Tony Lai Trainee

Profile: Tony joined Herbert Smith as a trainee
in March 2006. Currently in his third seat in corporate in Hong Kong, he spent his first seat
in projects, including advising on the East London Line extension, and his second seat in TMT (technology, media, telecoms), working on
AOL’s sale of its European internet access business to Carphone Warehouse and a major outsourcing deal for LogicaCMG. His fourth seat will be in litigation, and he will qualify in March 2008.

Tony Lai has fond memories of the first time he set up a company for a client.

“One of the social enterprise consultants I was working with at Barnardo's came to the office to pick up the new company register,” recalls Tony. “His whole demeanour showed how much this meant to him. He shook my hand and gave me a hug. ‘Thanks for your help’ he said, ‘it feels great setting up a new company, but this one's going to be really special’. As a trainee, it was brilliant to have that kind of real bond with a client.”

For Tony, the moment marked the start of a life-long commitment to doing pro bono work − something that links to his own view of the world. “Studying history gave me a rather idealistic perception of the law as a kind of framework holding society together,” he says. “I didn’t join Herbert Smith with the express intention of getting involved in pro bono work. But then being given the chance to apply our skills helping those who really are holding society together was a humbling and immensely gratifying experience.”

Tony's opportunity to be involved arose during his second seat in TMT, after the successful closing of the AOL/Carphone Warehouse deal. “One of the TMT partners, Mark Turner, asked whether I would be interested in doing some pro bono work for the children's charity Barnardo's,” he explains. “I met the team on the project, and they not only had a great plan for Barnardo's, but this tremendous enthusiasm about what they were doing.”

As it turned out, the project was not only exciting but ground-breaking. In an increasingly competitive market for charitable donations, UK charities are starting to create "social enterprise" models, under which they deliver various business services on a commercial basis and then roll the profits back into their good causes. Barnardo's had decided to take its first steps in this direction by setting up a range of businesses that could act as sustainable sources of funding. Tony was delighted when Mark asked him to act as point-man for the team helping Barnardo's do this.

Over the next few weeks, Tony helped to set up Barnardo's Social Enterprise Ltd (BSEL), draft heads of terms for its new conference business, advise on a joint venture to deliver insurance products, and redraft the terms of business for a new training and consultancy service. “I had mainly worked on really complex deals, supporting and learning from a large team. This gave me great experience in taking the lead on drafting and working with clients” comments Tony, “but I was always glad to have Mark's sharp eyes to review my work!”. “Not only was it probably the most fulfilling thing I’ve done to date, but it was excellent in terms of professional development.”

Whichever department Tony qualifies into next year, one thing is certain: he’ll carry on doing pro bono work. “I love it,” he says simply. “It enables us to make a real difference simply by doing what we do best: our jobs.”