Trainee retention rates on the up
updated on 30 July 2013
The Law Society Gazette reports that this year, the proportion of trainees being retained at the top City firms has increased to an average of 83%. This is compared to a figure of 79% in 2012.
Slaughter and May topped the charts, with a 90% retention rate and a job offer to 46 trainees. Other notable stats include Herbert Smith Freehills with 88%, BLP with 86%, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer with 81%, and Clifford Chance with 80%.
Heather Iqbal-Rayner, chair of the Junior Lawyers Division, said: "At the moment we are not seeing a problem with retention in the top law firms [...] But with cuts to legal aid, we are getting a lot of enquiries from members who are not getting offered places in high-street firms. One solution is for them to move into a new area of law, but that can be very difficult when you are newly qualified."
