Menu

Science
Articles
WeVent
Register
Sign in
Science Library Register Sign in
Register / Sign in

Content and learning library


> Law >> Commercial awareness
Weavee - Discover your career

Commercial awareness: advice from a City lawyer

A senior lawyer at Ashurst explains how you can become more commercially aware
Law
Commercial awareness

Luke McDougall is a senior associate at leading international law firm Ashurst. Here he explains what he thinks commercial awareness is, how you can build it as a student or graduate recruit, and how he stays commercially aware himself.

"I'm a senior associate in the Banking team at Ashurst, where I focus on acquisition deals. I was a trainee supervisor at Ashurst for a number of years, so I have a good idea of what we expect from the graduates who apply to join us in terms of commercial awareness.

"Commercial awareness is, in part, about having a sense of what's going on in the market, so reading the financial and business news is a great way to become more commercially aware, especially as a student.

"You should be thinking as you read about how what you're reading about fits into the business world and how firms you're interested in applying to will be involved or affected by it. There are some questions you should ask about every story you read in the business press:

  • How does what you're reading about fit in with other events or trends in the financial and business worlds that you're aware of?
  • How does what you're reading about fit in with what's going on in the economy?
  • How would people in various business roles, especially those at employers you're interested in applying to, be involved in what you're reading about?

"Commercial awareness is not just about knowledge, however. It's also about having a switched-on mind, which will help you make the most of your knowledge and abilities, and do a good job for your employer and your clients.

"To maintain my own commercial awareness I read the Financial Times and the Economist for general market knowledge, and specialised services Debtwire and Mergermarket for information specifically about the debt finance and M&A sectors.

"I also keep an eye on what's going on in the American debt markets, because the trend over the past decade has been that whatever happens in the US markets happens in the European ones fairly soon afterwards."

Recommended reading

Apply for a summer vacation scheme or training contract at Ashurst by visiting their graduate site.

Learn more about commercial awareness with this explanation from Christopher Stoakes, author of Know the city and Commercial Awareness, and consultant to global law firm Hogan Lovells.

Image: Gareth https://www.flickr.com/photos/trois-tetes/

Click here to continue learning more >

Enhance your career

Courses to develop your skills
Professional Preferences >
Leadership Overview >
Leadership Styles >
Professional Attributes >
Work Styles >
Digital Fitness Readiness >
Science of Weavee >
Read more...

Develop yourself

Courses to help you manage challenges
About Weavee >
Personal Values >
What is openness?
What is conscientiousness?
What is extraversion?
What is agreeableness?
What is neuroticism?
Read more...

City Careers Advice

Insight from The Gateway Online
Accounting >
Law >
Banking >
Asset Management >
Technology >
Consulting >
Internships >
Read More...

This is a subscriber-only section

Join our career platform for free to get access to this section

Your personal development is important to us, please read the Terms, Conditions and Privacy Policies before registering
Many tools can measure our preferences and motivations, but they leave us saying “so what?” - squandering all the potential value and sunk costs - our tools help transform the way you appreciate yourself and others

For those with more questions...

Read more about us
Read more about Weavee
How is Weavee priced?
Read our press coverage
Contact us
Social Media

Copyright © Weavee LTD 2022, All Rights Reserved - Terms & Conditions of Website Use - Disclaimer