been the other highlight of your Training Contract?
In my first seat, I worked on a long and complex dispute that involved our client being sued for negligence. I participated in case management conferences at court and mediations in London. Ultimately, just before I left the seat the case settled. It was extremely satisfying as I had invested a lot of my time and it was a positive outcome for the client.
How have you contributed to the Sainsbury’s account?
A significant amount of my work in the Real Estate group was for one of the Group’s key clients, Sainsbury’s. My work has ranged from dealing with basic licences for alterations on store refits, to more complex renewal and reversionary leases, and deeds of variation. Crucially, I have had a strong amount of client contact as well as with other supporting professionals such as project managers and surveyors and got to understand Sainsbury’s basic operational requirements.
What makes a successful lawyer?
You need to work well with a variety of different people as one of the best ways of learning is to discuss issues with the team around you. Additionally, commercial awareness and understanding the client’s business is important. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to read the Financial Times every day but it helps to take a step back and evaluate how the work you’re doing is actually going to impact on your client.