Case study: Ali Zaidi

I am a partner in Edwin Coe Solicitors which is a 22-partner commercial practice in Chancery Lane, Holborn. I joined Edwin Coe as an assistant solicitor in 1999 and was made a salaried partner in 2000. In 2003 I became an equity partner. At that time I was one of the youngest Asians to be made a partner in an established London practice and remain one of only a handful of Asian partners in the City.

My reason for studying law and becoming a solicitor was that it was the next best thing to politics! Probably the only thing I excelled in at school was history and current affairs but I decided at an early age that a politics degree was not going to get me very far. As such, law was the next best thing and I have never looked back.

My route to qualification was that after leaving school I obtained a 2:1 degree at South Bank University and then did my Legal Practice Course with the College of Law. I trained with Woolsey Morris & Kennedy Solicitors which is a typical medium/small sized provincial practice in Sidcup, Kent. As you would expect of a medium/small provincial firm the training was extremely hands on and practical – ranging from private client, conveyancing through to litigation. It was the latter where I found my forte in life and after two years’ post qualification experience I moved to Bolt Burdon Solicitors in Islington to join their commercial litigation department. There I developed my specialism in insolvency litigation and in 1999 joined the insolvency department at Edwin Coe. As a partner in Edwin Coe I have two assistant solicitors and a trainee who directly answer to me. My additional duties as a partner include recruitment and managing the firm’s trainees.

The best practical advice I can give to any prospective trainee is to be realistic. What I mean by this is to recognise very early on what your strengths are and what firms would be suited to you. Increasingly firms are looking for more than just an academic approach. They want to see somebody who is proactive, confident and who can demonstrate practice skills. In addition I think a candidate needs to be aware of the entry requirements of the firms they are applying to. There is little point applying to firms who demand a 2:1 with commercial electives if you have neither. Equally candidates should recognise that there are some excellent law firms outside of the City.

My message to students is never doubt your ability. So long as you are proactive and realistic, you will achieve your goals. I know from my own experience that it was very hard to find a training contract and even having done so, it was even harder to break into an established law firm. However I did it through sheer hard work and staying true to the two key components for any good lawyer, namely confidence in yourself and being proactive.

Ali Zaidi – Partner, Edwin Coe