Pinsent Masons has kept on 52 of its 71 qualifying trainees this autumn, giving the firm a retention score of 73%.
Nineteen of the newly qualified (NQ) solicitors join the firm’s finance and projects team, with 13 heading to transactional departments, 10 to property, and another 10 to risk advisory services.
Elsewhere, Bird & Bird revealed a 75% retention rate, keeping 15 of its 20 qualifiers. The group includes five in commercial, five in IP, two in disputes, two in corporate, and one in employment.
Elsewhere, Lewis Silkin confirmed it will retain five of its six final-seat trainees. Two join the firm’s employment practice, while the remaining three qualify into IP, corporate, and the digital, creative and commerce team.
The Legal CheekFirms Most List 2026 shows that NQs at Pinsents start on £105,000 in London, while their counterparts at Bird & Bird earn £102,000. At Lewis Silkin, NQ salaries sit at £85,000.
Trainee retention rates: the story so far…
(scroll right if using )
Firm
Trainees
Retained
Retention Rate
NQ Destinations
Wedlake Bell
8
8
100%
2 to insolvency; 1 each to commercial disputes, construction, corporate, tax, IP/commercial, and private client
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
31
29
94%
Undisclosed
Irwin Mitchell
53
48
91%
14 to Business Services Group; 12 to Medical Negligence; 9 to Court of Protection & Public Law & Human Rights; 8 to Private Client Group; 4 to Personal Injury; 1 to General Counsel
RPC
18
16
89%
6 to insurance; 6 to disputes (3 IP/tech, 2 commercial litigation, 1 media); 4 to corporate & commercial
Watson Farley & Williams
18
16
89%
5 to asset finance; 4 to project finance; 2 to corporate; 1 to debt capital markets; 2 to disputes and 1 to finance in Dubai; 1 to disputes in Bangkok
Clifford Chance
57
49
86%
Undisclosed
Macfarlanes
28
24
86%
Undisclosed
Lewis Silkin
6
5
83%
2 to employment; 1 each to IP, corporate, and digital, creative & commerce
Linklaters
40
33
83%
Undisclosed
Bird & Bird
20
15
75%
5 to commercial; 5 to IP; 2 to disputes; 2 to corporate; 1 to employment
Pinsent Masons
71
52
73%
19 to finance & projects; 13 to transactional; 10 to property; 10 to risk advisory
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/09/pinsent-masons-posts-73-autumn-retention-rate-as-bird-bird-and-lewis-silkin-also-reveal-figures/feed/0First wave of City firms report robust revenue growth
https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/07/first-wave-of-city-firms-report-robust-revenue-growth/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/07/first-wave-of-city-firms-report-robust-revenue-growth/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2025 10:09:20 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=222459Profit wavered for some
Five firms have unveiled their financial results, revealing generally positive figures for 2024-25 — although some reported a decline in partner profits.
Leading the charge is Ashurst, which has seen its revenue surpass the £1 billion mark — a milestone described by Global CEO Paul Jenkins and Global Chair Karen Davies as a “first in our 200+ year history”.
This achievement follows nine consecutive years of revenue growth, with an 8% increase on last year, matching the firm’s average annual growth rate. Profit per equity partner (PEP) has also remained strong, in line with the average 10% growth rate over the past decade, and is reported this year at just under £1.4 million.
Taylor Wessing, meanwhile, hit a global revenue of €619 million (£537 million) — an increase over 10% on last year — whilst UK PEP soared past £1 million. Zoning in on UK stats, Taylor Wessing has reported 80% growth since 2020, with revenue up 15% to almost £284 million and profit up over 12% to £103 million.
UK managing partner and global co-chair Shane Gleghorn said:
“We are delighted to see strong growth across our business, as the strategy that we implemented is proving effective. Our ongoing focus on premium, high-profile transactions, complex disputes and critical regulatory work in our core sectors is paying dividends.”
HFW posted a record year, with revenue rising 8% to £270 million. However, this was accompanied by a 3% drop in profit per equity partner (PEP), which fell from £855k to £828k — though revenue per lawyer rose by 12% to £465k.
Bird & Bird saw its revenues climb by some 6% to €673 million (£584 million) in its 33rd consecutive year of growth, with net profit rising by 3%. The firm’s PEP also saw a dip, dropping 1% to €831k (£721,000) after last year’s 8% increase which had brought it to €837k (£704,300).
Meanwhile, listed law firm Gateley has reported a revenue rise by some 4% to £180 million. This comes with a rise in underlying profit before tax by 1.2% to £23.3 million — however, when that stat is adjusted for outgoings, the firm saw profit fall by almost 55% to £6.4 million. The firm chalks up decreases in cashflow to a return in bonus payouts over 2024 and a net debt of £6.6 million to cash being used for “equity recirculation” and expansion.
Gateley CEO Rod Waldie said the results represent “another year of revenue and underlying profit growth for Gateley, set against an unpredictable economic backdrop for much of the year. We are particularly pleased that this growth was driven by the combination of positive returns on our recent investments with an increase in activity levels and active management of cost inflation.”
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/07/first-wave-of-city-firms-report-robust-revenue-growth/feed/1Bird & Bird bumps NQ solicitor pay to £102k
https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/06/bird-bird-bumps-nq-solicitor-pay-to-102k/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/06/bird-bird-bumps-nq-solicitor-pay-to-102k/#commentsMon, 30 Jun 2025 06:32:04 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=221867Rise of just over 4%
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/06/bird-bird-bumps-nq-solicitor-pay-to-102k/feed/10Courts, copyright and crypto: The life of an IP litigator
https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/courts-copyright-and-crypto-the-life-of-an-ip-litigator/
Tue, 08 Oct 2024 06:44:09 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?post_type=lc-careers-posts&p=209968Bird & Bird associate Ning-Ning Li shares her journey from a science background to a legal career, the crucial role of attention to detail, and her involvement in one of world’s biggest Bitcoin legal battles
Bird & Bird associate Ning-Ning Li shares her journey from a science background to a legal career, the crucial role of attention to detail, and her involvement in one of world’s biggest Bitcoin legal battles
Bird & Bird IP associate Ning-Ning Li
“I have always enjoyed litigation because it’s very heavily team based – the team is absolutely crucial,” says Ning-Ning Li, associate Bird & Bird‘s intellectual property (IP) group. “Within each litigation, there’s so much going on. You might have an urgent deadline and feel like you’re going mad, but you have your team there to share it all with and that’s a really nice feeling – you end up becoming great friends.”
Li came to law from a science background, having studied biochemistry at Oxford University. She ruled out a scientific research career after doing a few lab placements in her summer holidays: “It wasn’t for me — I just wasn’t very good at them!” she confesses. Having heard about the law conversion course from a friend, Li was inspired to take her scientific education into the legal world. “I discovered the synergies that exist between my degree and law, particularly intellectual property law,” she recalls. “I found that a scientific background could prove quite useful. I was used to taking a logical approach and picking key points out of a lot of information.” Technical scientific knowledge also comes in handy for IP lawyers, particularly those working on IP patent disputes. “We often represent pharmaceutical clients in big patent disputes,” Li explains. “As part of that, we speak to scientific experts in that particular field, whether it is a particular enzyme or a particular type of cancer. If you have a science background, you can get yourself up to speed quite quickly on the key concepts.”
“If you want to do IP, there are very few firms that do it better than Bird & Bird,” Li tells me. In addition to the size and reputation of the firm’s IP group, Li praises “the genuine camaraderie amongst the team”, adding, “I might not have known about this when I applied, but that is what’s kept me here.” She completed a vacation scheme at the firm before accepting a training contract offer. “During my training contract, I did two seats in IP. One was more focused on transactions and the other was on the litigation side,” she recalls. Her practice these days focuses on contentious work. For Li, this has become more and more stimulating as her career has progressed, “Once you’ve qualified as an associate and start moving up in your career, you develop the ability to look at the big picture overview and think five steps ahead,” she says, “These tactical skills are something you’re continually developing, no matter how senior you get.” The event of a trial is another draw to contentious work. “Of course, once you finally get to trial, that’s always really fun. The barristers do it every day, but for us, because we only go once in a while for our big cases, it’s quite exciting!”
So, what skills will aspiring IP lawyers need to brush up on? “You need attention to detail,” Li responds decisively. “This is absolutely crucial, particularly at the more junior end. I have seen cases rise and fall because seemingly minor errors went unspotted.”
She recalls one particularly disastrous occasion for an opposing counsel:
“I had a patent case, years and years ago, where there was an error like this – it was on the other side, thank goodness! In one section of their expert report, it turned out that the expert had been looking at a diagram the wrong way around,” Li tells me. “Incredibly, no one had noticed this until it was pointed out in court. Of course, that entire piece of analysis was just out the window, and their evidence lost all credibility.”
“Attention to detail played a significant role in the Bitcoin case,” Li continues, referring to COPA v Wright, in which she was a part of the Bird & Bird team representing the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).The High Court found that Dr Wright was not the creator of Bitcoin and was not the individual behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, ending his campaign to control the cryptocurrency industry by asserting IP rights in Bitcoin against other developers. This case is unlike others that Li has worked on: “Ostensibly it was a copyright case,” she says “but really it was a massive factual investigation. Attention to detail was crucial because the case was so fact heavy and relied on rather painstaking analysis of where details did not stack up.” Li will be discussing this case on the panel at Legal Cheek’s virtual event, ‘COPA v Wright: The Bitcoin Case — with Bird & Bird’, on 15 October.
The success achieved by the Bird & Bird team for COPA underscores another aspect of litigation work that Li particularly enjoys. “One of the great advantages of litigation is that when things go well you get to see the fruits of your labour and it’s very satisfying. It’s great to see that a piece of evidence is having the effect in court that you hoped it would when you prepared it,” she says. This case did present some unusual challenges, however, mostly due to its high-profile nature. “The defendant was, and always has been, very active on social media so there was increased discussion on those platforms,” Li explains. Once the case went to trial, wider media attention around it picked up. “The client had to be very prepared. They had a whole PR setup to help manage the media attention. We were getting approached by media as well and we have an internal PR team to help us deal with that. The key thing was putting out a consistent message,” she says.
Outside the realm of IP litigation, I’m curious to know what current trends are influencing Li’s work at Bird & Bird. “AI is huge,” she responds. “It’s not just impacting life sciences and IP but the legal industry as a whole.” While AI isn’t entirely new to litigators — “to some extent, we’ve always used a bit of AI for disclosure tasks,” Li explains — she emphasises that the role of AI in law firms is evolving rapidly. “Now, people are asking whether AI can start drafting parts of our pleadings or responses to letters,” she adds. For Li, knowledge of the latest AI applications is a way for aspiring solicitors to set themselves apart as they research the legal industry. “I would really advise candidates to read up on AI, not as a fuzzy concept, but specifically where it has applications to the legal profession. It has grown from being a hot topic to being technology with concrete applications,” she emphasises, adding “I know that Bird & Bird is running a trial across multiple offices with a company called Leya, which will apply AI to various legal tasks for use cases. We also have an AI steering committee focusing on safe and responsible use of AI.”
On this note, as we wrap up our discussion, I ask Li for the careers advice she would give to young lawyers. Her advice is to look ahead: “Explore all the areas you’re interested in but keep an eye out for what you can build a practice around,” she says, “If you’re looking towards partnership in the future, finding something that you are good at and which you can build on will stand you in good stead.”
Meet Bird & Bird at ‘COPA v Wright: The Bitcoin Case — with Bird & Bird’, a virtual event taking place on Tuesday 15 October. Apply now to attend
]]>City law quartet post strong financial results
https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/city-law-quartet-post-strong-financial-results/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/city-law-quartet-post-strong-financial-results/#commentsThu, 25 Jul 2024 08:33:28 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=2072952Birds, Macs, Simmons and Taylor Wessing
The 2024 law firm financial results season is gathering pace, with a raft of City outfits posting positive numbers.
Bird & Bird saw its revenues climb by more than 10% to €632 million (£545 million) in its 32nd consecutive year of growth, with net profit rising by 5.4% from £108.4 million to £114.3 million.
The firm’s profit per equity partner (PEP), reported in Euros, increased by a little over 8%, rising from €774,000 to €837,000 (approximately £704,300).
CEO Christian Bartsch said: “It’s been a positive year for the firm. The sectors that Bird & Bird chooses to operate in are being transformed and we are able to guide our clients through that transformation. Our five-year strategy has given us that momentum and we are poised to take advantage of it.”
Next up is Macfarlanes. The Silver Circle firm saw its profits jump by over 23% to £174 million, driven by a 13.7% increase in turnover, which reached £309 million. The firm’s PEP figure climbed a whopping 23.8% to £2.6 million.
Senior partner Sebastian Prichard Jones commented: “We were fortunate that our mix of practices saw high demand in 2023-24 in a challenging economic environment. We saw particularly strong performances from our transactional practices, especially with clients operating in the financial services space.”
Meanwhile, fellow City player Simmons & Simmons enjoyed a 10% increase in revenues to £574 million, which contributed to an 8% boost in profits, reaching £204 million. PEP increased from £1.001 million to £1.076 million, representing a 7% rise.
Simmons’ managing partner Jeremy Hoyland commented:
“These latest financial results demonstrate another year of growth from the firm in the face of a challenging market. The success we’ve seen over the last year is driven by our four sector strategy, our commitment to innovation, and our focus on premium work. The investments we’ve made right across the firm — in particular in our people — have also been crucial to our success. Today’s positive results also reflect how we’ve been able to adapt to the rapid advances in AI and technology. The firm is well placed to seize the opportunities of a changing legal market.”
Finally, Taylor Wessing saw global revenues climb to a record £481 million, with UK revenue contributing £246.6 million, thanks to an 8.6% increase from the previous year. Firm profits climbed more than 12% to £91.7 million.
The firm did not disclose its PEP figure, but Legal Cheek understands that it is now slightly over £900,000.
UK managing partner and global co-chair Shane Gleghorn commented:
“We are pleased to see strong growth across our offices, especially the progress in the UK and major European markets. That growth has been based on our position as a legal powerhouse in our core sectors of TMC, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Energy, and Private Wealth, and our key practice areas. It has taken incredible hard work and focus by our people to secure this strong outcome and they are committed to achieving our ambitious objectives in the next three years.”
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/city-law-quartet-post-strong-financial-results/feed/10HFW and Bird & Bird become latest firms to up NQ lawyer pay
https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/hfw-and-bird-bird-become-latest-firms-to-up-nq-lawyer-pay/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/hfw-and-bird-bird-become-latest-firms-to-up-nq-lawyer-pay/#commentsMon, 01 Jul 2024 07:07:34 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=206519£100k and £98k
HFW and Bird & Bird have become the latest City law firms to increase the salaries of their most junior associates.
Rates from newly qualified (NQ) associates at HFW have moved from £95,000 to £100,000, an uplift of just over 5%. Bird & Bird, meanwhile, has upped pay by 3% from £95,000 to £98,000.
The Legal CheekFirms Most List shows HFW recruits around 18 trainee each year while Bird & Bird takes on roughly 21.
“Combined with our bonus, our compensation package is significantly more generous than our competitors for strong performers,” said Corrin Kaye, chief people officer at HFW.
“But compensation is just one factor in what makes people want to join and stay with a firm, and we always aim to take a broader view by offering the best possible combination of rewarding work for market-leading clients, a friendly and supportive environment, good work-life balance, and opportunities to develop,” she continued.
Meanwhile, a statement from Bird & Bird read: “Although pay is important, at Bird & Bird, our culture is also central. We rank highly in the City as one of the best law firms to work at and that’s a combination of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and the cutting-edge nature of a lot of the work our lawyers do.”
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2024/07/hfw-and-bird-bird-become-latest-firms-to-up-nq-lawyer-pay/feed/13How I help clients navigate the world of AI
https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/how-i-help-clients-navigate-the-world-of-ai/
Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:48:42 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?post_type=lc-careers-posts&p=195449Bird & Bird senior associate Will Bryson discusses his work in the firm’s tech transactions team
Bird & Bird senior associate Will Bryson discusses his work in the firm’s tech transactions team
“I really enjoy negotiating contracts that everyone is happy with,” says Will Bryson, senior associate in Bird & Bird’s tech transactions team. Having initially flirted with the idea of being an IP lawyer, Bryson quickly understood that he preferred the commercial tech space. “For the past few years, we have really been talking about artificial intelligence (AI) for its transformational impact on society. I am very passionate about solving legal challenges that lie at the heart of this change.”
As part of his role in the tech transactions team, Bryson often helps businesses looking to buy technology products. “Our clients do not always understand the complexities of the technological tools that they are acquiring and deploying. This is where tech lawyers step in,” he says.
For example, Bryson’s team recently helped a large consumer goods company in buying an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Essentially, the client wanted to acquire the full tech stack that would underpin their software across all devices. At the end of this successful deployment, the client’s goal was to improve their functionality via a collective network of devices.
“Our role as lawyers in such transactions can often come in multiple capacities,” Bryson explains. “Often the clients want to adopt AI tools but are worried about its risks. They are unsure of what they can and cannot use the AI for. We help them understand the license and use terms, and work with them to understand the risk profile of the asset. This enables them to make an informed decision about internal use of the tool,” he says. A lot of Bryson’s clients have successfully used generative AI tools for various business functions, including things like marketing and branding.
Once the client decides to incorporate AI within their businesses, they might seek support to procure these tools from suppliers. “For such clients, we are involved in the procurement of relevant technologies. To this end, we would typically negotiate technology contracts between the buyers and sellers, making sure the terms work for our clients,” says Bryson.
Legal challenges with AI
But the negotiation of these technology contracts is far from simple, according to Bryson. There are a plethora of legal issues cutting across different areas of law.
“One of the primary issues is that of fault attribution — i.e., who takes the blame when things go wrong?” he says. “Generative AI like ChatGPT often tend to hallucinate, meaning that they can produce inaccurate or illogical results. The main question that we as lawyers drafting these contracts face is to apportion risks between parties if such events happening. We consider how much pressure can be put on suppliers in terms of warranties and obligations if their AI makes mistakes.”
Another issue around AI fallibility is that of ‘causation’, or tracing the reason behind the technical glitch. Bryson explains this further: “Effectively these models are black boxes. They train on vast amounts of data that will enable AI to make its decisions and predictions, but you cannot tie a particular outcome with a particular input or dataset. Who should accept fault, when no one really knows what caused the problem, is a thorny issue in contractual drafting.”
Problem areas do not end here. Generative AI is often questioned from an intellectual property (IP) perspective too. “There are big questions around ownership of the outputs of generative AI systems,” says Bryson. “Parties are used to using contracts to allocate ownership of intellectual property rights in outputs from a service, but where those outputs are created by an AI there may not be any IP to own! If there is nothing to own, what protections should be built into the contract for you is another question that we address for our clients.”
Amidst concerns around data privacy and confidentiality, Bryson is quite hopeful about the future of such tools. “Lawyers have been putting our data into computers and IT systems for decades, so this is not a novel problem at all. It’s about whether we are conducting this exercise in a safe manner,” he says. “There are concerns as to whether the data you feed into the system is being re-used (for example, for further training the system) and so could be disclosed to third parties. Providers of AI solutions clearly recognise this concern and many versions now allow you to ‘opt out’ from your data being reused. This should hopefully take care of some of these confidentiality-related concerns.”
Commercial awareness and careers advice
Ahead of his appearance this afternoon’s Legal Cheek event, Bryson also shares his top tips for students interested in the tech space. “Boosting your commercial awareness is a great way to demonstrate your interest in this area,” Bryson says. “I would encourage students to follow news publications around technology as the landscape changes very quickly. I have built some news reading time into my daily schedule, where I would read from sources like arsTechnica, Financial Times and the Wired magazine. Newsletters like that of Benedict Evans are also a great place to follow interesting trends.”
Alongside developing commercial awareness, Bryson also advises students to be passionate about the field. “Eventually, your enthusiasm is going to shine through at assessment centres,” he says. “Firms love to see candidates who have researched them and know where their strategies lie. But that’s not enough. If you want to really stand out from the crowd, you must also make a case about how your passion and ambition align with that of the firm you are applying to.”
Will Bryson will be speaking at ‘ChatB&B: The Power of AI in Law – with Bird & Bird’, a virtual student event taking place THIS AFTERNOON (Tuesday 17 October). This event is now fully booked. Check out our upcoming fairs and student events.
A trio of City law firms have increased the salaries of their newly qualified (NQ) lawyers.
NQs at Bird & Bird will now earn a base salary of £95,000, a rise of just under 3% from £92,400.
Trainee salaries are also getting boosted by around 4%, with first year pay moving from £45,000 to £47,000, and year two increasing from £50,000 to £52,000.
The Legal CheekFirms Most 2023 shows Bird & Bird recruits around 18 trainees each year.
NQ solicitors at HFW are now earning the same as their counterparts at Bird & Bird, thanks to a 12% rise from £85,000. HFW trainees in London earn £46,000 in their first year of training, then £50,000 in their second year. The firm typically offers 15 training contracts each year.
Finally junior at Dentons have also had pay rise of around 3% to £95,000. The uplift takes effect from September. Dentons’ trainees in London will also receive an increase of around 4%, with first year pay moving from £46,000 to £48,000, and year two increasing from £50,000 to £52,000. The firm typically offers 35 training contracts each year.
City law firms RPC and Bird & Bird have gone public with their latest trainee retention scores.
RPC confirmed it will retain 69% of its autumn qualifying rookies after 11 out of 16 were offered and accepted positions. One trainee withdrew from the process, meaning 73% of those who applied successfully secured roles.
The newly qualified lawyers join teams including commercial; insurance (construction, professional & financial risks, property & casualty international); IP & technology, media; tax disputes; technology & outsourcing; and white collar crime & compliance.
“Our trainees have a unique experience at RPC and receive high-quality training through our comprehensive programme, international and client secondment opportunities and exposure to complex cross-border work,” said RPC partner and training principal Parham Kouchikali. “Our remuneration package is attractive, but what sets us apart is our collaborative, supportive and committed culture that values individuals.”
The Legal CheekFirms Most List shows salary rates in London currently sit at £85,000 for those qualifying into the commercial group, and £80,000 for those qualifying into insurance. Bristol qualifiers can expect £56,000 a year. Last year, RPC retained 100% of its UK trainees, with all 14 trainee lawyers remaining at the firm.
Bird & Bird, meanwhile, has recorded an autumn 2023 trainee retention score of 83%. The international law firm confirmed 15 out of 18 final-seat trainees had accepted newly qualified (NQ) roles.
Seven new recruits will join its commercial division, six will qualify into IP, and the remaining two will start lawyer life in employment and dispute groups. All are on permanent deals.
The Legal CheekFirms Most List shows the firm dishes out around 18 training contracts each year, with rookies receiving a salary of £45,000 in year one, rising to £50,000 in the second year. Newly qualified salaries are almost double that at £92,400.
Alison Dixon, Bird & Bird training principal and partner, commented:
“Once again we have an extremely strong cohort of trainees qualifying into a range of practice areas across our London office this summer. We are very proud of what they have achieved so far, and are really excited to see them move into the next stage of their careers at Bird & Bird.”
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/07/rpc-and-bird-bird-post-autumn-trainee-retention-scores/feed/3And the winners of the Legal Cheek Awards 2023 are…
https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/03/and-the-winners-of-the-legal-cheek-awards-2023-are/
Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:55:29 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=184542Who won what: revealed
The legal profession came together last night to celebrate the efforts of the country’s top trainee-rated firms and chambers at Legal Cheek‘s annual awards ceremony.
This year’s Legal Cheek Awards, sponsored by BARBRI and BPP University Law School, was held at The Banking Hall in the City of London.
Three-hundred guests from the UK’s leading law firms and barristers’ chambers joined social media stars and big industry names at the glitzy ceremony.
Following a reception of fizz and canapés, BARBRI managing director Lucie Allen and BPP deputy dean Jane Houston delivered welcome addresses.
Left to right: Lucie Allen and Jane Houston. Credit: Vicki Sharp
Legal Cheek editor and Awards host Tom Connelly was then joined by award sponsors and Legal Cheek student campus ambassadors and staff to announce the winners of the 25 categories making up this year’s ceremony.
The Attorney General for England and Wales Victoria Prentis KC MP and Law Society President Lubna Shuja made special guest appearances to present the winners of categories Best Journal Contribution and Most Admired Law Firm with their prizes.
Left to right: Lubna Shuja and Victoria Prentis KC MP. Credit: Vicki Sharp
The winners are based on the results of our annual survey of over 2,000 trainee and junior lawyers.
Presented by HBW Consulting, a boutique agency that works as a specialist extension to your graduate recruitment team, helping law firms with media strategy, spend and analysis.
Best Use of Social Media 2023: Simranjeet Kaur Mann (YouTube vlogger)
Credit: Vicki Sharp
Highly commended: Farzana Abdullah for the Muslim Lawyers’ Hub (Instagram); Taz Aldeek (YouTube); Jordon Goodman aka ‘The Legal Northerner’ (TikTok); Paul Gascoyne, senior recruitment manager at Shearman & Sterling (LinkedIn); JuniorLawyerMemes (Instagram); Rebecca McNeil and Simrhan Khetani aka ‘Becs and the City’ (TikTok); Ali Obeid (TikTok); Maab Saifeldin aka ‘Life with Maab’ (Instagram); Lucy Sallows aka ‘Legally Lucy’ (TikTok)
The winner of this category was decided by an independent judging panel, made up of Amelia Platton (last year’s winner and founder of The Neurodiverse Lawyer Project), Marnie Swindells (The Apprentice star and court advocate) and Ibrahim Mohammed aka Ibz Mo (YouTube vlogger and lawfluencer).
Left to right: Amelia Platton, Marnie Swindells and Ibrahim Mohammed aka Ibz Mo
The winner of this category was decided by an independent judging panel, made up of Lord Sumption (ex-Supreme Court justice), Lubna Shuja (Law Society President), Victoria Prentis KC MP (Attorney General for England and Wales) and Lord Pannick KC (Blackstone Chambers barrister).
Left to right: Lord Sumption, Lubna Shuja, Victoria Prentis KC MP and Lord Pannick KC
Legal Cheek Campus Ambassador of the Year: Tomris Guluzade
Credit: Vicki Sharp
Sponsored by:
Highly commended: Zainab Adetunbi, University of Dundee; Leah Charlton, University of Newcastle; Hatice Çobanoğlu, University of Law Manchester; Adelina Iuliana Foiciuc, Anglia Ruskin University; Karina Homanko, University of Portsmouth; Eksha Kala, City University of Hong Kong; Rosella Lanza, Loughborough University; Emily Patel, University of Warwick; Nicole Watson, University of Southampton
]]>UK law firms ramp up rookie recruitment in Ireland
https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/03/uk-law-firms-ramp-up-rookie-recruitment-in-ireland/
Tue, 14 Mar 2023 09:30:53 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=185261Simmons to double TC offering while Bird & Bird and Taylor Wessing plan scheme launches
]]>Simmons to double TC offering while Bird & Bird and Taylor Wessing plan scheme launches
Dublin, Ireland
The competition for Ireland’s brightest legal talent looks set to hot up with a number of big UK law firms putting plans in place to launch training contract programmes or increase their existing offerings.
Simmons & Simmons has had a presence in Dublin since 2018 and currently hires four trainees each year. The firm says it plans to double this number to eight over the next three years.
“This investment in developing talent represents our commitment to the Dublin market and our clients with an Irish presence,” a spokesperson from the firm said. Irish rookies can also take advantage of a faster, hybrid training scheme and secondment opportunities across its international offices, the firm said.
Bird & Bird and Taylor Wessing confirmed plans to recruit Irish trainees for the first time, having both opened offices in Dublin in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Bird & Bird said it hoped to launch Irish TCs next year but were not yet able to confirm how many. A spokesperson said, “we very much look forward to bringing some trainees on board as we continue our growth in Ireland; this has always been an important part of our plan”.
Taylor Wessing, meanwhile, said it plans on recruiting Irish trainees within the next three years. The firm’s talent director Wendy Tomlinson said:
“Having recently established new training contract opportunities in Cambridge, and with the launch of our new solicitor’s apprenticeship programme in the UK, these are opportunities we’re looking to expand on in other regions and which support the growth plans we have for our office in Dublin.”
Elsewhere, Fieldfisher said it remained “committed to offering a well-structured training scheme to up to 10 trainees each year”. The firm launched in Dublin in
2019 through a merger with Irish firm McDowell Purcell.
As previously reported by Legal Cheek, Addleshaw Goddard is set to recruit eight trainees this spring and a further eight in 2024, as part of plans to double the size of its Dublin base by 2025. The news came following AG’s merger with Irish outfit Eugene F Collins in March 2022.
Several other big UK-headquartered firms have entered the Irish legal market in recent years amid fears that they would be locked out of the EU market following the 2016 Brexit vote. These include DLA Piper, Linklaters and Pinsent Masons.
]]>Bird & Bird becomes latest City player to embrace solicitor apprenticeships
https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/02/bird-bird-widens-access-to-legal-profession-with-new-solicitor-apprenticeship/
Fri, 24 Feb 2023 08:36:06 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=184692School leavers start on £25k
Bird & Bird has become the latest major law firm to introduce an apprenticeship programme that leads to qualification as a solicitor.
The new pathway will run exclusively in their London office and is aimed at year 13 students who have studied for A-Levels, or equivalent, but have chosen not to attend university.
The first apprentices embarking on the six-year programme will start in September 2023 on a salary of £25,000. Their first day will see them assigned a mentor and a buddy to guide them through the scheme.
It will look to recruit up to four apprentices this year.
They will spend one day a week studying towards an LLB degree at The University of Law, and the rest of the week working in the firm’s City HQ or on client secondment. Once thy’ve completed their law degree they will continue through the SQE exams. In the first four years, rookies will get to rotate around different practice areas to find where they fit best.
The new apprenticeship will run in parallel with the firm’s existing training contract programme, which is aimed at graduates and accommodates around 18 trainees each year. More details on these and the firm can be found on our 2023 Firms Most List.
Phil Sherrell, head of Bird & Bird’s London office, commented:
“We’re delighted to announce our new Apprenticeship Programme in London, starting this September. The programme will offer an alternative route into the legal world for future solicitors as well as our business services teams and is one of the many initiatives we are implementing to ensure that we enhance the chances of a diverse range of people being successful, which is a key business priority for us. I look forward to meeting our first cohort of apprentices this Autumn!”
Next year, in addition to these new solicitor apprenticeships, the firm is also hoping to increase the number of business services apprenticeships it offers.
]]>Revealed: The law firms with the fanciest offices 2023
https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/01/revealed-the-law-firms-with-the-fanciest-offices-2023/
Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:40:33 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=182604The results are in! Legal Cheek's exclusive research reveals the outfits with the swishest digs
]]>The results are in! Legal Cheek‘s exclusive research reveals the outfits with the swishest digs
Law firm offices are playing an increasingly intergral role in attracting lawyers back to their desks as the profession continues to find its feet in the new age of flexible working.
From swanky glass-clad digs offering sky-line views of the City to eco open-plan spaces with every amenity imaginable, firm offices can be a major selling point for clients and aspiring lawyers alike.
With this in mind, Legal Cheek‘s Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2023 asked more than 2,000 respondents: “How impressive is your firm’s office?”. Covering more than 80 of the UK’s biggest outfits, respondents were asked to rate their work spaces on a scale of one to ten — with one signifying “Not at all impressive” and ten as “Highly impressive”.
We can reveal that 19 firms made it to the shortlist, scoring an A* for their offices. Below are the firms listed in alphabetical order. Be sure to check our exclusive TikTok tours too!
As part of the survey each year we give trainees and junior lawyers the opportunity to expand on their scores by submitting anonymous comments. We received hundreds of comments giving us the lowdown on their office digs. Here are a select few comments about some of the shortlisted firms:
“Beautiful — from the weekly flower arrangements, to the bar in the client lounge, I think we have some of the nicest offices in the City.”
“The office is very impressive. The best floor is Floor 11 (the canteen and coffee bar) where all the coffee is free and there is a great balcony to get some fresh air. The working floors are semi-open plan (in pods rather than offices) and department heads are constantly coming up with new plans to make collaborative working easier.”
“It’s a beautiful space and I get the impression clients like coming there, they are also re-working some of the areas to become open-plan with special collaborative working spaces.”
“Incredible office — super spacious, adjustable desks and chair. Fast lifts and lots of communal spaces. Great environment to work in.”
“Feels like a 5* hotel.”
“Everything that you want is here. Temperature controlled rooms, standing desks, sky high views for the late nights.”
The winning law firm in this category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2023, sponsored by BARBRI and BPP University Law School, on Tuesday 14 March.
Bird & Bird has increased salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in London.
Fresh faced associates at the international outfit will now earn a base salary of £92,400, a rise of 5% from £88,000. The uplift is effective 1 December 2022.
The Legal CheekFirms Most 2023 shows Bird & Bird recruits around 18 trainees each year on a starting salary of £45,000. Year two rookies earn £50,000.
“We are constantly looking at our employee salaries, wider offerings and packages to ensure we remain competitive,” a firm spokesperson told Legal Cheek. “Our people are our biggest asset and one of our priorities is to nurture our culture in the London office and make sure we provide our people with a career path that can help them succeed.”
“We have continued to review our salaries and although we are conscious of the economic headwinds our business continues to grow strongly,” they added.
Earlier this year Bird & Bird was one of number of firms to pay one-off bonus to its London staff to help with rising living costs. As reported by Legal Cheek at the time, the payment was made to those with a salary of £50,000 or less and amounted to £1,000 net of tax and national insurance.
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/11/bird-bird-nudges-nq-lawyer-pay-above-92k/feed/19Revealed: The best law firms for peer support and partner approachability 2023
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/11/revealed-the-best-law-firms-for-peer-support-and-partner-approachability-2023/
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 10:51:03 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=181148Exclusive research identifies the friendliest outfits
]]>Exclusive research identifies the friendliest outfits
Life as a trainee isn’t easy, so a friendly and supportive culture can be crucial to getting you through the difficult moments. Fortunately, the results are in, and Legal Cheek can reveal the law firms where it’s smiles and backslaps all-round.
The 2,000 plus respondents to the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2022-23 were asked to rate the supportiveness of their peers on a scale ranging from 1 — ‘not at all supportive’ to 10 — ‘highly supportive’. Likewise, partner approachability could be quantified from 1, or ‘not at all approachable’ to 10, or ‘highly approachable’. Firms are then scored from A* to D on the Legal Cheek Insider Scorecard for each category.
Although over thirty firms feature on the two shortlists, scoring A*s for peer support or partner approachability, only Bristows, Fletchers, Hill Dickinson, RPC and TLT secured the top grade in both categories. The results are listed alphabetically below:
Respondents were also given the chance to submit anonymous comments to justify their scores and provide further insights into their firm’s supportive rookies and approachable partners. Here are a selection of comments from the firms shortlisted above:
How supportive are your peers?
“Very collaborative, and very friendly peer group. They’re genuine friends who I can go to for support, share tips and insights into the work.”
“There is no culture of competitiveness between the trainees. Everyone supports each other.”
“All of the trainees within my office are incredibly supportive of each other and there is no feeling of competitiveness when it comes to getting NQ jobs. The trainee chat is very active and you know that, no matter how stupid the question, you always have somebody to go to.”
“I love my trainee cohort, we have bonded really well and regularly meet up for lunch and coffee. We also have a WhatsApp chat that we use to check in on each other. The benefit of a large cohort is having a lot of people around you to build a support network.”
“Excellent culture with many opportunities to extracurricular. A very supportive environment.”
How approachable are your superiors?
“There’s a real open door policy — meaning that if I leave the door to my office open, my superiors are likely to stop by for a chat.”
“Including partners — there’s no hierarchy or delegation through associates. Partners will call you directly and ask for your thoughts which is a great learning opportunity.”
“All very approachable which surprised me the most about working with Partners.”
“Every single person (at all levels) is approachable and can always spare time to help you.”
“No matter the level of seniority, every partner that I have experienced working with or spoken to outside of a department has been incredibly welcoming, approachable and helpful. They want you to succeed and you know you could go to them with any issue you had.”
The winning law firm in each category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2023, sponsored by BARBRI and BPP University Law School, on Tuesday 14 March 2023.
]]>Meet the sustainability manager helping one global law firm go green
https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/meet-the-sustainability-manager-helping-one-global-law-firm-go-green/
Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:25:42 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?post_type=lc-careers-posts&p=180489Bird & Bird’s Lauren Nethercleft on her newly created role of sustainability manager and the firm’s drive to meet their net zero ambitions
]]>Bird & Bird’s Lauren Nethercleft on her newly created role of sustainability manager and the firm’s drive to meet their net zero ambitions
Lauren Nethercleft, sustainability manager at Bird & Bird
Lauren Nethercleft, sustainability manager at Bird & Bird, has her work cut out. The firm has committed to setting science-based net zero targets to halve emissions by 2030, and she is determined to deliver.
In the last few years, sustainable practices have been flourishing in the legal sector, with firms establishing new roles like sustainability managers in the understanding that not only is strong environmental stewardship the right thing to do, but it is key to business success. “There is demand across the board, to be honest”, Nethercleft explains when asked where this drive for sustainability is coming from, “employees want to work for an organisation that shares their values, and clients are asking us all the time what we’re doing on this front. In the last few years, we’ve seen clients asking more about sustainability and expecting to see meaningful climate commitments from the law firms they work with.”
Bird & Bird signed up to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in January 2022. The initiative sets the level of ambition for businesses to decarbonise at a rate sufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. “What we’re doing at the moment,” she explains, “is pooling existing pockets of data around the firm to give us a global emissions baseline so that we can identify hotspots across our business and supply chain and then take action to reduce.” This measurement will allow them to pursue ambitious reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and 90-95% by 2050. “Our lawyers are also advising clients across a huge range of ESG [Environmental, Social and Governance] issues, and it’s exciting to see this area of work really taking off,” she adds.
Not long after she graduated from her law degree Nethercleft realised that she wanted to pursue something broader and was intrigued by corporate social responsibility. “I was really taken by the potential impacts that businesses could have in terms of negative environmental and social impacts, and also the potential that they have to make really good positive contributions”, she says, adding: “that’s what led me to the area I am in now.” Nethercleft’s career in corporate social responsibility has seen her working on social and environmental issues at firms such as Lewis Silkin and Hogan Lovells before her move to Bird & Bird this year. Her new role is dedicated solely to environmental sustainability and is a strong sign of the firm’s commitment to meeting its green targets. “The firm created my role to help deliver on their commitment to sustainability”, she explains, “we’re at a really important stage in that journey.”
Despite only being with the firm two months, Nethercleft has big plans to push the firm’s sustainability agenda. However, she is also keen to emphasise the work that is already being done towards these goals. “There’s a lot of work happening within our London office to make the building more sustainable,” she says. “We’ve done things like switching to LED lighting and using data and analytics to find opportunities to reduce heating and air conditioning.” Perhaps the most novel of these initiatives is their drive to reduce food waste. “In the London office the grounds from our coffee machines are recycled to make brownies,” she says. “Which are delicious!”
Throughout the conversation, Nethercleft’s enthusiasm for her work is evident, and this energy seems well placed amongst the innovative culture at Bird & Bird. “I really enjoy the strategic side of my work”, she says, “it’s really exciting to take ambitious goals like reducing emissions by 90-95% and think about how to align and integrate that with what we’re doing as a business.”
What advice would she give to students interested in law and sustainability? “More and more we’re seeing that sustainability is becoming an integral part of what it means to be a lawyer,” she says. “In every practice area, every sector, there will be an environmental impact. So, my advice is to be aware that whatever kind of law you’re doing, sustainability is going to be a part of it and take an active role in upskilling and driving positive change.”
Nethercleft’s own engagement with environmental issues started early, when she occupied the position of Economic Sustainability Officer of a student network during her law degree. “It’s about being engaged and proactive”, she says, “make sure you’re going to be able to demonstrate your passion through activities like volunteer work, reading, or whatever you find interesting. It always helps with applications further down the line!”
Bird & Bird is known for its emphasis on innovation and technology and this was clearly part of what drew Nethercleft to the firm. “I love the commitment to sustainability, the passion and engagement are incredible”, she says, “there’s so much potential here to make a really important, relevant contribution through our work. I think it’s exciting to be a part of that because the scale and the pace of change required is unprecedented, so innovation is absolutely key.”
]]>Bird & Bird gives trainees and staff £1,000 cost of living bonus
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/07/bird-bird-gives-trainees-and-staff-1000-cost-of-living-crisis-bonus/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/07/bird-bird-gives-trainees-and-staff-1000-cost-of-living-crisis-bonus/#commentsTue, 05 Jul 2022 11:25:21 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=177351One-off payment to those earning £50k and below
]]>One-off payment to those earning £50k and below
Bird & Bird has announced that it will be paying a one-off bonus to its London staff to help with rising living costs.
The payment will be made to those with a salary of £50,000 and below in July’s payroll and will amount to £1,000 net of tax and national insurance. Over 300 employees are expected to benefit from the allowance.
This includes first and second year trainees, who currently earn £45,000 and £50,000 per annum respectively following recent wage hikes, as well as business support staff and more junior members of the business services teams. Newly qualified associates at Bird & Bird currently earn £88,000.
Bird & Bird are not the first firm to make such a gesture.
Irwin Mitchell made a one-off payment of £900 to the majority of its staff in April in light of “the challenging external circumstances affecting the cost of living”. Elsewhere, Legal Cheekreported last month that White & Case had increased both its LPC and GDL maintenance grants in response to the “difficulties” faced by many to meet their financial commitments.
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/07/bird-bird-gives-trainees-and-staff-1000-cost-of-living-crisis-bonus/feed/12Latest speakers announced as profession gears up for LegalEdCon 2022
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/05/latest-speakers-announced-as-profession-gears-up-for-legaledcon-2022/
Tue, 10 May 2022 10:53:25 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=175294Leading figures to descend on Kings Cross as Legal Cheek’s future of legal education and training conference returns this Thursday
]]>Further high profile figures to address delegates at Legal Cheek’s future of legal education and training conference this Thursday
Kings Place, London
On Thursday (12 May) Legal Cheek’s annual future of legal education and training conference will return as an in-person event at Kings Place, London.
Delegates at LegalEdCon include learning & development and graduate recruitment experts from 70 leading law firms and chambers, as well as leading academics from universities across the UK. Throughout the day-long conference, there will be a series of TED-style talks and panel discussions exploring the topics at the forefront of the industry.
The final batch of speakers have today been announced and are listed below. They will join the vast roster of speakers announced over the last few months, including high profile figures from magic circle law firms and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Latest speakers:
• Maria Connolly, partner and head of real estate and energy & renewables at TLT
• Lorna Nsoatabe, associate at Slaughter and May
• Joshua Rutt, member of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance Student Advisory Board and future trainee solicitor at Macfarlanes
• Siobhan McGinley, head of segment marketing at LexisNexis
• Joy Davies, principal lecturer at Nottingham Law School
• Jordan Yohannes, trainee solicitor (secondee) at Phoenix Group
• François Feuillat, corporate partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher
• Nicole Tan, senior manager, innovation & legal technology at Addleshaw Goddard
• George Yates, solicitor apprentice at BBC
• Faisel Sadiq, barrister at Gatehouse Chambers
• Mark Keith, director of programmes at BPP University Law School
• Maia Crockford, solicitor apprentice at DAC Beachcroft, seconded to Sainsbury’s
• Jacqueline Cheltenham, national programme director for BPTC and BPC, and associate professor at The University of Law
• Chris Kessling, vice-dean at The Inns of Court College of Advocacy
• Chloe Kennedy, legal management consultant at Deloitte
• Grace Strutton, head of people & development at Lawyers on Demand
• Susan Cooper, founder and CEO of Accutrainee
• Rosie Buckley, early careers recruitment lead at Dentons
• Roma Mcpherson, solicitor apprentice at Colt Technology Services
• Mark Neale, director general of the Bar Standards Board
The speakers will explore areas including diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, the apprenticeship route to qualification as a solicitor, legal technology, and sustainable recruitment.
Following a networking lunch on the Kings Place gallery mezzanine, the afternoon sessions will focus on what the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) looks like in practice, as well as the opportunities beyond the SQE rollout. We’ll also hear about the future of education and training at the bar with a separate dedicated session. The day’s events will close out with a keynote from Britain’s leading legal education YouTuberIbz Mo.
]]>TikTok tours of some of the City’s fanciest law firm offices
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/05/tiktok-tours-of-some-of-the-citys-fanciest-law-firm-offices/
https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/05/tiktok-tours-of-some-of-the-citys-fanciest-law-firm-offices/#commentsTue, 03 May 2022 08:23:08 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=175168Go beyond the plush lobbies
With the pandemic now hopefully in our rear view mirror and people increasingly returning to the office, Legal Cheek has been given exclusive access to some of the City’s fanciest law firm digs.
From glass lifts to live moss walls, we’ve got nine law firm office tours to whet the appetite with more on the way very soon. To make sure you don’t miss future posts, follow our TikTok page.
]]>https://www.legalcheek.com/2022/05/tiktok-tours-of-some-of-the-citys-fanciest-law-firm-offices/feed/11Full video: The non-law dilemma
https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/full-video-the-non-law-dilemma/
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 09:40:04 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?post_type=lc-careers-posts&p=173629Experts from BPP University Law School, Bird & Bird and Dentons discuss what the SQE means for non-law graduates
]]>Experts from BPP University Law School, Bird & Bird and Dentons discuss what the SQE means for non-law graduates
Here is the full video for the fourth in the series of Legal Cheek’s SQE events with BPP University Law School.
The recent virtual event featured:
• Rachel Boyle, early careers officer at Bird & Bird
• Rosie Buckley, early careers recruitment lead at Dentons
• Jonny Hurst, BPP’s head of outreach and former City law firm partner
• The event was chaired by Legal Cheek events coordinator, Jemina Kauppinen
The speakers addressed common concerns expressed by students from non-law backgrounds, including: the proportion of non-law QWE trainees recruited in law firms, the expectations of non-law trainees, and if supervisors and partners can tell who didn’t complete a law degree. Also up for discussion was whether or not non-law graduates are better suited to some roles rather than others on qualification.
Legal Cheek will be running ‘The SQE series’ with BPP University Law School over the next few months. The video of each session will be made available one month after each virtual event.
]]>5 things non-law students should know to break into the legal sector
https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/5-things-non-law-students-should-know-to-break-into-the-legal-sector/
Fri, 11 Mar 2022 11:37:23 +0000https://www.legalcheek.com/?post_type=lc-careers-posts&p=173408Law training experts from BPP, Bird & Bird and Dentons demystify the new pathway to qualification under the SQE
]]>Law training experts from BPP, Bird & Bird and Dentons demystify the new pathway to qualification under the SQE
With the launch of the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and fierce competition for jobs, a career in the legal sector might at first appear a confusing and somewhat daunting prospect for non-law students.
Last month, Jonny Hurst, a former City law firm partner turned BPP’s head of outreach and student recruitment, Rachel Boyle, early careers officer at Bird & Bird, and Rosie Buckley, early careers recruitment lead at Dentons, came together to demystify the new pathway to qualification for non-law students and share their top tips for breaking into the legal sector.
“Students from law and non-law backgrounds are indistinguishable when they start at the firm,” said Bird & Bird’s Rachel Boyle when reflecting on the outgoing PGDL to LPC pathway, a sentiment echoed by Jonny Hurst in his experience of teaching at BPP Law School. The panel agreed that this has been because non-law students have, under the Legal Practice Course (“LPC”), been required to complete a law conversion course before embarking on the LPC.
Dentons’ Rosie Buckley explained, “we want our trainees to be well-prepared and therefore we would still encourage non-law graduates to do the PGDL or Law Foundations Course”. Boyle added, “we really value a law conversion course — it puts people on the best footing”. So, under the new SQE regime, any non-law graduate who completes a PGDL or Law Foundations Course, should then have confidence to embark upon the SQE, the new standardised assessment required in order to become a qualified solicitor, in a similar position to their LLB peers. Jonny Hurst said he believes that those who attempt the SQE without either a law degree or a law conversion course behind them are taking a huge risk.
The SQE falls into two parts, known as SQE 1 and SQE 2. For SQE 1, wannabe solicitors must grapple with 360 multiple choice questions which test candidates’ ‘functioning legal knowledge’ spread over two papers that lasts a total of ten hours and six minutes. Then, SQE 2 puts this knowledge into a practical setting, assessing oral skills, such as interviewing clients and advocacy, as well as written skills, which include legal writing, drafting and legal research.
The SQE assessments are set “at a higher level”, said Hurst, who explained that the standard expected is that of “a day-one qualified solicitor rather than a day-one trainee”. This makes the strong foundation of legal knowledge (obtained in most cases through a law degree or conversion course) not only essential to success on the SQE, but also to making a strong start at any law firm.
2. Develop transferable skills
The other step to qualification is obtaining a total of two years’ qualifying work experience (“QWE”). The flexibility of QWE is a key differentiator from the LPC route which requires students to undertake a two-year training contract in order to qualify. Now, there is a wider range of work experience opportunities that can count towards completing your QWE, opening up alternative paths to qualification beyond doing a conventional four-seat training contract.
Obtaining your QWE will involve applying to organisations in the legal sector. Boyle and Buckley, with a combined two decades of experience in the sector, shared what they are looking for in applicants to their respective firms. “We [Bird & Bird] want diverse cohorts of trainees, not just a ‘cookie-cutter trainee’,” said Boyle. Similarly, Buckley said, “we [Dentons] are looking for people who think differently”, emphasising the importance of “problem-solving and changing the status-quo”.
It is the breadth of experiences that non-law students have that can make them very attractive to firms like Bird & Bird, where around 50% of their trainees have a non-law background and Dentons where the figure is around 40%. The panellists cited examples of students from STEM backgrounds such as engineering and medicine as well as career changers with previous experience in other sectors. Equally prized are those who have done part-time student jobs, had experiences abroad or participated in volunteering and pro bono activities.
This is because these experiences develop skills that are essential to being a good lawyer, such as teamwork, dealing with clients, working under pressure and developing commercial or technical knowledge in a particular sector. So, when applying, both Boyle and Buckley recommend that non-law students “think about all the transferable skills and think of all the advantages that brings”.
3. Don’t worry that you haven’t studied law when applying
The panel were keen to address the sense of imposter syndrome that non-law students can sometimes feel when considering a career in law. In fact, assessment centres and vacation schemes are all intended to be open to everyone and usually do not assume much (if any) previous legal knowledge.
Buckley stressed that “when assessing law and non-law candidates, we are looking to see what their potential is, rather than what legal knowledge they have”. Boyle added: “we just want people to perform at their best and all our vac scheme activities are so broad that you don’t need any prior legal knowledge”.
4. Be passionate
Passion seems to be an essential ingredient for getting your foot in the door at a law firm and making the most of your time there. “It’s all about passion and having an interest in working at Bird & Bird and being a lawyer,” said Boyle. This can be especially important on vacation schemes where students have an opportunity to explore their interests and network with lawyers and others on the scheme.
For applicants, however, it can be a struggle getting that passion across in a cover letter or application form. Boyle and Buckley agreed that students need to “do their research” and really understand the firm’s strengths.
Making an effort to get to know the firm is also important. Boyle explained: “if you can, do some in-person or virtual work experience, attend as many events as possible”. And it is clear that students should temper their passion with precision and clarity in their applications. Buckley reminded students “don’t forget to answer the question! You need to be able to clearly explain ‘why law?’ and ‘why Dentons?’”.
5. Be open-minded
Lastly, throughout your studies and when doing your QWE, the panel underlined the importance of being open-minded. “People don’t necessarily know where they want to qualify and where their skills best fit,” said Boyle. “We have lots of STEM students who think they are going to specialise in IP but then do something completely different!”. Accordingly, Buckley and Boyle recommend doing a mixture of contentious and non-contentious work, encouraging trainees to try something new. “The whole point of a TC [training contract] is to develop skills!” Buckley reminded the audience of over 200 students.
Being open-minded is even more important given the trend in the legal sector of broadening its training offerings. As Hurst pointed out, there is a growing variety of training contract/QWE programmes. These can include work in legal tech, and under the SQE regime, QWE can be in a single ‘seat’ which does not have to offer the trainee both contentious and non-contentious experience. Some of the new opportunities will be particularly attractive to students from non-law backgrounds who might have already developed skills in some of these areas.
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Bird & Bird #lawfirm #office #london #fyp ♬ Coffee – Quinn XCII & Marc E. Bassy 
#law #office #london #views ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy 
the name of this Silver Circle law firm before it’s revealed! #fypage #lawfirmoffice #lawyer #perks ♬ Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) – Edison Lighthouse 
#london #bishopsgate #law #office #mayerbrown #fypage ♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco 
