Sitting on a plush leather chair in the London office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Arun Sohan-Pall is a world away from his childhood bedroom above his parents' chip shop.

Although more than a decade has passed, Sohan-Pall, can vividly recall being wedged into that tiny space in Birmingham, the smell of fried food wafting through the floorboards, as he tried desperately to secure work experience at any company willing to give him a chance.