Career Spotlight

Allen & Overy LLP - Major City firm

Guy Broadfield

The future of A&O's success is in increased international working and, as a trainee at A&O, you will be able to experience some truly unique opportunities.

Mills & Reeve LLP - Regional law firm

Jennifer Dalby

Every firm says it’s friendly and will give you the training you need to become a good lawyer - Mills & Reeve delivers.

Pinsent Masons LLP - National firm

Adrian Chew

The firm boasts the high-quality work and top-class training that you would expect from a top 15 UK law firm, while providing a gregarious and open atmosphere that you would not.

Taylor Wessing - Medium sized City firm

Dan Fallon

One of the things that stood out about Taylor Wessing was its full-service offering and strength in practice areas which, outside of specialist firms, would normally only be support departments.

Walker Morris LLP - Law firm in Yorkshire

Rhyan Weston

The six-seat system provides a chance to experience a broad range of practice areas, but if you find a practice area that you really enjoy in the first couple of seats, there is the chance to repeat that seat in order to gain more experience - it's a system that works very well for all trainees.

Wiggin LLP - Niche media firm

Rachel Barber

As a media lawyer, clients take your legal ability as a given; what they are really looking for is an understanding of the media industry.

Addleshaw Goddard

Aster Crawshaw

The two most important things for us as a firm are our people and our clients. HR and the learning and development team spend a lot of time working with the trainees.

Ashurst LLP

Sonica Tolani

With increasing investment into Asia and the merger with Blake Dawson to drive international expansion in the region, this firm continues to grow and is yet to peak, so it is a really exciting time to be part of Ashurst.

Baker & McKenzie

Jennifer Webber

Bakers sounded like the best place to be - the first truly international law firm, offering challenging work in a friendly environment, where you are treated the same regardless of whether you are a trainee or a partner.

Bird & Bird

Claire Slater

Working at Bird & Bird has allowed me to apply various elements of my scientific expertise.

Bond Dickinson

Matt Marshall

Most of our clients are recognisable high-street names, which means we get good quality work. Plus, we're an ambitious firm, so it's a good place to be if you're an ambitious young lawyer.

Bristows

Tom Ohta

I really enjoyed my vacation placement. I was impressed with the quality of work I was given and realised that the friendly atmosphere I had heard about was real, rather than a mere ploy used to lure you through the door.

Browne Jacobson LLP

Lauren Millward

Everyone is very approachable. There is very little demarcation between levels of seniority, with partners sitting next to trainees in the office.

Clyde & Co LLP

Tom Gorrard-Smith

Tom Gorrard-Smith studied Law at the University of Leicester and completed his LPC at the University of Law's Moorgate centre. He is an associate at Clyde & Co.

CMS Cameron McKenna LLP

Elliott Sawford

Departments that might be seen as ‘peripheral’ in other City firms are a focus at CMS. Rather than acting as specialist corporate support units, they have huge demands from industry-leading clients in their own right.

Dechert LLP

Rachel Fenwick

I enjoy the fact that my job challenges me and I'm not stuck doing something where I don't have to think. Working round a problem to find a solution and making things happen is what I really enjoy.

Dentons

Tom Glinka

People seem to really like helping the trainees out, and passing on their knowledge. That really takes the sting out of being a new and nervous trainee!

DLA Piper UK LLP

George Metcalfe

All the people who work here are very different and between them have experience in a vast range of fields - this makes for a much more interesting working day.

DWF LLP

Chris Young

It's a firm that is full of ambition. With various mergers last year and the recent acquisition of Cobbetts, it's carrying on apace.

Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP

William Slaiding

The firm's long standing, well-established and expanding London office has a strong clientele of FTSE 100 companies.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Nick Ames

Freshfields is a firm which prides itself on doing the most complex international work, but it does so in such a welcoming environment.

Hill Dickinson LLP

Jack Murphy

It is amazing how many people I know in other firms because of the LPC - it broadens your network quite dramatically.

Hogan Lovells

Tom Mylrea-Lowndes

The training provided by the firm is of the highest quality and everyone gets a broad range of experience.

Jones Day

Oliver Richardson

The non-rotational system means I can be involved in a transactional or litigious matter from start to finish.

K&L Gates LLP

Laura Cutts

I would encourage anyone who wants to train in a dynamic City firm that offers wide-ranging, high-quality experience in a supportive yet fast-paced environment to apply to K&L.

Linklaters LLP

Ben Pykett

At some other firms, there is strength in either finance, corporate or commercial, but at Linklaters we are strong in all three.

Mayer Brown International LLP

Simon Connor

I have been involved in a broad range of complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions, and also been given quite a lot of responsibility, high-quality work and client contact at the same time, which has been great!

Norton Rose

Sohini Chhaya

I was attracted to the ambitious, yet friendly and supportive culture of Norton Rose and drawn to its work hard/play hard ethic.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Europe) LLP

Kirill Kholod

We're often instructed by high-profile clients, plus the people you get to work with are highly experienced in their areas, so there are great opportunities to learn and develop.

Osborne Clarke

Daniel Hutton

I think it has to be exciting for anyone just starting out in the legal profession to know that their firm is going places.

Shearman & Sterling LLP

Rory Milligan

The most rewarding part of being an associate at Shearman & Sterling is the collegiate and friendly atmosphere in which I work.

Shoosmiths

Andy Pratley

Throughout our offices, everyone is approachable and a pleasure to work with. Our clients are of very high quality, so the work we undertake is always interesting, and just as importantly, the hours we are expected to work are actually quite reasonable in comparison to other firms.

Sidley Austin LLP

Peter Vas

The very best thing about training here is the people. Everyone is very friendly and genuinely supportive. I have greatly enjoyed my time at Sidley so far.

Simmons & Simmons LLP

Heather Atkins

All the high-calibre firms will have quality work and clients; but day to day, what makes a real difference is working with a diverse group of engaging individuals.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP

Joseph Hone

My colleagues work hard, but at the same time, they’re very relaxed to work with. So you’re doing serious, important work but in an easy-going, pleasant environment.

Slaughter and May

Ella Smith

If you want a firm where people are serious about being good lawyers, keen to do well and genuinely excited about the deals they're involved in, then this is the place.

Speechly Bircham LLP

Anup Mehta

This is a firm that is full of talented people, who are also very friendly and approachable. From my experience, that's a mix that makes you happy to come to work.

Stephenson Harwood LLP

James Foley-Comer

The training here is excellent - trainees are given the opportunity to get involved in transactions from beginning to end and to develop in the role.

Stevens & Bolton LLP

Mark Smith

Our key selling points are that we're a one-site office that covers the majority of the key practice areas, with a good reputation and the offer of a decent salary; combined, that’s quite exceptional.

TLT LLP

Georgiana Applegate

At TLT, the variety and quality of work that is available for everyone and the exposure to high-calibre clients is brilliant.

Travers Smith LLP

Tom Hagger

I feel that the trainees at Travers Smith are often given work which many other firms would entrust to newly-qualified lawyers. This makes you feel like an integral part of the team and you always know that you have immediate support around you if needed.

Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Catherine Parker

The quality and range of the work and client base here is at the top end; we work with the public sector as well as on the corporate side, while the work/life balance is also generally very good – which, let’s face it, is very important!

Weightmans LLP

Bhavesh Prajapati

You really are exposed to good work early on; you're not there to make the place look pretty. They like to make sure that you get a good sense of all parts of the work. You get hands-on experience which is always good.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Oliver Prakash-Jenkins

The combination of a small intake and big-ticket work ensures a large amount of responsibility from an early stage.

Other Career Spotlights