Student Perspectives: A Financial Crime Specialist’s Take on Networking

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MS Finance ‘23 alum, Igor Klepikov, shared with the GCMC how he joined Linklaters as a Financial Crime Specialist and his thoughts on the importance of networking.


My journey with Linklaters began back in Warsaw, Poland, where I joined the firm as a Financial Crime Specialist. 

 

Coming from Ukraine, I completed my first Master’s Degree in Business at Vistula University in Warsaw and gained seven years of work experience in the financial industry at global multinational corporations such as CBRE (commercial real estate services and investment firm) and TMF Group (financial and legal administration). 

 

Having gained valuable financial experience, along with my growing interest in Anti Money Laundering and Legal Compliance, I secured a position at Linklaters - a leading global law firm, headquartered in London, part of “The Magic Circle” ("The Magic Circle" is a term describing the five most prestigious London-headquartered multinational law firms. The term was coined by legal reporters in the 1990s[1] and is generally considered to include the following five law firms: Allen & Overy; Clifford Chance; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Linklaters; and Slaughter and May). 

 

Therefore, when I moved to the U.S. in 2021, I already had business relationships with Linklaters that allowed me to join their New York team, where I work now as a part of Legal & Risk. My day-to-day includes conflict clearances for complex matters as the global practice ranges from Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity to Banking, Investment Management, and of course, Litigations. 

 

One of the scopes of work that I am particularly passionate about is Financial Crime, in which one of the key challenges is to “marry” the UK and EU AML regulations (UK AML Regulations, FCA Guide, LSAG, MLDs, FATAF) with the US AML legislation (US Patriot Act, Bank Secrecy Act, FINRA and FinCEN) when it comes to onboarding and conducting business with the multitude of corporate clients in different jurisdictions. 

 

The key advice to successful networking in such organizations is substance. Just like with learning languages, learning only words will not take you far without drilling down some boring grammar. Same here - you have to know the topic, not only corporate lingo. But it is also a process. Hence, a positive attitude, genuine curiosity, and willingness to make a first step will be good starting points. 

 

Also, it might be corny to hear this from a person who is on the slightly extreme edge of being extraverted, DO engage in small talks. If you’re just starting to put yourself out there, do tell the people you network with about your college, about your degree, about your favorite class. Whether you’re at Baruch, Brooklyn, Hunter, or any of the 25 colleges of CUNY, you have a massive reason to be proud. 

 

Besides, employers are taking notes about what you’re saying about your school because one day you will be walking down their halls. It will matter what you say about them. 

 

For everyone who is experiencing difficulty in finding an internship, I’d advise you to keep on making connections and don’t stop. Super important - make a LinkedIn profile! 

 

I’m always open for contact and happy to help where I can, therefore, don’t be shy and drop me a line here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igor-klepikov-588275a7 

 

Kind regards, 

Igor Klepikov 

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