Partner promotions 2022 Meet our new partners 4

Dallan Pitman, Corporate Transactions, London

What do you think sets Ashurst apart from other firms?

Ashurst has genuinely market leading, and recognised, sector expertise in infrastructure, energy and digital economy, meaning we are uniquely placed to advise clients on M&A and joint ventures across the full spectrum of infrastructure and energy (including energy transition) assets.

What do you enjoy most about working in the legal sector?

I've always enjoyed the challenge of thinking dynamically to work through negotiations on complex M&A and joint venture arrangements, and collaborating across our international network to bring the full weight of our global expertise to our clients in providing solutions to their challenges.

What is the best advice you have been given, and by who?

Work hard and be kind – Karen Davies, Global Chair.

Annalisa Santini, Global Loans, Milan

What do you think sets Ashurst apart from other firms?

The great sense of community at Ashurst, the inclusive and meritocratic culture, the ease with which people connect with each other, at all levels of seniority, to always provide the most excellent client experience and the way this is clearly perceived by the clients.

What do you enjoy most about working in the legal sector?

What I love about my job is being faced with new challenges every day and being able to take them on and thus give added value to clients. I also love the opportunity to deal with clients and colleagues who can teach me something new every day and the certainty that this learning will never end in our work.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself

My career, after graduation, started as a provincial lawyer in a local firm mainly focused on civil litigation. For various reasons, I was unable to move out of my original town for the whole period of my apprentice but I knew that this was not the job I wanted to do so one day, as soon as I could after taking my exam, I got a one-way ticket to London. I remember that at the time this was seen as a very brave thing by people who knew me because I didn't have a home or a job in London. I just thought it was what I had to do. That ticket changed my life, and now I'm here.

Morgan Spain, Dispute Resolution, Melbourne

What makes Ashurst extraordinary?

A universal commitment to working together to deliver value through innovative services for our clients.

As we celebrate 200 years of Ashurst this year, what do you think lies ahead for the legal industry?

A desire by clients for greater integration between legal, compliance and risk advice to provide end-to-end solutions to business problems.

What is the best advice you have been given, and by who?

Every challenge is an opportunity to find a different way to achieve something. My Dad.

Melissa Yeo, Dispute Resolution, Brisbane

What makes Ashurst extraordinary?

For me, what makes Ashurst extraordinary is the people. Hands down. The level of support I have received in terms of my career, and my life, has been incredible. I am grateful to be part of a firm where my colleagues are not just my colleagues, they're my friends.

As we celebrate 200 years of Ashurst this year, what do you think lies ahead for the legal industry?

The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we connect with our colleagues and our clients. More importantly, it has reinforced the fact that we are all human. This is why, going forward, I think we will see increased value placed on soft skills for lawyers and greater focus on their development.

What is the best advice you have been given, and by who?

Don't stop believin' – Journey

Ciaran Vinaccia, Global Markets, London

What makes Ashurst extraordinary?

What makes us extraordinary is that we have established an environment where we share knowledge freely, collaborate willingly and support each other day in and out so we can focus on giving our clients the best experience that a law firm can offer. We have over 3,000 people all pulling in the same direction and this is really special – everyone's role is valued and everyone's hard work keeps us at the top of the legal industry.

As we celebrate 200 years of Ashurst this year, what do you think lies ahead for the legal industry?

There are dozens of law firms that give accurate legal advice so there is a real challenge for many firms in the market to stand out from the crowd. A clear trend, particularly for finance lawyers, is that we need to understand our clients' businesses like never before – we need take account of all commercial, business and risk drivers for clients so that we can give contextualised and tailored advice rather than just identifying a legal issue. Solid legal advice is taken for granted – the future of the legal industry requires us to be intertwined with our clients' commercial goals, pinch points and risk concerns like never before.

What is the best advice you have been given, and by who?

Nothing good happens after 2am – yes, this is from an old episode of How I Met Your Mother and was more about nights out but… I think it applies pretty neatly to work, especially drafting. Something you think is genius at 3 in the morning often looks very different at 10am after some sleep…!