Spotlight on our solicitors – meet Baljit Chohan

Our spotlight on our solicitors series showcases the talent of our legal professionals. In these interviews, we get to know more about the experts behind the advice. This week, we caught up with the newest addition to the corporate team, corporate partner Baljit Chohan. Baljit recently joined Harper James in October 2022 and brings with him over 30 years of legal experience in both large commercial organisations and in-house.

How did you start your career?

'My family background is in retail (shops) and leisure (night clubs) and after spending a few years involved in those I went to University to study law and my legal career has flowed from there for the last 30 years.'

What are the main areas of your corporate expertise, and will you cover a particular specialist or niche area within the corporate team here?

'My main areas of focus will be M&A, private equity and joint ventures. In particular advising high growth businesses and entrepreneurs achieve and manage their growth.'

Can you recall any key moments from your career?

‘One of the highlights of my career would be acting for a technology start-up on obtaining initial funding before going through a series of other investment rounds to eventual AIM floatation – all within 24 months. It was rewarding to play a major role in the growth of that business and that’s why I decided to join Harper James, so I can continue with championing the success of high growth companies and entrepreneurs.’

What do you think your clients value most about how you work with them?

‘I’m totally committed to delivering outstanding client service. That means understanding their ambition and working with them to achieve that marrying technical excellence with commercial pragmatism.’

Can you comment on any recent stories or trends within the corporate landscape?

‘Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is a rapidly emerging trend. It attempts to embed positive impact in those areas through business action. There is an increasing acknowledgement that ESG is no longer a niche but is a way of creating value for a business. It is being driven by investors and consumers and, particularly post-Covid, is now firmly in the mainstream’.

What were your first impressions of Harper James? What brought you here?

‘From first impressions alone, it’s easy to see that Harper James works on a unique yet solid organisational structure where I could concentrate nearly all my time on quality client service.’

Do you have any hobbies?

Outside of work, Baljit keeps fit as an ‘ultra-runner’, taking on runs of over 100 miles. When he’s not running, Baljit writes including papers on how technology (including AI and the metaverse) will affect daily life and how the law will need to adapt to accommodate them.

What are 3 things on your bucket list?

‘I’d love to watch the Cairo derby between Zamalek and Al Ahly. I’d also love to ice climb on a frozen waterfall and run the Okai nature trail from Tokyo to Osaka!’