Role: Associate, Corporate and Commercial Department
Company: Arthur Cox
Track Record: Cahal Carvill balances his roles as an associate in a corporate and commercial department and a GAA player
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I began a trainee position with Arthur Cox in September 2008 and have worked in the firm’s Dublin, London and Belfast offices. I initially qualified into Arthur Cox’s finance department, working predominantly in the insolvency and finance litigation sphere under the guidance of our current managing partner, Catriona Gibson. In 2015 I assumed the position of associate in the corporate and commercial department, headed up by our Belfast office chairman, Alan Taylor.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Most definitely business. Coming from an entrepreneurial background, I have always had a keen interest in, and passion for, business which I believe has helped me greatly in my career. I understand business and work closely with clients to not only protect their business, but also provide them with opportunities for growth.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied law at Queen’s University Belfast from 2005 to 2008, spending my final year as law society president. During my final year, I was also elected to the students’ union council where I represented the Social Sciences Departments. Being a keen hurler and Gaelic footballer, I also won Ryan and Sigerson Cup Medals in 2007. I sat on the Queen’s GAA 2007 Sigerson organising committee and am still a regular speaker at various Queen’s School of Law and Career Events.
How did you get into your area of work?
After graduating from Queen’s in July 2008, having passed the bar exam the previous December, I attended the Graduate School of Professional Legal Education. I qualified in 2010, when I was offered a full-time position as an Associate solicitor in Arthur Cox’s Finance Department.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
Very much so. Being a lawyer is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was 11 years old. When I was 16 I clerked in a local law firm and was always popping in to the Courthouse in Armagh when I attended St Patrick’s Grammar in the City.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
You must do a Law degree or the conversion Masters course, then comes the Bar exam which you can do in your final year. Thereafter, you have two years of further exams at the Graduate School or Institute. In order to be accepted in to the Graduate School or Institute, a Master (a lawyer with more than seven years’ experience) is required in order to train you during your two years at the Graduate School or Institute. All of these boxes have to be ticked, so it can be a difficult time.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Attention to detail is fundamental – the old saying that ‘the devil is in the detail’ is never truer than in the legal field. Having sound business acumen is also very important, while loyalty is another key attribute. Our clients know that they can fully depend on us and that’s why they establish long-term relationships with Arthur Cox. It’s my job to help ensure that the service being delivered continues to be of the highest quality, and that we provide the best possible advice that is tailored to each client’s needs.
What does a typical day entail?
I am usually out of bed by 6am, have breakfast at home and am in the office for 7.30am. I respond to any urgent emails and then prepare for meetings that I have during the day. I also check a range of news websites, including Insider Media and the SBP, for NI-specific corporate news to ensure I am up to speed on any developments in the NI corporate world and further afield. I usually have two or three morning meetings and for lunch I either meet clients or, quite often, am on conference calls. In the afternoon I would have a number of other meetings and conference calls, and it is usually around 4pm before I am back to my desk, when I will draft documents and respond substantively to emails. Being an intercounty GAA player means that most days include some form of training, from yoga to strength and conditioning work. I travel to Armagh most evenings for training, which is usually a two-hour round trip with two hours spent with the team. I am usually back on the emails afterwards and in bed by 1am.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best aspect is delivering a successful outcome for a client or presenting a client with an opportunity that will benefit their business. The most challenging aspect of my job is time management – there are never enough hours in the day, no matter how early you get up and no matter how late you go to bed.
Why is what you do important?
My grandfather once told me that he had been with the same solicitor for over 50 years and wouldn’t make a business decision without speaking to his solicitor first. That always stuck in my mind. I see myself as not just a lawyer but also an important part of my clients’ businesses, working to ensure they improve and grow. In my mind it is really the collaborative approach which is key, and that’s what we offer our clients. Their problems are our problems, and their opportunities are our opportunities.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
It is important to fully understand what the job entails. My best advice would be to try and get as much experience as possible by attending the courts and asking a local firm for work experience. If you are in university, apply for internships with local or London firms. There are many interesting opportunities through projects like the Washington Ireland Programme or Project Children. Clerking for a Supreme Court Judge in the States during my penultimate year at Queen’s was invaluable experience for me.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I’d like to be a professional sportsman or a sports agent. Having played intercounty sport for a decade and having boxed at a high level, I have a good insight into what it takes to be successful.
If you could go back, what is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Tone down your suit choice – I was known in my early career for my interesting suit choices and, although I did get noticed, it wasn’t always for the right reasons. I still love my clothes but I tend to be more reserved these days.
Describe your ideal day off.
I am not someone that takes many days off as I always like to keep busy. If the opportunity arises, though, I’m likely to be found somewhere in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast or on the farm at home in Armagh.