Dealmaker: HSF's Gillian Fairfield on getting a round of applause from South African miners and how not to walk away from a deal
The Herbert Smith Freehills corporate partner on jargon, sushi and her favourite lawyers
March 24, 2017 at 07:17 AM
5 minute read
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) City corporate partner Gillian Fairfield has spent more than 12 years at the firm, making partner 2008. She is currently acting for British American Tobacco on its $49.4bn (£40bn) purchase of Reynolds American, working as part of a team led by senior partner James Palmer. Last year, she was the joint winner of the Legal Week Intelligence Best Client Partner award at the British Legal Awards.
Why did you become a lawyer? I'd done a degree in Russian, then worked in Japan for a year. When I found out about the possibility of a law conversion, I was attracted both by the intellectual rigour of it and the international possibilities it offered.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career? I'd name four lawyers who've had a significant influence on me: [Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer senior partner] Will Lawes, James Palmer, [former Freshfields corporate partner] Vanessa Knapp and [HSF M&A partner] Gareth Roberts.
What's your proudest professional moment? Getting a round of applause from miners at Lonmin's Marikana mines after their 2015 rescue rights issue. Also, I was very chuffed when I got my first listing in Chambers and when I won the Client Partner of the Year award last year.
…and worst day on the job? Delivering a stern message on behalf of my client to the other side on a negotiation. The message was that my client considered negotiations to have broken down and was thus walking away from the deal that very moment. Message duly delivered to a room full of angry people, I exited and shut the door behind me, only to realise I'd left my coat in the room. Rookie error!
Aside from your own firm, which lawyer do you most admire and why? [Freshfields corporate partner] Piers Prichard-Jones, who is a consummate professional and gets the deal done and [Linklaters corporate partner] Stephen Griffin, who is one of the brightest lawyers I know.
What's your strongest characteristic… and worst trait? They're one and the same – an ability to see and appreciate all sides of an argument.
What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? Mark your documents up in 2B pencil, speak to your clients regularly to find out what they want, and always remember our job is more than just document production (for your own sanity, as much as for your professional performance).
What's the best part of your job? Working with some of the smartest people around. Also problem-solving and technical legal analysis – I find it strangely soothing…
What most annoys you about the legal profession? Lawyers who fight a point based on their own ego and habits, rather than based on their client's commercial interests.
What's the most unusual/shocking request you've ever had from a client? A very long time ago, someone asked me if I could help them get round the requirement to have a visa to get into Britain. I explained that wasn't the sort of work we did….
Most memorable deal you ever have worked on and why? Probably the AbbVie proposed inversion takeover of Shire. It came hot on the heels of the ill-fated Pfizer/Astra Zeneca combination, and as a deal it had it all – strategising, politics, publicity, negotiations, complexity, and the pleasure of working with lawyers across a number of firms who were absolutely at the top of their game.
What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? I once used the expression 'not going to die in a ditch over this' to an American client who hadn't heard it before. They thought it was hilarious and for the rest of the deal checked in with me regularly to see 'how close to the ditch' I thought I was on any given issue…
Do you see yourself having a career outside law? Yes, I'm interested in government, policy and conservation.
What's your favourite item of clothing? My winter hiking boots – they're invincible, and make me feel that I am too.
It's midnight and you're in the office for the night, where's your takeaway from? Itsu, but I'd never leave it until midnight to eat – I would need food long before that (maybe I should have listed that as my main weakness?!)…
What are your desert island discs? Tannhauser, Shostakovich's Vth, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Favourite box set? Planet Earth.
What's your favourite cheese? I love all cheese, as long as it's not blue.
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