Ed Moser
“Before my vacation scheme with Allen & Overy I had been a little anxious about being a non-law student.”
Key Facts
Read Ancient History at Durham
Joined A&O
March 2008
From a degree studying Ancient History to a job practicing law may not appear to be the most obvious career choice (albeit one of which, I suspect, Cicero himself would have approved). Nevertheless, the transition has been an enjoyable and fulfilling one. Before my vacation scheme with Allen & Overy (in August 2004) I had been a little anxious about being a non-law student. Such fears were quickly allayed, however, as I realised that a training contract with a commercial law firm posed the kinds of challenges and offered the types of rewards I was looking for when starting my career. Moreover, the people I had met (many of whom remain friends now) and the working environment I had experienced on my vacation scheme confirmed that A&O was the firm for me.
The first challenge came in the form of the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the College of Law in Bloomsbury. With a somewhat busier timetable than I recalled from my arts degree, it demanded good time-management and taught me to assimilate large amounts of information over a short period of time. Nevertheless, the course was complementary – rather than contrary – to the skills I had already learned as an undergraduate.
The following year, I attended the Allen & Overy bespoke Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law, Moorgate. Although very different from the previous year, the course built on the foundations laid by the GDL. By taking a vocational approach to legal problems and through the use of A&O precedent documents, it constituted excellent preparation for my training contract. Furthermore, classes on advocacy, drafting and client interviewing developed skills which have already been put to the test since joining the firm. Arguably the greatest aspect of the LPC, however, was studying with future A&O colleagues. Arriving at A&O with an established group of friends among the trainee body took much of the trepidation out of starting a new job.
My training contract has afforded me the opportunity to spend time living abroad (in Florence and New York – through our awards scheme for language courses and pro-bono initatives) and, since joining A&O, I have been involved in a wide range of work, including multi-million pound refinancing transactions and even a claim for judicial review.