Jon Chertkow

I started with the firm as a trainee in 2002, having attended a summer vacation scheme which convinced me to apply. My training contract involved seats in construction, product liability litigation and a client secondment at the internet bank, Egg, as well as financial institutions where I subsequently qualified into the commercial and retail banking team.

I became a senior associate in 2008, of counsel in 2012 and partner in 2013.

I advise banks and lenders on the regulation of banking and credit products such as current and savings accounts, credit cards, loans and mortgages. This includes advising on new products, assisting with litigation, negotiating commercial contracts – such as credit card co-branding agreements, where a retailer partners with a bank to offer a branded-credit card to its customers – and doing corporate transactional work where clients want to buy or sell loan portfolios or banking businesses. This is an area of huge political focus at the moment which makes the work incredibly varied, challenging and exciting. The variety of the work means that no two days are ever the same and I rarely do the same task twice.

For me, the best thing about Hogan Lovells is our people. We spend a huge amount of time in the office so it is important to be surrounded by people who we like, respect and who share similar values. I felt an important part of the team from a very junior level and have always been given the training and support needed to develop as an associate and now partner.

Apart from the people, the breadth of practice really sets Hogan Lovells apart from other firms. My own practice area is a case in point. No other City firm has a team as large as ours specialising in this area. We are top-ranked in Chambers and highly regarded by our clients but it is not a practice area I knew about when I joined the firm. Instead, it was an area I discovered as a result of my client secondment. Joining Hogan Lovells gives trainees the chance to discover a number of similar, highly regarded areas that would not be available at other large commercial firms.

It can be difficult for students to identify the differences between firms from recruitment materials alone. I would encourage anyone interested in a career in law to visit firms and speak to current trainees through a campus event, open day or vacation scheme as well as talking to other students who have experience of a particular firm. The experience I gained on my vacation scheme allowed me really to get to know the firm and made the decision to apply an easy one!