Chris Forsyth - Partner
You cover a lot of ground in your work. Is that what keeps you on your toes?
Pretty much. By its very nature, IP crosses many different sectors. I’ve worked on patent cases that cover everything from beer kegs to new technology used in sub sea oil wells. Then there’s valuable IP in things like data encryption technology which requires more of a mathematical mindset. I love the variety.
What brought you to Freshfields in the first place?
I qualified at a small, specialist IP firm and I thought big City law firms were all impersonal, rather pompous places. So when I came here, I was really surprised at how friendly and unpretentious it was. There’s a sort of institutionally informal culture which supports individuality, yet gets everyone pulling together.
With the credit crunch, do you think things will get tougher?
The credit crunch will undoubtedly affect our practice but it needn't affect our approach to trainee recruitment. I’ve been involved with trainees for a number of years now and of course I’ve heard some trainees express fears about work post-qualification. But we try our best not to over-recruit here – if you’ve got what it takes, there are enough jobs. And because of the firm’s broad practice base and international reach, if there’s a downturn in one practice area or region, we can focus our resources elsewhere. Ken Baird, one of our finance partners said it best, "volatility is the mother of opportunity". Exciting times!
That flexibility is a real advantage strategically. Does it help in other ways too?
Absolutely. It underpins our whole approach to training: we help our newer lawyers find the area of law that best suits them, even if in the short term, it’s a bit inconvenient. We don’t do this just to be nice - it’s a business driven thing. It means the firm ends up with highly motivated lawyers doing the work they’re best at.
Chris Forsyth
Partner
History at York University
Joined 2000