Day in My Life as a CORPORATE LAWYER in London - 14 Hour Day

It's (FINALLY!) here: a 7am-10pm day in my life as a corporate lawyer working from the OFFICE in Canary Wharf (London). I am now almost halfway through my training contract at Clifford Chance, currently working in the M&A (mergers and acquisitions) team. In this video, I share my morning routine, the kind of work I do during the day and a sneak-peak of an upcoming office tour video that I'm making with a couple of other trainees 😃

If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be a trainee lawyer at a top corporate law firm, this hopefully gives you an insight into the hours, the work lawyers actually do and the perks of working for a firm that really cares for its people!

So yeh - enjoy, and please do let me know what you think in the comments 🤗
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👨‍⚖️ Download my LPC and GDL notes (in PDF format) for free... or get the premium notes for word document versions! 😀

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About Me

I'm a trainee lawyer, part-time YouTuber, son, brother, startup founder, boyfriend, black coffee drinker and plant dad. I graduated from Cambridge University (where I studied French and Spanish), topped my law school class and now work for a corporate law firm in London as a trainee solicitor (which takes up a lot of my time)!

Around that, I'm a big fan of discovering new ways of thinking, of balancing work with life, and of performing to the very best of my ability. Ohh, and being happy. And I try to share all that on this YouTube channel 😀

Fun fact: I believe we massively overplay the role of “natural talent” 😮 AND… I also believe that TOGETHER, WE ARE ALL CAPABLE OF POSITIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND SUCCESS.

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Disclaimer:
Information, views and opinions depicted in this video are my own. Information visible on screens or in documents does not relate to my work as a lawyer for clients.

[MissCamChoco]

I worked super long hours like that for 3 years (in an industry job though) and let me tell you, even if "the grind" seems to be somewhat addicting and satisfying in the beginning, it sucks the life out of you sooner or later. You get sucked into this tunnel where at one point you don't feel like a human anymore, just a machine. Now that I stopped, I feel like I have woken up from a long, bad dream. I still think it's fun to push hard on a project for a couple of days in a row, but I would never work in a job that requires that regularly from me anymore. I don't think this lifestyle is sustainable and I don't think the way big corporations suck the life out of us should be promoted.

[SuperSongbabe]

I work in fraud law and I have fallen out of love with my job, I love seeing your enthusiasm I wish I enjoyed doing my day to day tasks! I get quite disheartened when I get comments about my work but you have changed my attitude as it really is part of the learning experience!

[juliemadsen]

Gotta confess, I read "mergers and acquisitions" and "corporate lawyer" and almost went narcoleptic right there. no offense, I'm just more of a right brain type. but watching you talk about it is like watching a 7 year old kid explain his favorite toys. Your enthusiasm is infectious! (Sorry I probably shouldn't be using that word these days.) So fun to watch people who are passionate about what they do. And this was an interesting glimpse behind the scenes.

[slk]

Wow, Liam, I admire you for being such a hard-working guy! You seem to really enjoy your job and are therefore a vast inspiration! Keep up the excellent content! Anyone who needs to hear this: It's okay not to work 14 hours a day for a glamourous company. Your job and your working hours do not define you, and you're all AWESOME!

[Fionn-Greyship]

I quitted corporate lawyer world a few months ago after working for about 7 years. It is an interesting job and intellectually stimulating but i think it is just not for everyone. Glad to see that you seem to really enjoy your job

[gagglesas]

I'm not sure why i ended up clicking onto this, but as a doctor in London, it's really fun to watch someone's completely different kind of work day! Also when you said you clocked off really early, I wasn't expecting you to say 5.30 haha

[joyce]

As a Corporate Senior Legal Secretary, I can vouch for you! Closing a corporate deal is both exhausting and exhilarating. I've many 24 stints - awaiting the clients to finally sign off. My heart goes out to you! This brings back so many busy days and late nights. Would have loved to have worked with you! 🙂

[Abbas-Syed-Sb]

The practice presentation with the department seemed really cool and useful. More companies need to start doing that

[Jjjkluejnek]

This is perfect. I’ve just started gaining legal experience in a high street firm and it’s definitely full on. Your video has reminded me that I’m not alone in struggling and learning from mistakes. It’s definitely a process of trial and error and self improvement. Wishing you the best of luck in your new job. Congrats !

[giacomorimatori]

I've been working for corporate law firms in Italy for several years. I used to work on papers for days, with short breaks and I had to go all around Italy (my countries) for hearings, sometimes sleeping in hotels. I finally decided to start my own firm and to work by myself. I'm 41 and work as long as I want for the clients I actually want to work for (especially IT companies). Some days I only work 4-5 hours and go out for playing tennis or art courses. Other days I work 9-10 hours, but it's pretty rare. Going by myself was the best choice of my life, just need guts to do it

[TheIceyeddy]

As someone who gave up the stressful corporate city life for a peaceful life in the country, this video has made me realise I definitely would rather die than go back to the corporate rat race! But I am glad this chap enjoys his job, and I recommend to keep doing it if you enjoy it!

[wllm]

as an attorney recruiter, it’s lovey to see an associate so enthused about helping out with recruiting!

[andreaneri]

You inspire me to fall in love with my career all over again. I work in a hospital and with the pandemic a lot of us have been feeling extreme burnout. This is so refreshing to watch. 💖

[npcunniffe]

These kinds of videos should be shown to schoolkids. People need an insight into the reality of what a job entails before signing up for expensive colleges, internships and general use of their time. I know im never going to go into corporate law after watching this video but im sure there are many others who will want to. That's why your videos are so important.

[JuliaKimMurphy]

I'm an international corporate lawyer in Dubai and the grind does get to you after a while. It's great to see others in this profession working hard and staying motivated. I've struggled to find balance recently because of the long hours but need to try and see if I can get back into it. Thank you for the videos!

[letlovewin]

It's cool that you share the office life as it really is and do not try to make things look better than they are. It's great to see that the long day didn't exhaust you. Never seen anyone beaming with energy like that after 8 pm in the office 😊

[Argonaut]

I wish you well Liam. I did corporate and M&A work for almost 40 years before retiring a couple years ago. I never stopped enjoying it.

[Maverick_Maple_Syrup]

As an MBA student also studying for the LSAT (U.S.), I’m even more inspired by your enthusiasm to join corporate law in M&A😄

[anasfrh]

Let's get to the question everyone has in mind. How are you able to stay so lean with the long hours, take out food and sedentary office work!!!!??!!! Nice day in the life video btw, I am sure bankers and consultants are jealous of the fact you have your own office space :D

[Jon-hbgx]

After 10 years (and counting) in the corporate world, I can confirm that the provision of free dinner is not actually a perk. Having said that, I love the enthusiasm you have for role and you're quite right to learn from others and take in as much as you can.