Hannah Phillips

An in-house role providing legal and business affairs advice to a TV and Film Studio.

Responsibilities

• Lead on contract negotiations with solicitors instructed production companies (e.g. Disney, AppleTV), developing skills of oral persuasion, quick-thinking, and commercial common-sense.
• Draft quarterly Board minutes, strengthening my understanding of business decision-making at executive level.
• Review leases and compile guides for rent reviews process, developing analytical skills.
• Chair meetings with colleagues to update template commercial agreements, developing skills of taking instructions, keeping to a brief, and manage stakeholders effectively.
• Review NDAs, developing skill of good judgement and delivery of contextualised advice.

Achievements

• Worked closely with CEO to advise on ongoing landlord dispute, increasing my grasp of the business considerations that underpin commercial real-estate disputes.
• Managed pro-bono project, drafting service contract for use by sustainability charity.
• Produced report on unauthorised employee expenditure, developing forensic accounting and analytical skills.
• Chaired a seminar for senior staff on the ‘Fundamentals of Contract Law’
• Lead negotiations for a high-value commercial contract opposite a senior associate solicitor. Was subsequently contacted privately and offered interview for training contract with firm.

A leadership role in the student-led society with ultimate responsibility for Inner Temple’s external mooting teams.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of four, delegating and overseeing each officer’s responsibilities, developing both independence and teamwork skills.
• Chair External Subcommittee and hold fortnightly meetings.
• Produce weekly agendas and task lists for Subcommittee, demonstrating effective organisation and diligence.

Achievements:

• Conducted 40 interviews for team candidates, putting together four strong teams for Vis, Jessup, ICC and Telder Moots.
• Secured barrister coaches for four moots; developed ability to create strong professional relationships.

• Dealt effectively with demanding customers, using advocacy skills to defuse tension.
• Worked high-pressure weekend shifts, requiring multi-tasking and strong attention to detail.
• Developed public speaking confidence serving large tables.
• Up-sold menu items, developing persuasion skills.

• Translated press releases and altered their content for German media.
• Chaired meetings with clients to present my work and advise on outreach strategy.
• Developed skills of independence, time-management and effective self-marketing through self-employed format.

Responsibilities:

• Worked in team to design service aimed at tackling youth mental health challenges post-COVID.
• Liaised with GP practices and other health professionals to establish reporting mechanism for service.

Achievements:

• Gained qualification in peer mentoring: counselling service focused on peer-based support.
• Conducted peer mentoring sessions, developing an ability to construct strong professional relationships with diverse range of stakeholders.

• Joined Richard Hanke; reviewed arbitration case centred on the interpretation of a contractual indexation clause.
• Gave oral presentation on my opinion of likely outcomes of dispute.
• Joined Tom Rainsbury, reviewing a judicial review claim brought against HM Treasury.
• Attended judicial review hearing in November, on Tom’s invitation.
• Undertook written assessment on penalty clauses and the tort of conversion

• Joined Honour Brocklebank-Fowler and reviewed breach of contract claim brought against an airport by a litigant in person.
• Delivered oral presentation on strengths of a strike-out application under r.3.4 CPR.

• Supervised by Tom Stewart-Coats, reviewed an arbitration case concerning a shareholder dispute.
• Orally presented an approach to cross-examination of a witness in the case.
• Joined Rachel Carver, reviewing a contentious wills case.
• Recognised the significant element of human interest underpinning chancery commercial disputes.

· Supervised by Anson Cheung.

• Attended a pre-trial hearing for a trust and fiduciary duty claim centred on a fraudulent conveyancing transaction.
• Noted practical challenges to litigation posed by insurance issues.
• Completed a written assessment on the ‘duty of fair presentation’ under the Insurance Act 2015.

• Supervised by Priya Wagjiani, reviewing a contentious wills case centred on a familial dispute.
• Realised that I gravitate more towards commercial than traditional chancery work as it offers a more diverse range of potential clients.

• Joined Zoe Barton KC and reviewed a skeleton argument seeking an ‘issue-based’ costs order in a multi-party commercial real-estate dispute.
• Observed the hearing, noting the importance of strategically exploiting weak points in the opponent’s skeleton to reinforce one’s argument.