Rian Karia

Associate, Ashurst

Biography

Rian studied History at Royal Holloway and graduated in the summer of 2014. Rian is an associate at Ashurst working in Global Markets. He has experience working with a range of clients, including asset managers, investment banks, hedge funds and international financial institutions on capital markets transactions. Rian trained with Dentons' London office and he spent six months on secondment to the Corporate and Finance group of Dentons' Singapore office during his training contract.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Royal Holloway? Any favourite memories of campus?

I had a great three years at Royal Holloway, enjoyed my course and met some amazing people. Of course the Founder's Building is a favourite memory of mine. In addition to that I was President of the Law Society in the 2012 to 2013 academic year and introduced Law Week to the university calendar, so I'm pleased to see that it's still continuing!

Can you tell us about your career progression so far?

When I left Royal Holloway I went straight into law school to study the GDL (which is the law conversion course). After I completed the GDL I went on to work at the London Stock Exchange in primary markets and AIM regulation. This role was really interesting and gave me lots of exposure to financial regulation as I worked with AIM companies, their financial advisers and law firms. I then went on to complete the LPC, following which I moved into a paralegal job at Société Générale Corporate and Investment Bank in the year before I started my training contract at Dentons. My work involved a number of different types of derivatives products and this role proved to be a solid foundation to my training contract. During my training contract I experienced seats in Banking and Finance, Corporate and Finance (in Dentons' Singapore office), Corporate and my final seat in Dispute Resolution (with a regulatory, financial crime and trade focus). I then qualified at Dentons in September 2020.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

I really enjoy the variety of work that I do. One day I could be working with an investment bank on its derivatives products and the next day I could be advising a financial institution on raising finance through a securitisation. I've also enjoyed the responsibility I've had as a newly qualified solicitor – I have responsibility for various work streams in the different matters I'm working on and this has really developed my knowledge and enhanced my experience.

Did you do any work experience or volunteering roles whilst you were at university and if so what did you gain from your experiences?

I was involved with lots of extra-curricular activities whilst I was at Royal Holloway. As I mention above, I was President of the university Law Society, I was also involved with a number of other societies and I played for the university's cricket team. Being involved in these activities helped me to develop a number of skills including, among others, leadership, communication, teamwork and networking skills. All of these are transferrable skills to being a lawyer and law firms will look for evidence of these skills throughout the recruitment process so I'd say it's important to get involved in as much as you can during your time at university.

What advice would you give to students considering a career in law and applying for vacation schemes and training contracts? 

Doing your homework on law firms is really important. Researching each firm you want to apply to and bottoming out why you think you and that firm are a good fit will stand you in good stead at interviews. Also, bear in mind that a career in law and applying for vacation schemes and training contracts is a long process and very competitive. So staying positive and being committed to your applications is key. It's a rewarding journey and really enjoyable once you do start at your law firm.