Simon Leaf, Managing Associate in the Commercial team with focus on Sport, featured in Legal Geek's 'Lawyers Who Moonlight' series. The series focuses on lawyers who balance a full-time legal career alongside a serious hobby, charitable role or part-time job. Simon's passion for football led him to semi-professional refereeing in his late teens and early twenties, alongside studying to become a lawyer.
Simon commented, "Without a doubt it has had a very positive effect. For example, I don't think I would have gone to Cambridge had I not been a referee. It was a great life experience to draw upon in the interview process, as it was when interviewing at law firms." And "In terms of being a good commercial lawyer, there are plenty of similarities. The best lawyers (like the best referees), are there to facilitate a commercial transaction, in much the same way as a football match. It shouldn't all be about the lawyers or the referees; both are ideally there to try to ensure a smooth and successful outcome for all interested parties."
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