Trainee retention rates improve at big firms

A survey has found that the proportion of trainees who stay with their firms after qualifying has recovered to 80% in 2011, marking a 5% increase on the figures from 2009 and 2010. The survey, conducted by the Chambers Student Guide, covered 123 commercial firms.

The research also revealed that while firms with between one and 10 qualifying trainees kept on just 75% of the new qualifiers, firms with bigger trainee intakes, and therefore more qualifying trainees, tended to keep on a higher proportion. As reported in the Law Society Gazette and Legal Week, DWF and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain both boasted retention rates of 100%, while Berwin Leighton Paisner kept on 40 of its 41 trainees. The figures may suggest that the bigger firms have made a stronger recovery from the recession, with smaller firms less able to keep on as many of their trainees.

However, the figures do not necessarily indicate a return to pre-recession prosperity. Many firms deferred their trainee start dates in 2009, so 2011’s qualifiers were considerably less numerous than in other years - meaning less competition for places.