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Over 2,000 students attended The Legal Cheek and The University of Law (ULaw)’s Spring Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair 2023, which took place over three days this week and featured 40 law firms and chambers.

The Scheme offered participants the opportunity to explore different practice areas including corporate, litigation, employment, technology and intellectual property (IP), as well as meet with lawyers and graduate recruitment teams during a Law Fair. Here’s our day-by-day account of the Scheme, which featured a series of short talks and Q&As, with case studies set by ULaw.

Day 1

Session 1: Life as a disputes lawyer

The speakers

• Emily Betts, barrister at Gatehouse Chambers
• Megan Smith, associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
• Karen Watts, programme and student lead at ULaw and former Kennedys and Fieldfisher commercial dispute resolution solicitor

What students learnt:

The first two sessions of the Scheme explored the two different types of legal work lawyers do: deals and disputes. This first session focused on disputes and featured a barrister, solicitor and former solicitor turned ULaw professor, all of whom specialise (or have specialised) in disputes work.

BCLP associate Megan Smith explained during her talk what drew her most to disputes work is her love for story-telling — working through a narrative to provide a positive outcome for her clients. This was echoed by Gatehouse barrister Emily Betts and ULaw professor Karen Watts, who appeared on the panel alongside Smith.

This session was followed by a case study: the audience was asked to advise a high-profile client on a breach of contract claim and consider whether he should pursue litigation in the courts. The panel outlined some of the risks, saying that doing so would be costly and time-consuming.

Session 2: Transactional work: an introduction

The speakers

• Meghal Mehta, associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher
• Harry Buchanan, trainee solicitor at Willkie Farr & Gallagher

What students learnt:

In session two attention turned to deals and we heard from two Willkie Farr lawyers in the firm’s London office: Meghal Mehta, associate, and Harry Buchanan, a fourth seat trainee.

The duo went through the role lawyers play in a typical corporate transaction, highlighting the key steps including drafting heads of agreement (a non-binding document outlining the main issues relevant to the deal), undertaking due diligence on the acquisition and preparing the transaction documents for signing.

Mehta went on to explain that a deal normally takes around several months to complete, although they found this timeline was somewhat squeezed during the height of the pandemic due to a flurry of deal activity amid market uncertainty.

During the Q&A the pair reflected on the reasons for training and working at a US law firm in London as well as some of the key differences between Willkie and its market competitors.

Session 3: Employability Expo

Rounding off day one of the Scheme was an Expo run by members of ULaw’s employability team. The team delivered four presentations, and here’s what they discussed:

Firm research and applications

• Beth Thorman, senior student recruitment manager at ULaw

ULaw senior student recruitment manager Beth Thorman explained that the correct approach to research a firm should include considerations like practice areas, size, secondment opportunities and core values. She then provided practical tips for making good applications which include, among others, proof-reading and tailoring an application to a firm.

Interviews

• Katherine Meehan, careers manager at ULaw
• Elizabeth Gulati, careers consultant at ULaw

ULaw careers experts Katherine Meehan and Elizabeth Gulati shared their advice on how to impress at telephone, video and face-to-face interviews. They discussed the differences between them, how to prepare and how best to answer the different types of questions commonly asked.

Should I do the LPC or SQE?

• Nick Johnson, senior tutor at ULaw Nottingham

ULaw senior tutor Nick Johnson discussed routes to solicitor practice with a focus on whether students should think about the LPC or SQE. He emphasised that the LPC route is only applicable for students who started their LLB (or conversion course) from September 2021 or earlier. He then went into further detail, explaining how these two pathways are organised at ULaw.

Social media skills

• John McKeown, careers consultant at ULaw
• Linsey O’Donnell, careers consultant at ULaw

ULaw careers consultants John McKeown and Linsey O’Donnell gave students an insight into how best to use social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, how to add value to your networks by showcasing your achievements and some common mistakes to avoid such as incorrect privacy settings!

Day 2

Session 4: Climate change

The speakers

• Catríona Campbell, associate at Clyde & Co
• William Ferris, trainee solicitor at Clyde & Co

What students learnt:

To discuss the impact of climate change on their legal work, students heard from Clyde & Co’s Catríona Campbell and William Ferris.

Ferris outlined typical trainee tasks in this area, such as considering the impact of new climate-related regulation or assessing the impact of climate change litigation. Campbell agreed that the breadth of climate change work you can experience as a trainee sets you up well for life as a qualified lawyer. She went on to explain that given the novel issues arising from climate change in recent years, the amount of litigation in this area is likely to continue to increase.

Campbell and Ferris have also built their climate change practice through Clyde & Co’s Climate Change Group, a trainee-led pro bono initiative, through which Ferris attended COP27 while representing an international charity.

To conclude, the speakers addressed the day’s case study exercise, set by ULaw, which posed whether law firms should act for large oil and gas companies.

Session 5: Law Fair

Halfway through the Scheme students took part in a virtual Law Fair in which they met with lawyers and graduate recruitment teams from 40 law firms, including the Magic Circle, US and international law firms.

Day 3

Session 6: Employment law

The speakers

• Lauren Bholé, senior associate at Shoosmiths

What students learnt:

Shoosmiths senior associate Lauren Bholé discussed what it’s like being an employment lawyer at a national law firm. She talked about her career journey, including how being a paralegal helped her to secure a training contract, why she chose to become a solicitor rather than a barrister and why she enjoys working in employment law.

She told attendees what a day in the life of an employment lawyer looks like, and how the work varies from drafting documents to being able to do her own advocacy in the employment tribunal. She spoke about how, as well as working on cases, she also gets to be involved in business development, as well as writing articles, recording videos and hosting events for clients about the ever-changing world of employment law.

Session 7: Intellectual property

The speakers

• Cerys Wyn-Davies, partner at Pinsent Masons
• Bella Phillips, associate at Pinsent Masons
• Connie Scrimshaw, trainee solicitor at Pinsent Masons

What students learnt:

The session started with a 40-minute presentation from the team at Pinsent Masons. They opened by explaining what IP is and what lawyers do in this area of practice. Then they shared their own career journeys and what drew them to IP law. They talked about the popular new artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT and some of its strengths and weaknesses before moving on to explain the use and protection of AI — particularly in the life sciences and healthcare space.

Next, the trio covered the legal and commercial implications of these emerging tools and how the firm is advising clients in this developing area.

Finally, Connie Scrimshaw talked the attendees through what it’s like to be a trainee working in this exciting and fast-evolving area of law.

Session 8: Technology and the law

The speakers

• James Sharp, associate at Hogan Lovells
• Patrick Grant, tutor and director at ULaw Tech Research Academy (ULTRA)

What students learnt:

Hogan Lovells’ James Sharp gave a talk all about his role as an associate in the commercial technology team. He discussed his career journey, what his team do, key legal tech terminology, such as blockchain, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), crypto assets and artificial intelligence, talking about the regulation around this and how the UK’s approach differs to that of the EU.

After his presentation, he was joined by ULaw’s Patrick Grant for an audience Q&A to discuss their career journeys in more depth, talk about trends within legal tech and offer careers advice for attendees.

The session’s case study was focused on neural network-based tools and causes for concern relating to their use in the legal industry.

@legalcheek Check out what happened at The Legal Cheek Spring Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair, run in partnership with @The University of Law, here! #lawyersoftiktok #vacationmode #vacationschemes #lawstudent #opportunity #legalopportunities ♬ Mother – Meghan Trainor

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A number of City firms are offering financial support to those impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Simmons & Simmons has made a donation of £75,000 to Save the Children, to support its crisis appeal. The firm is also encouraging internal fundraising activities across its offices.

The deadly earthquake struck southern and central Turkey, and northern and western Syria at the start of February, causing widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities. A further earthquake struck yesterday evening close to the city of Antakya near the border with Syria.

Other firms fundraising in response to the disaster include Clyde & Co, Kennedys and Osborne Clarke.

Clyde & Co told Legal Cheek that it has made a donation to humanitarian aid organisation UNICEF as well as set-up a JustGiving page to streamline employee donations. Additionally, the firm has pledged to match employee donations up to £5,000, a figure that has already been exceeded as these donations near £7,000.

Kennedys, meanwhile, has donated £40,000 towards emergency and is also matching employee donations. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this dreadful disaster,” managing partner Suzanne Liversidge said.

Similarly, Osborne Clarke has made a donation of £20,000 to the Disasters Emergency Appeal and donated clothes and other essential items through its charity committee.

The likes of Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, CMS, Freshfields, Linklaters, Pinsent Masons and Slaughter and May have also made financial contributions.

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A raft of UK law firms have signed up to become members of Fifth Day, a non-profit organisation that promotes pro bono opportunities for law firms’ business operations teams.

The programme was launched in June by the former head of corporate communications at Pinsent Masons, Fred Banning, with the aim of extending pro-bono opportunities to those working in non-lawyer roles, including IT, business development, marketing and finance.

Over 10 leading UK law firms have now signed a letter committing to promoting pro-bono opportunities to their 10,000 plus business ops staff.

Amongst the signatories are Burness Paull, Clyde & Co, Dentons, Eversheds Sutherland, Fieldfisher, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gateley, Kennedys, Mills & Reeve, Pinsent Masons, Reed Smith and Watson Farley & Williams.

Commenting on the support, Fifth Day founder Banner said:

“It is really heartening that so many of the leading law firms have embraced the concept of non-legal pro bono. The great thing is that none of the conversations I have had with firms has revolved around ‘this is why pro bono is a good idea’. They know the benefits for their lawyers, and so making the case for extending a culture of pro bono to their business services teams is not a massive leap. It’s a win for the firms, their employees and the third sector organisations we’re trying to help.”

“It’s no secret that we’re in for a tough winter in the UK, and the work of third sector organisations has arguably never been more important. This is a really tangible way for individuals to get involved and help, with the support of their employers. I hope that as time goes on more firms will see fit to join in with us,” he added.

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Kennedys has increased rates for newly qualified (NQ) associates in London by a whopping 60%, from £50,000 to £80,000.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2023 shows the major money move puts its new lawyers on a pay par with their rivals at Charles Russell Speechlys, Clyde & Co and Trowers & Hamlins. Salaries in the regions are up 32% to £50,000.

Trainees are also cashing in. London salaries now sit at £41,000 in year one, rising to £44,000 in year two, while those in the regions will earn £29,000 and £32,000. The firm offers around 33 training contracts each year.

The move comes some three months after Kennedys recorded its highest-ever global revenue of £286 million.

Last week Legal Cheek revealed that Fieldfisher had boosted NQ rates in London from £85,000 to £92,000, while those in the regions had seen salaries swell by 20% to £60,000.

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Ashurst has become the latest international law firm to take steps in response to the escalating war in the Ukraine.

The outfit confirmed to Legal Cheek it will not take on new clients linked to the Russian state and will cease work on existing matters relating to Russian clients. This, the firm said, is regardless of whether they are subject to government sanctions or not.

It’s not clear how many clients will be impacted by the decision, although the firm’s work with Russian clients is understood to be fairly minimal. And unlike many of its City rivals, Ashurst does not have an office in Russia.

Other major City firms are also reassessing their work for Russian clients.

White & Case confirmed it is “reviewing” its Russian and Belarusian client work and “taking steps to exit some representations in accordance with applicable rules of professional responsibility”. It confirmed its Moscow office remains open and “complying fully with all applicable sanctions”.

Baker McKenzie, meanwhile, is “reviewing and adjusting our Russia-related operations and client work to align with all applicable sanctions and comply with these fast-evolving laws”.

The firm, which has offices in Moscow and St Petersburg, said that it does not comment on the details of specific client relationships, “but this will mean in some cases exiting relationships completely”.

Elsewhere, Linklaters issued the following statement: “The situation in Ukraine is deeply distressing and our immediate thoughts are with the Ukrainian people. We’re actively monitoring the situation and working to ensure the safety and support of colleagues and their families. We’re also reviewing all of the firm’s Russia-related work.”

Kennedys confirmed it took the decision to “wind down” its office in Moscow last summer, and does not intend to renew the lease once it expires next year. “Naturally, our thoughts and sympathies lie with Ukraine,” said Nick Thomas, global senior partner. “We are now working hard to identify local Ukrainian and Polish charities to ensure that we are providing support in places where it is needed most.”

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Here is the full video for the first in the series of Legal Cheek’s SQE events with BPP University Law School.

The recent virtual event featured:

• Luke Evans, Early Careers HR Advisor at Kennedys
• Samantha Bracey, Future Talent Advisor at TLT
• Hannah Wright, HR Early Ambitions Advisor at Shakespeare Martineau
• Liz Ritter, former solicitor at Clifford Chance and Head of Business Development at BPP
• Jonny Hurst, former City law firm partner and Head of Outreach at BPP
• The event was chaired by Legal Cheek senior events coordinator Sophie Yantian

The speakers explain the varying approaches of law firms towards the SQE, share advice to those deciding whether to complete the LPC or SQE, as well as consider the skills law firms value in future lawyers and how students can develop these through the different study options.

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.

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The vast majority of City law firms appear to have shrugged off the initial uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus pandemic to publish what are, on the whole, fairly bullish 2020-2021 financial results.

Although revenue dipped at Stephenson Harwood, it has risen at Herbert Smith Freehills, Eversheds Sutherland, Fieldfisher and Kennedys.

HSF posted record annual revenue in the face of the pandemic, smashing through the £1 billion barrier for the first time. Its revenue jumped by 5% to hit £1.038 billion, while its profit per equity partner (PEP) has risen by 28% to break through the £1 million mark for the first time, reaching £1.1 million in its latest financial year.

The firm attributed 60% of the profit increase down to strong revenue growth and the remaining 40% to “around £30 million” in savings brought about by the coronavirus and lockdowns which followed.

Eversheds announced global and non-US business turnover increased marginally to $1.27 billion (£918 million) and £629.1 million, respectively. Its PEP figure rose 9% to £984,000.

Eversheds Sutherland CEO (International) Lee Ranson said: “As we look to the future, we are committed to continuing our programme of significant strategic investment such as the roll-out of our new document and practice management systems, to building true global alignment and to continued recruitment in key practice areas and geographies.”

Stephenson Harwood, meanwhile, reported a 2% dip in revenue over the last financial year. The firm’s turnover now stands at £209 million, down from £213 million last year, according to a firm statement.

In 2019-20, the firm’s revenue remained stagnant at £213 million, after a pacey 12% growth the previous year.

PEP at Stephenson Harwood stands at £685,000, with the firm stating the figure had “bounced back”. Stephenson Harwood did not disclose PEP figures last year, however the current figure is lower than the £727,000 disclosed in 2019.

Fieldfisher and Kennedys both posted robust 2020-21 financial results.

Fieldfisher appears to have reaped lockdown-generated efficiency dividends with PEP soaring 22% to £860,000, after falling to £705,000 in 2020. Meanwhile, revenue rose by 6% to £290 million in the firm’s eighth consecutive year of growth.

Fieldfisher said it had achieved double-digit revenue growth in its Brussels, German and Paris offices over its last financial year. The firm’s UK offices collectively grew turnover by 5%.

Fieldfisher’s managing partner Michael Chissick said:

“In a challenging year when Brexit and Covid-19 were front and centre of everybody’s agenda, I am pleased to be announcing our positive results. Activity levels over the last year reached record highs in some months and remain strong. We are back to focusing on growth. We will continue to add and promote talent to our ranks to support our growth strategy and we have started the new financial year with confidence and optimism.”

Kennedys reported global turnover of £264 million, up 11% year-on-year. In the UK, turnover was up 8.5% on the previous year at £151 million.

Kennedys global senior partner Nick Thomas said: “When we released strong financial results last year, we were only a couple of months into the pandemic. We did not know what the year ahead would hold. So, these results serve as a testament to the incredible professionalism and hard work of our teams across the world.”

Kennedys does not disclose its profit figures prior to audit but these will have risen “proportionately” to the revenues, according to Thomas.

Earlier this month, Pinsent Masons posted record turnover, surpassing the half a billion barrier for the first time to reach £503.3 million. Its PEP rose by 16% to £636,000. Elsewhere, CMS saw global revenue increase by 3% to €1.475 billion (£1.3 billion), with slightly more than a third of that coming from its UK business. Charles Russell Speechlys grew revenues by 8.6% to hit £173 million and its PEP soared by 40% to reach £533,000. Expect more City law firm financials in the coming weeks.

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The legal sector’s appetite for all things tech shows little signs of waining. From global outfits to regional players, law firms continue to seek out the latest innovative solutions in a bid to boost efficiency and gain a competitive edge over their market rivals.

In an attempt to separate the tech buff from the marketing fluff, we asked over 2,000 rookies from nearly 100 of the country’s leading corporate law firms to rate their firm’s legal tech capabilities, as part of our annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey.

Respondents offered us the inside track on their firm’s legal tech using a scale of one to ten, with one being described as ‘very basic’ and the top score of ten defined as ‘extremely advanced’.

We’ve tallied up the scores and below is the shortlist, listed alphabetically, for the firms that scored A*s for tech:

Addleshaw Goddard
Allen & Overy
Ashurst
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Clifford Chance
CMS
DWF
Kennedys
Linklaters
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
Simmons & Simmons
Taylor Wessing
White & Case

As part of this year’s survey, we received hundreds of anonymous comments from juniors who told us about their firm’s tech set-up — or lack of it.

Here are a select few comments from some of the firms listed above.

How advanced is your firms legal tech?

“We are proactive in adopting new technologies (for example, Workshare Transact, AI software for due diligence, and for e-signings) and support each other in learning how to use these.”

“There are many new products available including AI tools to help with legal due diligence which has been very useful for trainees.”

“As a trainee I regularly use contract companion software/online transaction management software and there is a push for checklists and trackers to be in live-time across teams/countries.”

“We have excellent legal tech. We have developed a number of different software over the last few years which are really efficient for carrying out tasks, for example, specially created questionnaires that once completed populate a draft based on the answers you have given.”

“They are really committed to being at the forefront when it comes to legal tech and it shows within the firm with the resources we have available. You are also really encouraged to come forward with any ideas you have to improve the way we work.”

The winning law firm in this category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2021, sponsored by BARBRI, on Thursday 25 March 2021.

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Law firm Kennedys has launched an alternative to the traditional training contract that combines on the job training with preparation for the upcoming solicitor super-exam.

The new route, dubbed the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship (GSA), sees law graduates join the firm straight from university, or for non-law graduates after they’ve completed a conversion course.

The 30-month programme, six-months longer than a standard TC, allows trainees to earn while they learn, spending four days a week at the firm developing the skills they would have been taught on the Legal Practice Course (LPC), and one day a week at BPP Law School in preparation to sit both part one and part two of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) towards the end of their training.

Kennedys — which will continue to offer conventional training contracts for graduates, and paralegal apprenticeships for school leavers — says it’s looking to take on its first 13 GSA newbies next autumn: six in London, three in Birmingham, two in Cambridge, and one each in Manchester and Taunton.

They will earn the equivalent to those trainees on Kennedys’ traditional TC, which Legal Cheek‘s Firms Most List shows is £38,500 in London and £27,500 in the regions for first year trainees, rising to £41,000 in London and £30,000 in the regions for second years.

Commenting on the new route to qualification, Kennedys’ HR director Caroline Wilson said: “Introducing the new SQE route to qualification will allow us to attract and train people from a much wider range of backgrounds, as graduates can start earning as soon as they commence the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship.”

She continued:

“Kennedys has always embraced providing opportunities to all and following the success of our Legal Apprenticeship, launched in 2012, we wanted to introduce this new route as soon as we could to enable talented graduates to qualify at Kennedys.”

News of the programme comes ahead of the launch of the SQE in autumn 2021, which the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) hopes will bring greater flexibility to solicitor training. Under the new regime, wannabe lawyers will still have to complete at least two years of on the job training but can opt to split this time between up to four legal organisations, while completing skills training that is currently done during the LPC.

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A British corporate lawyer and her two children were among hundreds killed in the Sri Lanka attacks over the weekend.

Anita Nicholson, managing counsel at Anglo American, a multinational mining company, and her two children, Alex, 14, and Annabel, 11, were fatally wounded in the bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Anita’s husband, Ben Nicholson, a partner in the Singapore office of international law firm Kennedys, survived the blast.

Anita, 42, studied law at the University of Leeds and spent two years at DLA Piper, before joining the Treasury as senior legal advisor. The Singapore-based lawyer joined Anglo American in February, according to her LinkedIn.

Ben, 43, confirmed his wife, daughter and son had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast on Sunday.

In an emotional statement, Ben paid tribute to his “wonderful” wife and children. He said:

“Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering. I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children.”

The statement continued: “Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children… They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with.”

The death toll from the wave of bombings targeting churches and hotels has hit 310, including eight Britons, local police have said.

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