Day in the life of a corporate lawyer in London.

It's hard to know from the outside what a corporate lawyer actually does in a day.
In this video, I've shared what I get up to as a corporate lawyer in London.
Hopefully this helps you get a better understanding of what the job actually looks like from within.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:26 Morning + commute
01:09 Arrive at office + morning tasks
02:30 Lunch + afternoon tasks
04:19 Head home
05:05 Gym + dinner
05:22 Evening work
06:34 Chill + personal work
06:55 Bedtime
07:10 Outro
🤔 WHO AM I:
I'm Idin, a qualified lawyer in England and New York. I'm currently working as a corporate lawyer at a commercial firm in London.
🗞️ LITTLELAW:
I founded a commercial awareness newsletter, LittleLaw. If you want to check that out, head over to www.littlelaw.co.uk/
🧠 FLOWHUDDLE:
I run a community for aspiring lawyers called FlowHuddle. If you struggling with focus for your law firm applications, check it out at www.flowhuddle.com/
💌 GET IN TOUCH:
You can follow me on my Instagram page @idinsabahipour ( / idinsabahipour ) to keep up to date with what I'm doing, day-to-day.
🎶 - Floating - Smith The Mister
🎶 - LAKEY INSPIRED - Serenity

[@Harry-dz3ui]

Thank you Idin for actually providing an insight into life in commercial law. You actually tell the audience what specific tasks you are doing throughout the day thus providing a genuine insight into what work you do. I would watch day in the life videos before deciding to go into law a few years ago and it infuriated me when creators would just say "then i did some work, then I ate all this free food" hahahaha. So, thank you. And please do more of these!! They are super super insightful and enjoyable to watch. Much love x

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you so much, Harry! I've tried to make it as detailed as possible because - as you say - the purpose is to make sure people know what they're signing up for... both the good and the bad. I'm not much of a 'vlogger' - that's why I've not done many videos like this. But I promise to make the videos as transparent as I can. Thanks for watching, my friend!

[@tazmeen3143]

absolutely love this video! i came straight from your littlelaw newsletter and i was definitely not disappointed. so detailed and quite funny - keep it up!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks so much, Tazmeen! I think most people go from here to LittleLaw so it's cool you've come the other way around.

[@luiscruz5556]

this is such an illuminating watch for those of us considering pursuing a career in law. thank you for sharing with us!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks so much for watching, Luis!

[@Dee___..]

I love this channel. It has helped me so much.

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you for watching the video!

[@sismandarin8636]

Absolutely love your style👍 honest, clear logic & outlining, realistic and informative😊 thank you for the video, illuminating, full of insights!

[@IdinSabahipour]

That's so kind - thank you so much! :)

[@justmeajah]

Give us more!! Lucky that the algorithm showed this to me. So honest, with definitions of terms (very beginner friendly), new subscribers here!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Loool - I'm working on it! (takes so long to make a vid)

[@user-uz7dy5vi7u]

This is by far the best corporate lawyer day in the life I’ve seen, you actually detailed exactly what you did in the day and gave a true insight into corporate law so thank you!!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@mohamedjama9185]

Great video man, realistic and informative - keep it up!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks so much, Mohamed! 🙏

[@pouyamolavi17]

Love this vid Idin!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thabnst, Pouya! 🙏

[@tobiast3338]

Hey Idin, Thank you so much for this video. I started my career as a corporate Lawyer this week. Your video has given me an authentic insight into what a busy day looks like. I hope that you will do more of those videos. Maybe we will work on a deal someday! Greetings from Germany! Tobi

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks so much for watching, Tobi! It'll be interesting to see if it's a similar type of day you'd have as a German corporate lawyer. I know the systems are a bit different there (e.g. a lot more requirements for notaries etc).

[@zaras7194]

Very helpful. Thank you for this insight!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks for watching

[@alingeorgeilinca6737]

Love it❤ thanks for the insights

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks for watching, man

[@aliabdaal]

Haha loved this

[@IdinSabahipour]

no way 🤯 thank you for watching, bro

[@LilFlassSh]

Keep it up, love the vids!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you so much!

[@sariany9794]

Loved the video!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you so much for watching it! :)

[@jiangdoris2295]

Hey Idin, I love this video. very linguine and relaxed :)

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thank you very much for the comment. Was going more for penne!

[@jiangdoris2295]

@@IdinSabahipour ahah I mean very genuine! Sorry for the hilarious typo !lmao

[@guillermo5782]

Nice video! I’m a Spanish lawyer and my daily life is basically what you explain in this video.

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks for watching - that's interesting to hear it's similar!

[@muhammadumair949]

Great vid! Would appreciate more!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks, Muhammad

[@profadesi3424]

I loved it, Really insightful❤ can we have more of this🙏🙏

[@IdinSabahipour]

I'll try my best!

[@aarontynan9742]

Very informative video! Thank you for sharing! I have a question, do working hours get better as you become more senior? Or is this standard for all levels of seniority?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks, Aaron! I can only speak from my own experience to say hours can be long for juniors. Based on what I see, for mid-levels and seniors, it's the same too - it can be super long too! The periods where hours are less bad is usually when there's less work to be done generally in the team. But when it's busy, it hits all levels the same.

[@Giri_632]

Hi Idin, thanks again for the insightful video! Do you have any tips please for someone going into their first seat of training contract?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Hey! Thanks for watching. I've not got a video on that exact point. I made a video on how to convert a vac scheme into a TC. I'd say the tips are mostly the same - they'll help you in your TC.

[@Aronya_mitra_18]

Thank you Idin for actually providing a neutral point of view and explaining the hardships of the industry just one more thing to know from you. I’m a law student from India and wanted to know that in London is it easy to get a job in the corporate sectors with visa sponsorships?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Thanks so much for watching, Aronya - and for the kind words! I don't know about the challenges of getting sponsorship as I'm a UK citizen, so didn't need visas etc. There are Indian-qualified lawyers at my firm though, so I know it is possible.

[@Aronya_mitra_18]

@@IdinSabahipour Thanks for the information mate.

[@CityStays]

Great video! What is your advice for breaking into M&A and VC law. I am currently training in PI litigation. I run a property company also. Any advice how to stand out when going to a big law position?

[@IdinSabahipour]

So breaking into those fields is a case of: • 1. applying to a law firm which has a corporate practice (which does M&A and VC work), • 2. doing a seat in that practice (and doing fairly well so the partners want you back), • 3. applying for a qualification role in that team at the end of the training contract. Once you're in, you'll usually be asked to work on a variety of things as a junior. However, over time, you can try to direct your focus to the areas you enjoy the most. I hope that helps!

[@prabhnoorsingh277]

I rarely comment but nice vid. You seem to be cool

[@IdinSabahipour]

I appreciate that - you must be cool too!

[@kavisharma_]

0:44 LOL love the Elon Musk touch. Great vid Idin - thanks for sharing!

[@IdinSabahipour]

haha yes, kavi - thanks for watching!

[@user-py9pg9cx2t]

I was wondering how the significantly lower deal flow since interest rates have gone up enough to deter deals has affected the corporate M&A sector in London or, even, internationally?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Speaking anecdotally, it's definitely quieter in corporate transactions at the moment. This is in part due to higher-than-usual interest rates. However, at bigger firms with diverse practice areas, you might see more work in other teams (e.g. insolvency, restructuring, litigation etc).

[@Rafael-Matheus96]

As office hours can fluctuate depending on what's going on, does salary remain fixed or will it be settled by bonuses through deal completion?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Your salary is fixed (meaning no pay for 'overtime' or anything). But most law firms offer a bonus for hitting your billable hours targets (this is based on hours billed - not deals completed). So if you work LOADS in a year, you can receive a bonus to compensate you for that.

[@Rafael-Matheus96]

@@IdinSabahipour ah, okay. Thanks for your response.

[@Botija50]

Argentina flag??!! Grettings from Buenos Aires!!🎉

[@IdinSabahipour]

Haha yeah - I was Argentina in the World Cup raffle we did in the office. Of course, you know I won!

[@rubyroo_eventing]

How do you become a lawyer in London and New York? Did you graduate in the uk and join a multinational firm? Thank you!

[@IdinSabahipour]

Hey Ruby - I did a UK law degree + 2 year training contract to qualify here. For New York, I did the NY Bar exam (unrelated to my UK training contract).

[@gameworld-yd9ye]

The last time I saw your video you were a solicitor. so did you become lawyer?

[@IdinSabahipour]

In England, solicitor = lawyer (there are also the role of 'barristers' which is a different type of lawyer in England)

[@murtazazulfiqar7548]

do everyday corporate lawyer work for 12-14 hours a day or it is sometimes? what are other types of law we can pursue in order to have a work life balance?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Most UK (and US) corporate lawyers can work 12+ hour days when they're on deals that are moving fast. Sometimes, things can be much quieter in corporate though. Then, you'll have more time for yourself (+ can log off earlier). There are 'advisory' areas of law (as opposed to 'transactional') which tend to have more regular working hours.

[@murtazachohan7027]

On Average how many days in a week or in a month a corporate lawyer would be working for 12-14 hours a day?? And does it depend on the firm size?

[@IdinSabahipour]

@@murtazachohan7027 not possible to give an average as it depends on business of the firm, market conditions, how well your firm is staffed etc. But it would be for a period of time, then after deals complete, it would generally stop. If your firm does corporate, pe, m&a or finance/banking transactions, this will be more common. That's why at most of the US firms (which do corporate and finance mostly) it happens often.

[@naaaahhhhh]

Do higher up lawyers work less hours?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Generally, no. They also work long hours. They'll do different types of work to me, though. Usually more senior lawyers are involved in technical drafting and may have more client contact.

[@nickybutt9733]

Sound fella, Likeable, kind of bloke you'd enjoy a beer with

[@IdinSabahipour]

Haha thanks, mate 🍻

[@gourabsarker9552]

Sir do you earn 90k pound sterlings a year as a lawyer in london? Plz reply. Thanks a lot.

[@IdinSabahipour]

Hello! Why do you ask?

[@Julie-hf4ch]

thank you so much Idin, I love your channel, I am still confused how you spend only £100 a month on food? Is that your breakfast, lunch and dinner is included in your work offer and you have a cantine where all employees eat?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Hey Julie! Thanks for watching my videos. Is that number from another video? I'm guessing from the 'How I spend my money' video? I think that would be because we were given free breakfast at work at that time (this isn't the case anymore) and got subsidised lunch (which were much cheaper). Sometimes, if I'm working late, I'm able to expense dinner costs (meaning the firm reimburses me for it). Otherwise, I split food costs with my girlfriend. Also I eat out from time to time which I listed in a separate number in that video. Hope that explains it!

[@Ok-up7ty]

🇮🇳❤️🇮🇷

[@pinkfloydenmivan]

Why do you have Argentina's flag?? Vamos Argentina 🇦🇷

[@IdinSabahipour]

Hahaha good spot! Me and a few friends were each assigned teams for the World Cup. Just like Messi, I won.

[@angathmakan8132]

When will you become a partner?

[@IdinSabahipour]

Haha ask my bosses

[@josephduffy9802]

Give Elon Musk a call back!

[@IdinSabahipour]

he's not big time enough

[@user-dg2xl4eq2q]

Will you marry me😂