Ivana’s first week as a trainee at Marriott Harrison
As a current trainee in Marriott Harrison’s corporate team, here is a recap of what I did before and during my first week.
Prior to starting my training contract, I felt a mixture of emotions. I felt nervous but largely, was excited to begin working after years of study. Reviewing my “Business Law and Practice” and “Private Acquisitions” LPC notes a week before my start date was the best way to get my brain into “work mode” after a summer of vacations. Having been invited to the firm's various social events throughout the year meant that I felt surprisingly calm going into the office on my first day as I already knew a lot of the team.
Day 1
My morning kicked off at 9:30 a.m. with my first corporate team meeting, where the team reviewed a relevant topic of law, business development initiatives, and recently closed deals. The day continued with training sessions on the firm's software, time recording and general IT procedures, as well as several meetings with senior partners. Fortunately, amidst orientation and introductions, the trainees had time to catch up over fish and chips, as the firm treated us to a lovely lunch near the office. After some delicious food, I spent the rest of my Monday on my first task: researching the powers of the personal representatives of deceased shareholders for a client. I wrote a short research note, sent it to the relevant associate and went for a round of after-work drinks with a few associates and trainees to celebrate the trainees first day.
Day 2
An associate in the firm’s corporate venture capital team asked me to help review a shareholders’ agreement, subscription agreement and written resolution using the information provided in a cap table. As this was my first time reviewing these documents, it was the perfect opportunity to fine-tune my attention to detail and gain a better grasp of their standard terms. Later on in the day, I assisted an associate in the M&A team on some post-completion work for Chiltern Capital’s recent acquisition of Batt Cables, one of Europe’s leading electrical cable distributors, which involved compiling the matter bible. Understanding the acquisition process is key to managing a deal, and since trainees are often given a significant role in Marriott Harrison’s transactions, this was the perfect learning experience.
Day 3
Despite the matter bible task creeping into my workflow on Wednesday, I managed to draft a research note about the fate of shares held by dissolved companies on my third day. Spoiler alert: the Crown essentially owns the shares, and it can be quite the scramble to reclaim them. Other highlights from my day included a meeting with Marriott Harrison’s Head of corporate, Jonathan Leigh-Hunt, on my expectations during my seat, and indulging in the best espresso soft serve of my life with corporate associate, Iona Jones. I returned to Rosslyn Coffee for soft serve three times the next week because it was THAT good.
Day 4
Thursday morning began with an email from a partner requesting my amendments to a couple option agreements and cap tables based on our client’s instructions. Despite it taking a while to figure out the maths, I sent over the amended documents and was pleasantly surprised to be invited to a telephone meeting with the client later that day to discuss the nuances of their investment. Throughout the meeting, I wrote notes on the details of the deal to incorporate into the term sheet, subscription agreement and shareholders’ agreement; the partner’s advice; and the client’s questions and concerns. I also worked on post-completion matters for another client’s share buyback as I drafted and filed a letter and several forms to Companies House to notify them of the transaction. To top it all off, my day ended with some bankruptcy and insolvency searches for a matter that was about to close.
Day 5
Friday came around in a flash, and my morning began with a research task on the Competition Market Authority’s considerations for vertical mergers. After submitting my research note to the relevant partner, I received a call about an upcoming share acquisition with a tight deadline and was very excited to work on a sell-side deal from the beginning. I was tasked to research the processes involved in a deal of this nature and to compile a documents list, considering the specificities of the target company and the shareholders. The list ultimately fed into my work in the upcoming weeks as I became responsible for drafting several ancillary documents for the same transaction.
To sum it up, I was met with warm welcomes, yummy treats, stimulating work, and client-facing time during my first week. It was an impeccable teaser for what’s to come and I am very much looking forward to developing my career at Marriott Harrison.
