Charlotte Burgess

ROUTE TO SLAUGHTER AND MAY

Before joining Saughter and May, I studied Law at Durham University. I attended the firm's summer work experience scheme in 2020 and was offered a training contract after this. I graduated in 2021 and moved to London at the start of 2022 to complete what was then the Accelerated Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School before joining the firm in September 2022. Although I was nervous about starting at the firm, I was fortunate enough to already know most of my intake due to our time studying together at BPP. 

WHY SLAUGHTER AND MAY?

Saughter and May appealed to me for a plethora of reasons. I really enjoyed the fact that the multi-specialist approach allows me to continually expand and develop my knowledge as well as making my days at work interesting and exciting. I also relish the challenge that comes with having to turn your hand to multiple disciplines within the same practice area. Furthermore, the lack of billable targets really feeds into the collective culture of the firm - people are very willing to give up their time to assist you and get to know you on a personal level. 

MY TRAINING CONTRACT

As part of my training contract, I spent time in our Corporate, Disputes and Investigations, Pensions, Employment and Incentives and Real Estate groups. I enjoyed all of my seats and found that each seat taught me something different as well as the importance of building connections across the firm, you often end up working with different departments on a matter so it's always nice to see a friendly face. 

I chose to qualify into Financing as I really enjoyed the variety of work that the department does. Financing also plays a crucial role in any business and I enjoyed helping clients achieve their goals - whether it be issuing a bond or financing an acquisition - during my Financing seat. I particularly relished the level of responsibility I was given as a trainee whilst sat in the group and how involved I was made to feel from the outset. Everyone is so supportive and I felt that Financing was a good fit to enable me to progress both professionally and personally.  

DAY-TO-DAY WORK

There is definitely no such thing as a 'typical' day here at Saughter and May. I could be working on anything from a bond issuance for an insurance company to drafting a loan agreement for a shipping company or conducting research on a more technical point of law. I really enjoy the depth and breadth of work that I can get involved in and the exposure to a variety of sectors.

OUR NEW SOMO NETWORK

For me, social mobility is incredibly important - by breaking down barriers and creating a level playing field, we can ensure that talent and potential are not wasted as well as creating a fairer society. I became involved in social mobility initiatives at the firm as a trainee including being a mentor on our upReach Law Springboard programme, offering pro bono legal advice at the Islington Law Centre and attending trainee recruitment events aimed at encouraging those from socially mobile backgrounds to apply. I also joined (what was then) the social mobility sub-committee, and once the sub-committee became a fully-fledged Network, I was heavily involved in planning the events during our key campaign month. When the opportunity to become a Co-Chair arose, I just knew I had to put my name forward!

I'm excited to help support the firm's efforts in increasing social mobility through its recruitment, community and advocacy activities as well as ensuring that once here, everyone feels comfortable to be themselves and able to progress. I'm looking forward to continuing to promote issues surrounding social mobility in the workplace as well as hosting fun, interesting and insightful events. I'm also keen to get to know more people around the firm.