My White & Case Story
Following his appointment as Queen’s Counsel for English Law, we take a look at Paris Partner Andrew McDougall’s career so far.
A career in law was the natural choice for Partner Andrew McDougall of the Firm’s Paris office.
His father was a lawyer and barrister – something that gave Andrew a unique appreciation of the skills of the job while he grew up in Ottawa, Canada.
He says: “When I was a kid, my father would question me about things and, even then, I could see the talents he had as a cross examiner, which taught me a lot.
“He never pushed me into law, but he was always incredibly supportive when I chose it as a career. When I was growing up, law appealed because I always liked the idea of figuring out one side’s argument and how best to advance or defend it.”
Andrew’s dad passed away in August last year, a few months before Andrew was appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC) for English Law.
Andrew says: “It’s a shame he didn’t get to hear the news, but he knew I was applying, and I’m sure he’d have been very proud of my achievement.
“He was a Canadian silk, so it’s fitting that I’ve followed in his footsteps.”
Having grown up in Ottawa, Andrew went to Quebec City as an undergraduate before returning to his home city for law school, where he studied civil and common law.
He then won a training contract with leading Canadian law firm McCarthy Tetrault spending time in Toronto and Montreal, where his language skills proved an asset, as he worked on litigation cases and appeared before the courts in both French and English.
Andrew’s early career also saw him win a Fox Scholarship, giving him the opportunity to attend chambers in London.
“It gave me a glimpse of the type of law I knew I wanted to follow,” he says. “I had a chance to sit with barristers appearing as counsel and sitting as arbitrator in international arbitrations. I was fascinated by the work because it involved different countries, languages, cultures and industries.”
“I saw Paris as at the centre of international arbitration and the best place to get into the field. So, when I was offered an associate position at White & Case in Paris, I knew it was right for me, particularly as the Firm was among the best ranked for arbitration at the time.”
At the end of his scholarship, Andrew returned to Canada, but his taste of Europe made him want to return. He says: “I saw Paris as being at the center of international arbitration and the best place to get into the field. So, when I was offered an associate position at White & Case in Paris, I knew it was right for me, particularly as the Firm was among the best ranked for arbitration at the time.”
Andrew’s first impressions of White & Case were highly positive. He says: “It was a culture shock, because I went from a 75-strong litigation team within a 350-lawyer office in Toronto to a 10-strong arbitration team in a 50-lawyer office in Paris.
“It was also a little strange to go from working on up to 60 litigation cases at a time to focusing on just two or three arbitrations at once.
“But what I loved was that, because we were such a busy team, the partners gave associates a lot of responsibility very quickly.
“That sums up the whole ethos of the Firm – if you put yourself forward and do well, the opportunities you’re given are limitless.”
Andrew’s career took off and, in 2003, he became the first lawyer in the Firm to achieve Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) status in England and Wales.
He was promoted to partner in 2004, before leaving the Firm in 2008 to fulfill a long-held ambition.
He explains: “When I moved to France, I’d only intended to stay for a couple of years and always thought I’d return to Canada someday to work with my father in Ottawa, so I joined his firm and started an arbitration group in 2009.”
Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t great due to the global recession, and Andrew soon realized that Ottawa wasn’t exactly a hotbed of international arbitration, so it wasn’t long before he began missing the Firm and returned to Paris in January 2012.
“I didn’t think twice about coming back, because the Firm had always been such a great fit, and I loved the people,” he says. “It’s one of those rare places where the team comes before individuals.
“What’s great about the Arbitration group here in Paris is that all the partners have come through the ranks and grown up together, so it is a lot of fun. Many of my best friends are my colleagues.”
Since re-joining the team, Andrew has held a number of roles in addition to being partner, including his appointment as Regional Section Head for our EMEA Disputes section between 2014 and 2018 and chairing our EMEA Operations Council between 2016 and 2018.
“What I love about our international Arbitration group and the Firm is that it’s like a mini United Nations, which is stimulating and brings so much opportunity.”
In 2018, he joined the Firm’s Global Women’s Initiative Committee and, in 2019, was elected to our Partnership Committee.
Andrew says: “What I love about our international Arbitration group and the Firm is that it’s like a mini United Nations, which is stimulating and brings so much opportunity.
“The important thing is to always be open to new things, to step up to the plate, and to put yourself forward.
“While I have been asked to take on many of the roles that I’ve had, I think that you get asked if you show good stewardship and, in all cases, you have to be willing to accept and push yourself.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in our offices around the world, and if I had advice for anyone joining the Firm it would be to build a network of friends and colleagues across White & Case, to get to know people, and to take advantage of our opportunities to learn new things and expand your horizons.
“It’s a privilege to be part of an organization that’s full of so many amazing and impressive professional people.”
Highlights of Andrew’s career to date include working with Partner Rayner Hamilton, who worked at the Firm between 1961 and 2002.
Andrew says: “Ray founded the Arbitration group, and I had the great honor of working with him in my early years at the Firm.
“I learned so much from him about how to be an exceptional advocate and, seeing that I was keen to learn and progress, he gave me many opportunities to get involved in cases across the Firm, even though I was only an associate at the time.”
Among other career highlights, Andrew enjoyed working on several cases for oil company Yukos in Russia, owned by one-time oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky between 2001 and 2004.
“It gave me so much experience, so quickly,” he says. “The cases were really interesting, involving money laundering, bribery and corruption, and I got to travel to Moscow, Siberia and Vienna. It is also how I got to know our Chair, Hugh Verrier, because Hugh was running the Moscow office at the time and would always make a point of inviting me out for coffee, lunch or dinner and made me feel welcome.
“The nature of the cases meant we were chauffeured around in armor-plated cars with bodyguards who had to sweep our rooms for bugs. It was intense, but fascinating.”
In his time with the Firm, Andrew has seen massive growth in both the Paris office and the Arbitration group.
He notes: “What’s great is that the family atmosphere has been retained. l often tell my kids I have a job, but that it can also be fun. I am so lucky to be paid for doing something I love.”
Andrew was delighted and surprised to be appointed Queen’s Counsel – an achievement he never thought would be possible.
He says: “When I spent time in chambers during my Fox Scholarship, I didn’t dream I’d be a QC, not least because I don’t work in the courts in England, and I’m not from the UK.
“But, when I saw Dipen Sabharwal and Aloke Ray become the first lawyers from the Firm to be appointed QC, I decided to invest the time and effort needed to apply.”
The application process was rigorous, requiring Andrew to provide references from arbitrators, judges, opposing counsel and clients he has worked with over the last decade and to attend an interview.
He says: “Applying is no small undertaking, but when I found out I’d been successful it made it all worthwhile.
“It was a surreal experience, especially as you have to dress up for the occasion, but it was an unforgettable day, just being in the company of so many talented people.”
“I’m really proud, because it’s international recognition of a high standard of advocacy.
“Clients around the world sometimes look for things that set us apart and being a QC gives a badge of quality that I’ve already seen make a difference when we’re pitching for work.”
Andrew was officially named QC at a ceremony on 16 March at Westminster Hall.
He says: “It was a surreal experience, especially as you have to dress up for the occasion, but it was an unforgettable day, just being in the company of so many talented people.
“The sense of tradition and occasion was remarkable, and it was great to have members of my family there. It just goes to show that you never know where your career path is going to take you if you put yourself forward and take your opportunities.”
