Tony Upton

Associate, Clyde & Co

Biography

I graduated from Royal Holloway in 2018 after studying Law and I am now an Associate at Clyde & Co, a global law firm that specialises in the sectors of insurance, transport, energy, infrastructure and trade & commodities. I am currently working in the Aviation Liability Division. Prior to that, I worked for both the tax and intellectual property teams. My work for the tax team mostly revolved around providing advice on the tax aspects of mergers & acquisitions, property transactions and employment matters. The intellectual property team are involved with copyright, patents and trademark disputes, as well as negligence and liability matters.

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

I really enjoyed how supportive everyone was at Royal Holloway. Whether it was the lecturers and course tutors, the careers team or student services, help was always there whenever you needed it. The careers team always provided great opportunities to get a taste of work from all corners of the legal sector, whether it was humanitarian work, criminal, family disputes or commercial. One of my favourite memories of the campus would have to be grabbing a drink from Crosland’s and sitting on the quad after exams had finished. I think one of the things that draws people to Royal Holloway is the Founder's building and there was no better way to enjoy it than sitting outside in the summer.

Can you tell us about your career progression so far?

After leaving Royal Holloway, I spent just under a year as a paralegal in the Bermuda Form team at Clyde & Co. The Bermuda Form team specialise in advising and representing insurers in large-scale claims in the US which involve anything from pharmaceuticals and pollution liability to product liability and directors & officers liability. I returned to studying the LPC at the University of Law in September 2019 which I combined with a Masters in Law, Business and Management. I then started back as a trainee solicitor at Clyde & Co in August 2020 and have since been working in the tax and intellectual property teams.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The part I most enjoy about my role is that there is a huge variety of work I'm involved in and the fact that every day is different. It's one of the things that drew me to a career at a global law firm in the first place. The clients that my teams work with varies from property developers to universities to international airlines and the work is even more diverse than the clients. There's always an opportunity to develop myself professionally while getting the support and training I need from experts in the industry.

Did you do any work experience or volunteering whilst you were at university and what did you gain from it?

During my first year I attended various law fairs and insight days at law firms to start getting an insight into the career. These provided me with opportunities to meet a variety of legal professionals and gain a fuller understanding of the type of work I found most interesting. In my second and third years I focussed on gaining work experience and applying for vacation schemes at commercial law firms. I secured a spring vacation scheme at Clyde & Co in my third year which led to me getting an offer for a training contract. I tried to make the most of any experience I was able to obtain to build my network and get a realistic picture of the work I was aspiring to get into.

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

I think the most important thing is to make the most out of any work experience and any opportunities to develop yourself and your commercial awareness. It doesn't mean you need experience in a law firm or that you need to read the business section of every newspaper but the application of your experience and your knowledge is vital and how it could be related to a legal career. Finally, when it comes to applying to any law firm, it's important to do your research but it's just as important to make sure you find a firm that's right for you and the type of work you're interested in.