CORPORATE LAW – The Truth [Money, Sleep, Travel]
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the pivotal role of lawyers in significant life events, such as marriages, property purchases, and disputes. It differentiates between transactional lawyers, who facilitate deals and events, and dispute lawyers, who intervene when issues arise. The speaker emphasizes the importance of being organized and structured, particularly when dealing with complex legal matters and communicating with clients who may not be well-versed in legal jargon. Empathy is highlighted as a key trait that distinguishes good from great lawyers, as it enables them to understand their clients' needs and provide tailored advice. The video also touches on the personal qualities admired in colleagues, such as being aware of each other's lives outside of work, which fosters a healthy work-life balance. Practicality and the ability to provide clear, actionable solutions are also praised. The script acknowledges the demanding nature of the legal profession, with some lawyers facing all-nighters and late nights, but also notes that it varies by individual and firm. It concludes by mentioning the opportunities for travel within the corporate law field, as well as the importance of a good night's sleep for maintaining performance and well-being.
Takeaways
- 🤵 Lawyers are often involved in significant life events such as marriage, property purchase, and death.
- 📚 There are two main categories of lawyers: transactional lawyers who facilitate making things happen, and dispute lawyers who help when things go wrong.
- 🧐 Being organized and structured in thought is crucial for a lawyer, particularly when dealing with complex subjects.
- 🤔 Good lawyers need to be able to understand and apply the law, while great lawyers also demonstrate empathy and put themselves in their clients' shoes.
- 👥 Working with colleagues who are aware of and interested in your life outside of work can lead to a healthier work-life balance.
- 🌐 Travel is often a part of corporate law, with opportunities to work on international projects and disputes.
- 🌟 Practicality and the ability to quickly come to a practical answer are qualities that are admired in good lawyers.
- 🏙 For those interested in a London-based legal career, there are opportunities to specialize without the need for extensive travel.
- 😴 Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging in the legal profession, with some individuals reporting sleep deprivation due to demanding work schedules.
- ⏱️ Long hours and occasional all-nighters are not uncommon, especially during the trainee phase of a legal career.
- 🔄 While the job can be demanding, it also offers opportunities for personal and professional growth, including international exposure.
Q & A
What is the general role of a lawyer in significant life events?
-A lawyer typically assists and guides individuals or companies through major life events such as marriage, purchasing a house, or in the event of death.
How are lawyers categorized in terms of their practice?
-Lawyers are generally categorized into two types: transactional or facilitative lawyers who help make things happen, and dispute lawyers who assist when something goes wrong.
What are some personality traits that are helpful for a lawyer to possess?
-Being organized, structured in thought, and able to present things clearly are beneficial traits for a lawyer. Additionally, being empathetic and able to understand the client's perspective is crucial.
What qualities differentiate a good lawyer from a great one?
-Great lawyers are those who can be empathetic, put themselves in their clients' shoes, and understand the client's needs beyond the strict legal answer.
Why is it important for a lawyer to be organized in their thoughts and presentation?
-Organization in thoughts and presentation helps a lawyer to deal with complex subjects and communicate effectively with clients who may not be sophisticated in legal matters.
What is the importance of understanding the law and applying it?
-Understanding and applying the law is a prerequisite for being a successful lawyer, as it forms the basis of providing accurate legal advice and representation.
What are some qualities that the speaker admires in their colleagues?
-The speaker admires colleagues who are aware of what's going on in their lives, show understanding, and can work with others in a natural and communicative way.
How does the speaker define a practical lawyer?
-A practical lawyer is one who can quickly assess a situation and come up with a practical solution, cutting through complexities to address the issue at hand.
Does corporate law require travel?
-Yes, corporate law can involve travel, especially in departments like project finance or international disputes, where lawyers may need to travel for project work or witness interviews.
What opportunities does the speaker's firm offer for those interested in international work?
-The firm offers opportunities to work in different global offices, with the speaker having spent time in Moscow, SAP, and planning to go to the Paris office, indicating a diverse and international work environment.
How does the legal profession affect sleep patterns for some lawyers?
-The legal profession can be demanding, leading to instances where lawyers may have to sacrifice sleep, with some reportedly getting only four or five hours of sleep on a regular basis during the week.
What does the speaker do to ensure a good night's sleep?
-The speaker tries to get a good night's sleep from Monday to Friday, having given up drinking caffeine in the afternoon to improve sleep quality.
Outlines
📚 The Role and Types of Lawyers
The first paragraph discusses the integral role of lawyers in significant life events such as marriage, property purchase, and death. It outlines two main categories of lawyers: transactional or facilitative lawyers who help make things happen, and dispute lawyers who intervene when issues arise. The paragraph also touches on the importance of being organized and structured in thought and presentation, especially when dealing with complex subjects or clients unfamiliar with legal matters. Empathy is highlighted as a key trait that differentiates good from great lawyers, as it enables them to understand the client's perspective and needs beyond the strict legal answer.
🌍 Travel and Commitment in Law Practice
The second paragraph delves into the aspect of travel associated with certain legal practices, particularly those involved in international disputes or large-scale infrastructure projects. It shares personal experiences of the speaker, who enjoyed living and working in different countries during their training contract. The paragraph acknowledges the flexibility of corporate law, allowing lawyers to choose between international exposure and a more localized practice. It also briefly touches on the demanding nature of the job, including the occasional need for all-nighters and late nights, and the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance, including getting a good night's sleep.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lawyer
💡Transactional Lawyers
💡Dispute Lawyers
💡Organization
💡Empathy
💡Corporate Law
💡Travel
💡Work-Life Balance
💡Practicality
💡International Disputes
💡Sleep Deprivation
Highlights
Lawyers are typically involved in significant life events such as marriage, buying a house, or death.
There are two main categories of lawyers: transactional lawyers who facilitate events, and dispute lawyers who help when something goes wrong.
Organization and structure in thinking and presentation are crucial for a lawyer.
Lawyers often deal with complex subjects and need to simplify them for clients who may not be familiar with legal jargon.
Empathy is a key differentiator between good and great lawyers, as it helps in understanding the client's perspective.
Understanding the law and its application is a prerequisite for being a lawyer.
The ability to ask questions and not assume empathy is important for a lawyer, even if it doesn't come naturally.
Lawyers should be organized, but the speaker admits to not being particularly organized themselves.
Colleagues who show interest in one's personal life and maintain a work-life balance are admired.
Having perspective and being able to work and communicate naturally with colleagues is important for a lawyer.
Practicality and the ability to quickly provide practical answers are qualities to look up to in a lawyer.
Corporate law offers opportunities for travel and working on international projects.
The speaker enjoyed their international experiences, including working in Moscow, SAP, and Switzerland.
Opportunities for travel and international work are available but depend on the department and role within a law firm.
Work-life balance can be maintained even within a demanding profession like law.
The legal profession can be demanding, with clients requiring sacrifices in personal time, including sleep.
The speaker tries to get a good night's sleep during the week and has had to work all-nighters during their career.
There is an acknowledgment that sleep deprivation is not uncommon in the legal profession.
Transcripts
if you think about all the important
things that people or companies do in
their lives there's usually a lawyer
involved so you know if you get married
if you buy a house you if you die but
all those sorts of things whenever
there's a big event that happens you
typically have a lawyer to help you with
that and help help guide you through
that and that's really what we do for
our clients is if there's something big
that's happening for them then we'll
help to guide them through it within
that there's probably two real
categories of lawyers there's and
transactional lawyers or facilitative
lawyers who and who very broadly help
people to make something happen and then
there's disputes lawyers who tend to
help if something's gone wrong
[Music]
it could be people could be company
sometimes we do have countries as well
yeah and it really sort of depends is
there anyone any kind of type of
personality who absolutely should not
become a lawyer
I think being reasonably organized and
kind of structured in the way that you
think and kind of present things is
really really helpful
quite a lot at the time we're dealing
with tricky subjects and where we're
speaking to people who perhaps are not
sophisticated in those subjects
sometimes clients might be going through
a dispute and they've never been through
this before for example and so we have
to take things that seem quite open by
complicated and kind of put them in a
way which makes sense or we have to take
and really technical legal arguments and
put them together in a way which makes
sense both for the client and for you
know perhaps judge or someone like that
so I think having being organized
generally but also I suppose being
organized in your thoughts and the way
that you kind of put things together is
is really helpful what makes a good
lawyer and I'm gonna ask that through I
want which aspect of your personality oh
god if I throw two cars are horrible
where you say elves like best aspects of
his personality for being a lawyer are
and that's brilliant you need to be able
to understand the law and apply it I
think is is is sort of a prerequisite to
be honest to be if you can't do that and
you probably not gonna get very far I
think more other kind of personality
basis and I think really what what
differentiates between good lawyers and
really great lawyers is people who can
be empathetic people who can put
themselves in their clients shoes and
understand really what it means to them
you know to be asking the questions that
they're asking yeah because sometimes
they're kind of the strict legal answer
might not be the best one for the client
yeah and so it's really being able to
kind of understand what it is that your
client wants that I think it really
makes a difference
didn't your empathetic I try to be a
lawyer I ask a lot of questions so even
if I'm perhaps not the naturally most
empathetic person
I'm very conscious of probably the worst
aspects of my personality and I'm having
said that lawyers should be organized
I'm not particularly organized which if
you pick one and what makes you admire
them what are the qualities that if you
like make that person someone to look up
to I think my colleagues who kind of
know what's going on in my life they
kind of ask questions and they
understand that you know my life doesn't
end when I walk out the door right and
they're probably the best people to work
with really because you know you can
probably bond with them but also and it
gives you I suppose a bit of perspective
on what it is that you're doing at work
and I think that that's that's really
healthy I also think that tends to make
people who you know really good lawyers
to be honest and having a bit of
perspective and being able to kind of
work with those people around you
communicate with them in a natural way
and I think is really really important I
mean I also really like working with
practical people so you know the
colleagues I look up to other people who
really quickly look at a situation and
and come to a kind of practical answer
to be honest and and can kind of cut
through the noise and I suppose the
people that I really look up to and the
people who do that really well and
really quickly
in terms of becoming a lawyer at
corporate
yes is it a prerequisite to travel it
greatly reduce person's family I mean
one of the great things about coming and
joining a firm like this one is you can
you can pretty much still do what you
want you know within within the bounds
of kind of corporate law like we have
several different departments and within
those departments they do lots and lots
and lots of different things and some of
those will necessarily involve travel if
you work in the project finance team for
example and you'll be working on massive
infrastructure projects all around the
world so it's probably something yeah
exactly that's probably quite likely at
some point you're gonna have to be a bit
of travel similarly in our dispute
practice we do lots of international
disputes so it's quite likely that at
some point you're gonna have to go and
do a witness interview somewhere for it
yeah I've been really lucky and micro I
love travelling I love living in
different places it's something that
really attracted me to coming and doing
this job in particular yeah and during
my training contract I spent six months
in our Moscow office and you have months
in our SAP our Wow and both of which
were awesome totally different working
environments and really different jobs I
love them both and since then I I spent
a few months working for a client in
Switzerland as well I'm shortly gonna be
off to our Paris office for a while so
if you know you're interested in doing
that sort of thing those opportunities
definitely are there and they're
definitely available for you and you
just kind of have to share that up
similarly if you know if you're if
you're pretty set you want to be a
london-based lawyer and this is what you
want to do lots and lots of people do
that as well you're here
[Music]
how often do you get a good night's
sleep I try and get a good night's sleep
Monday through Friday
[Laughter]
why would you if you wake up you're like
ah I see I mean I say that like sleep
like seven hours most right okay
get old now so I've given up I've given
up drinking caffeine in the afternoon
right I probably don't sleep as much as
I should but yeah there are elites you
hear about other people in the legal
profession all in other firms or maybe
other jobs sort of getting four or five
hours sleep at night on a regular basis
during the week yeah I think I think you
know it definitely does happen it does
happen and I think it would be wrong to
sit and say that it doesn't I think I've
had to do two all-nighters in my career
when I was a trainee I did a few late
nights and I worked amount of social
hour it's broadly speaking for me ours
hasn't been a kind of a huge issue but
as I say it's a hard job
it is demanding and clients are
demanding and you know it kind of comes
with the territory that once in a while
and you know you probably are gonna have
to make sacrifices
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)