Venetia is stepping up every day
Venetia Hudd joined Weil as a Trainee and qualified into our Antitrust team in 2023. She was originally considering a career as a Barrister, but after work experience during university, she realised she wanted to join a firm where she could be part of a team that solved complex challenges together.
“I didn't like the idea of a more solitary environment at the Bar and realised I was better suited to a collaborative environment working in teams.”
Choosing to specialise in antitrust
Venetia rotated through the four practice areas of banking, private equity, antitrust and litigation and quickly realised antitrust was where she wanted to take her career. The most common work here is helping clients involved in mergers or acquisitions to meet regulatory demands that competition regulators have in place to protect consumers. She enjoyed the cerebral nature of the work and the chance to learn about so many different sectors.
“Every deal you work on is completely different and you have to really understand the market, the regulatory environment and your client’s business. At the end of the day, you’re a business advisor as well as a legal one and I found that very rewarding.”
Working on cases that fill the front pages
Weil’s focus on the most sensitive, complex and sophisticated matters of any current climate means the cases Venetia has already worked on are often those that make the front pages of the Financial Times. She was part of the team working on the groundbreaking Microsoft Activision merger, which meant seeing a huge, industry-defining project through from start to finish.
“I remember going to work and listening to the FT News Briefing, and the two deals I was working on were both mentioned on the podcast.”
Enjoying a high-accountability culture
Venetia applied to Weil because she felt the smaller cohort size would mean more responsibility as a trainee and the chance to develop her skills faster. Trainees at Weil are supported to step up from day one.
The small cohort size also means Venetia has benefited from close working relationships with senior colleagues including her own mentor and partners throughout her different practice areas. That support means that she felt confident stepping up on complex challenges. She’s about to start a secondment in Brussels with a team she frequently works with. Another challenge, but that’s the way Venetia wants it.