Graduate Recruitment
Meet our people
Yunus Maka - Partner
Corporate
Accounting & Law, Manchester University
I joined the Manchester office as a trainee in 1998 when it was still called Dibb Lupton Alsop. The main thing that attracted me to the firm was the culture. I don’t think it has changed very much over the years – this has always been a very good and personable environment in which to work.
Since qualification I’ve worked in the corporate department, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and private equity. I became an associate in 2004 and then a partner at the start of 2008. To have made partnership in eight years is amazing and I believe few other firms would have given me the opportunity to progress my career so quickly.
Once you’ve qualified you are encouraged to take on your own workload (with supervision of course). Whilst you’ll be putting in some long hours, they’re not unreasonable. I think the balance between pushing yourself and getting the rewards for that hard work is very successfully managed here.
I didn’t foresee what was going to happen when I joined DLA Piper. At that time we had a few offices scattered around the UK. But between 2000 and 2008 our expansion has been nothing short of amazing. No one could have predicted the success we had and the drive and determination of the board to see it through.
You would be joining a firm that is often regarded to as ‘going places’. It’s a firm that’s still growing in size, where opportunities are much greater than elsewhere. In Manchester your chances of being involved in international work are second to none.
Between 2004 and 2007 we did approximately £8.1bn of transactional work in this office alone – twice as much as the nearest competitor. Despite the recent downturn we are still very busy.
You won’t be a cog in the machine. The importance we put on serving regional as well as global clients means that everybody counts and you can enjoy a local firm atmosphere whilst still working on major matters.
I’m proud to have been born and bred in Bolton and have lived there for over 30 years. I enjoy the quality of life that I have there and the work that I do in Manchester. This is a great city that has changed enormously (for the better) over the past few years. Whether or not you see yourself in London, Manchester offers City-quality training and a career that is second to none.
