Rise of 19%

Partners at Allen & Overy enjoyed an uplift of 19% in their average earnings in the financial year before the tie-up with Shearman & Sterling.

A&O Shearman released new figures today regarding A&O’s financial performance prior to the mega-merger going live earlier this year.

They show that the average profit per equity partner (PEP) increased from £1.8 million to £2.2 million, thanks to a healthy 17.2% rise in pre-tax profits, reaching £1.05 billion.

Revenues increased a more modest 3.4% from just over £2.1 billion to £2.2 billion.

Commenting on the results, Hervé Ekué, global managing partner at A&O Shearman, said:

“In the year leading up to the completion of our merger, we’re pleased to report positive growth for the firm. This is testament to our strategic focus on diversification across regions, practices, and sectors.”

The results come after A&O Shearman initially set newly qualified (NQ) associate pay at £125,000, before upping this to £150,000 a month later following similar moves by its Magic Circle counterparts.

Earlier this week the newly-formed firm posted its combined retention score, with 37 its of 56 (66%) final-seat trainees staying on.

Fellow Magic Circle player Linklaters published its results this week, reporting a 10% increase in revenues, surpassing the £2 billion mark for the first time in its history. PEP also saw growth, climbing 8% up to £1.9 million.

City salary rises continue

Reed Smith and Ashurst have raised the salaries for their newly qualified (NQ) lawyers to £125,000 as City firms continue to splash the cash to attract and retain top talent.

This represents a 16% increase for Reed Smith, raising from a previous salary of £107,500. For Ashurst the new figure is a 9% increase from its previous £115,000, which the firm raised to this time last year. Over the past two years, NQ pay at Ashurst has risen by £20,000, and over the last five years, it has increased by more than £40,000.

Prior to their improved NQ pay, Reed Smith’s can expect to earn £50,000 in their first year and £55,000 in their second. The firm takes on around 26 trainees each year.

It has also confirmed that all other associate level salaries will increase in line with the most recent change, and that associates will continue to be eligible for a bonus programme, subject to completing the set number of target hours

By comparison, new recruits at Ashurst’s London office earn £52,000 in their first year and £57,000 in their second. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows the firm takes on around 40 trainees each year, with the most recent retention rate seeing 82% (18 out of 22) of the spring qualifying cohort stay on.

Commenting on Reed Smith’s salary uplift London office managing partner Andrew Jenkinson said: “We are pleased to confirm the increase to associate salaries in London. It is a reflection of the market and our desire to retain and attract the best legal talent by providing a competitive and sustainable reward structure.”

He continued: “The new salary is an investment in our lawyers, which keeps us in line with other leading international law firms, and supports the firm’s strategic growth objectives enabling us to continue to deliver the highest quality, legal services that we are known for.”

This latest raise comes on the back of a spree of salary uplifts across the City.

Freshfields hit headlines when it increased NQ pay to £150,000, with three of its Magic Circle rivals, Linklaters, A&O Shearman, and Clifford Chance, quickly implementing the same increases. Slaughter and May has remained steadfast at £125,000 so far.

Other firms to increase rates include Herbert Smith Freehills and Hogan Lovells, both of which have raised NQ pay to £135,000, while Macfarlanes has gone further, increasing NQ salaries to £140,000.

Elsewhere, HFW boosted its NQ pay to £100k, with Bird & Bird climbing to £98,000 and DLA Piper rising to £110,000.

Handed two lawyers’ caseloads on second day

A trainee, who was frequently left “unsupervised” and asked to handle the caseloads of two qualified lawyers on her second day, has been awarded £36,000 in damages by an employment tribunal.

The tribunal found that the Mayfair firm Gillen De Alwis Solicitors, which has since entered into administration, “failed to fulfil the fundamental purpose of a training contract”.

It heard that R. Kaur joined the firm in the summer of 2021 and, two days in, was given the “caseload responsibility” of two temporarily employed qualified lawyers, following an email handover.

The tribunal noted that shortly before Kaur joined, the property department became short staffed due to the passing of the solicitor in charge.

This situation seems to have put the department under serious pressure, with Kaur explaining that she and an intern were left to their “own devices at times” and frequently “unsupervised”, often approving documents without them being checked.

It was also noted that less than two weeks into her TC, the trainee had still not received an induction, and evidence showed that one of the firm’s founding partners, Shehani De Alwis, had “made comments that her contract would be in jeopardy” if certain tasks weren’t completed immediately.

Kaur said it was “common place” for clients to complain about lack of progress on their files.

The tribunal noted that another director of the firm emailed the same founding partner, expressing concern about the “threats to terminate her contract” and describing the treatment of the new trainee as “unfair”.

The tribunal further found that De Alwis “bullied and harassed” Ms Kaur, criticising her for not completing tasks she had actually finished, which De Alwis hadn’t noticed due to not reading the emails, and at one point, screaming at her on the telephone. The trainee was also taken off tasks and then shortly put back on them, and she was moved into different departments without notice.

Kaur raised her concerns in meetings and emails about the way the firm was being run and how she was being treated on numerous occasions, but received no response.

The trainee eventually filed a written report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), a move she mentioned to the firm she was considering but did not confirm she had done.

In April 2022, the firm summarily dismissed Kaur, less than halfway through her training contract.

On this, Judge Leonard-Johnston dismissed the firm’s argument that the trainee was fired for misconduct.

“I have already found that the claimant was not guilty of misconduct, and I place weight on the fact that the respondent, who was after all a firm of solicitors, carried out no investigation or disciplinary procedure at all from which I draw an inference that the respondent did not seriously consider this to be a misconduct case,” the judge said. “Nor did the respondent respond in any way to the claimant’s grievances. As per my findings above, particularly in relation to the timing of her dismissal, I find that the claimant has established it is more likely than not that the reason for her dismissal was the complaints she was making about the firm’s management.”

The judge awarded Kaur over £36,062 for unfair dismissal and an additional £362 for breach of contract after the firm dismissed her without notice.

‘Cockney Kit’ launch

Eversheds Sutherland‘s London office has appeared in a new launch video for West Ham United’s latest football kit.

The Hammers’ new away offering, dubbed the ‘Cockney Kit’, is inspired by the club’s East End roots and features a graphic representation of St Mary-le-Bow Church woven into the fabric.

Legend has it that to be a true Cockney, you must be born within earshot of the Church’s ‘Bow Bells’. The shirt features a motif of this East London icon on its neck.

Step forward Eversheds Sutherland’s London HQ, where the rooftop offers unobstructed skyline views of the historic church.

The launch video, released this week, features many of the club’s famous faces posing in the new kit on Eversheds Sutherland’s roof, and even the firm’s star man, co-CEO Lee Ranson, couldn’t resist getting in on the action.

Is a summer move on the cards?

66%

A&O Shearman has recorded its first post-merger retention score, with 37 of its 56 trainees staying put.

The new outfit confirmed it made 39 offers to the 48 trainees who applied for newly qualified roles. Thirty-seven offers were accepted, all on permanent deals.

Before the tie-up, Allen & Overy offered significantly more training contracts than Shearman, with 80 each year compared to Shearman’s 12.

Combining the trainee intakes of both firms has resulted in a larger-than-usual qualifying cohort, making the lower score — in this case 66% — somewhat expected.

Both outfits were typically strong retention performers prior to the merger, with A&O posting a result of 77% earlier this year and Shearman regularly chalking up results of over 80%.

The firms officially joined forces on May 1, creating a new global mega-firm with nearly 4,000 lawyers across 48 offices in 29 countries and combined annual revenues of approximately $3.5 billion (£2.9 billion).

James Partridge, early careers partner and training principal London, commented:

“This is the first qualifying cohort of A&O Shearman, and we are pleased that 37 trainees from both legacy firms have chosen to remain and progress their careers with us at this exciting time for the firm.”

“At A&O Shearman we remain committed to investing and developing our people and extend our congratulations to our first combined intake of qualifying solicitors,” Partridge continued.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows the new recruits will start on a recently-improved salary £150,000.

Chloe Hayes, a trainee solicitor in BPP’s Social Impact Team, discusses her pioneering QWE route to becoming a solicitor

“I’m originally from South Africa and began my law degree there. After about three months, I realised I wanted to move countries, so I started again at Durham University, pursuing an LLB,” explains Chloe Hayes. Having successfully completed the SQE1 and SQE2 exams last year, she is now three and a half months into her role as a trainee solicitor at the housing clinic in BPP’s Social Impact Team—and loving it.

“Two months in, my supervisor told me we had a case in the county court and that I should represent the client — submissions, cross-examinations, the works,” she tells Legal Cheek Careers. She enjoys this fast-paced, hit-the-ground-running aspect of the clinic. “There is so much demand for our work, representing clients from lower socio-economic backgrounds who would otherwise be unable to access justice. Being thrown into the deep end has its advantages,” Hayes says. She notes that her supervising solicitor is incredibly supportive, but having to handle things independently after the initial guidance has been instrumental in demystifying the court process. “It’s not as scary as I once thought, and I now love litigation!” she says.

Hayes is one of five BPP alumni who are employed each year in paid six-month QWE placements in the university’s Social Impact Team. Recounting how she came to spend time in the housing clinic, Hayes explains that she initially volunteered at BPP’s Legal Advice Clinic while studying for the SQE, always being drawn to social welfare law and closing the access to justice gap that so many people, but especially women, face. Her current work perfectly complements these aspirations. “We only advise tenants, usually against councils — never landlords. Our clients are usually from low socio-economic backgrounds, who do not qualify for legal aid mostly due to government cuts so they come to us to close that gap, and our services are completely free,” explains Hayes. In addition to the housing clinic, there are also a family clinic, an enterprise clinic, a consumer clinic, and a welfare clinic.

“As for a typical day, it varies a lot,” Hayes tells us. A client interview, followed by research on the issue and sending out an advice letter, are typical tasks. She also assists clients in litigation, sometimes representing them before the county court and tribunals. “This involves a lot of statements of case, submissions, replies, witness statements, and evidence collection—it’s brilliant experience,” she notes enthusiastically.

Hayes also flags a pro bono project called Streetlaw, where BPP’s trainee lawyers visit schools, women’s refuge centres, homeless shelters, and many other community groups to educate on certain aspects of the law. They also visit prisons to educate prison communities on matters such as probation and how a criminal record might legally affect their lives after prison. . “Just last week, we did a ‘Goldilocks session’ with a class of 10-year-olds, teaching them about the criminal justice system by putting Goldilocks on trial for burglary and criminal damage — it was fabulous,” she recounts, smiling.

We then asked Hayes what the most rewarding aspect of her time in the housing clinic has been so far. “Representing a client for the first time in the county court, definitely.  Naturally, it’s very daunting, but the judge was so nice, and you realise that it’s not about having a fight. Rather, the end goal is to find an equitable solution while still advocating for your client’s needs,” Hayes points out.

On the flip side, the most challenging aspect of her time at the clinic has been time management. “The clinic is so oversubscribed because there are so many people who need the help we offer. Initially, I tried to do as much work as possible, and it took me a  few weeks to figure out how to communicate well with my supervisor.   At first, I struggled to let him know when I was snowed under. But once I communicated that, he was very understanding and worked with me to plan out upcoming deadlines,” she says. Hayes notes that as trainees, there is often an eagerness to please supervisors by taking everything on, but stepping back and communicating when you’re overwhelmed is crucial and very normal.

Having figured out how communication and time management go hand-in-hand, what’s been Hayes’ biggest takeaway from the clinic during her first three months? “This is going to sound so cheesy,” she cautions, laughing, “but it’s that I’ve realised that I was born to do this job!” She explains that a key worry she had was starting to train as a solicitor and realising that the role wasn’t quite what she expected or enjoyed, after having invested significant amounts of time, money and effort into completing a degree and the SQE. “Luckily for me, that hasn’t been the case. Even on the bad days, I really do feel that I love this job,” she says.

Hayes is now just over halfway through her six-month period of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) in BPP’s Social Impact Team. Under the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) regime, aspiring lawyers are able to qualify by accruing two years’ worth of QWE in up to four different organisations. This introduces greater flexibility into the qualification process by opening up additional avenues alongside the traditional training contract route. Hayes plans to seek further opportunities in a range of practice areas following completion of her QWE in the housing clinic, to stay on track to qualify in 2026.

To finish up our conversation, Hayes offers some practical tips to stay on top of recording QWE. “Keep a weekly record of what you do – you’ll need two years’ worth of records when you apply to be admitted to the roll of solicitors. Even on a weekly basis it can sometimes be difficult to remember every task you’ve worked on if you haven’t actually written it down, and you will be working on a lot– so really make sure you’re diligent about recording, because if not, you’d be shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to getting the QWE signed off at the end of the two-year period,” she advises.

Chloe Hayes will be speaking at ‘How to get Qualifying Work Experience — with BPP University Law School’, a virtual student event taking place this Thursday (11 July). Apply now to attend.

About Legal Cheek Careers posts.

Better but still not great

BCLP has released the retention rate for its September 2024 qualifiers, with 11 of the 19 trainees staying on.

This equates to 58% of the most recent UK cohort, with the global retention marginally lower at 57% (12 out of 21).

Whilst this isn’t a particularly strong figure, it is a significant increase from the 29% (4 out of 14) retained in the spring. The firm expects this trajectory to continue, with a spokesperson stating: “We remain committed to making further progress with our retention efforts and acknowledge there is still more work to do here.”

BCLP has faced challenging market conditions in recent years with the commercial real estate sector, one of its key specialisms, suffering. The firm has also lost a number of Russian clients since sanctions were applied after the invasion Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the firm added:

“We are pleased that one of our qualifiers is our first Solicitor Apprentice to qualify through the apprenticeship route for the firm. We are actively supporting our remaining trainees to find alternative roles, with many in the final stages of that process. We wish all our qualifiers all the best in their future legal careers.”

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that BCLP take on around 35 trainees each year, with London recruits receiving £50,000 in year one, £55,000 in year two, and £105,000 upon qualification.

Those joining the Manchester office can expect a first year salary of £33,000, rising to £37,000 in their second year and £67,000 upon qualification.

5% across the board

International firm Osborne Clarke has handed bonuses out across the firm after a bumper financial performance.

The profit share, which hands all UK members 5% of their annual salary, follows financial results that saw UK net profits increase by 14% to £84.8m, with Profit per equity partner (PEP) increasing 11% to £771,000.

The bonus was paid out to staff in June, with a pro-rata adjustment for new starters. The minimum payment was fixed at £2,000.

The payout notably includes all trainees, newly qualified and junior lawyers. Whilst the firm’s newest batch of trainees will, subject to start dates, have taken home anywhere from £2,000 up towards £2,750, NQ lawyers at the firm’s London office will have bagged as much as £4,500 for their contributions.

Those further up the ladder will also be pleased to hear that the firm had its biggest round of partner promotions in the last decade, with 11 new UK partners. This comes alongside a bonus scheme which will see “high performers” receive bonuses of up to 40%, paid over three years.

This year’s financial results season is off to a strong start across the board. Weightmans has reported its most successful year to date, taking income up 12% to above £140 million, with HFW pushing its turnover over £250 million, an 11% boost.

International firm Kennedys has also reported a record year of growth, clocking a revenue of £384 million, a 17% increase on last year.

Regional salaries receive boost to £75k

International firm DLA Piper has raised the salaries of its newly qualified lawyers, taking City recruits up to £110,000 with their regional counterparts rising to £75,000.

The new figures represent a 10% increase across the board for the firm’s newest associates, with the previous figures sitting at £100,000 and £68,500.

With trainee pay remaining the same, rookies in the City office will continue to receive £50,000 in year one, and £55,000 in year two, with regional trainees on £34,000 and £37,500 respectively.

The firm has also announced its PGDL and SQE grants. Students in London will receive £12,500 for their conversion courses, with graduates taking online courses or those in the regions awarded £8,750.

For the SQE students can then expect a London grant of £17,000, with those elsewhere handed £12,000.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that the outfit takes on around 65 trainees each year.

This pay boost is the latest in a string of rises that have hit firms across the UK in recent months. Fellow international firms Herbert Smith Freehills and Hogan Lovells both increased their NQ salaries to £135,000 in recent weeks, with Macfarlanes going further to hit £140,000.

HFW has also boosted its NQ pay up to £100k, with Bird & Bird climbing to £98,000.

These more recent changes follow a significant shift in the Magic Circle, with Freshfields, Linklaters, A&O Shearman, and Clifford Chance all boosting rates to £150,000 earlier this year. Slaughter and May has so far stood firm, keeping junior lawyer pay at £125,000.

SRA v Law Society

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has taken a step towards regulating CILEX lawyers in spite of the Law Society’s continued objection to the plans.

The SRA began discussions with CILEX (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) in 2022 about a change to the regulatory structure of the two professions.

The solicitor’s regulator has said that there would be public interest benefits to it regulating all CILEX members, namely that the regulatory landscape would be less complex and easier for consumers to navigate, and that it would allow for more consistent standards and levels of protection.

There has been significant opposition to these proposals, however, with the Law Society amongst the most vocal opponents.

Despite what the regulator describes as “mixed” views among the profession, the SRA board has now agreed that it would regulate CILEX members, if CILEX decides to re-delegate this task.

The regulator would, it says, “make sure the costs of regulating CILEX members would be fully recovered from their practising certificate fees”, whilst ensuring that “the distinct identities of CILEX members and solicitors” are maintained.

A CILEX lawyer is a legal professional who has qualified through the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. CILEX members typically start with a level three diploma in law and practice, equivalent to A-levels, followed by a level six diploma, equivalent to an undergraduate degree.

Anna Bradley, SRA chair, commented:

“We have reflected long and hard on the potential risks and benefits. In making this decision we are conscious of the strong professional interests that are in play, but the key question for us has always been — is this in the public interest? All the evidence shows that consistency and relative simplicity in regulation matters to the users of legal service. This change would result in a simpler system, with more consistent levels of protection for consumers. There will also be efficiency benefits.”

“Most people find the current regulatory landscape bamboozling. This change won’t solve all the issues of complexity, but it would benefit the public,” she continued.

The Law Society hasn’t let up its opposition, however. Its statement on the development notes the “serious concerns from solicitors, CILEX members and consumer representatives” about a move that would “irreparably change the legal regulatory landscape”.

Ian Jeffery, chief executive officer of the Law Society, also commented that the body is “deeply concerned that the SRA Board has given the go ahead to regulating CILEX members, despite its own regulated community, and CILEX’s members objecting to the idea of regulatory change, and the Legal Services Consumer Panel stating that the consumer case has not been made”.

“We are concerned that the redelegation of CILEX’s regulatory functions to the SRA could adversely affect the SRA’s ability to meet its duty to regulate the solicitor profession in a way that supports and promotes the regulatory objectives,” Jeffery continued. “This is of particular concern in light of the collapses of Axiom Ince, Metamorph, Kingly and the SSB Group.”

The existing CILEX regulator, CILEx Regulation, has gone public with its concern over the plans, stating that it is “considering next steps including recourse to the courts”.

Another potential hurdle, or brick wall, faced by the SRA is that its proposals, even if agreed by CILEX, would need approval from the Law Society. The Society’s consent for the changes “cannot be assumed” it has said, although the matter would ultimately be left to the Law Society’s Council to decide.

Boosts for trainees too

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has increased salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) associates from £120,000 to £135,000, joining the growing list of City firms making similar moves.

The firm also confirmed a £6,000 increase in rookie salaries, with first year trainees earning £56,000 and second year trainees earning £61,000. The increases are effective from 1 September.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows HSF recruits around 65 trainees each year. The salary increase means the firm now matches Hogan Lovells, which raised its NQ rates to £135k last month.

Commenting on the firm’s salaries, Alison Brown, executive partner at HSF, said:

“We are investing in our people — including our trainees and associates across all levels of experience — in a way that ensures a balanced and competitive reward structure in a dynamic market. This approach keeps us in the leading pack of international law firms and supports sustainable growth: good for our people, our clients and our business.”

New juniors to earn market topping £180k

Elite US law firm Paul Weiss is ramping up its recruitment in the City of London with the launch of a new UK training contract programme.

The New York-headquartered outfit plans to recruit what Legal Cheek understands to be between five and 10 trainees from this autumn as part of an ambitious expansion strategy this side of the pond, which has seen it poach top partner talent from a raft of its Magic Circle and US rivals.

The inaugural cohort will commence their TCs in 2026 and earn a market-topping £180,000 upon qualification. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List — where Paul Weiss will soon appear — shows that currently only one other law firm, fellow US player Gibson Dunn, offers this amount of cash to its NQs.

Trainee pay is yet to be finalised, but the firm will offer additional financial support including maintenance grants and covering law school fees.

Over the past year, Paul Weiss has been assembling a formidable team of lawyers in London as part of expansion plan lead in part by private equity rainmaker Neel Sachdev, who attracted significant press attention when he moved from rival US firm Kirkland & Ellis last summer.

Speaking to Legal Cheek about the creation of the new training contract programme, London co-head Sachdev said:

“The launch of our training programme is a key milestone for our growing London office. We are excited to have the opportunity to mentor and develop trainees to become our partners of the future. We have an elite bench of lawyers across private equity, public M&A, debt finance, tax and antitrust who act on the highest profile and most complex transactions in the global markets. Trainees will have the opportunity to become part of these stellar teams in a unique, diverse and client-facing culture.”

Overseeing the programme is the firm’s new senior recruitment manager, Paul Gascoyne, who led graduate recruitment at Shearman & Sterling prior to its merger with Allen & Overy.

“The training contract programme at Paul, Weiss is going to be something special,” Gascoyne told Legal Cheek. “We aim to offer the best training to junior lawyers, in an environment like no other. The London team is extraordinarily talented, creative and collaborative, and our office will be a fantastic training ground for those looking to be at the top of the legal profession.”

Paul Weiss has had a presence in London since 2001, but it has only recently begun pursuing significant growth. The firm now has 108 lawyers in the UK capital, more than triple the headcount in 2022, thanks to a bold hiring strategy that has attracted top partners from rivals such as Kirkland & Ellis, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Macfarlanes and Ropes & Gray.

As part of this major recruitment drive, Paul Weiss also recently relocated to Twitter’s (now X) former London headquarters (pictured top), situated on the edge of Soho and just a stone’s throw from upmarket Mayfair, home to a large number of the firm’s private equity clients.

The new talent has in turn attracted big ticket work across the firm’s specialisms of M&A, finance, capital markets, tax, antitrust and IP. The London office recently advised on the financing and structuring of a potential cash offer for International Distributions Services, the parent company of Royal Mail, as well as on General Atlantic’s acquisition of a majority stake in Joe & the Juice.

Outside London, Paul Weiss is a major global legal player, with over 1,000 lawyers in more than 10 offices across the globe. Last year the firm turned over just over $2 billion in revenue, with profit per equity partner standing at a whopping $6.5 million (£5.1 million).

£100k and £98k

HFW and Bird & Bird have become the latest City law firms to increase the salaries of their most junior associates.

Rates from newly qualified (NQ) associates at HFW have moved from £95,000 to £100,000, an uplift of just over 5%. Bird & Bird, meanwhile, has upped pay by 3% from £95,000 to £98,000.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows HFW recruits around 18 trainee each year while Bird & Bird takes on roughly 21.

“Combined with our bonus, our compensation package is significantly more generous than our competitors for strong performers,” said Corrin Kaye, chief people officer at HFW.

“But compensation is just one factor in what makes people want to join and stay with a firm, and we always aim to take a broader view by offering the best possible combination of rewarding work for market-leading clients, a friendly and supportive environment, good work-life balance, and opportunities to develop,” she continued.

Meanwhile, a statement from Bird & Bird read: “Although pay is important, at Bird & Bird, our culture is also central. We rank highly in the City as one of the best law firms to work at and that’s a combination of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and the cutting-edge nature of a lot of the work our lawyers do.”

Sparks LinkedIn debate

A barrister has sparked a debate online after claiming it’s “significantly harder” to become a barrister than a solicitor.

Natalie Connor, who describes herself as a “recovering barrister” on LinkedIn, made the eye-catching claim in a post concerning the rules relating to qualifying work experience (QWE) and explained why, as a barrister, she is unable to sign off on trainees’ work.

Introduced alongside the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), the changes to on-the-job experience allow aspiring solicitors to bypass the traditional training contract process. They can now complete two years of QWE with up to four different employers, including law firms, in-house legal teams and law clinics.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) says that this work must be signed off by a solicitor or registered compliance officer.

This rule appears to be a source of frustration for Connor, who explains that she has been working as a general counsel in-house for tech companies for the past five years.

And while some agreed that the rule seems like a classic example of unnecessary red tape, it wasn’t the only talking point under Connor’s post.

This is because the barrister, who was previously a member of 7 King’s Bench and 11KBW before moving in-house, went on to say the following:

“It is significantly harder to become a barrister than a solicitor. It’s more competitive to train and qualify, and you’re then self-employed from day dot in a ‘learning by doing’ approach at the coalface of real-life legal disputes (hello courtrooms after 6 months, not photocopying client files…).”

Enter the solicitors.

“I have to disagree with this Natalie, and actually, it’s quite disappointing to see people still pushing this narrative to draw even bigger divides between solicitors and barristers in the legal industry,” wrote Pheobe Greenwood, senior legal counsel at tech company Xaar. “What’s significantly harder for one is not always the same for others — it’s all subjective and it depends entirely on your social mobility, your bank balance and your network as to which route is a) open to you and b) will be ‘harder’”.

Elsewhere, Keystone Law partner Andrea James commented: “maybe the fact that you’ve published a statement like ‘It is significantly harder to become a barrister than a solicitor,’ despite never having trained or qualified as a solicitor or worked in a solicitors’ practice, indicates that the SRA is right on this matter!”

Responding below the line herself, Connor appeared to double-down on her position, stating that it’s categorically harder being a pupil barrister in the first 6 months (and indeed the first 12 months which is the full duration of pupillage — we don’t get 2 years like trainee solicitors). And I stand by that.”

Even a fellow barrister struggled to agree with Connor’s viewpoint. “Having practised as both and for many years was a training principle, I can’t agree with you that training to be a solicitor is ‘easier’,” wrote Simon Heaney, a tenant at St John’s Buildings Barristers’​ Chambers. “I can’t see how a rigorous TC (as was) was/is a very tense and difficult experience not to do and to observe.”

In a further post this morning, the barrister sought to clarify her position, stating, ‘Many misunderstood my post and thought I was suggesting that it is harder to be a barrister than a solicitor. I don’t think that.”

“In many ways I think it’s actually harder to BE a solicitor — although realistically I think the jobs are so different it’s impossible to make an objective comparison,” Connor continued. “What I think we CAN objectively compare, however, is the relative difficulty of BECOMING a barrister versus BECOMING a solicitor.”

Connor then goes on to detail some of the difficulties of life as would-be barrister, including lack of financial assistance, challenges securing pupillage and “no structured training”.

Setting aside the question of who has it tougher, many students will likely share Connor’s frustrations around QWE. Legal Cheek reported on research earlier this month that found 17% of students described the sign-off process as “difficult” or “very difficult,” marking a four percentage point increase from the previous year.

Also confirms 84% retention score

City law firm Macfarlanes has increased the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers by 22%, raising them from £115,000 to £140,000.

The outfit has also upped trainee pay from £50,000 to £56,000 in year one and £55,000 to £61,000 in year two.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that the NQ rise brings Macs in line with US firm Orrick and £5,000 ahead of Hogan Lovells, which increased its rates from £120,000 to £135,000 earlier this month.

Separately, Macfarlanes confirmed a retention rate of 84%, with 27 out of 32 final-seat trainees staying on. All of them are joining on permanent contracts.

Jat Bains, early legal careers partner, said: “We are excited to welcome our September qualifiers across a range of practice areas and congratulations to this talented cohort. We are proud to invest in our trainees so that their careers can thrive at Macfarlanes.”

Catherine Morgan-Guest, early legal careers senior manager, added: “We are committed to providing exceptional training and support to further the careers of the diverse group of talent we recruit. They are intrinsic to what we do and the future of our firm.”

Group says lawyers should have option to reject work contributing to climate crisis

A group of law students from across the US and UK have ranked law firms based upon their climate accountability.

The group, comprised predominantly of US student with a contingent from UK universities including Cambridge, Bristol, and London Metropolitan University, have allocated a grade to 100 top law firms from across the globe.

The highlighted firms include a number based in the UK, and others with significant presences in London.

Authored by Law Students for Climate Accountability, the report grades firms — A through to F — for their involvement in climate related litigation, and whether “the client’s interest was either mitigating or exacerbating climate change”, transactions, and lobbying.

“Our goal is not just to discourage business with poorly ranked firms, but also to incentivise improvement among all firms, even and especially those with the most harmful work,” the group states.

Comparing the new results to the last set in 2023, the document notes that the 100 firms have decreased transactional work for fossil fuel clients while increasing work for renewables clients, with fossil fuel lobbying also decreasing whilst renewable lobbying has increased.

In their recommendations, the group focus on the position of clients in choosing which firms to give their business to. “Many clients have commitments to climate justice, racial equity, and social justice more broadly, and may question whether they should give additional business to the same lawyers who represent companies and corporations making the largest contributions to the climate crisis,” the report continues.

A number of pledges and suggestions are also given to law students and law firms. Students are encouraged to focus on “recognising the unprecedented immensity of the climate catastrophe”, and doing all that they can to “stigmatise and ultimately eliminate the legal industry’s complicity in perpetuating climate change”.

Law firms, on the other hand, are implored to not take on any new work that supports the fossil fuel industry, and phase out any existing work “by 2025, at the latest”. For firms currently taking on work related to the fossil fuel industry, it is suggested that “employees have the opportunity to decline work that will perpetuate the climate crisis and harm frontline communities”.

There are few practice areas more interesting than crime, says David Green, Academic Manager and criminal law lecturer at ULaw Birmingham

“Crime attracts a certain type of person. You need a particular type of personality to survive a career in criminal law because although it seems sexy, the reality in practice isn’t quite so glamorous,” says David Green, Academic Manager and criminal law lecturer at The University of Law (ULaw)’s Birmingham campus. “The hours are long, and it’s a really adversarial area of law, so you need to be able to cope mentally with the fact that you’re always up against somebody else: whether it’s the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the police, or the courts service. You’re always in that ‘rough-and-tumble’ and that’s not for everyone,” he says.

Having had a “fairly traditional” route into legal practice, Green undertook the LPC with The College of Law (ULaw’s predecessor) before beginning his career in criminal defence. “I worked my way up through a specialist criminal law firm, becoming a partner and later a Higher Courts Advocate before making the step over to legal education at ULaw,” he tells Legal Cheek Careers. “I always tell my students: given that we’re all likely to be working until we’re 75 now, everyone has time for two careers! For me, moving over to ULaw just felt like the right time for me to try something different.”

Digging into his attraction to life in criminal law, we’re keen to ask Green his reasoning behind forging a legal career in this direction. “I had done quite a lot of work experience during my degree, especially in mixed practice firms, and I think this is one of the best ways as a student to get a good sense of whether you will actually like certain areas of law,” he says. After having completed some work experience in criminal legal practice, Green says he just fell in love with it. “In order to adapt to such an intense daily working environment, it helps if you can learn to make light out of often dark situations,” Green explains. “I think the closest profession to being a criminal defence solicitor is being a doctor. You need to be able to find the humour in the horrible things that happen, and still be able to switch off at the end of your shift, go home, and be present in your personal life.

 “What really drew me to crime was the fact that it’s fun. There’s no other area of law where you find such odd things that have happened to people! I have a fascination in how seemingly ordinary people can often find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system,” he says. “There’s a huge range of clients you’re dealing with, which is brilliant. I love the cut and thrust of it; the adversarial nature of the practice—and no two days are ever the same!”

Speaking on his experiences of becoming a partner in a criminal defence practice, Green explains that naturally, his responsibilities ratchetted up a notch. “Attaining partnership meant not only taking on more complex and high-level cases, but also taking a new responsibility over the business itself. In a legal aid practice, this means trying to be as efficient as possible,” he says. In contrast to many commercial practices, Green explains that criminal firms have to stay flexible and agile. “No matter what the government threw at us in terms of legal aid reforms, we had to think about how we could continue to make money in a new and changing system.”

Given current political events, we ask Green how he imagines the general election is likely to impact criminal practices in the UK that are reliant on legal aid cases. “The sad reality is that there are no votes in legal aid. The only people voting that have an interest in legal aid reforms, are for obvious reasons, legal aid lawyers. Many people never consider that they will have the need for legal aid, and therefore this issue remains rather invisible,” he says. “Nobody asks to be dragged into the criminal justice system; whether you’re a victim of a crime or accused of a crime, you’re pushed into that system by the state. So, I think it’s fundamentally wrong that the state doesn’t have a system in place to properly provide for legal representation in every situation,” he explains.

“Unfortunately for many who need legal aid to access justice, it’s not really on the agenda of either of the big political parties, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see an improvement in legal aid policy in the near future,” he says.

Nevertheless, the introduction of the SQE is opening the doors to publicly funded practice for law students. Rather than having to bag ‘golden ticket’ training contracts in criminal law, students can now build their two years’ qualifying work experience (QWE) in criminal practice and qualify as a solicitor through this new route. We ask Green how ULaw is preparing its students to succeed on the SQE and to hit the ground running in such a demanding legal practice. “For SQE1, single best answer questions (SBAQs) assess far more detailed or niche areas of law and procedure than were being assessed previously. So, our teaching has become much more specific by delving into all of the detailed areas of criminal practice much more than we did previously, to ensure that our students are prepared,” he says. “Students are now being assessed as a day one solicitors rather than as trainees. So, the level of knowledge taught on our SQE programmes has also shifted up a couple of degrees; we’re teaching to a much higher level.”

For students who are keen to embrace the “rough-and-tumble” of criminal legal practice, they are not only taught by qualified criminal lawyers, but they can also gain first-hand experience at ULaw, says Green. “Students can go to our pro bono clinic at ULaw and gain legal work experience actually dealing with real clients. This is a great way very early in a legal career, to feel the pressure of having a real person in front of you with a real legal problem that you’re trying to solve,” he says. With employability skills at the core of ULaw’s student offering, Green is keen to emphasise the part that advocacy plays in building the skills that future criminal lawyers need in practice. “There is no other area of law where advocacy is so fundamental to practice as in criminal law. I also teach advocacy skills as part of ULaw’s Bar Practice Course (BPC) for future barristers. Advocacy, though a skill which students are often afraid of, is taught at ULaw the same as any other skill like riding a bike. It’s a case of practising, reflecting on your practise, and practising again!”

Discover more tips on succeeding in your legal career this afternoon at ‘Secrets to Success Birmingham — with Pinsent Masons, Reed Smith, DWF, Browne Jacobson and ULaw’ an in-person student event running tomorrow, Thursday (27^th June). Apply for one of the final few places.

About Legal Cheek Careers posts.

Cold partners = red flag? asks TC hopeful

In the latest instalment of our Career Conundrums series, an aspiring solicitor questions whether a negative experience during a vacation scheme is enough to deter them from pursuing their “dream” firm.

“Hi Legal Cheek. I completed a vacation scheme at what I would say is my ‘dream’ firm and it didn’t exactly go how I expected. While the grad rec team were very friendly and the vast majority of sessions/tasks were really interesting, my interactions with the some of the lawyers (including partners) just seemed really cold. I spoke to several over the week and I got the impression they didn’t want to be there. Perhaps they were busy or I just caught them at bad time – who knows?! I did however speak to quite a few of the current trainees who all seemed relatively friendly. I am now questioning myself if this is really the firm for me? Should I not look into these interactions too much, or should I see them as red flag?”

If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.

BPP’s Head of Outreach joins future trainees to discuss the key considerations when selecting a prep course

With so many options available, choosing the right Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) course can feel overwhelming for aspiring lawyers.

During a recent Legal Cheek virtual event (full video embedded above), Jonny Hurst, BPP’s Head of Outreach and former partner at a City law firm, teamed up with SQE1 Award Leader Julie Harris to discuss key factors to consider when making this crucial decision, including costs, pass rates, reputation and content.

They were joined by future trainees from two City firms and a current trainee from BPP’s Social Impact Team, who shared their experiences of preparing for the exams and offered advice to those considering this route to qualification as solicitors.

Legal Cheek is running ‘The SQE series’ with BPP University Law School. The video of each session will be made available one month after each virtual event together with further FAQs arising from each session which SQE experts from BPP are answering.

About Legal Cheek Careers posts.

Made inappropriate comments to female colleagues

A senior partner has been suspended from the profession for two years after multiple instances of sexual misconduct, including having sex with a junior female colleague on his office desk.

The incidents began in October 2015 when Jasvinder Singh Gill took a colleague, referred to as ‘Person A’, out to a pub, later asking her to come to his office where he kissed her on the lips.

In November 2019, Gill also behaved inappropriately before a work-related event in Bristol. He returned to his hotel room with another junior female colleague, ‘Person B’, to order a takeaway pizza. He then changed into his loungewear in the bathroom, got onto the bed while Person B was sitting on it, and asked her if she wanted an alcoholic drink with her pizza.

Furthermore, between April 2019 and October 2020, the experienced solicitor initiated a sexual relationship with a third colleague, referred to as ‘Person C’. Gill leaned in and kissed the woman while they were in the office with the door closed, kissed her on several other occasions, behaved in a “flirtatious way with physical touching,” and had sex with her on the desk twice. These encounters were all consensual.

The senior partner also made a range of “inappropriate” comments, including telling Person A that he preferred female employees to wear open-toe shoes, stockings instead of tights, and short skirts, describing this attire as “proper office attire.” He also told a fourth woman, Person D, that there was a “preferred” office dress code of skirts, rather than trousers and high heels and asking her when she was going to wear a dress.

The tribunal noted that “behaving in this way to junior female employees, when there was an inherent power imbalance between himself, as the senior partner of the firm and a solicitor in his forties, and each of them, as more junior and younger colleagues, may have prevented them from refusing to engage with him and/or from refusing his requests”.

The tribunal said it was not the “arbiter of morals and human frailty,” but noted that Gill had conducted himself towards junior staff in a “wrong and inappropriate” manner.

The senior partner “had, on repeated occasions, used his position of influence and authority in the workplace to create situations in which office relationships, sexual in intent, were initiated and pursued by him,” the tribunal said.

His “motivation had been a sexual one and his conduct placed the female employees who he had picked upon with the no doubt unsettling dilemma that rebuffing him would or could count against them in their continuing employment within the firm and the resultant difficulties of leaving the firm and seeking new employment.”

Gill advanced several health-related mitigation points, all of which were redacted from the public ruling.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal approved a statement of agreed facts and outcome between the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Gill, who was ordered to pay over £85,000 in costs.