Samiha Bham on her career journey and what’s hot in this rapidly changing practice area
“It really depends on the transactions that I’m working on,” says Samiha Bham, a senior associate in energy and infrastructure (E&I) at Clifford Chance, providing insight into her day-to-day work. “Taking this week as an example, I’ll be spending most of today and tomorrow reviewing documents relating to the government support arrangements for a nuclear project. Then, Wednesday and Thursday, I’m going to be in Amsterdam. Together with members of our Dutch team I’ll be workshopping the offtake strategy for two offshore wind projects in the Netherlands with a developer client,” she continues, referring to a matter she remains involved in following her secondment to the Amsterdam office last year.
Joining Clifford Chance fresh from university, Bham took a relatively traditional route into law following her degree in international relations. Completing a conversion course and the LPC, Bham joined CC’s graduate trainee cohort in 2016.
“As a Clifford Chance trainee, I did seats in real estate, energy and infrastructure, funds and general banking. I was also lucky enough to do a couple of secondments over the course of my training contract. I did my seat in funds over with the team in Singapore, and half of my banking seat was spent on a client secondment to Barclays,” she tells me. “I joined the E&I team upon qualification; my practice since has been predominately focused on clean energy projects.”
While she assures me she’s not a jet-setting lawyer, she has travelled abroad multiple times during her eight years at the Magic Circle giant. I ask Bham whether travelling is a career aspect that she enjoys. “For me it really is,” she answers. “It’s one of the perks of joining a big firm like Clifford Chance which not only make those opportunities available to you, but they also encourage you to take advantage of them. As a qualified lawyer particularly, you already have the base skillset and knowledge you need to plug straight into the work at an international office,” notes Bham. “So, you can dive headfirst into your secondments, and make those connections both with your colleagues as well as clients abroad.”
She regularly works on cross-border transactions with teams from the firm’s vast network of international offices, all from the comfort of her desk in Canary Wharf. “So, working in an international office is just nice, quite frankly,” she says. “Once you’ve spent time on the ground with international teams, collaborating with them daily from London becomes even more seamless.”
Clearly working on energy and infrastructure projects gives Bham the opportunity to see the world, but I’m keen to uncover what initially sparked her interest in this practice area. “Firstly, I liked the idea of working on something tangible,” she explains. “At the end of the deal, you could have a physical power plant or wind farm up and running that you’ve had a hand in. And, secondly, I have always had quite a diverse set of interests,” Bham adds.
“When I went into law, I wasn’t quite sure which area I wanted to qualify in, so I was drawn to the fact that CC’s E&I team is sector-focused rather than product-focused,” she explains. This means that for E&I lawyers at Clifford Chance, any deals within the energy sector or related to infrastructure can cross their desks, from project development and disposals or acquisitions to financings and debt restructurings.
“In E&I, you’re always doing something different — every day is new, and there’s always a challenge,” she enthuses. “It’s just so topical too, and it’s inspiring knowing that what you’re doing has such a wide impact.”
With commercial awareness at the forefront of the minds of aspiring lawyers hoping to secure a training contract with Clifford Chance, I shift the conversation towards the trends in the energy markets. With established renewables like wind and solar having a rocky time given supply chain issues, I ask Bham for her thoughts on the trajectory of E&I. “The energy mix both globally and within the UK is changing, and it will continue to change,” she begins. “There are lots of new technologies that have emerged onto the scene particularly in the last five years, including battery storage, hydrogen and green fuels. And as these develop, we’re also seeing increased efficiency and accessibility of a broader range of clean energy sources, including to jurisdictions that have previously been unable to access them,” she continues.
In the renewable space, giving the example of floating offshore wind technologies, Bham explains that turbines no longer need to be fixed to the bottom of the seabed and can therefore be installed in deeper waters. “This is one example of technology widening accessibility, since wind power is no longer locationally limited to viable coastline.”
Battery storage technology also makes renewables a more viable energy source both within the UK and internationally as it can help to solve intermittency issues. She acknowledges that many projects are currently “in distress” due to disruptions in established renewable energy supply chains, which presents challenges for clients. However, she reassures, “though more careful strategising and risk management for future projects may be required it’s not necessarily a threat to the renewables market”.
With many new players entering the energy space, it’s not just new technology that’s shaking up the market, but also a shift in power dynamics. “The historic dominance of oil companies in the energy industry is being challenged ,” she says. Although these companies remain major players and many have pivoted to play a key part in the clean energy space as well, the changes across the industry make this a particularly exciting arena for Bham.
“While it comes with challenges, I see these changes as opportunities,” she adds. She also notes the increased government focus on climate-related goals, which is driving public and private investment in and the development of new technologies. “Besides this obviously being a good thing, this also means more work for us which is great as well!”
As we wrap up our conversation, I ask Bham for a piece of advice for aspiring lawyers hoping to secure a training contract. “Client focus is key,” she advises. “As a lawyer, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of your clients’ businesses and the industries they operate in. Interestingly, for those aspiring to work in E&I, demonstrating this might be easier because it’s such a hot topic so as a subject matter it’s ubiquitous,” Bham jokes.
For those looking to excel in training contract applications, she highlights the importance of building that knowledge and understanding beforehand. “Start reading the news and take an interest. If your interest is genuine, it will really shine through in your application,” she says.
Meet Clifford Chance at ‘Energy Transition and the law — with Clifford Chance’, taking place on Thursday 5 September. Apply now to attend.
About Legal Cheek Careers posts.