Macfarlanes reveals 86% trainee retention rate
updated on 18 August 2025
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London-based law firm Macfarlanes LLP is the latest firm to announce its trainee retention figures, with 24 out of 28 final-seat trainees set to stay on after qualifying next month. This represents an 86% retention rate for 2025 – a 5% increase from the 81% recorded in 2024.
The firm has previously divided its trainee intake between spring and autumn but has since transitioned to a single annual intake. Trainees at the firm can expect to earn a £56,000 salary in their first year, £61,000 in the second year and £140,000 as newly qualified lawyers.
Macfarlanes’ retention rate matches that of magic circle firm Clifford Chance, which also reported an 86% figure last week. Other firms also recently announced trainee retention rates, including:
- Linklaters LLP, which retained 83% of its trainee cohort;
- Mills & Reeve LLP, which retained 24 of its 26 trainees;
- A&O Shearman, which retained 69% of its summer trainee cohort; and
- RPC and Watson Farley & Williams LLP, both of which retained 89% of their trainee cohorts.
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