Testing, testing
updated on 14 December 2010
You might think that sifting through an avalanche of training contract applications or running vacation schemes is the top priority of graduate recruiters during the summer months, but you'd be wrong. At the very top of their list is actually which freebie they will be carting along to law fairs in the autumn. Trivial though they may seem, giveaways are more important to firms than you might think - in order to attract the best talent, firms have to get their names drummed into students' heads as early as possible.
Brand recognition is all well and good, but another incentive for creating a brilliant giveaway is that it could be named LawCareers.Net's Law Fair Freebie of the Year. Our annual competition has become something of an institution in the legal recruitment community and for good reason - only the very best offerings make it into our rankings, after a rigorous, scientific testing process. Let us slip into our protective jumpsuits, don our hard hats and safety specs, and get this investigation underway...
The first freebie to make it out of our testing lab and into the rankings, at number 10, is a swish little gift courtesy of global giant Kirkland & Ellis International. The firm's offering this year was a ceramic "Starbucks-style" coffee cup which our testers approved of immensely. Not only is it green(ish), given that it encourages students to use reusable cups for their morning coffee, but it has gimmick-value too as it is made to resemble the disposable version you get in high-street chains. We did have one or two quibbles however - not only is it quite heavy, it's also a little on the clumsy side, as one of our testers pointed out: "It does the job, but it's awkward."
Next in, at number nine, is a very on-trend freebie; iPhone/Blackberry covers courtesy of SJ Berwin. So 'now' it hurts, the covers don't come in plain old black but an assortment of uplifting hues from regal purple to tropical ocean blue - which, conveniently, are also the firm's "core colours". The second we opened the box, LawCareers.Net's publisher Matthew Broadbent pounced on the candy pink one (we don't do gender stereotyping here, you know) and squealed with delight. He was pleased as punch until it broke three days later - as did the blue one he selected as a replacement. "They are of a slightly flimsy construction for the rumbustious lifestyle of the modern lawyer," he concluded.
Eighth position is a controversial entry. The team was divided on whether this should feature at all, but given that the dissenters were left incapacitated due to 'chilli brain' (similar to brain freeze but caused by excessive consumption of chilli rather than ice cream) they were overruled. If you suffered the same fate, you'll know that we're talking about Berwin Leighton Paisner's chilli chocolate. We were warned by the firm's graduate recruiter that it had "quite a kick", but none of us expected quite such a taste-bud obliterating assault. The hardy members of the team enjoyed it though and managed to polish off all three bars, which is why it occupies this very reasonable position in the chart.
Sticking with this theme is another hot freebie - SNR Denton's pack of grow-your-own chillies. There was so much to love about this; it's a good one to hand out at law fairs because almost everybody likes chilli and growing things is fun! The only negative is the lack of soil and a growing container; we suspect that the majority of these are more likely to see the inside of a bin than any soil, but ours have and are currently resting happily in a pot on the window ledge.
Dizzyingly high up the rankings, at sixth place, is another star of a freebie - patriotically coloured headphones given out by US-giant Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. We expected the sound on these to be terrible, but when hooked up to our iPod, they sounded surprisingly good.
Best used in conjunction with the last entry is the freebie at number five - Dechert's handy mp3 player holder. This cunning device is a pouch to hold your mp3 player in while you slog it out in the gym. There's not a great deal more to say about this, except that it does the job very well - we tested it out on the treadmill to see how it fared and it passed with flying colours. As a freebie, it works very well - it's super handy and we predict that it will be in many a student gym kit for years to come.
In at number four is a freebie we all loved, as much for the thought that had gone into it as anything else. Leeds-based Walker Morris put together 'study buddy' packs designed to help students survive the exam period, with each plastic container housing the essentials: ear plugs, deodorising wipe, highlighter, sachet of Nescafé, biscuits, post-its and mints. We did have minor beef with the execution of this one though - the biscuits looked like they'd been stolen from a cheap hotel and a single deodorising wipe probably isn't going to help much after a month-long revision period, is it? Minor gripes aside though, a very nice freebie - we salute you, Walker Morris.
Exciting times, we're down to the top three. Coming in third is yet another green-fingered offering but this one totally nailed it - City firm Simmons & Simmons was behind these perfect grow-your-own-tomatoes kits. Each package contains seeds, some soil and a little ceramic plant pot to put it in. There's no hassle which makes it a great student giveaway and those who do manage to get a crop are sure to remember which law firm was responsible for the tomatoes in their sandwiches.
The firm in second place has past form in the freebie competition and was in fact 2009's winner - the bright yellow wellie boot plant pot is still on our windowsill. TLT almost managed to make it two years on the trot with its space-certified ice cream sandwiches. Yes, that's right folks, actual astronaut ice cream. Undeniably cool, this freebie is guaranteed to make an impact with students. The firm even managed to make it relevant to its marketing - its tagline reads, "We're working in the future. Join us here." Having raved about it though, this is definitely something best eaten in space...
Finally, the time has come to unveil the winner. Pipping TLT to the post was no easy task but this firm managed it with its swanky little transparent webcams. Clipping conveniently onto laptops, they look great and are ideal for students to use to Skype friends and parents with. This is everything a freebie should be and students will definitely want to use it. And the firm behind it? Cool kid Olswang!
So there we are for another year, but before we leave you, we must give a special mention to a few of the entries which narrowly missed out on a place in the rankings. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May earn kudos for their excellent confectionary - the former's Cadbury's chocolate was yummy, as were the latter's Jelly Babies (which, incidentally, make for amusing Antony Gormley-style art installations around the office). DLA Piper's cookies were big, oaty and generally great too. Oyster card holders were quite a feature this year and some particularly good ones were from K&L Gates, Kennedys and Taylor Wessing. Ince & Co deserve a mention for their great little sports watches, Travers Smith for its now famous juggling balls and DWF for its handy iPhone cleaner keyring. Jones Day and Barclays also did well on the student essentials front - the former gave out umbrellas and bags, while from the latter came vac-packed t-shirts and a selection of stationery.
And one firm which must get a very special mention is Linklaters, which gave the money it would have spent on freebies - around £20,000 - to charity. Students at law fairs around the country voted for which of three worthwhile causes they wanted the money to go to and you can also add your vote here - the money will then be split according to the results.
