The first time I met anyone from DLA Piper was at a graduate recruitment event at Newcastle University. I was left with the impression that it's a firm whose people are at the core of its business and that it doesn't simply rely on historical reputation for its continued success.

I was so impressed with the firm’s people and the strategic vision of what they wanted to achieve that I applied for a training contract...

I studied History at Nottingham but being truthful didn’t know which career path to pursue. My approach was to undertake various work placements to get a feel for different working environments. A career in the legal sector was always on my radar as it’s seen as a classic transition from studying History. I embarked on the rigorous process of reviewing a whole host of law firms before applying for vacation schemes. From the masses I selected a handful of firms which I perceived suited my interests and career outlook.

I joined DLA Piper in 1998 as a trainee and became a partner in our Leveraged Finance team in 2009. We primarily work with banks, but also borrowers and private equity houses, on the financing aspects of international mergers and acquisitions.

As a trainee in the Finance team, I really enjoyed the work, the dynamism of the team and I bonded well with my colleagues and clients, and therefore decided to qualify into the team.

I chose DLA Piper because its rapid evolution to a global law firm impressed me when researching prospective law firms. With its positive 'can do' attitude and belief in the deliverance of excellence to clients, I felt it was a firm in which I could best pursue my own legal ambitions.

What have you found to be most challenging so far? Sometimes managing the relationship between client expectations...

I qualified as a pharmacist and worked initially in the NHS and then the pharmaceutical industry, spending a couple of years with a multinational. The work I was doing was predominantly regulatory and that got me involved with a lot of departments including the legal team.

The things that those guys were doing really interested me. I looked into how I could get involved and what benefit my career might have to the switch. I had a few friends who had become lawyers and never looked back; they told me that some firms were looking for people with a background such as mine. I took the leap and did my GDL and began my second career.