Oliver Palmer

How long have you been at A&O and what were you doing prior to joining us?  

I joined A&O in Spring 2021. Before joining, I worked at another global elite law firm.

What initially attracted you to A&O and what did you feel set us apart?  

I wanted to focus on regulatory investigations work and the variety of regulators that A&O deals with really appealed to me. During the interview stage, the permissive culture of the firm was explained to me in greater deal and I was really attracted by the opportunities to develop my practice. It hasn’t failed to disappoint!

How do you feel A&O has changed since you joined?

 I joined in the middle of a Covid-19 lockdown in the UK, so my first day was spent in the familiar surroundings of my spare bedroom.  I didn’t have a clue who anyone was on the Webex meeting! The biggest change is that the firm has adapted to its hybrid working model, so while the floors might be quieter on any given day than I’m sure they were pre-Covid, there is a real acceptance that team members have different working styles and patterns.

What was your first ever job?  Was working in the legal sector always your ultimate goal?

When I was 16, I worked for a business selling videoconferencing systems to companies. I was part of the sales team cold-calling companies. I was absolutely useless at it, but not wanting to be kicked out, I ended up using my GCSE ICT skills to create a sales order form on Excel. I then went back every school holiday for several years afterwards to update it with new stock. To this day, I still don’t know whether they actually used it or just liked having me around! Being a lawyer was always the goal though.

We are proud at A&O to offer an environment where people can be themselves … What gives you a sense of “belonging” at A&O? 

A&O has an intangible quality where people feel comfortable to bring their whole self to work. Respect for our different personalities, quirks and diversity of thought makes us stronger as a team both from a professional and personal standpoint.

What’s the best thing about the team you work in?

There is a huge amount of cross-practice co-operation, meaning that you meet individuals in other specialist teams very quickly. This is invaluable if you need to pick up the phone to someone where you’re dealing with tricky issues that touch on their areas of expertise.

What three things have enabled you to excel during your time at A&O? A supportive team from top to bottom, a permissive culture and trusting more junior lawyers with a high level of responsibility.

Which networks, extra-curricular activities, and/or pro bono and community investment initiatives have you become involved with since joining A&O (such as DE&I/sports teams/music etc.)? 

What have you valued most about these opportunities? I have a fairly niche expertise in housing law, having undertaken a pro bono secondment to a housing law charity during my training contract. Due to the crisis in Ukraine, A&O has a fantastic initiative whereby European offices are preparing guides for Ukrainian refugees, helping provide basic advice around accessing support in whatever country they are in. I managed to use my experience to provide support in relation to housing advice for Ukrainian refugees who have come to the UK.

If you could spend some time in any of A&O’s international offices, where would you most like to go and why?

Easy – New York, it’s a wonderful town.

If you could switch roles with anyone else at A&O, whose job would you want and why?

As much as I’d like to say Wim or Gareth, I would like to trade places with the chefs in our Italian restaurant, Lavanda. If I could learn to cook a pasta half as well as they can, I’d be a very happy man.

What advice would you give to anyone considering joining A&O?

Aside from the pasta? I would say that A&O has an incredibly welcoming community, so if you’re looking for a place to work on very interesting, high-profile work with a supportive team, this is the place for you.