- What do you like most about your practice area/what attracted you to your practice area?
I was attracted to my practice area because it has a great combination of commercial substance, technical specialization (covenants/structuring/disclosure rules/contract negotiation), diversity of client base across all industries, broad international exposure, and a high degree of client interaction from the outset. The speed of execution is also a plus, as I have the opportunity to work on a wide array of matters in any given year from a real estate bridge financing in Germany to a large public-to-private takeover in Italy to a corporate refinancing in France. The continuous variety keeps things interesting.
- What’s the best piece of advice you could give an associate who wants to make partner?
There are a few pieces of advice that come to mind. Surround yourself by people you look up to and learn from. Spend the hours to excel at what you do. Focus on clients and how to provide an outstanding service. Also, it obviously helps to specialize in an area that is growing or that your firm is focused on.
- Who had the greatest influence on your career that helped propel you to partner?
There are many people along the way that helped me advance in my career, but the most eminent has been (now fellow partner) Apostolos Gkoutzinis. I have had the pleasure of working with Apostolos for around a decade now. Going back to my advice above about having the right people around you, Apostolos has been the consummate mentor and a huge source of support for me from day one, and I am very grateful for that.
- How has your background influenced or impacted your career?
The environment I grew up in has shaped my character in ways that I continue to discover to this day, but the values I developed and continue to balance with each other include an emphasis on excellence, diligence, and self-reliance, as well as a belief in the importance of social capital, good communication, and trust-building. These characteristics have all helped me advance in my career. Also, as an aside, growing up between the US and Lebanon has given me a variable mix of can-do optimism and cold-eyed realism that feeds into the way I act, speak and think about things every day, and people who work with me will probably pick up on that.
- What is the first thing you’d like to do once London is out of lockdown?
It’s good to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel! When I dream of post-lockdown, I visualize a splendid meal at a top restaurant, a trip somewhere bright and sunny, and a lot of laughter – preferably all at the same time!
