A&O Shearman trainee Kush Patel discusses his first year as a trainee, the opportunities presented by the A&O Shearman merger and his advice for aspiring solicitors
“Going into the training contract, I had a lot of preconceived ideas of what it would involve”, says Kush Patel, a trainee solicitor at A&O Shearman. “I was told my work-life balance would be non-existent, I wouldn’t be able to go on undisturbed holiday and that I would be in cutthroat competition with other trainees.” Speaking one year after his training contract began, he tells me, “It’s not been like that at all.”
Patel took a relatively traditional route into law. Having had his interest sparked by studying historic legal landmarks like Roe v Wade and the Civil Rights Act during his History A Level, Patel applied to vacation schemes during the second year of his Jurisprudence degree and secured a training contract at Shearman & Sterling off the back of their 2021 Spring Scheme. Having begun his training contract at the American outfit in September 2023, Patel now finds himself working at a brand-new firm: the first fully integrated global elite law firm, A&O Shearman.
From Patel’s perspective, the transition was swift and relatively smooth. “The merger completed in May, and by June, I was working in a completely new office”, he tells me, referring to the legacy Allen & Overy HQ which is now A&O Shearman’s London base. Transitioning from a close-knit group of 16 trainees at Shearman & Sterling to a firm with a much larger London presence was “a bit daunting at first” but Patel maintains that “the firm helped a lot. They gave us additional training and organised team socials to help us integrate.” The inevitable IT issues were also smoothed over efficiently. Four months into life post-merger, Patel tells me, “I’m feeling very settled now. I know my way around the building and I recognise more friendly faces.”
Finding your way around the A&O Shearman office in London is no mean feat. The premises are kitted out with two in-house bars, a roof terrace and an on-site gym, which Patel has been making good use of. “I’m in my fitness era at the moment,” he says, telling me that he and another trainee recently completed a military fitness class put on by the firm. “Post-merger, there is so much going on. People are always looking to meet new people by doing things outside of work. I’m in the football team – that’s been great fun.” Pro-bono work is another area which has expanded since the merger in May, “There’s a lot of opportunities on the pro- bono front and that’s been amazing. There are more people now which means we can get involved with a lot more projects.”
Amid these big changes and opportunities, I am curious to know what it is about the merger that Patel finds the most exciting. His answer will come as no surprise to those acquainted with A&O Shearman’s reputation for innovation and legal tech: “Getting access to new AI software.”
“Allen & Overy had this homegrown AI system called Harvey,” he continues. “We didn’t have that at Shearman. This has been a really exciting thing to come out of the merger because it’s made my life a lot easier and I’ve had a taste of innovation and technological advancements I hadn’t seen pre-merger.” I am curious to know how else legal tech features in the work of trainees at this innovation powerhouse. “The Harvey AI system is the main way I use legal tech,” Patel tells me. “I use it to help summarise documents and to redraft emails in a professional tone.” The firm encourages their lawyers to use AI responsibly.
Patel is looking forward to making the most of more homegrown AI technology as he starts in Real Estate, his first transactional seat, this week. “My fellow trainees have been using ContractMatrix, an AI-powered tool which was developed by Allen & Overy. This is particularly useful in transactional seats and helps with drafting new clauses and reviewing contracts. It definitely speeds up the process.” The opportunity to sit in the Real Estate team is another benefit of the merger, Patel tells me, “this seat wasn’t offered at Shearman.”
So far, Patel has completed seats in Financial Institutions Advisory and International Arbitration, which has been the highlight of his training contract so far. “International Arbitration has been extremely exciting and very varied work,” he enthuses. “I have had the chance to work across multiple jurisdictions, working closely with lawyers in Paris and America as well as liaising with local counsel.” Patel even had a trip out to the A&O Shearman Abu Dhabi office for a couple of weeks; “that was honestly spectacular,” he tells me.
For the duration of his International Arbitration seat, Patel has been working on one central matter involving a large renewable construction project, the timing of which has neatly aligned with his seat in the team. “I have seen the Statement of Defence from start to finish – that’s been great,” he says, “the tasks have been extremely varied.” Particular highlights have been the preparation of witness statements and getting involved with instructing sector experts.
I am interviewing Patel after a weekend he spent working on this matter. However, he seems happy to accept long hours in exchange for exciting work, “this has been a very interesting case to be involved with and this is where my heavy workload has come from.” He is also quick to dispel the preconceptions that surround training contracts at elite firms. He mentions, “I was recently on a holiday in Japan which was completely uninterrupted by work,” and, in reference to the weekend he has just dedicated to his desk, he notes, “I was given plenty of advance warning about that.”
I am eager to know what advice Patel has for aspiring solicitors. I ask how he would advise training contract hopefuls to keep on top of developing commercial issues. “Commercial awareness has become a buzzword for something really broad”, he says. “You need to prioritise what you’re reading and narrow down exactly what topics you’re interested in.” When asked which issues have been particularly relevant to his work so far, Patel tells me, “In Financial Institutions and International Arbitration, knowledge of global sanctions has impacted the work I’ve been doing.”
To wrap up our discussion, I ask Patel his advice for training contract applications. “Quality over quantity”, he responds, “you really need to understand the firm you’re applying to and all its niches.” He adds, “The firm will know if you haven’t taken the time to do your research.” Finally, Patel recommends reflecting on your unique set of experiences and skills. “Everyone will have some experience which has developed key skills. The trick with these applications is to extract those skills and apply them to the law firm context,” he says. Reflecting on his own application, he recalls, “I wrote out a list of 10-15 skills I thought a good trainee should have and I matched my experiences to each one. This makes it a lot easier to explain why you would be a good fit for the firm and exactly what benefit you would bring.”
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