Interview
Jacob Robinson, banking Partner and former Gateley trainee, shares some insight into his role.
I originally started at Gateley on a summer vacation placement in August 2000 where I was assessed, interviewed and offered a training contract starting in September 2002. My training contract consisted of seats in the Restructuring, Corporate, Property and Banking & Finance departments following which I chose to qualify into the Corporate team focusing on private equity.
During the first few years following qualification, I spent my time working on transactions advising clients from both a debt and equity perspective.
Whilst my original focus was on private equity, I found I was spending the majority of my time advising clients on the debt aspects and it was at that point that I became a member of the Banking & Finance team. I was promoted to associate in 2007, senior associate in 2010 and then to partner in 2013, when I moved to London to help develop the practice in the City.
Having spent over 15 years with the business, it is needless to say that I have enjoyed and still enjoy my time here.
This is due to the variety of the clients I work for, the huge range of transactions I work on but, more importantly, the people I work with.
It has been exciting to be part of the significant growth experienced by the Gateley group over the last 10 years including the opening of many new offices.
As clichéd as it may sound, I have had a fantastic 15 years at the business. The fact that it feels as though it was only last week that I first stepped through the door as a slightly bewildered vacation student, is probably indicative of how quickly the time has gone and how enjoyable it’s been.
There are sometimes challenging, difficult days, there always will be as a solicitor, but it’s having a supportive team around you that helps you not just get through them, but look forward to the next challenge.