Ross Francis-Pike

JOURNEY TO SLAUGHTER AND MAY

I have always been interested in languages and other cultures and, having studied German at A-level, I decided to further expand my horizons by studying Russian alongside German at the University of Leeds. During my time at Leeds, I had the opportunity to study for a year at Moscow State University (and living in Moscow at the age of 19 with limited Russian at that time was definitely an adventure!) and at the University of Leipzig in Germany for a semester.

As I approached the end of my degree and started to consider my future, I looked for a career which would give me the opportunity to focus on what I considered to be my strengths: research, writing and analytical thinking. This all led me to law and, after successfully applying for a training contract, to Slaughter and May.

Having completed a law conversion course and then the LPC, I started my training contract in March 2013 and, following trainee seats in Corporate, Financing, Competition and Disputes and Investigations, I qualified into the Disputes and Investigations group in March 2015. I joined the partnership in May 2024.

WHY DISPUTES AND INVESTIGATIONS?

I have always loved to debate, which was a good indicator that I would like Disputes and Investigations. Having spent six months in the team as a trainee, this proved to be the case. From the outset, I enjoyed the cross section of marshalling facts and the law with strategy and also the opportunity to meet many interesting people – from debates with experts about topics as wide ranging as the correct way to decommission an undersea oil well to detailed points regarding economics and discussing with witnesses how multi-year projects evolve (and sometimes go wrong).  

MY DAY-TO-DAY AND BECOMING A PARTNER

I have been lucky to work on many varied cases over the years – from an oil and gas arbitration to large scale competition claims in respect of trucks and trains. A particular recent highlight for me has been advising a major bank in respect of the ongoing FCA review of the use of commission in the motor finance industry.

What I am doing day-to-day varies depending on what the current priorities are on my cases and can include reviewing legal research, getting up to speed on the latest evidence in a case, considering strategy and liaising with clients and/or counsel on any of the foregoing. I often have many things to balance at once and so learning how to work efficiently, prioritise and work as part of a team are key skills in ensuring that we are able to produce timely and carefully crafted advice for our clients. Since becoming a partner, my role has also increased to include more HR aspects including meeting with associates and trainees to ensure that they have the right support they need to do their job and interviewing for our latest hires.

SECONDMENT TO BRUSSELS

During my time in the Competition team as a trainee, I had the opportunity to spend three months working in our Brussels office. This was a great chance to experience working in a smaller team and also life in Belgium – although for my health, it is probably best I left quickly before I could eat any more chips!

OUTSIDE OF WORK

I have a keen interest in ensuring that people from diverse backgrounds understand that a career in law may be for them and have had the pleasure of mentoring students through the upReach programme. I really enjoy mentoring as it not only gives you the chance to help someone starting out in their career but is also a great opportunity for self-reflection, allowing you to think about how you can also continue to grow in your career.

I am also involved in Early Careers Recruitment at the firm, which includes conducting interviews for both our training contract and summer work experience scheme vacancies, as well as delivering presentations to students.