Hogan Lovells Cadwalader associate Muhammad Gangat talks IP, training and ‘family culture’
From pharmaceutical patents and telecommunications to Wi-Fi, video codecs and engineering, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader (HLC) associate Muhammad Gangat works across an unusually broad range of technologies in his intellectual property practice. It is that combination of law, science and problem-solving that ultimately drew him to IP, although his route to the practice area was far from predetermined.
Muhammad had studied IP at university, but it was only when he encountered the subject in practice during his first seat at HLC that it began to look like a long-term career. Within six months, he had worked on two full trials and several hearings, giving him significant exposure to contentious matters at an unusually early stage. He enjoyed both the problem-solving and adversarial elements of litigation, while the sheer variety of the subject matter meant there was always something new to get to grips with.
His practice today can move between complex technologies and scientific developments, requiring him to understand not only the legal arguments but also the underlying technical issues. Nor is the work purely contentious. Alongside litigation, Muhammad has opportunities to support on IP due diligence and transactional advisory matters, exposing him to the commercial side of intellectual property too. That breadth has helped confirm that IP is where he wants to build his career.
His path into law itself began much earlier, while studying for his A-levels. Torn between law and politics, and attracted to the possibility of “making a positive change”, Muhammad was still trying to work out which route would allow him to do that. A series of social mobility programmes gave him his first meaningful glimpse of the legal profession and prompted him to explore law more seriously.
Those experiences gave Muhammad early exposure to in-house legal teams and, importantly, made the profession feel more accessible. He recalls “walking into buildings that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with someone who looks like me, talks like me, or comes from my background”, only to discover “really nice people doing really cool stuff” inside.
One opportunity proved particularly influential. Asked to think through the legal issues involved in running a major shopping centre, Muhammad found himself drawn to property law and later sought further experience in the area. “Studying it academically is one thing, but seeing it in action is a whole different kettle of worms,” he says. “That practical exposure helped confirm that law was the right route for me”.
The solicitor path soon emerged as the stronger fit. Muhammad considered the bar, attracted in part by advocacy, but found himself more drawn to the opportunity solicitors have to be involved in matters from the beginning and to work collaboratively. “I really enjoyed the teamwork and being part of a bigger team right from the start,” he says.
Accessibility mattered too. Through social mobility and diversity initiatives, Muhammad had encountered more opportunities to understand the solicitor profession, making the route feel tangible in a way that the bar did not. Those programmes would also play a direct role in bringing HLC onto his radar.
Muhammad first connected with the firm through one of those early initiatives, where he met a senior figure who became an important mentor. Offering “advice, guidance and mentorship”, he later encouraged Muhammad to apply to HLC. The relationship gave Muhammad an early insight into the firm’s culture before he had even joined.
When he began researching HLC in more detail, another factor stood out: the breadth of its practice. Muhammad was still working out which kind of legal work would suit him best, so the chance to experience very different areas during his training was particularly attractive. “We do everything, we do everything really well, and we do everything really well everywhere!” he says smiling.
For a prospective trainee who had yet to settle on a specialism, that breadth offered room to explore. It also gave Muhammad confidence that his training contract would allow him to test different kinds of work before deciding where he belonged.
That variety was borne out in practice. His training contract took him through IP, finance and private equity, alongside a six-month secondment in Dubai. Each experience, he says, developed something different. “Litigation sharpened my attention to detail, while finance and corporate work taught me to move quickly against commercial deadlines. You learn distinct skills across different practice areas,” he says.
Dubai added another dimension. “Having grown up and studied in London, I saw the secondment as an opportunity to live independently, deepen my interest in Islamic finance and experience a different legal environment”. Working across English and local law broadened his perspective, while the six months also strengthened his confidence personally and professionally.
Back at HLC, Muhammad says responsibility tends to increase as trainees build trust within a team. “At the start of a seat, it’s about getting the fundamentals right, whether that’s organisation, project management or making sure the day-to-day tasks that keep a matter moving are done well,” he says. “Once you’ve built that trust, you can start putting your hand up for more substantive work, whether that’s taking a first pass at drafting, helping with witness statements or doing research. Senior lawyers are almost always happy to let you try.”
For Muhammad, that willingness to give juniors opportunities sits alongside a broader culture of support. He describes HLC as having a “family culture”, where demanding workloads and high standards are balanced by a genuine effort to look out for colleagues. “Everyone works extremely hard and expects a high standard of work output, but everyone wants to have fun while doing it,” he says.
Often, that culture reveals itself in relatively small gestures. Muhammad recalls colleagues avoiding meetings during his Friday prayers and a supervisor stepping in during Ramadan so he could log off and take a break. Even when workloads intensify, he says, the underlying attitude remains the same: “Everyone is supportive, understanding and human.”
That sense of support has also influenced Muhammad’s involvement in social mobility and inclusion initiatives outside his day-to-day IP practice. His motivation is rooted both in his own background and in the help he received when trying to enter the profession. “I was supported by mentors who didn’t necessarily look or sound like me,” he says, adding that “those experiences left me with a strong sense of responsibility to support others coming through the profession”.
They have also shaped how he works with junior colleagues at HLC. Having experienced the uncertainty that can accompany entering the profession from a different background, he is particularly conscious of the anxieties trainees and junior lawyers may bring with them. For Muhammad, he stresses “inclusion is not simply about representation”. He points to the importance of “cognitive diversity”, arguing that “bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives can lead to more innovative thinking, better-rounded teams and stronger outcomes for clients”.
That emphasis on individual perspective feeds into his advice for students preparing applications. Rather than attempting to reverse-engineer what they think a firm wants to hear, Muhammad encourages candidates to begin with their own interests and experiences. “Do not work backwards when applying,” he says.
Instead, applicants should consider what genuinely interests them, then assess whether a firm can offer the experiences and opportunities they are looking for. The strongest applications, in Muhammad’s view, are those that clearly communicate the experiences and turning points that have shaped a candidate’s interest in law, while also explaining convincingly why those have led them to HLC.
Above all, his advice is to “be authentic”. Trying to present the version of yourself you imagine a firm wants to see, he argues, only adds unnecessary pressure. A stronger approach is to understand your own story and tell it clearly and confidently, much as Muhammad’s own career has been shaped by the opportunities that allowed him to discover where his interests really lay.
Muhammad Gangat will speaking at ‘Protecting innovation and brands — with Hogan Lovells Cadwalader’, a virtual student event taking place Wednesday 16 September. Secure your place now.
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