Haynes Boone

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Haynes Boone

For trainees seeking the best of both worlds, Haynes Boone offers a rare combination: the resources of a major US firm alongside the camaraderie of a close-knit team. With a ‘community feel’ and a ‘small trainee intake within a large international firm,’ Haynes Boone impressed respondents with its mix of responsibility, quality work and ‘inclusive culture.’

That welcoming atmosphere is there from the outset. Trainees highlighted the firm’s ‘intimate’ recruitment process, the opportunity to build relationships across its US network, and the flexibility to complete seats in their preferred practice areas. Once through the door, recruits praised the ‘approachability of all colleagues’, and described a ‘supportive’ environment where senior lawyers are ‘always happy to answer questions and have trainees become as involved as possible.’

The level of responsibility on offer at Haynes Boone is a major draw. Respondents reported gaining meaningful, hands-on experience early on, particularly within the finance teams, where one trainee recalled ‘leading the efforts on a leveraged finance deal.’ Client contact is equally impressive, with insiders valuing opportunities such as ‘attending client events and meeting clients in person.’ For many, key milestones came quickly: ‘Drafting my first letter to a client gave a real sense of achievement’, said one trainee.

The work can be demanding, and some trainees acknowledged that busy periods can feel ‘stressful.’ Yet there was broad recognition that the challenges ultimately lead to development; after all: ‘making mistakes is part and parcel of learning’! Work-life balance generally fares well, with respondents noting that ‘you’re not expected to work late for the sake of it.’

While hybrid-working arrangements are considered somewhat ‘partner dependent’, supervisors are widely viewed as ‘approachable and understanding’ when flexibility is needed. Some respondents would like to see greater investment in technology and broader access to pro bono.

Haynes Boone is a place where trainees are trusted, supported and given the chance to make a meaningful contribution from day one. As one respondent neatly summed up: it is an ‘inclusive, international firm that empowers its junior lawyers to thrive’.

A day in the life of … Tomos Lloyd-Owen, Trainee

Departments to date: Investment Management, Energy & Shipping, Corporate

University: London School of Economics; University of Law

Degree: Law LLB (2:1); SQE LLM (Distinction)

06:45: On a good day, I’ll wake up early and head to the office for a run before work. A few of the trainees and I meet to run together two or three times a week, which gives us a chance to catch up and is a great way to start the day. The showers in our building also have far better water pressure than mine at home, which is an added bonus!

09:30: After a shower, I’ll make my way to my desk, where I spend the first 15 minutes or so answering emails and catching up on any admin from the previous day. This gives me a chance to get organised, work out what needs my attention first and plan my priorities before the more substantive tasks begin.

09:45: I’ll usually start with my first piece of work for the day, which may be billable or non-billable. At the moment, I’m assisting with drafting a memorandum of advice for a pro bono client on the process of establishing a charity in the UK. Comments came in on the initial draft the previous evening, so I spend some time reworking it. Pro bono work is a particularly valuable part of the trainee experience as it gives you the opportunity to take real responsibility for a matter, manage the workstream and gain exposure to areas of law you may not ordinarily encounter in your day-to-day transactional work.

11:45: After an hour or so of drafting, I like to switch tasks so that I can return to the document later with a fresh pair of eyes. Before lunch, I turn to the news for recent nuclear energy stories. As part of my role in the Energy and Shipping team, I maintain an internal Nuclear Developments tracker, which is circulated each week to keep colleagues informed about developments in the sector. It is a useful way to vary my day while keeping my commercial awareness up to date.

12:30: After around 45 minutes of sourcing recent news stories, it’s time for lunch. The trainees tend to go for lunch together, and the office café is a convenient option. During the summer, we can sit on the terrace and make the most of the sunshine. There are also some excellent food spots near the office, although I usually keep things simple with a Tesco Meal Deal or something from Greggs.

13:30: When I return to my desk, I have a few emails to check before turning to an urgent task on an ongoing farm-out transaction, due by close of business. I need to prepare a conformed copy reflecting proposed amendments to the original agreement. The amendments restructure the agreement so that the transaction has one tranche rather than the original two. This is a challenging but engaging exercise, requiring me to understand how the document operates as a whole while giving effect to the client’s wishes within its existing architecture.

16:00: The conformed agreement, including the necessary cross-referencing, takes up most of my afternoon, but I send it to the rest of the team with time to spare. I then receive emails from a client on a separate matter on which I am assisting the corporate team. I am supporting the verification of the client’s investor presentation ahead of a secondary fundraise. Verification is a core part of a corporate trainee’s role, and its importance cannot be understated. It also relies on close communication, so I review the client’s updates and liaise with colleagues to agree the most efficient way to divide the work.

16:30: After discussing the best approach with my colleagues, I begin the verification process. Our software allows us to track and coordinate the exercise and maintain a clear overview of our progress. Verification is meticulous and requires close attention to detail. Every statement in the investor presentation must be supported by appropriate evidence.

18:00: Once I have completed the initial verification, I prepare comments for the client, identifying the statements for which we need further evidence and flagging any changes required. This is often the most time-consuming part of the process, as each comment needs to be unequivocally clear about the information or change required and direct the client to the precise statement concerned. I have learned from experience that ambiguity can lead to further problems down the line.

19:00: Once the comments have been approved, my final task of the day is to send them to the client. I then pack up and meet some of the other trainees for a couple of after-work drinks at our local, which feels like a well-earned reward after a busy day.

About the firm

The firm: 

The London office of Haynes Boone has experience serving the corporate, debt capital markets, energy, finance, insolvency, international dispute resolution, investment management, project finance and development, real estate and shipping sectors. The firm boasts a team of commercial and dispute resolution lawyers with deep industry knowledge in their core sectors. Many of our lawyers have international backgrounds; our lawyers are fluent in 19 languages.

The clients: 

Golar LNG; Stena LNG Holding Sweden AB; The Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) S.A.; King Abdullah University of Scient and Technology (KAUST); Fermi America and Technip Energies.

Senior partner: Taylor Wilson (US)

Managing partner: Nick Davis (UK)

Other offices: 17 offices in the USA, Mexico City, Shanghai.

Who we are: 

With decades of experience, our lawyers provide clients with broad English law capabilities. These include an experienced litigation and international arbitration team that has handled numerous claims in the English High Court and before major arbitral bodies, and transactional teams that have guided clients through such diverse matters as mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, financing, conventional and alternative energy projects, and maritime and offshore operations and projects. Our London office links clients operating in the world’s interconnected energy and finance markets.

What we do: Haynes Boone is an international commercial law firm. London’s practices comprise contentious, corporate, debt capital markets, energy, finance, insolvency, investment management, project finance, real estate, shipping and tax.

What we’re looking for: 

Applicants should have a strong and consistent academic record and be on track for, or have obtained, a 2:1 degree as minimum.
We have a diverse group of attorneys but what stands out is their ability to work together as a team, be considerate and care for their colleagues.
Some of the most important attributes are to take on responsibility, have commercial awareness and have commitment, energy and spark. A sense of community and enthusiasm to participate is also beneficial.

What you’ll do: 

Each contract will comprise 4 seats of 6 months. The seats will be selected from the practice groups listed below:

Contentious;

Corporate;

Finance;

Energy/Shipping;

Investment Management

Real Estate.

Trainees in those seats will work with different teams across the range of the firm’s practice areas within the relevant group during each seat. Practical training will be given with plenty of support and feedback. You will be closely supervised and mentored by the training principal, and a partner mentor.

Perks: 

Private health insurance, cash plan, group income protection, group life assurance, group personal pension, interest free season ticket loan, Wellness exercise allowance, employee assistance programme.

Sponsorship

Full sponsorship of study for the PGDL/SQE; annual maintenance grant of £10,000 per year of study (pro-rated if not a full year of study).

Seat options

Finance; corporate; investment management; contentious; energy/shipping; real estate.

Tips from the recruiter

When completing the application form, it is important to be specific and informative when answering the questions.

Meet the advertised deadline – the recruitment cycle is run on a very tight schedule so extensions cannot be granted.

Do the appropriate research before answering the questions.

Diversity/inclusion