Law

Partners
 Law

Welcome to Internship Experience UK Commercial Law

Since starting Bright Network in 2013, we’ve been on a mission to connect the next generation with the opportunities, insights and advice to succeed as
the workforce of tomorrow. There’s no doubt that these are particularly challenging times and with the limited career opportunities currently available,
there has been a drop in confidence amongst the student community.

At Bright Network, we’re always looking for ways to support the student and recent graduate community, and that’s why I’m proud to launch Internship
Experience UK. Bringing together graduate employers and educational institutions, this is a unique three-day experience for students, which will have a
lasting impact on future careers.

With this platform, we aim to support students in their career discovery, boost experience and give them an opportunity to build networks. These are all
things which are more essential than ever during this time. If we can give students the tools to be proactive and use this time wisely, they will come out
the other side stronger, better and more resilient than ever.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in supporting and joining Internship Experience UK, making it truly the first ever event of its kind.

James & the Bright Network Team

About Bright Network

Bright Network is a careers network that uses data and technology to connect its 300,000+ members with over 300 employers including Google,
Accenture, HSBC, PwC and Slaughter and May. The company’s partner firms find the talent they need to grow their businesses and help students from
diverse backgrounds fulfill their potential. The network’s unique member model provides the UK’s best and brightest graduates, irrespective of their
background, with the highest quality careers advice and support through a digital platform, dynamic events and personalised one-on-one advice.

James Uffindell
CEO & Founder
Bright Network

James Uffindell is a technology entrepreneur and one of the UK’s
leading experts on the entry level talent market, having spent the last
20 years helping over one million students with their applications
to top employers and leading universities. He’s an expert on social
mobility at university level, the graduate job market, internships, entry
level talent, and engaging Gen Z and millennial employees.
After setting up his first business in his university bedroom in 1999 and
selling to a private investor in 2013, James founded Bright Network,
a high-growth technology platform that uses data and insights to
build the workforce of tomorrow. Bright Network now serves 12M+ of
careers advice content a year and supports over 300,000 graduates and
300 of the world’s largest employers including Google, Goldman Sachs,
Accenture and PwC. The business has raised £8M+ of investment to date
and is one of the fastest growing careers networks in the UK.
James is a regular media commentator on careers, talent and
entrepreneurship, featuring in The Economist, Management Today,
The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph as well as live on
BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, CNN and ITV. He gives regular keynotes at
conferences including Talent Leaders Connect, the How To Academy
and Capitox, and has spoken at The Oxford Union, London School of
Economics and The New Entrepreneurs Foundation.
 Bright Network hosts
Kirsten Barnes Ben Carter
Commercial Director Growth & Innovation Manager
Bright Network Bright Network

Kirsten Barnes is responsible for leading Bright Network’s commercial
function – a dynamic team, committed to helping members realise the
breadth of opportunity available to them by harnessing strong relationships
with employers to maximise the connections Bright Network facilitates.
With over 10 years’ experience in the emerging talent market, Kirsten joined
Bright Network with a focus on building out a strong, knowledgeable
team to help organisations innovate in order to engage successfully with
generation Z. As a working mother, she is passionate about equality and
inclusivity and wholeheartedly believes that environments to establish
networks and improve employability should be accessible to young people
no matter their background.
Ben is the Growth & Innovation Manager at Bright Network, focused
on bringing exciting new initiatives to life and introducing best in class
“ways of working” within the business. Prior to Bright Network, Ben had
worked on two Graduate Schemes – one with Grant Thornton as an Audit
Associate for 18 months, followed by 3.5 years with Capgemini Invent as a
People, Performance, and Change Consultant.
Having consulted globally across some of the world’s leading employers,
Ben has been able to run a number of people led change initiatives,
including the full re-design of global sales processes, introducing
standardised recruitment practices for fair and representative hiring, and
coaching and developing HR leadership to adopt the global movement
of staff. All in all, Ben has built a career on designing and implementing
people focused change across businesses of all sizes.

Priyanka Patel Phil Yarrow

Operations Executive Talent Specialist
Bright Network Bright Network

Priyanka has just completed her LLB at the University of Bristol, and is due
to commence her Training Contract in 2022. Following her internship at
Bright Network last summer, Priyanka is thrilled to be working with the
team again this year in assisting with the delivery of Internship Experience
UK, prior to beginning her Legal Practice Course at BPP, Holborn in
September. Priyanka has a keen interest in broadening access to the legal
profession and inspiring youth leadership by engaging in networking and
mentoring opportunities to support aspiring students; she is a GROW
mentor, Vice-Chair of a Youth Advisory Board and a member of Young
Leaders UK.
Phil is part of the Talent Solutions Team at Bright Network, where he
specialises in helping members navigate the application process as well as
supporting clients to meet their graduate recruitment objectives.
Phil’s experience of screening and interviewing, combined with his in-
depth knowledge of CVs and assessment centres gives a holistic approach
to upskilling members, helping them secure their ideal roles.
Prior to joining Bright Network, Phil has a varied CV. Event management
for companies such as Mars, Eon and The Times Educational Supplement
have given Phil a real passion for networking and communicating. This,
combined with his years as a Relationship Marketing Manager at Reed
Business Information and Imago Techmedia, have honed his skills as a
listener and an organiser.

Hopin navigation
Hopin areas: The left hand menu lists the
areas of the event that Bright Network has set up:

Home: Think of the Home area as a venue’s

lobby, it’s the information hub.

Seminars (Stage): This is where all the client

Home 1:1 Networking
and Bright Network-led seminars will take
place throughout the three days.

Help Desk (Sessions): Bright Network staff will

be available to support you throughout your
internship experience.

1:1 Networking: Where participants can meet Seminars (Stage) Meet Alumni (Expo)
each other one-on-one during the event.

Meet Alumni (Expo): The Expo area hosts

the Alumni Office Hours.

Chat: On the right hand side, you will find the

chat which allows you to broadcast to the
whole event. You can ask a question during the Help Desk (Sessions) Chat
seminars, alumni office hours or at the help
desk; as well as find a specific participant to
direct message.

For further guidance, please see our full Hopin guide and FAQs.

For further questions, please go to Help Desk and click on the IEUK Attendee Help Desk.
Bright Network staff will be happy to help.
Agenda 14th July – 16th July 2020

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

9:00am Onboarding and networking 9:00am Networking 9:00am Working time

9:30am Welcome from Bright Network 9:30am Work sample introduction

10:00am Break 10:00am 1:1 networking – meet others and

discuss work sample
10:30am
Networking and 10:45am Work sample completion
Managing you seminars
11:00am Working time 11:00am Welcome and debrief
Sector 101
11:40am Introduction to
commercial law 11:30am Work sample marking time

12:30pm Lunch 12:30pm Alumni office hours Applications

1:00pm and CV advice –
Seminar 1 the whys and hows
1:30pm Core skills for junior
commercial lawyers 1:30pm Working time
1:30pm Close and congratulations

2:00pm
Seminar 2
Legal drafting
Self managed Bright Network Client delivered
sessions delivered seminars seminars

2:30pm Break

Seminar 3 3:00pm 1:1 networking – meet others and Click on any of the sessions for further details
3:00pm Global discuss work sample
investigations: advising
clients in the eye of a storm

Seminar 4
3:30pm Anatomy of a private
equity transaction

4:00pm Break Teamwork & collaboration

4:00pm
seminar
Seminar 5
4:30pm Legal &
business research 4:30pm Working time

5:00pm Closing for day 1 Law

 Our partner firms

Recognised for its sophisticated clients and
capabilities and outstanding team of legal
professionals, Akin Gump is a global law firm with
20 offices throughout the United States, Europe,
Asia and the Middle East.
Akin Gump’s London office is the hub of the firm’s
international offices, practising at the top of its
markets. The firm’s clients range from corporations
and financial institutions to foreign governments
and individuals and their market-leading practices
include: financial restructuring, corporate and
equity capital markets, private equity, debt
finance, project finance, energy, litigation and
international arbitration, financial services
regulatory, investment funds, international trade,
EU competition and tax.
Kennedys is an international law firm with
expertise in litigation and dispute resolution,
particularly in the insurance and liability
industries. With over 2,000 people worldwide
across 39 offices in the UK and Europe, the
Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
We’re here to make a difference for our clients,
and each other, every day. We empower our
people to deliver the very best work and reach
their full potential. We are a fresh-thinking
firm, and are not afraid to bring new ideas to
the table beyond the traditional realm of legal
services.
We offer a range of training programmes for
you to choose from to start your career in law.
Our aim is to recruit the best early careers talent
and encourage diversity and an environment
built upon different skills and backgrounds, to
represent our global firm.

Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating

in over 30 countries. We cover 99% of the world’s
economy, working with companies, organisations
and governments on issues of incredible scope and
complexity. We’re a pioneering, forward-thinking
business; the only one to have topped the Financial
Times Innovative Law Firm ranking four times.
Our trainees can expect a rewarding experience
that will prepare them for a career at the very
pinnacle of the profession. In each of their seats
they’ll support a senior associate or partner, with
exposure to work that crosses departments and
borders – in fact, 73% of the firm’s work involves
two or more jurisdictions. Around 80% of trainees
have the chance to spend six months in one of our
44 overseas offices, or on secondment to one of
our various clientele – who include 87% of Forbes’
top 100 public companies. The legal industry is
changing fast, and we’re working to equip our
people with the skills and knowledge they will need
to operate in the legal landscape of the future.
Clyde & Co is a leading, sector-focused global law
firm with 440 partners, 1800 lawyers, 2500 legal
professionals, and 4000 staff in over 50 offices and
associated offices worldwide. The firm specialises
in the sectors that move, build and power our
connected world and the insurance that underpins
it, namely: transport, infrastructure, energy, trade
& commodities and insurance. With a strong
focus on developed and emerging markets, the
firm has achieved compound average annual
revenue growth of 15% over the last ten years,
making it one of the fastest growing law firms in
the world with ambitious plans for further growth.
We view diversity and inclusion as critical to the
international nature of our business and have
created a working environment where people from
different backgrounds can flourish. We will work
continuously to keep promoting and advocating
for diversity and inclusion within our firm.
From a shifting geopolitical landscape to the
exponential growth in FinTech, this is a time
of unprecedented change. At Linklaters, we’re
ready. Our people go further to support our
clients, with market-leading legal insight and
innovation. And we go further for each other,
too. We’re people you want to work with,
generous with our time and ready to help.
So no matter what the future holds, with us
you’ll be one step ahead. Great change is here,
and we make sure you’re ready.
Macfarlanes is a distinctive London-based law
firm, focused on its clients and on delivering
excellence in the international legal market.
The firm is known for the quality of its work;
not just in dealing with the full range of
corporate and commercial matters, but in
advising clients on their private affairs as well.
The cohesive nature of the firm means that
clients benefit from collective experience
and close knit teams. The firm has decided
against growth at the expense of quality,
against size at the expense of efficiency and
agility. So whilst large enough to advise on the
most complex matters, the firm is also small
enough to ensure that its people and work are
exceptional, without fail.
Ofcom looks after communications in the UK.
From phones and broadband to TV, radio, post
and wireless devices, we regulate services at
the heart of people’s everyday lives.
This is an exciting time to join Ofcom.
We’re delivering vital work to help shape
the communications services of today and
tomorrow – from helping the UK be a world
leader in 5G mobile, to driving investment
in ultrafast broadband and supporting the
traditional postal service.
Opportunities are at the heart of a career with
PwC. You can expect to be part of a stimulating
environment working on challenging projects with
access to a world of opportunity and experiences, in
a culture that embraces difference. No matter what
your degree or background, PwC have a range of
roles to suit everyone. We offer work experience and
graduate opportunities in Actuarial, Audit, Consulting,
Deals, Legal, Risk Assurance, Tax or Technology.
Take the opportunity of a lifetime.
Shoosmiths is one of the UK’s fastest-growing
national law firms operating from 13 locations, working
together as one team.
Our values and culture underpin everything that we do.
We believe that our friendly, supportive and dynamic
working environment is fundamental to our success.
We are committed to giving our people the
responsibility, confidence, recognition and support that
they need to develop and succeed in their careers.
We are an innovative, ambitious firm with a lack
of hierarchy and zero tolerance for arrogance and
we believe that this makes Shoosmiths a fantastic
place to work.
More than 150 years after the founding of our firm,
Sidley today comprises a diverse group of legal
professionals from many cultures who are dedicated
to teamwork, collaboration and superior client
service. The firm has built a reputation for successfully
representing clients on complex transactional,
regulatory and litigation matters spanning a range
of legal areas. From our offices in the commercial,
financial and regulatory centres of the world, we
harness our knowledge to provide thoughtful advice
for the myriad of legal and business challenges that
our clients face.

Ofcom is a forward-thinking, inclusive

We’re a leading, full-service, global law firm working
employer. We are a Stonewall Diversity Slaughter and May is one of the most prestigious law
on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals at
Champion, a Disability Confident employer firms in the world advising on high-profile and often
the forefront of the world’s most exciting sectors.
and one of Vercida’s Top 10 employers for black landmark international transactions. There are distinct
With an award-winning depth of expertise across
and minority-ethnic colleagues. differences between us and other global law firms.
a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal
We train each of our lawyers to be a multi-specialist
specialisms, we’re the firm where you can build
equipped to advise on a broad range of legal matters,
your future in law. By combining perspectives and
which at other firms would be handled by a number
potential from diverse backgrounds, we can offer
of different lawyers. We think that by broadening
our clients pioneering solutions. With our innovative
your training and experience, you will be a better
and inclusive culture, we’re building a law firm
lawyer. We also take a different approach to time;
ready to lead the future. Our progressive approach
there are no set billing or time targets. Our lawyers
allows us to continually break new ground; whether
are free to work collaboratively, sharing expertise
it’s a complex international dispute or a billion-
and knowledge, so that they can concentrate on
pound, cross-border deal. You’ll add your insight
what matters most – the quality of the work and
and expertise from day one.
client service.
 Day 1
9:00am Onboarding and networking 1:1 Networking

9:30am Welcome from Bright Network Seminars (Stage)

With a keynote by Slaughter and May Partner, Robert Byk.

Robert Byk
Partner
Slaughter and May

Robert Byk is a Financing and Corporate Partner at Slaughter and May. He joined the firm in 1998
and became a Partner in 2007. Robert advises on a wide range of banking, finance and corporate
transactions and his clients include Tata Steel, CEMEX, Premier Foods, Seadrill, Givaudan, Pirelli, Rightmove
and ISS. Robert was also part of our teams advising HM Treasury on certain elements of the financial support
provided to the Banking Industry and the Government on the Hinkley Point nuclear power station and the new
carbon capture and storage initiatives. Robert was seconded to Milan for two years whilst an Associate. He was also
one of the two partners with overall responsibility for graduate recruitment for nine years, has previously been on
the partnership board and now heads up the pro bono activities of the firm.

10:00am Break

10:30am
Core skills seminars Seminars (Stage)

Networking Managing you

Networking is a key skill not only in the world of work but also Starting out in your career can mean your own health and
in life. Networking expert, Kelly Hoey, will provide top tips to wellbeing become deprioritised. Learn best practices for
network effectively and deceptively simple ways to maximise managing you, your wellbeing and your workload, as well as
networking opportunities without adding more to your diary. managing your stakeholders.

J. Kelly Hoey
Ben Carter
Author
Growth & Innovation Manager
Build Your Dream Network
Bright Network
Networking expert, Kelly Hoey is the author and podcast host of
Build Your Dream Network. She has been lauded from Forbes
(“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”)
to Fast Company (“1 of the 25 Smartest Women On Twitter”) to
Business Insider (“1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On
Twitter”) and Inc. (1 of “10 Most Well-Connected People in New
York City’s Startup Scene”). Not bad for a former corporate lawyer
from Toronto. Kelly resides in New York City; however, she’s more
often found on Twitter @jkhoey.

11:40am
Sector 101 Seminars (Stage)

Introduction to commercial law

We will be joined by Mark Wing, Partner, and Georgia Amos, Trainee Solicitor, as they discuss the key Commercial Law practice
areas, a day in the life of a Partner and Trainee, and what the firm looks for in a legal graduate. They will also provide an insight
into Clyde & Co’s Data Analytics Lab, which Mark is the lead Partner on and Georgia is the first trainee to join the team for a
6-month seat rotation.

Georgia Amos Mark Wing

Trainee Solicitor Partner
Clyde & Co Clyde & Co

Georgia is a final seat Trainee Solicitor, currently sitting in the
Clyde & Co Data Lab, which is the first rotation of its kind.
Her day-to-day role in the Data Lab involves liaising with the
machine learning engineers, global legal technologists and
the wider legal teams to scope out projects and build proofs of
concepts and minimum viable products for use both internally
by our lawyers and externally by our clients. Georgia has also
undertaken a client secondment at a smart infrastructure
solutions company as part of her projects & construction seat,
an international secondment in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a
rotation in our energy & trade sanctions team in London.
Mark is an Insurance Partner whose practice involves a wide
range of contentious insurance and reinsurance areas with a
focus on UK and international property and product liability
risks. Mark has extensive experience of advising insurers and
reinsurers in relation to coverage disputes including fraudulent
claims and undertakes subrogated recovery actions both in
the UK and as coordinating counsel for international actions.
Mark is also the lead Partner on the firm’s Data Analytics
Lab, which uses data analysis supplemented with machine
learning tools to explore workflow efficiencies as well as
products and services for clients.

12:30pm Lunch

Sector specialist seminars:

1:30pm
1. Core skills for junior Seminars (Stage)

commercial lawyers
In this session, Clyde & Co Partner, James Major, along with Early Careers Coordinator, Anna Rutowicz, will talk through the main skills
required to succeed as a junior commercial lawyer. Anna and James will provide two different perspectives, with James discussing how
these skills are relevant to the job and Anna offering advice on how to demonstrate these core skills in the application process.

James Major Anna Rutowicz

Partner Early Careers Coordinator
Clyde & Co Clyde & Co

James is an Employment Partner with extensive experience
of advising clients on the handling of all types of employment
claims, disciplinary and grievance procedures, redundancy
programmes, and long-term absence and performance issues.
James is also the firm’s Training Principal and supports the
Early Careers Team in recruiting diverse and high quality
Trainee Solicitors and Apprentices and ensuring they receive
a first-class training experience.
Anna joined Clyde & Co as an Early Careers Coordinator
after graduating from the University of Surrey last year. Her
role involves providing support to both the recruitment and
development sides of the firm’s Graduate and Apprenticeship
programmes. This includes annual recruitment, induction
and development of Trainee Solicitors and Apprentices across
London and Manchester.

2:00pm 2. Legal drafting Seminars (Stage)

Drafting legal documents is an essential element of working in the legal sector. In this session, Catherine Howard will tell us about
the basic structure of good legal advice notes and will provide tips on how to present and prepare for an effective legal draft.

Catherine Howard
Partner and Head of Graduate Recruitment
Herbert Smith Freehills

Catherine Howard joined Herbert Smith Freehills in 2001. She is a planning and environment lawyer, specialising in the consenting of
major energy and infrastructure projects. Career highlights include promoting consents for EDF Energy’s new nuclear power stations
at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, advising the UK’s leading shale gas ‘fracking’ company (Cuadrilla Resources) on its controversial
proposals in Lancashire, obtaining consent for the New Tyne Crossing, and advising Gatwick and Luton airports on their expansion
plans. She became a partner in 2015, and is currently Head of Graduate Recruitment for London.

2:30pm Break

3:00pm
3. Global investigations: Seminars (Stage)
advising clients in the eye of a storm
In this session, Slaughter and May Partner, Camilla Sanger, and Trainee Solicitor, Eniola Oyesanya, will introduce you to the high-
stakes world of global corporate investigations. Whether it’s a ransomware data hack, a whistle-blower report alleging misconduct
by the CEO, or a dawn raid by law enforcement, the company involved has to get to the bottom of what’s happened and figure out
next steps. That’s where we come in. We will explain how we help companies navigate the tricky waters of global investigations, and
defend against enforcement actions that could threaten the company’s very existence.

Eniola Oyesanya Camilla Sanger

Trainee Solicitor Partner
Slaughter and May Slaughter and May

Eniola is a 4th seat Trainee at Slaughter and May. She is currently
sitting in the Competition team and has completed seats in
Corporate and Disputes and Investigations. During her 3rd seat
she carried out an international secondment at Bredin Prat, our
‘Best Friends’ firm in Paris, working primarily on corporate and
arbitration matters. She is part of the firm’s Gender Equality
Network and also sits on the DIVERSE network committee. Prior
to joining the firm, she completed the LPC at BPP University and
received a Law with French Law degree from the University of
Oxford.
Camilla Sanger is a Disputes and Investigations Partner at
Slaughter and May. She joined the firm in 2007 and became a
Partner in 2018. Her practice covers commercial, banking and
competition litigation and contentious regulatory investigations
which often span multiple jurisdictions, and she has acted for a
number of major corporates, banks and other financial services
institutions. Examples of investigations that she has acted on
include the recent independent review of TSB’s 2018 migration
to a new IT platform, which resulted in the publication of
Slaughter and May’s Report on 19 November 2019, and acting for
Deutsche Bank on the investigations by Government agencies
across multiple jurisdictions including the US, UK and Germany
in relation to the setting of various interbank benchmark rates,
and on the subsequent coordinated settlements. Camilla is
currently one of the two Partners with overall responsibility for
graduate recruitment.

3:30pm 4. Anatomy of a private equity Seminars (Stage)

transaction
This session is designed to give a short introduction into the life-cycle of a private equity deal from a legal perspective. The session
provides a brief look into the private equity sector and then focuses on the key aspects of a private equity deal and a general
description on how a typical private equity deal progresses from the early stages of an auction through to post-completion.

Khalid Hayat
Associate
Sidley Austin LLP

Khalid Hayat is a Junior Associate at Sidley Austin LLP. Khalid has advised on a broad range of corporate transactions
including mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, corporate restructurings and general corporate advisory work.
Khalid trained and qualified as a solicitor in Sidley’s London office, where he also gained experience with the firm’s real estate
finance, financial services regulatory and employment groups.

4:00pm Break

4:30pm
5. Legal & business research Seminars (Stage)

Legal and business research are a cornerstone of the role of a commercial lawyer, and fundamental tasks completed regularly by
Trainee Solicitors. This seminar will discuss the importance of research and demonstrate how you can develop your skills to ensure
you tailor your research to best suit the individual needs of clients.

Zara Sproul
Associate
Allen & Overy

Zara is an Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions team and advises on a range of corporate transactions including private
acquisitions, public takeovers, equity finance and general corporate advisory work. Zara has a particular focus on the Life Sciences
and Consumer and Retail sectors. Zara spent six months on secondment to Allen & Overy’s Madrid office.

Zara spent six months in each of the Litigation, Banking Restructuring and Corporate Departments of Allen & Overy whilst
completing her training contract before qualifying in 2018 when she was admitted as a Solicitor (England and Wales).

5:00pm Closing for day 1 Seminars (Stage)

Day 2
9:00am Networking 1:1 Networking

9:30am Work sample introduction

Now that you’ve been upskilled by our partners on day 1, it is time to utilise the skills you’ve learned.
The Bright Network team will provide an overview of the work sample you will be analysing.

10:00am 1:1 networking – meet others and discuss work sample 1:1 Networking

11:00am Working time

12:30pm Alumni office hours Meet Alumni (Expo)

Sahar Abas Hugh Durant

Trainee Solicitor Graduate, Spectrum Policy and Analysis
Akin Gump Ofcom

Sahar studied Law (Jurisprudence) at The University of Oxford
before completing the LPC at BPP.
Having completed seats in Tax, Litigation and a secondment to
Akin Gump’s Dubai office, Sahar is currently sitting in Financial
Service Regulatory. Sahar has a strong interest in Pro Bono and
successfully applied to the firm’s Pro Bono Scholar scheme,
participating in their Pro Bono Bootcamp in the US. During her
time at the firm she has coordinated a cross-office project on
a European convention protecting women’s rights, assisted a
mother and her children in their immigration application and
helped defend death row prisoners in Malawi.
Ahmed Alfreahat
First Year Trainee Solicitor
Akin Gump
Ahmed studied Law at University of Kent before completing
the LPC at BPP.
Having completed a seat in Litigation, Ahmed is currently
sitting with the Tax team. He has been involved in numerous
multi-million dollar disputes and transactions, and has also
worked on international pro-bono projects. Most recently, he
helped draft an agreement for a UK charity which aids young
students with their studies. Ahmed has also been involved in
assessing deteriorating freedom of speech standards in Balkan
countries. He is currently working on a project in Sierra Leone,
which aims to reform the Taxation system in Freetown.
Hannah Pye
Trainee Solicitor
Allen & Overy
Hannah is a second-seat Trainee currently sat in the
Projects, Energy and Infrastructure team. She previously
spent six months in the M&A team. Hannah completed her
undergraduate degree in Modern Languages at St Hugh’s
College, Oxford and graduated in 2017 before completing the
Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course.
Hannah has been involved in several pro bono initiatives,
including a project helping to streamline legal resources for
asylum seekers during the Covid-19 crisis, and regularly advises
at Toynbee Legal Advice Centre.
Hugh is a graduate covering Mobile Coverage Reporting
Policy and 6Ghz in the Spectrum Policy and Analysis team at
Ofcom. Before joining the graduate scheme, he completed
work experience days at Simmons & Simmons, Hogan Lovells
and Freshfields. Hugh graduated with an LLB, Law with a Year
Abroad degree from Durham University in 2019. Outside of work,
Hugh is a keen tennis player.
Matthew Sharples
Trainee Solicitor
PwC
Matthew is a third seat Trainee Solicitor at PwC, currently sitting
in the Regulatory and Commercial Disputes practice. His previous
seats have been in Corporate and Employment. He is also a
Coordinator for PwC’s pro-bono clinic partnership with King’s
College London.
Having studied mostly science-based A-Levels, Matthew decided
to study Law at the University of Birmingham, where he graduated
in 2017. He also started and ran his own business at University,
focusing on retailing sportswear. During his degree he completed
PwC’s Summer Vacation Scheme, following which he was offered
a Training Contract.
Emily Ablitt
Trainee Solicitor
Shoosmiths
Emily studied Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough
University and after undertaking modules relating to law and
completing work experience within the legal industry, decided
to complete her GDL and LPC at De Montfort University. Emily
completed a vacation scheme with Shoosmiths in 2016 where
she was successful in securing a training contract to start at
Shoosmiths’ Milton Keynes’ Office in 2018.
Emily will be qualifying into the firm’s Business Advisory Division
in September 2020 and her seats (in order of rotation) include:
Real Estate Litigation; a secondment at Volkswagen Group UK;
a commercial seat; and a corporate/company secretarial seat
(current).

Harry Clark April Phillips

Future Trainee Solicitor Trainee Solicitor
Baker McKenzie Shoosmiths

Harry Clark is a Future Trainee Solicitor at Baker McKenzie
and producer of resources for aspiring lawyers. He has written
extensively on topics such as commercial awareness and
improving candidates’ application strategy. He also hosts the
‘More From Law’ podcast on Spotify and iTunes, interviewing
guests that include recruiters, law firm founders, entrepreneurs
and experts, designed to help broaden listeners’ legal horizons.
Jake Schogger
Founder and CEO
City Career Series
Jake Schogger is a qualified lawyer, entrepreneur, author,
copywriter and consultant.
He trained as a lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
and now works as a legal adviser to start-ups and scale-ups. He
is also the founder and CEO of City Career Series, a publishing
company that has sold over 40,000 handbooks designed to help
students secure City careers, and regularly delivers career-related
presentations at universities across the UK.
In addition, Jake runs a variety of other small businesses and
has accumulated extensive copywriting, business development,
marketing and consulting experience whilst working
with organisations including Booking.com, The Big Issue, Bright
Network, Warwick University, BBQ Jack and Ignition Law.
April is a second seat Corporate Trainee at leading national law
firm, Shoosmiths LLP. She is usually based in the firm’s Solent
office, just outside of Southampton and enjoys living on the South
Coast. April has spent an extended period with the Corporate
team due to the current pandemic and enjoys the client exposure
and high quality work which is given to Shoosmiths’ trainees.
April studied law at the University of Portsmouth, graduating in
2018 with a First Class Honours, and went on to complete her LPC
at the University of Law in Guildford.
Victoria Potts
Trainee Solicitor
Shoosmiths
Victoria studied Law with a year abroad at the University of
Warwick, where she spent her third year studying International
and European Law at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
She studied the accelerated version of the LPC which meant she
completed her Masters in Law and Business within just 6 months.
Victoria was a private client paralegal at a local regional law firm,
an infrastructure paralegal on large development projects and
an inhouse paralegal before starting her training contract in
September 2019.
Her first seat was in the Intellectual Property team within the
Commercial department, and her second and current seat is
Family Law, within the Personal Advisory department.

Jazil Eddaikra Abigail Wood

Trainee Solicitor
Trainee Solicitor
Shoosmiths
Clyde & Co
Abigail studied her undergraduate Law degree at the University
Jazil studied Law at Cardiff University and subsequently
of Liverpool before completing her LPC at the University of Law,
completed the LPC at BPP, Holborn. He secured a Training
Leeds campus. She obtained a Training Contract at Shoosmiths
Contract at Clyde & Co during his LPC year. Following his LPC,
(Manchester office) during her second year at university,
Jazil had a two-year gap before commencing his TC so took
after having completed a vacation scheme at the firm. She
this opportunity to get some legal experience. He worked as a
is currently in her second seat, Commercial Real Estate, after
paralegal in two different law firms and this helped prepare him
spending her first 6 months in the Banking & Finance team,
for trainee life. Jazil is now currently in his second seat, sitting
working primarily on real estate finance. During her training
in the Employment, Pensions & Immigration team. His first seat
contract, she has also had the opportunity to work with the
was in the Technology, Outsourcing and Data Protection team.
Disputed Wills & Trusts team.
He has enjoyed a varied training contract so far and is looking
forward to continuing his development at the firm.

Anisha Hira
Trainee Solicitor
Clyde & Co
Anisha is currently a second seat Trainee in the Professional
Indemnity – Construction team and previously did a seat in
the International Arbitration team. Anisha grew up in Kenya
and India before coming to the UK in 2013. She completed her
undergraduate studies in Politics, Philosophy and Law at King’s
College London and an LLM in Public law at UCL before starting
her training contract at Clyde & Co in September 2019.
Bethany Wise
Trainee Solicitor
Sidley Austin LLP
Bethany Wise is a Trainee Solicitor at Sidley Austin LLP. Bethany
is in the first year of her training contract in Sidley’s London
office, and has gained experience with the firm’s insurance
and life sciences groups. During her time at the firm, Bethany
has been involved with various regulatory advisory, litigation
and transactional matters. Recent projects of interest include a
high profile Supreme Court case and several pro bono matters
relating to COVID-19.

Harry Little
Trainee Solicitor
Clyde & Co
Harry was born in London and was raised in Surrey and
Hampshire. He played professional rugby for one year after
leaving school at the end of which he decided to study Politics
and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.
Harry went straight from his undergraduate degree to complete
the GDL during which he secured a training contract with Clyde
& Co. He then spent 9 months as a paralegal at Clyde & Co before
completing his LPC. He is now a second seat Trainee sitting in the
Energy, Engineering, Marine & Construction team. His first seat
was in Property Litigation.
Hazal Kirci
Future Trainee Solicitor
Simmons & Simmons
Hazal Kirci graduated from the University of Warwick with a First in
English Literature. She has just completed her Graduate Diploma
in Law and is starting the Legal Practice Course in September.
Between 2018 and 2019 (two recruitment cycles), she completed
18 applications and was invited to 7 interviews for vacation
schemes and training contracts at various law firms. In July 2019
she completed a two-week vacation scheme with Simmons &
Simmons which resulted in a training contract offer. Hazal is
always willing to provide time and advice to prospective applicants
and is happy to be reached out to on LinkedIn.

Sachin Shah
Future Trainee Solicitor
Clyde & Co
Sachin Shah is a future Trainee Solicitor at Clyde & Co and is
currently studying the LPC. He will be commencing his training
contract with the firm in August 2020. Prior to transitioning into
commercial law, Sachin’s background is fairly unconventional. He
always had a keen interest in science and climate change, which
led him to study Environmental Science at Plymouth University.
From undertaking commercial and legal work experience
both in the UK and in Kenya, he decided to pursue a career in
commercial law. He would like to focus his training contract in
sectors such as energy, shipping, and insurance.
Ellie-Mae Toole
Trainee Solicitor
Clyde & Co
Ellie studied Law at the University of Exeter and throughout
her time at university, she was a Bright Network member. After
graduating in 2018, Ellie studied the LPC at BPP University before
starting her training contract with Clyde & Co in September
2019. She is now a second seat trainee sitting in the International
Arbitration department in London. Her first seat was in the
Marine & International Trade department based in Clyde & Co’s
Guildford office.
Annie Wood
Trainee Solicitor
Clyde & Co
Annie is a second seat Trainee in Property, Cyber, Liability. She
studied Law with Hispanic Law at UCL, and did a year abroad
at UC3M in Madrid. Annie is passionate about environmental
matters – she is currently involved in Clyde & Co’s Trainee Climate
Change Pro Bono programme, and Clyde & Co’s Hackathon in
partnership with the Chancery Lane Project
Sam Unsworth
Trainee Solicitor
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Sam is a Trainee Solicitor at Skadden who will be qualifying as an
Associate into Skadden’s Private Equity team. He spent six months
in 2019/20 working in Skadden’s New York office on secondment
to their Mergers & Acquisitions team. Sam received vacation
scheme offers from Skadden, Latham & Watkins, Freshfields and
Clifford Chance, along with completing a summer internship at
Goldman Sachs. He studied Law at Bristol University and was the
President of Bristol’s Law Society. Sam has been involved with
Bright Network since 2013, attended a state school and is the first
member of his family to go to university.
Janine Arnold
Senior Manager – Trainee Recruitment
Slaughter and May
Janine Arnold is a Senior Manager with responsibility for the
Trainee Recruitment function at Slaughter and May. Her team
manages all aspects of the trainee recruitment process including
attraction, events, work experience and training contracts. Janine
also works closely with our Inclusion team on many initiatives,
including the firm’s flagship social mobility programme with
the charity upReach. Janine studied law at university and has
worked at Slaughter and May since 2001.
Ginerva Bizzarri
Future Trainee Solicitor
Slaughter and May
Ginevra is currently a Paralegal at Mishcon de Reya in the Litigation
group and is a future Trainee at Slaughter and May. Ginevra
graduated from Durham University in 2018 and then went onto
complete the GDL at the University of Law in London. This year
she obtained 2 Training contract offers and two vacation scheme
offers. Ginevra will start her Masters in Cambridge this October
and is currently working on setting up her new platform
“lawmadeasy”, aimed at making commercial topics accessible for
aspiring lawyers.

Mary Hughes Robert Byk

Trainee Solicitor Partner
Herbert Smith Freehills Slaughter and May

Mary is a third seat trainee, currently on secondment to Herbert
Smith Freehills’ Paris office sitting in the Finance team which
specialises in trade and commodity finance. She has previously
sat in Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance and Corporate
M&A in the London office. At HSF, Mary is part of the Women
Trainee Lawyers Network and regularly gets involved with the
firm’s pro bono and charity work and graduate recruitment
events. Prior to joining HSF, Mary studied Law at the University of
Sheffield and completed the Accelerated LPC at BPP Holborn.
Rebecca Worrall
Graduate Recruitment Adviser
Herbert Smith Freehills
Robert Byk is a Financing and Corporate Partner at Slaughter
and May. He joined the firm in 1998 and became a Partner
in 2007. Robert advises on a wide range of banking, finance
and corporate transactions and his clients include Tata Steel,
CEMEX, Premier Foods, Seadrill, Givaudan, Pirelli, Rightmove
and ISS. Robert was also part of our teams advising HM Treasury
on certain elements of the financial support provided to the
Banking Industry and the Government on the Hinkley Point
nuclear power station and the new carbon capture and storage
initiatives. Robert was seconded to Milan for two years whilst
an Associate. He was also one of the two partners with overall
responsibility for graduate recruitment for nine years, has
previously been on the partnership board and now heads up
the pro bono activities of the firm.

Rebecca studied Psychology at Leeds University and moved to

London after graduation to complete a HR graduate scheme.
She got her first taste of graduate recruitment & law when she
joined a smaller law firm in 2017. In 2019, she joined the graduate
recruitment team at Herbert Smith Freehills; her role primarily
involves leading on university strategies, creating marketing
materials and hosting on-campus and in-house student events.
William Finnerty
Trainee Solicitor
Kennedys
William is a first year Trainee in Kennedys’ London office, currently
working in the International Litigation and Arbitration team.
Steph Crossley
Trainee Solicitor
Slaughter and May
Steph Crossley is a third seat trainee currently sitting in one of
the Financing groups. Her previous two seats were Corporate
and Competition. During her Competition seat she also
seconded to Brussels for three months with four other trainees
in the group. It was a great opportunity to live abroad for three
months and also to spend some time in the Brussels office. She
has been involved in a broad range of work since joining the firm,
including a variety of public and private M&A, capital markets
transactions and UK and EU merger processes. Steph is also
involved in some of the firm’s responsible business initiatives and
takes part in some of the mentoring programmes on offer. Prior
to joining the firm, she studied Law at Durham University and
graduated in 2017.

Uzma Malik
Trainee Solicitor
Kennedys
Uzma is a first year Trainee in Kennedys’ Cambridge office,
currently working in the Healthcare team.
Ankita Sodha
Trainee Solicitor
Linklaters LLP
Ankita graduated from the London School of Economics in 2018,
having studied Law. She did a vacation scheme at Linklaters
in the summer of 2018 where she spent two weeks in the
Corporate group and two weeks with the Tax group, both of
which she really enjoyed. Following this, Ankita was offered a
training contract at Linklaters to begin in March 2020. After
spending some time abroad during her gap year, Ankita began
her LPC in July 2019 with the rest of the cohort, and was then
able to start her training contract in March of this year. Ankita is
currently sitting with the Banking group for her first seat and has
so far really enjoyed her time at Linklaters (despite starting the
TC working from home!).
Bam Thomas
Trainee Solicitor
Linklaters LLP
Bam’s journey into law started at the University of Sheffield
where she studied Law with International and European law,
which included a year abroad at Sciences Po, Paris. Bam’s first
seat was in Corporate and she is currently in Dispute Resolution.
Following a number of great interactions with Linklaters, Bam
decided to apply because of the quality of the training the firm
offers and the secondment opportunities.
Khadar Jama
Trainee Solicitor
Slaughter and May
Khadar Jama is a second seat trainee at Slaughter and May
currently sitting in one of the firm’s financing groups. During his
time in the group, he has assisted on a broad range of financing
matters including vanilla lending transactions, acquisition
financing and debt capital markets. Prior to this, he sat in one
of the firm’s corporate groups. He graduated from the University
of Warwick in 2017 having studied Politics and International
Studies. After completing the GDL and LPC (taking six months
out in between), he commenced his training contract with the
firm in September 2019.
Smriti Sriram
Associate
Slaughter and May
Smriti Sriram is an Associate in the Disputes and Investigations
group at Slaughter and May. She joined the firm as a Trainee
in 2012 and qualified as an Associate in March 2015. Smriti has
worked on a range of disputes, including High Court litigation,
international arbitration and regulatory investigations for clients
in different sectors. Smriti has advised public and private sector
clients, including advising the Department for Transport in
a high profile dispute against Eurotunnel and acting for the
Bathroom Brands group (a bathroom fittings distributor) in a
shareholder dispute about a recycling shower product prototype.
She was seconded to the High Court (Chancery Division) as a
judicial assistant for 4 months in 2018 and has been a volunteer
at the Islington Law Centre and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (at
the Royal Court of Justice).
Peaches Stanforth
Trainee Solicitor
Slaughter and May

Sophie Thomas
Trainee Recruitment Advisor
Linklaters LLP
Sophie has worked in the Trainee Recruitment team at Linklaters
for nearly six years! She is responsible for all of Linklaters’
marketing efforts, including our events, materials, social media
and online presence. Sophie is happy to answer any questions
about our opportunities, application processes or about life at
the firm! Sophie studied History and American Studies at the
University of Nottingham.
After studying Law at UCL and then the LPC, Peaches started
her first seat in one of the firm’s financing groups. She helped
on a variety of regular banking, DCM, acquisition finance and
restructuring and insolvency matters before seconding to Brussels
for the first three months of her second seat in competition.
She was mainly focused on merger control during her time in
the competition department, but she also got involved with an
interesting, Brexit-related procurement case. Peaches sat her third
seat in corporate and mainly saw private M&A work, particularly
in the industrial and energy sectors. Before the pandemic
hit, she was meant to second to BonelliErede in Milan for her
fourth seat. However, she is now helping with some fascinating
multijurisdictional matters in another of the firm’s financing groups.

Emily Chandler Danielle Terry

Trainee Solicitor Future Trainee Solicitor
Macfarlanes Slaughter and May

Emily Chandler joined Macfarlanes as a trainee in September
2019, having completed a vacation scheme at the firm in July
2017. She has so far completed a seat in Corporate M&A and
is currently in her second seat in Commercial Real Estate.
She studied law at the University of Exeter and graduated in
July 2018.
Harry Davies
Danielle has just finished her Law degree at the University of
Liverpool, and is a Future Trainee at Slaughter and May. As
someone who has recently been through the application process,
Danielle is able to provide advice and top tips on the Training
Contract application process. Danielle has also completed an
in-house internship at multinational construction firm Lendlease,
and so is able to answer questions on in-house internships or on
gaining an insight into Real Estate. She also runs Legal And The
City, where she works with various future and current trainees to
share tips on how to secure a Training Contract.

Trainee Solicitor
Macfarlanes
Harry Davies joined Macfarlanes as a Trainee in September 2019
and has completed seats in Litigation and Corporate M&A so far.
Harry studied Government at LSE, during which he worked in
Parliament on casework and policy. After graduating, he worked
for a political information company, before leaving to study the
GDL at City University. He later joined the Civil Service as a senior
policy adviser on aerospace issues, after which he studied the
LPC before joining Macfarlanes as a trainee.
Daniel Fisher
Trainee Solicitor
Macfarlanes
Sera Kaplan
Trainee Solicitor
Squire Patton Boggs
Sera studied LLB Law at the University of Leeds and is a Trainee
Solicitor, currently in her sixth month of working in the corporate
finance team. Prior to starting her training contract, she broadened
her international outlook through working as a paralegal at SPB’s
Australian offices (Perth and Sydney). She also gained valuable
commercial experience through supporting in-house legal teams
at two clients, The Co-Operative Bank (at their HQ in Manchester)
for four months and Clear Channel International, an advertising
company (at their HQ in London) for 13 months. Sera is happy to
answer any questions about commercial law or legal practice in
general.

Dan is currently a fourth seat trainee at Macfarlanes and

has completed seats in the firm’s Litigation, Corporate M&A,
Competition and Private Client departments.
Prior to starting his training contract, Dan studied Law at the
University of York and attended Bright Network Future Lawyers
Top 100 event in his second year. Dan completed vacation
schemes at King & Wood Mallesons, Shearman & Sterling and
Walker Morris in 2015. He accepted a training contract at King &
Wood Mallesons. Following KWM’s collapse in January 2017, he
secured a new training contract at Macfarlanes and joined the
firm in September 2018.
Abigail Kolawole
Trainee Solicitor
White & Case
Abigail is currently a Trainee Solicitor at a leading global law
firm. Abigail graduated top of her year with a degree in LLB
International Legal Studies from a UK Russell Group University.
Abigail has completed work experience at numerous law firms
including Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner,
Clifford Chance, Latham & Watkins and White & Case.

1:30pm Working time

3:00pm 1:1 networking – meet others and discuss work sample 1:1 Networking

4:00pm
Teamwork and collaboration seminar Seminars (Stage)

You’ve heard of how important teamwork and collaboration are when you enter the world of work; however, do you know how
to put this into practice? We will provide you with insight and top tips on how to be a team player and a collaborator in any
future professional situation.

Ben Carter
Growth & Innovation Manager
Bright Network

4:30pm Working time

Day 3

10:45am Work sample completion

As you finish up your work sample, please ensure you have uploaded it to Google Drive,
WeTransfer or Dropbox so that it can be easily shared for work sample marking.

11:00am Welcome and debrief Seminars (Stage)

Congratulations on completing the work sample! We will review a model answer and provide the scoring matrix before you
are paired with another Internship Experience UK participant to present and give feedback on each other’s work.

Ben Carter Priyanka Patel Phil Yarrow

Growth & Innovation Manager Operations Executive Talent Specialist
Bright Network Bright Network Bright Network

11:30am Work sample marking time

1:00pm Applications and CV advice Seminars (Stage)

– the whys and hows

In this session, you will learn top tips and tricks to tailor your CV so that you can stand out to future employers! Robert will provide
insight into what fundamental details should be included and how to flesh out your CV so that everything is relevant and catches
the eye of recruiters.

Robert Byk
Partner
Slaughter and May

1:30pm Close and congratulations Seminars (Stage)

How Bright Network can help you
after Internship Experience UK
Job recommendations
You’ll receive tailored recommendations for live internship and job opportunities
from leading employers. Complete your profile to make them even more
personal to your career.

Complete your profile

Autumn events
From the No.1 careers event in the UK, Bright Network Festival, to sector focused and diversity
virtual events, meet leading employers in the crucial autumn term. You can also build your confidence
and skills with our weekly insights online events.

View the schedule

Bright Network Academy

Continue your learning with the free platform designed to support your applications and improve your employability.
Gain access to practice psychometric tests, content from the likes of Chris Stoakes and Jake Schogger and much more.

Start a module

Thanks again for taking part in Internship Experience UK.

Please do email hello@brightnetwork.co.uk with any
questions about your membership.