Name: Chinyelu Oranefo
Female
Solicitor
Banking

My name is Chinyelu Oranefo and I qualified as a Solicitor in 2004.  I read Law with French Law and Language at Kingston University and the University of Lyon III where I received a 2:1 and a prize for Company Law. I gained an LLM with Merit in International Commercial Law at the Universities of Nottingham and Singapore.  After taking the LPC, I trained at an international City law firm and spent one seat in Bangkok. I now work in the general banking team at a Scottish law firm in the City.

I think I chose to study law at 18 because I had gained some work experience in a barrister’s chambers and lacked imagination.  I also suspect that I was not in a small way brainwashed by the traditional Nigerian mantra I had grown up with, i.e. that there is no point in being anything in life other than a lawyer, doctor or engineer!  Fortunately my studies have afforded me the opportunity to explore my interests academically, travel, study and work internationally.  Maybe as a result, my imagination has improved somewhat and if I could do it all over again, I would probably have taken linguistics (after reading "After Babel" by George Steiner) or something afrocentric at SOAS and converted to law afterwards.

One of the reasons I enjoy my job is that I am constantly surprised by the ways in which businesses make money, which range from the ultra-sexy to the thoroughly un-glamorous.  I like getting to know the clients and their business and the fact that a banking lawyer has to use a full spectrum of legal, analytical, negotiating and interpersonal skills.  I am lucky because I am able to assist on, or run, my own acquisition, property and project finance transactions which is quite unusual in City firms, which tend to force you to specialise early.  During busy periods, I am drafting, reviewing or negotiating loan agreements and security documentation.  When I am in the midst of a demanding transaction, I tend to get sucked in and don’t mind the late nights or pulling the odd all-nighter if need be.  I use my down time to brush-up on my legal knowledge and prepare precedents or practice notes.

Although I have relatives in the profession, here and in Nigeria, who encouraged me, I don’t feel as though I have a mentor with experience of the world in which I work.  It would definitely have been helpful and if I had to give some guidance it would go something like this:

• Go to the very best university you can and make sure you get that 2:1 as (unless you have fantastic connections) you will not stand a chance without it in the City.  Somebody has to get a first – so why not you?
• Get as much feedback on your applications, interviews and work as you can and use that knowledge and your extra-curricular activities to differentiate yourself.
• Unless you want to live, eat and breathe one particular specialist area of law, consider carefully how idealistic you are about where you want to train, work or the area into which you want to qualify.
• Be aware of your reputation – as my Dad advised me, you might have to be seen (and heard if you are good at that) to be more than just an average hard-working, bright and charming trainee/lawyer if you want to be treated equally.  So, no excuses.  No pressure either!