Peter Morton

Current rotation: Business Intelligence & Pricing

What originally attracted you to the firm? How did you decide that a legal ops role was for you?

I’d been interested in moving into a legal ops role for a little while, but had found that there wasn’t really an entry level path in for someone from a non-law background. So I was really excited to see a firm as well respected as Slaughter and May launching a programme like this. I’m really interested in the intersection between law, business and technology, so the programme is a great opportunity to explore this and build a career in this area.

Which group are you in? What does the group do?

I am currently sitting with the BI (Business Intelligence) and Pricing team. The group uses data gathered from across the firm to provide analysis and insight into the way we work as business both internally and externally. They also look at how we price our work, using internal data and larger economic data.

What is your particular role?

I work with all the different members of the team on their projects. This can include internal business intelligence analysis (for example looking at diversity data and work allocation in different groups), or looking at how we price client matters. We also do a lot of work helping people across the firm design reports which help them to run their team more efficiently.

What kind of work do you do?

The role is a real mixture, when I first started there was a lot to learn around law firm economics and Excel, although all the team are really supportive in helping you to learn everything you need. There’s a lot of work around how you present ideas, and thinking about how different people in the firm are going to use the data you give them, which gives you a really good commercial picture of the firm’s work and how different teams in the firm operate.

What advice would you give to students looking to join us?

The main advice I’d give is just to apply, because the role is so varied, there’s such a range of skills that will make you a good fit. Whether you prefer the technical side of things, or want to be standing up and presenting new ideas. There’s no one skillset that is absolutely essential, instead it’s great that you have a range of different voices and backgrounds feeding in.

Is there anything you wish you had known before you joined - about Slaughter and May or the role. Were your expectations met? 

I think the main thing I wish I’d known is not to believe what everyone says. I think because of its place in the market the firm has a reputation as being very traditional and a bit scary. Before I started I was slightly nervous about what the culture was going to be like, and whether it was going to be right choice of firm for an innovation focused role. However I’m really glad that I was proved wrong, there’s a really great culture for learning within the firm, where you’re really encouraged to ask questions, and to work on projects which will give you the opportunity to push yourself and expand your knowledge. As well as this the firm is very open to new ideas and to hearing new voices, I never feel like as someone more junior I can’t speak up or give my input.