The legal industry has made huge strides to improve female career progression in recent years, and while there is still a way to go to create gender parity in the upper ranks of London law firms, a host of women are making their mark within the sector. But what about the next generation? To mark this year's International Women's Day, Law.com International has spent months researching and calling for submissions about exceptional up-and-coming female lawyers from across the top law firms. More than 100 high-quality submissions have been whittled down to find the 25 women aged under 40 who represent the best and brightest the U.K. market has to offer. All candidates were judged against the following criteria: the quality of their client base; examples of driving forward the size or reputation of their practice area; the scale, significance and complexity of their deals; their client feedback and general market reputation; the standing of their mentor; and any other examples of career success and innovation. Read on to find out more about why these 25 rising stars were selected for this list.

Amrit Mclean, DLA Piper
Amrit Mclean, DLA Piper |
  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Position: Partner since 2019
  • Practice area: Pensions de-risking
  • Key clients: Rothesay Life, Lyfe House and other major insurers

Amrit Mclean has made significant strides to bolster DLA Piper's pensions practice since joining the firm as its head of pensions de-risking just over 18 months ago. Having previously been a sales director at Aviva, Mclean's route to partnership has been unorthodox but DLA says the impact she has had on their pensions team has been "unprecedented", with Mclean bringing on board heavyweight insurer Rothesay Life as a key repeat client. Mclean counts the building out of her new team as her proudest professional achievement, saying: "To be given the space as well as support to execute the very clear vision I had of a brand new legal team for the pensions de-risking market has been an amazing opportunity." Her work to create a bespoke pensions de-risking product, The Buyers Report, has also attracted praise from others at the likes of Scottish Widows, Phoenix Group and AON, and has been described by DLA as being a "no brainer" for the firm to continue in light of its success.

Kirsteen Nicol, Kirkland & Ellis
Kirsteen Nicol, Kirkland & Ellis |
  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Position: Partner since 2015
  • Practice area: Banking and finance
  • Key clients: Advent, Apax, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Levine Leichtman, Lion Capital, Madison Dearborn, Pamplona, Partners Group, Sycamore Partners, Thoma Bravo and Vitruvian Partners.

Having been mentored by the likes of heavy-hitting partners Stephen Lucas and Neel Sachdev, Kirkland & Ellis partner Kirsteen Nicol has made an impact on the firm's debt finance practice - while her client list speaks for itself. The European relationship partner for a range of key office clients including Partners Group and Pamplona, Kirkland describes Nicol as "the full package" and "already a leader within the office". Indeed, one person at the firm says that Nicol has advised on over $10 billion of financing mandates across over 15 different sponsor clients in just one year. Nicol's advice to her younger self would be to "manage your own career. Make conscious decisions about the firm you want to work in, the people you work with, and type of work you want to do - don't wait for it to happen to you. During my career I have been fortunate to work with some of the most sophisticated clients and talented lawyers, on the most interesting and complex deals."

Emma Erskine-Fox, TLT
Emma Erskine-Fox, TLT |
  • Year of birth: 1989
  • Position: Associate since 2019
  • Practice area: Technology and Intellectual Property
  • Key clients: NatWest Group, TSB, UK Finance, DCMS, BGL Group (ComparetheMarket)

TLT's Emma Erskine-Fox has been described as "an exceptional lawyer" by NatWest's head of privacy, and as a "stand-out performer" by TSB Legal's head of legal. That such extraordinary commendation is levelled at such a young associate — she qualified into the firm's Bristol office just six years ago in 2015 — is in itself a huge feat. TLT says that Erskine-Fox has won "significant new work and high profile clients" for the firm since her qualification, and her star seems set to continue shining. As one impressed client put it, she is "the way we would hope all our lawyers could be in the future". Erskine-Fox says she wanted to be a lawyer since she was about 12 years old, and "whilst I'm sure [Legally Blonde's] Elle Woods probably played a part somewhere along the way, really it was because I wanted a job where I would be intellectually challenged every day and given the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to problems. As I'm sure many lawyers did, I found the first two weeks of my training contract completely overwhelming and I remember fearing that I'd made a terrible mistake, but I quickly found my feet and have loved every minute since then." Outside of work, Erskine-Fox sings with a chamber choir in Bristol and is "an amateur cake decorator, my proudest cake decorating achievement being making and decorating a four-tier cake for our own wedding!"

Fatema Orjela, Sidley Austin
Fatema Orjela, Sidley Austin |
  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Position: Partner at Sidley since 2016
  • Practice area: Private Equity
  • Key clients: Apollo, H.I.G. Capital, GIC

Since joining Sidley Austin's London office from Kirkland & Ellis in 2016 with a team of high-profile partners, Fatema Orjela has made her mark on the London private equity practice. Orjela is a go-to partner for key clients including Apollo, H.I.G. Capital and GIC, but beyond her practice Orjela goes to great lengths to pass on her knowledge to junior colleagues. She is the London chair of the firm's global retention and promotion of women committee, and in the past year has undertaken one-on-one mentoring and coaching sessions with over 50 Sidley associates, 15 graduate applicants and 10 diverse school/university level students interested in the law. Orjela views the "lack of transparency as to [women's] career track from early on, not when already mid-senior level," as the biggest obstacle to female career progression in the law, but says that she is "very pleased to see that this is fast changing with more employers willing to initiate open dialogue and more women feeling comfortable pro-actively raising the point for discussion."

Katja Butler, Skadden
Katja Butler, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom |
  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Position: Partner since 2017
  • Practice area: Private Equity
  • Key clients: Hg, Castik Capital, JAB, and Silverlake

Skadden's Katja Butler is no stranger to an industry 'rising stars' list, and for good reason. With a solid reputation as a leading private equity lawyer across European market, Butler took on a headline-grabbing mandate to advise on a complex carve-out transaction for multinational beauty company Coty's $4.3 billion strategic partnership with KKR in 2020. In addition to her billable work, Butler holds multiple female career development roles at Skadden. During 2020, she was involved in launching a number of virtual initiatives for the firm's European women's network, which she co-chairs, including a "bevy" network that organises weekly catch-ups between Skadden female lawyers to support them during lockdowns, as well as bi-monthly breakfasts and webinars and training sessions. If she could give her younger self one piece of advice, Butler says it would be to "make yourself indispensable to your clients and your team. Accept that in doing so, not every day will be a good day, but nine times out of 10 it will be improved by a biscuit. Buy a big tin."

Ali Kirby-Harris, Freshfields
Ali Kirby-Harris, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Dispute Resolution
  • Key clients: WEX, G4S, Big Four audit clients

Freshfields disputes partner Ali Kirby-Harris has had an unusual year, having been made partner in April 2020 — just a few months after coming back from maternity leave and in the midst of a pandemic. But after working on an 80% basis helped Kirby-Harris to balance her work and home life, Kirby-Harris says she is determined to help others achieve the same flexibility and balance in their careers to help with progression. She is also a remote-working convert, saying: "I never especially enjoyed working from home previously, and thought my most productive days were those spent in the office. This year has blown that thinking out of the water; lockdown has shown me that, going forward, my days working from home will be those when hyper efficiency and productivity is needed, and those in the office will be to collaborate and socialise with my colleagues". Kirby-Harris is the newest female disputes partner at the firm, and her achievements include helping G4S negotiate and agree a deferred prosecution agreement with the Serious Fraud Office — which was only the 8th DPA agreed in the U.K.

Morvyn Radlow, White & Case
Morvyn Radlow, White & Case
  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Position: Partner since 2021
  • Practice area: Financial Restructuring and Insolvency
  • Key clients: Goldman Sachs, GSO, Anchorage, York Capital and Centerbridge

A little over two months after being appointed as a partner in the London restructuring and insolvency team, Morvyn Radlow has already got off to a running start. Radlow is one of the lead partners advising on the high-profile restructuring of the Hertz group, and in 2020 was the lead associate on the restructuring of airport operations business Swissport. Radlow says that the pandemic has made her realise several things about the impact of personal interactions in the workplace. "Whilst the home-working experience has had lots of advantages for many, myself included, it has definitely made me appreciate the benefits of working in the same place as colleagues for at least some of the time. Most people in our team are missing the social side of office life, as well as the obvious benefits of face-to-face collaboration and the beneficial role it can play in, for example, developing the talent of our more junior team members," she shared.

Claire Jackson, Slaughter and May
Claire Jackson, Slaughter and May |
  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Corporate
  • Key clients: GSK, Aviva, Vodafone, ASOS

Having been promoted to the partnership seven years after qualification in 2020, Claire Jackson is already a promising corporate rising star at Slaughter and May. Over the past year, she has advised high-profile clients including Walmart on its £6.8 billion sale of Asda in October and Aviva on the sale of its majority shareholding in Aviva Singapore for £1.6 billion in September. Her interest in a career in law was sparked by sitting in on Crown and County Court cases while doing Work Experience Wednesdays with her mother, who was a civil servant. "I think that sparked my interest in studying law, along with Ally McBeal re-runs! At university I enjoyed the problem-solving and wider commercial aspects of contract and corporate law, and that led me to explore a career in the City — I have no shame in saying I'd never heard of the Magic Circle before then!," she says. Within the firm, Jackson dedicates time to mentoring through the firm's DIVERSE network, which celebrates and promotes gender, social, racial and ethnic diversity. She is also a member of the firm's social mobility committee and mentors students and prospective applicants through the firm's partnership with UpReach. She says: "I worry most about women self-selecting themselves out of senior roles because they don't see a path to promotion or a life afterwards which allows them to excel at work whilst also balancing their priorities outside of work. There are some broader societal issues there too, and we don't have all the answers yet by any means, but it is down to us to make career progression not just possible with some sacrifices, but attractive."

Sarah Hitchins, Allen & Overy
Sarah Hitchins, Allen & Overy |
  • Year of birth: 1987
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Litigation & Investigations
  • Key clients: Large household names in the financial services sector, including some of the world's largest banks, insurers, wealth managers, brokers and asset managers

As one of the youngest female partners currently working in a Magic Circle firm, Allen & Overy's Sarah Hitchins has been a key driver of the firm's internal investigations expertise. In 2014, while still an associate, Hitchens founded the firm's individual accountability working group, offering advice to financial services clients on topical issues including, for example, the U.K. senior managers and certification regime (SMCR). In the past year, Hitchins has advised a vast number of clients in relation to internal investigations that focus on culture, whistleblowing and 'non-financial misconduct' including allegations of bullying, harassment, favouritism, sexual misconduct and discrimination. "I specifically became an investigations lawyer because I found that I enjoyed analysing facts and the law to try and reach a conclusion and formulate a strategy for dealing with challenging situations for clients," says Hitchins. "I also really enjoy the human interest element of investigations, i.e. trying to work out why someone did or did not do something in a particular situation." Within the firm, Sarah acts as the associate development partner for her team, which is one of the largest at A&O with more than 45 associates.

Lyndsey Laverack, Sidley Austin
Lyndsey Laverack, Sidley Austin |
  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Position: Partner since 2019
  • Practice area: Corporate/Real Estate
  • Key clients: KKR Real Estate, Metric Capital Partners, Welltower, Bank of Cyprus and Amazon

A mentee of the firm's London managing partner Tom Thesing, Sidley Austin's Lyndsey Laverack has been a key driver of the firm's success in corporate real estate, including winning KKR Real Estate as a major repeat client following her secondment at the business. But Laverack says her proudest professional achievement is "being promoted to the Sidley partnership while on maternity leave with my third child. As a younger lawyer I was very concerned that I would be unable to remain as committed to my clients as I needed to be in order to be successful, whilst also having a family. I'm proud of the fact that I have been able to do both without feeling like either my job or my family has suffered." Laverack also sits on the firm's graduate recruitment committee in London, and is heavily involved with the firm's pro bono programme.

Michelle Tong, Goodwin
Michelle Tong, Goodwin Procter |
  • Year of birth: 1989
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Private Equity
  • Key clients: TowerBrook, GHO, Mid Europa and Blackstone Special Opportunities

Aged just 30, Goodwin London private equity partner Michelle Tong's career has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Tong has been extensively mentored and supported by fellow Goodwin partners Erik Dahl and Christian Iwasko, as well as TowerBrook Capital Partners European general counsel Matthew Gerber since the earliest days of her career as a summer associate at Kirkland & Ellis, where they all began their practices. Tong's drive to improve diversity within the legal industry is also notable — she is a key figure in Goodwin's new partnership with Black Women in Asset Management, which aims to support to career objectives of talented Black women who work in asset management. Tong adds she is also "very proud of a series of client networking events that I have hosted over the past few years. The events are aimed at women in investment and legal roles at private equity funds and other financial sponsors. The initiative has been a fantastic opportunity to meet and bring together some truly inspiring and talented women. I'm hugely excited by the prospect of hopefully being able to restart this initiative again soon."

Jennifer Brennan, Latham & Watkins
Jennifer Brennan, Latham & Watkins |
  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Position: Made partner in 2017
  • Practice area: Private Debt, Restructuring and Special Situations
  • Key clients: Blackstone, Alcentra, Barings, CVC Credit, Avenue Capital, Cross Ocean and New Look

A core member of Latham & Watkins' London restructuring and insolvency practice, Jennifer Brennan has taken the lead on several high-profile mandates since joining the firm in 2018 from Linklaters alongside key mentor Yen Sum. Brennan's work on troubled high street retailer New Look's company voluntary agreement and advice provided to Swissport on its debt recapitalisation and restructuring warrant her a spot on this list, as do her relationships with key Latham clients Blackstone and CVC. Brennan says she chose to work in corporate law as she saw it as an opportunity to live and work abroad, which certainly paid off — she has lived in five different countries during her career. Her advice to her younger self? "Don't apologise for being ambitious."

Hayley Lund, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Hayley Lund, Weil Gotshal & Manges |
  • Year of birth: 1988
  • Position: Counsel since 2020
  • Practice area: Dispute Resolution
  • Key clients: Her Majesty's Government, Sanofi, Asia Research & Capital Management Limited, Petropavlovsk, Providence Equity Partners, Advent International, Montagu Private Equity and Asahi Group Holdings

"Not only is she one of the strongest technical lawyers in the office but there is a real breadth to her technical expertise, which spans traditional disputes work in both litigation and arbitration, contentious restructurings and contentious regulatory and compliance." This is how Weil Gotshal proudly describes disputes lawyer Hayley Lund, who over the past two years has established the firm's investigations practice in London, branching out beyond her traditional disputes remit. A mentee of the firm's London managing partner Michael Francies, Lund is also one of the firm's two lead counsel for pro bono in the London office. On the biggest challenges facing women in law, Lund says: "It is unfortunate that women seem to be perceived as being less ambitious and less committed to their careers without reason. Additionally, male characteristics continue to be valued significantly more highly than female characteristics and females are often encouraged to mimic male behaviours as a condition to success. Pending further improvements on this front, it's so important for women to stick together and focus on promoting and encouraging each other."

Yindi Gesinde, Baker McKenzie
Yindi Gesinde, Baker McKenzie |
  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Dispute Resolution and Compliance & Investigations
  • Key clients: A major holiday booking website and a preeminent drinks manufacturer, among others.

Promoted to partner last year, Yindi Gesinde has a flourishing practice with roles on high-profile and high–stakes cases concerning issues of great reputational and financial value to her clients. Yindi is also increasingly taking on client relationship management roles and shortly after her promotion, she became one of the partners responsible for Baker Mckenzie's relationship with one of its TMT global key clients. As a partner in the dispute resolution and investigations practice, she has led a team across six of the firm's EMEA offices conducting an internal investigation for a European-headquartered multinational telecommunications company which led to a settlement. Gesinde also co-chairs the firm's ethnic minority employee network, BakerEthnicity, and manages the firm's relationship with key pro bono client UNHCR. Aside from making partner in July, Gesinde says that one of her proudest professional achievements is "being known as someone who is willing to speak up about racism and its impact, despite how uncomfortable it can make others feel (which I'd suggest is even more reason to keep talking about it)", which she says has "become especially important in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement".

Naomi Pryde, DWF
Naomi Pryde, DWF |
  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Position: Partner and head of DWF's Scottish litigation practice Scotland since 2019
  • Practice area: Commercial Litigation
  • Key clients: BT, Telefonica, Marks & Spencers

Not only is Naomi Pryde a qualified solicitor in England & Wales, but she is also qualified in the Republic of Ireland and Scotland. As well as a England & Wales solicitor advocate, she recently qualified as solicitor advocate in Scotland, a rare feat in itself but especially so since she completed her higher rights qualification during her maternity leave and "whilst sleep deprived looking after a new-born". For Pryde, the struggles have been worth it. "I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight years old," she says. "I didn't know any lawyers but I've always had a deep desire to help others and to make a difference and I must have seen something which made me believe that becoming a lawyer would enable me to do that." Impressive credentials aside, Naomi strives to champion women both in and out of the firm. She introduced the "Red Box Project" to DWF, a project which tackles period poverty, and she also launched Women in the Law U.K. in Scotland at DWF's Edinburgh office in 2019, a networking organisation aimed at young women at various stages of their careers.

Smridhi Gulati, Dechert
Smridhi Gulati, Dechert |
  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Position: Partner since 2020
  • Practice area: Leveraged Finance
  • Key clients: Ares, Barings and Shawbrook, Alcentra, BlackRock, CVC Credit Partners, Kartesia, Perwyn Advisors, and Quorn

As a senior associate, Smridhi Gulati chaired the associate committee at Dechert's London office and was deeply involved in the firm's stance on parental leave, and its gender pay gap report. Now one of the very few women partners in leveraged finance, she is a well-known figure in her industry. "Female role models are phenomenally important in allowing the next generation of female lawyers to believe they can stretch all the way to the top," she says. "Until we have more parity in the senior ranks, we won't make a real move from gender stereotyping." Her key clients include the likes of Ares, Barings and Shawbrook. Outside the firm, she also acts as a professional ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors, which helps underrepresented individuals get into law.

Charlotte Henschen, RPC
Charlotte Henschen, RPC |
  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Position: Senior associate since March 2015
  • Practice area: Litigation
  • Key clients: hedge funds, fund and asset managers, large multinational corporates

"There are still strong societal pressures on mothers about returning to a demanding job alongside childcare responsibilities", Charlotte Henschen says, when asked about the biggest obstacle to female career progression. Having successfully navigated her return to the workforce following her maternity leave, she is hopeful that more women in senior positions can "demonstrate that the two can be balanced successfully". Edward Sparrow, chairman of the City of London Law Society, says Henschen is an "excellent lawyer who worked hard, gained the client's confidence in each case and made my job easier" when they worked together at Ashurst, and showed "clear star potential".

Sarah Cowlishaw, Covington & Burling
Sarah Cowlishaw, Covington & Burling |
  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Position: Partner since 2019
  • Practice area: Life Sciences
  • Key clients: AstraZeneca, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Illumina, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Sensyne Health, Abbott Laboratories

At only 34 years old, Sarah Cowlishaw has played a pivotal role in negotiating supply arrangements for COVID-19 vaccines and non-vaccine COVID-19 related products during the last year, including before the European Commission and the U.K. government. Her background in chemistry helped greatly when Cowlishaw made the decision to follow a career as a life sciences lawyer. "I wanted to work at the intersection of science and law, it is a fascinating, continually evolving area that presents unique and exciting challenges," she says. Cowlishaw also counselled GlaxoSmithKline on its $300 million collaboration with genetics company 23andMe, which was envisioned to focus on the development of new medicines and cures using genetics as a basis for discovery.

Nicola Higgs, Latham & Watkins
Nicola Higgs, Latham & Watkins |
  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Position: Partner, since January 2017
  • Practice area: Financial Services Regulatory
  • Key clients: Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Citigroup

Latham & Watkins' Nicola Higgs has taken on notable mandates for some of the world's biggest investment banks, including advising Goldman Sachs on the build out of its U.K. retail investment platform — one of the biggest-ever mandates in investment and digital banking. She is still leading a 20-lawyer cross-border team on the matter, who are advising on all aspects of the build and delivery. Her impact on the firm and industry is also clear: she has been a core part of building the firm's ESG practice and notably led the EU bank industry thinking around a White Paper on how boards of global financial institutions can manage their transition to sustainable finance. This White Paper is being used to influence the European Commission's latest proposals on corporate governance laws on the matter. Her advice to her younger self? "Success is a combination of technical ability, work ethic, and personality. Don't forget the value of your personality in any professional situation and always make space for the voice of others. Diverse voices are the bedrock of great teams — never be shy in expressing your own."

Chloe Forster, DLA Piper
Chloe Forster, DLA Piper |
  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Position: Partner since May 2019
  • Practice area: Technology Transactions and Strategic Sourcing
  • Key clients: Heineken, easyJet, AllSaints

Chloe Forster has grown her already-impressive client base substantially in the last 12 months. She notably led a successful pitch team for easyJet's legal panel process in 2020 and was appointed as Reckitt Benckiser's preferred legal partner for strategic tier 1 contracts. She embraced easyJet's unusual panel process, stating that she found the challenge "highly motivating" and an experience she will take forward to prepare DLA Piper's next generation of lawyers. Her impact on her team and practice more widely is evidenced through her leadership of the firm's international Women in Tech initiative, as well as launching the firm's global commercial contracts vlog, which provides accessible advice to clients on key commercial issues. Forster believes that the key to promoting more female talent is the continued sponsorship of a range of voices within legal organisations. "In my career, I have worked with a couple of senior male partners who advocated for me, and believed in me, at an earlier stage and — arguably — more so than I did in myself," she says. "Whilst my style and skillset are different to their own, they were able to recognise the value in that and took the time to help me see that too, whilst at the same time championing me both within the firm and more generally. I feel very fortunate to have had that support and I think it's our responsibility to make sure that level of sponsorship in the norm, not the exception."

Min Weaving, Mishcon de Reya
Min Weaving, Mishcon de Reya |
  • Year of birth: 1988
  • Position: Managing associate since April 2019
  • Practice area: White Collar
  • Key clients: High profile SFO investigations, suspects in the Unaoil, Balli, Alstom and BAT investigations, witnesses in SFO investigations into LIBOR, Barclays Qatar and others

Described as a "rare find in the legal profession" and a "very bright star who's the real deal", it is no surprise that Mishcon de Reya's Min Weaving makes this list. She has advised clients in several high profile SFO cases, including Unaoil, Balli, Alstom and BAT investigations, as well as advising witnesses in the Barclays Qatar case. Outside of her stellar day-job performance, she also set up the London chapter of the Women's White Collar Defense Association's Young Professionals Committee and hosts numerous events. Mishcon disputes partner Jo Rickard, one of Min's key mentors, says that "clients absolutely love her". Weaving is currently on maternity leave looking after her three month old child, which she says doesn't leave much time for other activities, "but I wouldn't have it any other way".

Charlotte Cartwright, Eversheds Sutherland
Charlotte Cartwright, Eversheds Sutherland |
  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Position: Legal director since 2019
  • Practice area: Pensions
  • Key clients: Tesco PLC Pension Scheme, Clara Pension Trust Trustees, Canada Life UK Division Staff Pension Fund trustees

Eversheds Sutherland's Charlotte Cartwright says she became a lawyer because she was "looking for that ideal career — intellectually challenging, varied, dynamic and people-orientated. Luckily I found it (most days!)". Cartwright has "made a real impact since her arrival", according to the firm's head of pensions, Francois Barker. That impact includes bringing in two new clients into the firm, Clara Pensions Trust and Pell Frischmann - securing the latter client when an industry contact recommended her personally. Cartwright also proposed, organised and presented the firm's COVID-19 pensions webinars. She is described as somebody who "combines ambition, dedication, and intelligence with pragmatism and good humour" by mentor and friend, Freshfields pensions partner Dawn Heath.

Layla D'Monte, King & Spalding
Layla D'Monte, King & Spalding |
  • Year of birth: 1988
  • Position: Associate since 2018
  • Practice area: Corporate, Finance and Investments
  • Key clients: Global Switch, Utmost Group, Hurst Point Capital/Carlyle, Veloce Esports

A mentee of senior London partners William Charnley, Jules Quinn and Marcus Young, King & Spalding's Layla D'Monte has taken a leading role on many of the team's flagship transactions across EMEA and North America, including the £1.8 billion recent deal between LCCG (now Utmost Group) and Equitable Life. However, she counts her role on helping secure a rescue deal for U.K. logistics company Eddie Stobart in late 2019 — which saved around 6,500 jobs just before Christmas — as her proudest professional achievement. "Knowing that our efforts had contributed to making such a difference to so many people was a special moment," she says. D'Monte is very active in the training and development of junior lawyers, including having designed and lead the London office's corporate training programme, training up to 20 of her peers over the course of a year. Layla has also taken a proactive approach to BD and pro bono, working with Warwick University to provide pro bono advice to start-ups involving underrepresented members of the community.

Jennifer Mbaluto, Clifford Chance
Jennifer Mbaluto, Clifford Chance |
  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Position: Partner since May 2019 and co-head of East Africa
  • Practice area: Corporate/TMT
  • Key clients: CDC Group, Telefonica, Antenna Group

Mentored by former managing director at Goldman Sachs, Sue Hunt, and currently reverse-mentor to Clifford Chance's global managing partner Matthew Layton, Jennifer Mbaluto's rising star status is clear. A standout mandate was advising Telefónica on the £31 billion O2-Virgin Media merger. Although discussions began in late 2019, the most intensive negotiation phase kicked off at the start of the U.K.'s coronavirus lockdown, with an "almost unprecedented amount of work to do in the final week ahead of a scheduled announcement date", the firm said. Despite having worked in such a deadline-oriented role for many years now, Mbaluto says that her pandemic experiences have changed her outlook on mental health. "I always considered myself to be a resilient and self-reliant person, but my experience during this pandemic has made me challenge this assumption, and I am now more open to seeking support when I need it," she says. "I am also more concsious of, and try to check in, with those around me (including at work) who always appear strong, happy, or seem to take everything in their stride."

Sarah Shaw, Hogan Lovells
Sarah Shaw, Hogan Lovells |
  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Position: Partner since 2018, Co-Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Industry Sector Group since July 2020
  • Practice area: Corporate and finance
  • Key clients: Brookfield, Prologis, International Finance Corporation, Anergi, and a high-profile carmaker

Having joined Hogan Lovells less than three years ago, Sarah Shaw has proved herself a significant addition to the London office. As of last July, she now co-heads Hogan Lovells' energy and natural resources industry sector group, and is part of the global M&A leadership team. She has recently advised Prologis on the $1.1bn sale of a global portfolio of properties to Mapletree, and a high profile carmarker on a pan-European joint venture. In day-to-day internal responsibilities, Sarah runs the newly qualified lawyers application process for her group, is on the firm's graduate recruitment team, and is also involved in interviewing potential lateral partner hires. On what she sees as the biggest obstacle to female career progression in the law today, Shaw says: "There's a tendency for women to be asked to do a lot of internal 'housekeeping' roles, eating away at time that their male colleagues spend on client work and business development. We need to be honest about that at the top to start to make meaningful change." With reporting by Varsha Patel and Meganne Tillay. |

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