Success stories

After completing my Training Contract with Taylor Wessing and qualifying into the London-based Construction team, I moved to our Dubai office in 2013 to practice in international arbitration and dispute resolution. The highlight of my job is the real opportunity to work across multiple jurisdictions and get to know my colleagues across the globe. I am regularly exposed to matters across all of our offices, whether it is working with the Paris office to provide a legal opinion, working with Frankfurt on the enforcement of an arbitral award, assisting the Shanghai office with alternative dispute resolution or organising a joint pitch with our Seoul office. This international dynamic not only strengthens your commerciality and inter-personal skills, but makes you appreciate that every office places the same value on teamwork, highlighting that Taylor Wessing’s real strength continues to be its people.

Paul Blakeway | Senior Counsel

Taylor Wessing offers a broad range of training opportunities, including excellent internal and external speakers, that are open to everyone at the firm and cover a variety of topics from sector focused case law updates to effective legal drafting. Thanks to that I can focus my development on the areas I find interesting but that will also be beneficial to my clients.

The holistic approach to the development of associates is invaluable in our growth, enables us to be more commercially astute and prepares us for the next steps in our careers early on.

Magdalena Borucka | Associate

I was fortunate enough to go on secondment to Taylor Wessing’s Frankfurt office for 3 weeks. It was a great opportunity to meet with colleagues and clients in Germany and to build on existing relationships and develop new ones.

The experience has led to closer ties with our Frankfurt office as well as an instruction from a new client.

Rhys Bufton | Senior Associate

Taylor Wessing has provided a structured learning and training program to help manage the transition from associate to senior associate, which has ensured I have the right skills and the confidence to step up. There are workshops and other training opportunities held throughout the year, targeting specific skills at different points in your career. The training is a good mix of internal and external providers.

Kelly Burke | Senior Associate

I'm proud to be witnessing new levels of energy throughout our programme. Setting pro bono targets for all lawyers has resulted in activity increasing 34%.  Together we delivered 3,995 hours last year, a forth year of growth and more pro bono than ever before.

Paul Callaghan | Partner

I joined Taylor Wessing as a trainee in 2005. I was attracted to the firm because of its IP-rich and technology client base. I could see that it was a dynamic firm with innovative clients in interesting sectors. I also wanted to be part of a firm which was growing internationally and hadn't fully established itself across the globe. It has been an exciting time to be part of and watch the firm grow from strength to strength, both internationally and achieving market leadership in key sectors. Working for such an innovative firm has enabled me to build my product liability practice, while working for some of the world's biggest brands with new technologies, including in the autonomous vehicles space.

Katie Chandler | Partner

Taylor Wessing works with forward-thinking clients engaged in the industries of tomorrow, and that’s what stood out to me initially and convinced me to join. I loved the fact that the firm looks for opportunities in new markets that are opening up across the world – providing clients with an excellent, industry-leading service. What’s more, because Taylor Wessing practises in areas of law which include Intellectual Property and Private Client, I thought it would be a really exciting place to be with a range of opportunities – and I was right.

Over  two years and four seats, I had the opportunity to take on high levels of responsibility,  was exposed to top-quality work and some of the best minds in the industry, and worked alongside a team of lawyers who are open, friendly and incredibly supportive. From helping negotiate documents for a huge construction project in central London to advising a start-up ‘fintech’ firm on UK financial regulation, my time here has exceeded all my expectations.

Having studied Law at university, I had an interest in lots of departments when I started my training contract. But after completing my third seat in Private Client, this was the area I decided to qualify into. In Private Client, you work with individuals and families helping them on a huge variety of matters – from personal tax advice to drafting wills. You often have to think beyond the legal solution and consider the practical issues and interests of individuals and their families. Since qualifying, I have found the work hugely rewarding and enjoyed the chance to specialise.  I have been able to develop my skills as a solicitor in a supportive environment, whilst being offered plenty of client contact and responsibility.

Tom Connock | Senior Associate

Being part of one team in an international law firm helps to better understand the differences of each legal system and this allows us to really enhance our service level for our clients.

Christian Dekoninck | Partner

I went on secondment to Taylor Wessing's Amsterdam office in August 2019, sitting with the Banking & Finance team for three weeks. The whole Amsterdam office were incredibly welcome and made me feel right at home from my first day.

Whilst I was there I also had the chance to spend a day in the Eindhoven office; it was really interesting to be able to compare the differences between the two offices. Being in Amsterdam for three weeks also gave me the opportunity to meet-up with some of our international clients and I was even able to attend a client’s offices to deliver some training.

Louis Dewfall | Senior Associate

Creating gender balance is a key priority for us. Leading our Balance in Business network is hugely rewarding! We are busy working with colleagues and clients to deliver on our Gender Plan. 

Elaine Dobson | Partner

What attracted me to Taylor Wessing was its size and reputation in the areas of private wealth work – and IP really stood out when I first applied. I was also interested in the new corporate crime team, which was being set up just as I applied.

Anna Dugoni | Associate

Access to justice is fundamental to society, and it is important that, in a time of shortage, we provide support to those who would otherwise have no access to legal services or could fall prey to the unscrupulous. I've been part of our pro bono initiatives for many years and find it incredibly fulfilling to be able to give something back to our wider community.

Alexander Erskine | Partner

Teamwork, I think, is in the genes of Taylor Wessing. It’s not about individualism, it’s about being part of a team, because that’s the only way to get the best result for your client and also for your colleagues.

Marc van Gelder | Partner

I’d always enjoyed the academic aspect of the law – but I was curious to see how it applied in practice. So in the second year of my law degree, I took part in Taylor Wessing’s two-week vacation scheme. This really gave me a great insight into the practical aspects of law, and firmed up my decision to follow it as a career. 

I was initially attracted to the firm because of its dynamic clientele, and its ability to identify and tap into new markets. Whenever I speak to people about Taylor Wessing, there’s always a buzz and a sense of excitement about the firm. 

And then there’s the small trainee intake. It means we’re a closely-knit team, and good friends who support each other. It also means that we are seen as individuals rather than a face in the crowd. 

The first seat of my training contract was in Banking and Finance. It was a transactional seat and fairly fast paced, which meant that most matters I was working on tend to be completed within four to six weeks. This kept things refreshing, and I had plenty of opportunities to work with a broad spread of clients. 

I’m currently in Patents for my second seat. It’s very different, as I’m mainly involved in contentious work in the form of patent litigations. This has exposed me to a different side of law, and I’ve gained so many valuable insights. 

Personally, I think Taylor Wessing stands out among the sea of city law firms because of its culture –which is friendly and down-to-earth, but also very ambitious.

Gabriel Goh | Associate

I have a deep interest in the arts and particularly value its unifying influence. As our arts champion I enjoy bringing together our people and clients to appreciate the value of creativity.

Charlotte Hill | Partner

Laure concentrates on national and international litigation before French Courts. Her activity includes judicial technical expertise, settlement agreements and alternative disputes resolution. 

Laure has also developed a practice in national and international arbitration, notably under ICC.

As a specialist in litigation and arbitration, Laure is dealing with matters arising under civil and commercial law. She notably has an extended experience in contractual liability cases, unfair competition, termination of established business relationships, as well as IT litigations.

She also intervenes on litigation in connection with corporate matters (share purchase agreements disputes, shareholders' disputes, liability of management, etc.).

She represents individuals and companies, both national and international, including insurers and their insured particulars or insured entities.

In 2022 Laure was accredited as an arbitrator within the CMAP - Mediation and Arbitration in Paris.

 

Laure Hue De La Colombe | Partner

At Taylor Wessing, we focus on understanding its clients businesses and interests. I often take the time to visit my clients offices to understand how their business is organised; how a product is made and how daily operations are run.

Vera Jurgens | Partner

I am always exposed to new ideas and the best international know-how. I work in a friendly atmosphere that encourages and rewards innovation and cooperation, which creates the foundations of solid and ongoing professional development.

Dániel Ódor, MRICS | Partner

I joined Taylor Wessing as a trainee in 2007. Back then the firm looked fairly different to how it does now and what attracted me initially was its Anglo-German roots (I studied law with German at university). What kept me at the firm, however, was the people and the culture.

At law school I had heard horror stories around training contracts but I had a great 2 years sitting in pensions, corporate technology, real estate and restructuring & insolvency. I had direct contact with clients from the outset (both on work matters and at business development events), was given interesting and challenging work and was supervised by partners and associates who took an interest in my professional development. I also made great friends – many of whom were at my wedding 10 years later!

I qualified into restructuring and insolvency in 2009 (don't let anyone tell you that you can't qualify into your 4th seat). It was the post-Lehman world so the team was very busy and I really enjoyed the mix of black letter law and commercial decision making that is required in a distressed situation. Since qualifying I have had the opportunity to work with numerous colleagues across the London office as well as internationally for clients spanning almost all sectors and have been involved in a range of internal projects and initiatives which are other aspects of the role that I enjoy. 

Last year I was promoted to partner and look forward to continuing to contribute positively to people's experiences of the firm.  

Amy Patterson | Partner

I was impressed by Taylor Wessing’s vision for the future. They’ve got a clear idea about where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.

I began my Vacation Scheme with Taylor Wessing as soon as I could. I studied Law and Australian Law at The University of Nottingham and in my penultimate year I even got to go there – it was an amazing experience. Once I returned, I didn’t let jet lag get in the way of my law career and I started the scheme after just two days back in the UK.

Those two weeks gave me a real insight into the firm and immediately convinced me to train here. I was impressed by Taylor Wessing’s vision for the future. They’ve got a clear idea about where they’re going and how they’re going to get there – keeping their people in mind as they continue to develop them. This forward-thinking really resonated with me, plus, I genuinely enjoyed my time here. Everyone was incredibly supportive and encouraging, so I thought that’s a firm I want to be a part of, that’s where I want to train.

My first seat was Restructuring and Corporate Recovery, where I experienced contentious work. Over the course of the six months I had the opportunity to work on a variety of exciting deals and had great exposure during each case – I love the level of involvement. A highlight was working on a deal that involved pension fraud, where I played an active role from start to finish. I worked on pre-court processes, thought about strategy and even got to go to court for the winding up hearing. Not only was it an amazing chance to see my work come to something but also it was a positive result for us. It was an amazing moment and started my contract off with a bang.

Laura Singleton | Associate

There has been a step change in the perceived importance of environmental sustainability over the last couple of years.   

Leading our environmental sustainability activities in the UK means looking at how we can reduce the firm's impact on the environment and operate more sustainably, making positive change for the generations to come.

Philip Shepherd | Partner

Working with international colleagues seamlessly across our technology infrastructure, but also meeting them face to face has been really great and I love being able to deliver international projects for clients.

Siân Skelton | Partner

We see a lot of really fascinating, diverse issues that we have to come up with new solutions for.

Michael Yates | Senior Counsel