Six months after joining the firm, Sophie Adshead talks about her role as an Associate in the firm’s corporate team and the satisfaction of supporting businesses as they grow through the life stages of a company.
Tell us a bit about your role at Pannone
I work in the corporate team as an Associate. The team deals with M&A, venture capital and also private equity transaction and I am involved in working in all of these areas. We have a large team, and I regularly work with each of the partners on a variety of transactions which has provided me with great exposure. Our clients range from institutional investors to SMEs and global organisations.
Why did you join Pannone?
As soon as I attended my first interview at Pannone I had a gut feeling that it was exactly the type of firm that I was looking to work at and that has proven to be entirely correct. The firm allows me to work on excellent quality transactions in a collaborative and supportive working environment. I am constantly learning and facing new challenges on each of the transactions that I work on. The firm is part of the international PLG network and we therefore advise on many transactions which have a cross border element. We have great relationships with the other PLG member firms and this allows us provide seamless advice to clients across all jurisdictions.
What route did you go down, in terms of training and qualifications?
I went down the traditional route, having studied law at the University of Manchester and then completing the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law in Manchester. The University of Manchester was a brilliant institution to learn, and I thoroughly enjoyed studying for my degree. However, there are various options available for aspiring solicitors today; I would probably have considered all avenues if they’d been available at the time.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
I most enjoy working with our clients to learn about their businesses, in particular what drives their business and goals, what obstacles they face in their particular industry or sector and to be able to advise them at each business life stage. We build relationships with our clients by working with them through, what can be, intense periods by helping to limit the stress and complexity of the relevant transaction process as far as possible.
It’s amazing to be able to assist throughout the life stages of a company – for example, we are able to act on a VC investment into a start-up company, act on subsequent follow on rounds and then advise the investor on their subsequent exit. Likewise, we are able to prepare the constitutional / governance documents for an early stage company, act on its potential acquisition(s) of other companies and then advise the sellers on the eventual sale. It is fantastic to see the way that the businesses grow over the years and be able to help investors and business owners along the way.
The work is always intellectually satisfying which I would say is the other best part of the job!
What does a typical day look like?
The days can vary largely depending on the nature of the transactions which I am dealing with at any particular time and the stages that they are at. An example of a typical day could involve spending part of the day reviewing a term sheet on an M&A transaction and discussing this with our clients, reviewing and negotiating investment documents on a venture capital investment, and later joining all parties calls or meetings on a transaction. I also get involved in attending various networking events, mainly in Manchester, and sometimes training events. By way of example, I recently helped hold a workshop at our annual in-house lawyers seminar.
What are your career ambitions?
Over time I hope to be able to move up through the ranks in the firm and to contribute as far as possible to us being able to work on the excellent quality work which we currently undertake. I am also hoping to be able to study for the corporate finance qualification as I think this would be of great benefit to our clients.
What would you be doing if you didn’t have a career in law?
I studied economics at A-level and considered opting for either an economics degree or the philosophy, politics and economics degree – so perhaps something related to that area!