From London and New York, A&O Shearman partners Nick Withers and Christopher Glenn discuss their paths into M&A, working across borders and what the firm offers aspiring lawyers
Now partners in A&O Shearman’s M&A practice, Nick Withers and Christopher Glenn came to law by different routes, with Withers first encountering legal concepts at school before going on to study history at university. Law nevertheless remained in the back of his mind, and attending firm open days later helped cement his decision to pursue it as a career.
“I liked the method of thought,” he recalls, particularly the challenge of applying a legal framework to a set of facts. Just as important were the people he encountered. “I think law tends to be quite a cerebral line of work, and I thought that the people I met in law were the type of people I could spend time with.”
For Glenn, the attraction developed through firsthand experience. Before law school, he worked as a paralegal at a large New York firm, which gave him an early glimpse of what life as a lawyer actually involved. “I did not have a single grand plan for becoming a lawyer,” he says, but the experience made law feel like “a path worth exploring”.
Their routes into M&A were similarly shaped by experience rather than a fixed plan. Withers trained at another Magic Circle law firm and completed a range of seats, but says his six months in M&A “really stood out” as the work he most enjoyed. Glenn, meanwhile, began in a corporate pool and gradually found himself working more frequently with M&A lawyers. “I enjoyed the mix of strategy, teamwork and practical problem solving,” he says, making the practice a natural choice as his career developed.
After a period working in Singapore, Withers joined legacy Shearman & Sterling in 2014. More than a decade later, he points to both the calibre of the work and the relationships he has built as reasons for staying. Acting on significant matters and getting to know clients’ businesses have been “incredibly important”, he says, but so too has the network of colleagues he has come to trust across the firm. “We’ve worked closely together through some challenging deals and been in the trenches together on matters, so you really become very close personally.”
Glenn echoes that emphasis on people, describing A&O Shearman as “collegial, supportive and hardworking”, with high standards balanced by a willingness to help one another. Withers says the combination of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling has not required a major cultural shift, noting that both legacy firms already worked in similar ways on comparable international matters. Instead, he describes the process as one of “growing together”, with relationships across the combined firm strengthening over time. He also points to the firm’s global footprint and deep sector and jurisdictional expertise as central to A&O Shearman’s success and future ambitions.
Greater seniority has also brought a growing focus on developing junior lawyers. Glenn says his role now includes setting direction, coordinating teams and helping juniors navigate difficult judgement calls, while Withers sees progression as a gradual increase in responsibility. “Giving juniors responsibility is what enables them to grow,” he says.
That philosophy is reflected in the firm’s approach to training. Withers says juniors are given “as much responsibility as you’re ready for”, adding that the scale and complexity of A&O Shearman’s international work means trainees can take ownership of meaningful parts of a matter early on. Glenn describes the experience as combining “high standards and genuine support”, with responsibility increasing as juniors gain confidence and experience. As he puts it, “support should not mean shielding someone from responsibility; it should give them the confidence to take it on.”
Curiosity and ownership are, for both partners, among the qualities that distinguish juniors who thrive. Withers says they are “rewarded for asking questions”, while Glenn points to those who are “curious, reliable and willing to take ownership”. Neither expects juniors to know everything from the outset, but both stress the importance of being engaged, receptive to feedback and willing to learn.
The same emphasis on trust carries into the firm’s international work. Withers says collaborating with colleagues in other jurisdictions feels much the same as working with those in London. “You know you’re on the same team, you know you can trust each other, you know that we’re all going in the same direction,” he says. Glenn makes a similar point, noting that effective cross-border work depends on involving teams early, sharing context and ensuring local advice fits into the wider transaction.
Increasingly, however, those transactions are being shaped by geopolitical change. Withers describes its impact as “enormous”, pointing not only to foreign investment clearances and changing regulation, but also to shifts in supply chains and perceptions of where businesses sit globally. “I think that is much more central now to deal design than it used to be,” he says. Glenn similarly highlights national security, sanctions and broader political uncertainty, noting that lawyers increasingly need to help clients identify these risks early and structure transactions with them in mind.
Technology is likely to bring another significant shift. Describing AI as “the elephant in the room”, Withers says it will have a “huge impact” on the legal industry, particularly by changing the nature of the work lawyers do. He does not, however, see it replacing the qualities that underpin strong legal practice. “The client relationships, the need for a deep understanding of the environment in which the client works, those things I think will stay exactly the same,” he says. Glenn similarly stresses the importance of learning to use technology thoughtfully alongside strong technical and commercial judgement.
For students preparing applications, both partners return to the importance of genuine engagement with the firm. Withers says the strongest candidates can explain why A&O Shearman’s global footprint, sector strengths and type of work genuinely appeal to them. Glenn echoes that point, urging students to be specific and to explain their motivations in their own words rather than relying on generic answers.
Their final advice is to take a long-term view. Withers reminds aspiring lawyers that “it is a career. It’s not just a job”, with each stage opening up different possibilities across private practice, in-house roles and specialist areas. Glenn makes a similar point from an applicant perspective: students do not need to present a perfectly mapped-out career from the outset, but should instead show that they are “thoughtful, interested and ready to learn”.
Nick Withers will be speaking on the panel at ‘We are unmatched: Building a career without borders — with A&O Shearman’, a virtual event taking place on Monday 7 September. APPLY NOW.
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