Kavita Shah

Education: Jurisprudence, University of Oxford

After graduating, I had a real passion for international finance and was looking for a medium-sized law firm with a collegiate environment. WFW ticked those boxes and felt a natural place for me to join as a trainee. Twenty-two years on, I’m still here.

The firm looks for trainees who are hungry to learn and open to new opportunities. We work in small partner-led teams, which means you work closely with everyone on that team and get involved. Your work is really interesting and you can make a difference to that transaction, that client, that partner, that office potentially. When a deal closes, everyone from trainee through to partner looks at what they can learn and take away.

When I came back from maternity leave, our former training principal asked me if I would take on their role. It is challenging but hugely rewarding to help shape colleagues’ careers, help them from one stage of a career to the next and see people move up through the ranks to become partners. WFW provides the support and care needed for our trainees to grow and develop into the best lawyers they can be. They get excellent training and a supportive environment in which to challenge themselves.

For me, the work has always stayed interesting. I’ve spent time in some of our international offices and on client secondment, and had different challenges put in front of me in terms of roles I’ve taken on and the clients I’ve looked after. My own pathway – from starting as a trainee to becoming a partner – is just one example of how you can grow and develop your career here.