Ropes, Motivational

Question 1

Tell me About Yourself.

Answer 1

Professional:

• I am a Native Egyptian who lived through the 2011 Revolution.
• Adolesent Interest in History, Politics, etc. Ultimately, went with Law.
• LLB (First), LLM (Distinction), AM, Sultan, and Willkie.

Personal:

• Fitness (Boxing, Weightlifting, Cycling, and Hiking)
• Hosting & Cooking.
• Screenwriting.

Question 2

Why Corporate Law?

Answer 2

• Satisfies my Intellectual Curiosity (The Lecture).
• Plays to my Strengths (Problem-Solving, Creative Thinking, Argumentation, Storytelling).
• Fits my Character (Strategic, Cerebral, and Diligent but also Sociable, Persuasive, and Creative).

Question 3

Why Ropes & Gray?

Answer 3

• Commitment to Innovation:
  
  • R&G Insights Labs.
  • Conversations with Rohan and Ed.
• Practice Focus: Transactional corporate and finance law.
• Sector Focus: Private Capital, Life Sciences & Healthcare, and Technolgoy.
• US Heritage.
• Training Style: Early responsibility, lean teams, on-the-job learning, ample room for growth.

Question 4

Why Not Be a Barrister?

Answer 4

• Too solitary (Pack of Dogs vs. Herd of Cats).
• Prefer Transactional Law (Creativity, Dynamism, Career Progression).

Question 5

Why Not be an Investment Banker or a Consultant?

Answer 5

• Too quantitative.
• Less concerned with the sturctural aspects of business.

Question 6

Why Do an LLM?

Answer 6

• Decide whether Academia was for me.
• Prove to myself I could excel on an elite program at an elite institution.
• Deeper explore the intersection of law and finance.

Question 7

Which Aspects of the LLM Were Most Challenging?

Answer 7

• Workload: Heavier than LLB, especially given my modules.
• Independence: Zero hand-holding, huge difference from LLB. Acclimated quickly and fell in love with the freedom. Encouraged collaboration.

Question 8

Which Aspects of the LLM Were Most Enjoyable?

Answer 8

• Independence: Freedom to dictate my own education.
• Subject Matter: Perfect blend of theory and practice, and ample opportunity for discussion.
• Collaboration: Community of scholars, collectively tackling problems and progressing together.

Question 9

Why London?

Answer 9

• Close to home.
• Second-largest global finance hub.

Question 10

Which of Our Practice Areas most Interest You?

Answer 10

Private Equity:

• Sophisticated Clients with Need for Bespoke Technical Solutions → Highly Challenging → Accelerated Development.
• High Deal Volume → Accelerated Development.
• Enormous and Rapidly Growing Sector.
• Global in scope.

Asset Management:

• All of the above.
• The preceding half of Private Equity (Fund Formation and Fundraising).
• More market-oriented.
• Greater diversity of legal work (Tax, Finance, etc.)

Anti-Corruption & Risk Management:

• Ethical Considerations → Meaningful.
• Stakes → Compelling.
• Variety and Complexity → Stimulating.

Question 11

Who are our Biggest Competitors?

Answer 11

Firms offering similar services to similiar clients and sectors in similar regions:

• Similar Services: Corporate finance specialists (Weil, Cleary, Kirkland, Davis Polk, Paul Hastings).
• Similar Clients and Sectors: Private Capital, Technology, and Life Science & Healthcare (Orrick, Cooley, Sidley, Covington).
• Similar Regions: US, Europe, Asia (Milbank, Cleary, White & Case, Skadden).

Question 12

How do We Compare to Rivals, and why do Our Clients Continue to Choose Us?

Answer 12

• Total specialisation in Private Capital work.
• Greater sector expertise (Private Equity, Technology, and Life Science & Healthcare).
• Greater expertise in Asia.
• Greater advisory expertise in commercial and compliance matters.
• Forerunner in legal technology.

Question 13

Which other Firms have You Applied to, and how Far have You Progressed?

Answer 13

Have Applied To:

• Covington.
• Davis Polk.

Will Apply To:

• Fried Frank.
• Paul Hastings.
• Morgan Lewis.
• Sullivan & Cromwell.
• Memry Crystal Rosenblatt.

Question 14

Where do you see Yourself in Three, Five, and Ten Years?

Answer 14

• Three Years: NQ Associate.
• Five Years: Junior Associate.
• Ten Years: Partner / On Track for Partnership.
• All at Ropes.
  • Firm provides strong opportunities for advancement (Jane Rogers started in 2004, Julie Jones started in 1994).
  • Heavily invested in talent cultivation (ADPs, GO Programme, Client Secondments, Training Accolades).

Question 15

How are we Different to Willkie?

Answer 15

• Willkie is not in Asia.
• Willkie is more sector-agnostic.
• Willkie is focused on Insurnace and Reinsurance, not in Technology and Life Science & Healthcare.
• Willkie (London) does more contentious work (commercial and competition litigation).

Question 16

What is our Role in our Key Sectors?

Answer 16

In Private Equity:

• Sourcing: May refer candidates.
• Initial DD: Draft confidentiality documents, explore financing options.
• Approvals: Draft Initial Bid Letter, prepare for Final DD.
• Final DD: Draft Investment Memorandum, outlining transaction structure, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Negotiation: Draft the Transaction, Investment, and Financing Documents.
• Signing: Ensure documents become legally binding.
• Closure: Ensure documents are executed.

In Asset Management:

• Fund Formation: Draft the LPA to structure and form the Fund.
• Fundraising: Draft Offering Memorandum and provide strategic advice on fundraising.
• Negotiation: Negotiate ancillary documents (subscription loan, co-investment agreement, side letter, etc.).
• Fund Administration: Facilitate trade of LP interests.
• Complaince: Provide regulatory compliance advice.

In Life Sciences & Healthcare:

• Compliance: Provide regulatory compliance advice, especially on forthcoming instruments.
• Strategy: Provide strategic commercial advice (research and development, product acquisition, product lifecycle management, etc).
• Risk: Advise on risk minimisation and crisis management.
• Advocacy: Represent clients before regulators (clinical trials, product approval, manufacturing, etc.).
• Litigation: Represent clients in disputes & investigations.

Question 17

How would you Pitch Ropes to a Client?

Answer 17

For Funds:

• The Problem: I need to: (a) find investors; (b) buy companies; (c) grow companies; (d) sell companies; and (e) do so inexpensively, efficiently, and on good terms.

For Pharmaceuticlas:

• The Problem: I need to: (a) fund drug discovery; (b) patent my drug; (c) secure regulatory approval; (d) bring my drug to market; (e) extract maximal value from my drug; (f) stay compliant with regulation; (g) neutralise any disputes; and (h) do so inexpensively, efficiently, and on good terms.

The Pitch:

• We understand your business because we are leading experts in your industry.
• We can satisfy all your legal and commercial needs.
• We opearte in all your target markets.
• We are extremely efficient because of our technological edge, which allows us to be extremely competitive on price.

Question 18

Why Life Sciences & Healthcare?

Answer 18

• The work is meaningful (Climate Seeds by Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Corteva Agriscience).
• The sector is resilient (essential demand, aging population, public investment, financial aid to consumers).
• The sector’s highly technical nature is intellectually stimulating and disproportionately rewards expertise.