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We spoke to the Hogan Lovells junior solicitor who is helping the British Paralympic Association prepare for Rio

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Newly qualified Lorn Joseph on the legal experience of a lifetime

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When lawyers look back on their careers, often it’s the chance pieces of work that come along during their training contracts that set them on course for lofty heights much further down the line.

For Hogan Lovells newly qualified associate Lorn Joseph it’s of course much too early to map any such patterns. But you get the impression that she won’t forget her recent work for the British Paralympic Association (BPA) in a hurry.

It began during the final seat of her TC, in commercial, when Joseph found herself sitting with Richard Welfare, the partner in charge of the firm’s relationship with the BPA. She recalls:

Under Richard I started helping with contracts for the BPA. I probably spent 10-15% of my time on BPA-related work, and now having qualified into the commercial department, I am the main associate in the team who handles BPA matters.

With Hogan Lovells having provided legal advice, secondees and volunteers to the BPA since the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Joseph finds herself at the helm of a well-developed relationship producing a constant flow of instructions that is currently in torrent mode in the run-up to Rio.

To date the York University graduate has handled all manner of commercial agreements, with highlights including drafting the Team Member Agreement to be signed by all athletes and staff, establishing clear rules of conduct whilst representing ParalympicsGB in Rio next month. It’s a wonderful experience to get as a junior solicitor, she tells Legal Cheek Careers:

I have learnt a lot in a short space of time about such a broad range of commercial areas — covering logistics contracts with suppliers in Rio, to sponsorship arrangements with partners in the United Kingdom to funding arrangements for British House (the team’s headquarters) in Rio — and as I have become more familiar with the various processes I have needed less supervision. At the same time, with the BPA being a charity I have also advised on various regulatory matters in relation to fundraising promotions using the BPA name and logo.

With the Paralympic Games getting underway this week, such work is rooted in fast-moving reality and the BPA has involved Joseph in its results — for example, she attended the team launch dinner where the ceremonial wear for which she had negotiated the contract was revealed, and last year was invited to National Paralympics Day at Queen Elizabeth Park in July. Joseph has been invited to Rio too (as part of the on-the-ground legal team), but unfortunately is unable to go because of a prior family commitment.

I’m gutted!” she says, “But I’ll be watching the games on TV and Richard will be there for the majority of the time and I look forward to hearing all about it from him.

The experience she has gained and the contacts she has made will doubtless hold her in good stead in her future career. Meanwhile, Joseph is already using her burgeoning legal expertise to assist some of Hogan Lovells’ other disability sport clients, including work with the Boccia International Sports Federation encouraging the expansion of Boccia in new countries.

Other London lawyers at Hogan Lovells are also supporting the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby and Para Snowsport UK. Hogan Lovells’ Tokyo office has also entered into an arrangement with the Japanese Paralympic Committee, providing legal assistance during the Rio Games and beyond, as Japan prepares for the 2020 Paralympic Games.

For me working with a variety of clients on different matters is an important part of being a lawyer,” Joseph says. “Working with the team at the BPA has been a real privilege.

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