Last week, I had the opportunity to interview one of the most inspirational ladies I have had the privilege of coming across during my Training Contract.
Emma Matebalavu has many accolades to her name. She is the Co-head of Clifford Chance’s Global Financial Markets practice in London and a Partner specialising in real estate finance and all types of structured debt. Alongside running some of the biggest finance deals in the world, Emma somehow always makes time for anyone (even someone as junior as me) if we need to speak to her. She is also a mother, a wife and an avid reader.
As a junior in the profession, I spoke to Emma to understand how she balances all her responsibilities with such grace.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background – did you always want to become a lawyer?
When I was young, my mum was a PE teacher so I played all sorts of sports, and I spent the rest of my time reading. I also really liked languages in school and studied German, French, English and History for my A levels. I always liked keeping busy as a child and believe this helped me learn how to balance my time effectively at an early age.
Given how much I liked reading and languages, my parents suggested that I should become a lawyer. My school recommended that I apply to Oxford to study Law and French law and my parents encouraged me to do so. I remember my interview being extremely nerve-wracking, but I was fortunate to get in.
During my time at Oxford, alongside studying, I carried on the trend from school and ensured I get involved in all sorts of extra-curricular activities. I played lots of sports and achieved a hockey and rugby Blue. The kind of friendship you get through teamwork is something I gained through sports and that has really helped me in my career today. I also believe that being able to balance all of these activities made me resilient and this was extremely valuable in preparing me for the demanding nature of my professional life.
Can you tell us more about how you ended up at Clifford Chance and what appealed to you about the firm?
Clifford Chance actually sponsored part of my courses at Oxford which gave me the opportunity to go to Paris to study French law for a year. The year in Paris sparked my interest in international deals and transactions which ultimately led me to apply to Clifford Chance.
I completed a vacation scheme at Clifford Chance during the summer vacation before my final year at Oxford. At the end of my vacation scheme, we had a very rigorous Assessment Centre process and I was offered a Training Contract at the firm.
Clifford Chance appealed to me for the following reasons:
It was international and diverse. As you can tell from my background, this was important to me because I studied languages and loved to travel the world. In fact, after I finished at Oxford, my sister and I took a gap year and went to Australia. Alongside exploring the country, I met my husband for the first time and I also worked as a litigation paralegal at a firm in Sydney.
It is dynamic, innovative and meritocratic, which were qualities I really looked for in my future employer.
Given how tough the Assessment Centre was, I really felt like I was selected on the basis of my merit and this showed me that Clifford Chance was the right place for me.
It has a truly global footprint and a full service offering across major financial centres across the world.
What was your Training Contract like?
It was interesting, collaborative and transactional. I completed seats in Corporate, Project Finance and Shipping Litigation. I also had the opportunity to go on secondment to our Rome office for six months. The experience was fantastic – it was the first time I was involved in securitisation work and this whetted my appetite to qualify into the securitisation team in London.
Do you have any advice for current trainees on how to make the most of their Training Contract?
My advice is to approach your training contract with an open and curious mind as that is how you will get the most out of it and maximise your opportunities with the firm.
How did you end up becoming partner?
After 3 years as an associate I was fortunate to spend 6 months on a client secondment. I had my son after my client secondment and following my maternity leave, the partners in my team encouraged me to start putting together my business case for partnership. I made partner in May 2008 which was a mixed blessing as I became a partner in the middle of the global financial crisis!
How do you balance all your responsibilities?
I enjoy what I do. If you are someone who wants a 9-5 job, do not apply to Clifford Chance. We work very hard, have a committed team and our clients can be demanding. But personally, I have always really enjoyed it. I like challenges, I like being busy, I enjoy change and I feel like I learn all the time. I am incredibly lucky to work with very talented people.
I trust people and delegate responsibility to others. I depend on those I trust and do not believe in micromanaging anyone. I also apply this approach to my children and I hope it has made them independent and self-reliant.
I also make some time to switch off from work. I live on a farm so like to go out for walks to take a break (when I am working from home) and I enjoy binge watching shows on Netflix!
Do you have any advice for aspiring solicitors?
I interview a lot of applicants and have come to realise that there are two things people struggle with most:
Understanding what the job involves – most of what we do involves words. If you are someone who enjoys reading, someone who is able to assimilate large amounts of information quickly and is able to explain complicated things simply – this is the kind of job you might enjoy.
Commercial awareness – when you are at school and university, you may not follow the financial world in detail. I did not either but it’s important to try and follow current affairs (at a macrolevel) and try to understand how businesses work. The more you understand how businesses work, the more you will be able to excel at the application process.
Sometimes students wonder whether only legal work experience is necessary – whilst doing a vacation scheme can give you an insight into what life as a trainee is like, all work experience is useful. For example, working at companies McDonalds or Tesco’s can teach you how to communicate with customers, work in a team and work under pressure. All these skills are transferable and can be used in a career in law. So whilst work experience is good, it does not necessarily have to be in law.
For those who are doing vacation schemes at Clifford Chance - two weeks is generally a very short amount of time to be able to assess whether a person is suitable to be a trainee at the firm. However, there are a few things we look at – whether a person is keen to learn, is open minded, asks questions and tries to network. I’d also advise them to ensure they thoroughly prepare for the interview at the end of the vacation scheme.
Lastly, be yourself. I have learnt that there is no Clifford Chance type - there is no mould, we really encourage people to be authentic and we accept everyone the way they are.