Jacob Darcy

ROUTE TO LAW

I began my journey studying PPE at the University of Manchester. As I enjoyed studying the commercial elements of economics and the legal and regulatory themes explored through politics and philosophy, I started to develop a strong interest in commercial law. After attending several open days and workshops, I became confident in pursuing a career in this field.

I attended a Slaughter and May workshop in 2021 and was immediately drawn to the firm’s multi-specialist approach. Coming from an interdisciplinary academic background, this way of working particularly resonated with me. It presents both intellectual challenge and variety, making the work dynamic and rewarding. What also stood out was the firm’s collegiate culture - everyone I met was generous with their time and enthusiastic about sharing their experiences. This supportive environment reinforced my view that Slaughter and May is a place where I could thrive and grow as a lawyer.

MY TRAINING CONTRACT SO FAR

I sat in Corporate for the first seat of my training contract. During this time, I gained experience across a broad range of matters, including private equity, takeovers, corporate governance, and strategic M&A. The seat required being commercially minded and client focused as well as organised due to working with colleagues across the firm bringing in specialist input. My second seat was in Financial Regulation, which involved in-depth research on both contentious and non-contentious issues. It was a steep learning curve, but an incredibly rewarding and intellectually stimulating experience.

I am currently sitting in the Restructuring and Insolvency hub, where the work involves a blend of technical legal research, project management, and communication with clients and counterparties, all within the context of financial distress. Given the constantly evolving nature of insolvency law, staying proactive in my learning has been essential.                              

Throughout the course of my training contract, I have taken on progressively greater levels of responsibility. As my confidence and experience grew, so did the opportunity to take ownership of workstreams and engage directly with both clients and opposing counsel. For example, my secondment to a large tech PLC provided a valuable opportunity to gain insight into the client’s perspective and proved to be a valuable learning opportunity.

WORKING HOURS

While there are occasions when long hours are required, this is driven by the demands of the matter at hand and is never without purpose. During particularly busy periods, such as in the lead-up to a high-value transaction, working late is often necessary and is the nature of the high-performance nature of the role.

One of my most memorable experiences of my training contract so far was being involved in a 3am signing. I joined the matter early in my first seat, shortly after the firm had been instructed, which gave me the valuable opportunity to follow the transaction from near start through to completion. The final stages were particularly intense, as we worked through the weekend and we eventually ended up signing the deal on the Tuesday at 3am. When signatures were finally released in the early hours of Tuesday morning, it was both an exhilarating and gratifying moment, witnessing the culmination of months of hard work and being able to share that milestone with the team when we celebrated.