David D'Souza

Position: Trainee
Education: Law, Durham University; LPC
Joined Clifford Chance: 2008
First seat: Capital Markets
Second seat: Corporate Finance

8.00am: Normally I get to work at 9.30 but this morning I challenged a fellow trainee to a game of squash at the firm's gym, followed by breakfast at the staff restaurant.

9.30am: While digesting breakfast I check my emails and plan for the day. I respond to some requests from a client in Japan who urgently requires a set of documents. While this represents one of the less cerebral tasks of the day, much of my job relates to transaction management, which is essential in getting a  deal done and is valued by the team.

10.00am: I attend an update conference call with our client, a leading international private equity house in the process of negotiating the sale of a portfolio company. On the call, my role is to take a detailed note of the proceedings so that I can circulate an agenda to keep all parties informed of progress on the transaction. The deal is fastpaced and our client is very demanding, which makes it all the more rewarding when we can exceed their expectations. Client contact is great experience, and for my next seat I am fortunate enough to be going on secondment to the general counsel's offi ce of one of our largest clients.

10.45am: The client requires a confidentiality agreement and I have been asked to draft the first cut. The  confidentiality agreement will prevent the potential buyer from misusing any information we give them during the transaction. At Clifford Chance there is very much an open door policy and, as this is my first confidentiality agreement, I ask my colleagues if anyone has drafted a similar document. After getting their input, I begin drafting.

12.00pm: I attend the private equity group monthly meeting. Some of our banking colleagues provide training on debt buybacks and current market trends. This is very useful because it allows you to keep your knowledge and legal skills up to date. The meeting means I will have a shorter lunch but I still manage to grab some sun and a sandwich outside with a couple of other trainees. All the trainees are very friendly as we all studied together on the Clifford Chance LPC.

3.00pm: I get back to my desk to fi nd an urgent email from our Paris office requiring research on a piece of litigation that might prevent a deal from closing. The deals I have worked on have all had an international angle to them and, having lived all over the world, this is important to me. I liaise with our litigation department and begin researching the key issues. This is one of the more engaging items of work I've done and the deadline is tight so the confidentiality agreement will have to wait until tomorrow.

6.00-8.30pm: Having just made my deadline, and with my memo now in the hands of our team in Paris, I head off to Stratford to take part in our Free Law programme. Free Law is a walk-in pro bono legal advice service which I take part in for my contentious seat training. This means I do not have to take a litigation  seat, while giving back to the community at the same time. It gives me a great opportunity to develop my interviewing skills and I provide advice on consumer, housing and employment issues.

This article was first published in the 2009/2010 edition of The LEX 100.