‘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?

The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

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This year’s ‘Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality’ list is out and City firms have secured eight spots.

Now in its 13th year, the list is put together by the charity Business in the Community (BITC) in conjunction with the Times. The order of the list is not ranked and includes employers from the worlds of banking, consultancy, insurance, and law.

The eight City law firms recognised for their efforts towards gender-equal workplaces this year are, in alphabetical order, Addleshaw Goddard, Burges Salmon, CMS, DWF, Eversheds Sutherland, Freshfields, Linklaters and TLT.

Applications were evaluated in three independent rounds of blind assessment on the work undertaken to remove gender inequalities in the workplace, from flexible working to family-friendly policies, to pay, reward, progression at work, and hearing employees’ lived experiences and voices.

Burges Salmon has made it onto the list for the third year in a row, an achievement that senior partner Chris Seaton accredited to the firm’s Gender Taskforce which he chairs. “Whilst we recognise that this is a work in progress and a long journey, it’s great to be one of the organisations that have been recognised for shifting the dial in relation to gender equality,” he said.

Meanwhile, TLT, another firm on the list, was in the news recently when it smashed its female partner target two years early. The Bristol-headquartered firm confirmed last week that women have held 33% of partner roles since the start of the financial year.

Commenting on making this year’s power list, TLT chief people officer Helen Hodgkinson said:

“TLT has come a long way in recent years in redressing gender imbalances and I’m proud to have these efforts recognised on a national platform. Huge congratulations to all who have helped us secure this spot in the Top 50.”

Three of the Big Four accountancy firms, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, all feature in this year’s list, alongside investment banking giants Lloyds, Natwest, Santander, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Other big names include Royal Mail, Sainsbury’s, Ofcom, PepsiCo, Shell and Tesco.

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Over 50 City law firms have combined forces to recruit at least 100 solicitor apprentices into London within the next year — roughly doubling the number currently available.

The collaboration, known as CityCentury and led by the City of London Law Society (CLLS), was announced today on Social Mobility Day. It aims to recruit, develop and qualify solicitor apprentices, with plans to more than double current numbers — from 50 to 100 — by September 2024 and to create at least 100 CityCentury-route partners by 2040.

Six law firms spearhead the group — Allen & Overy, Eversheds Sutherland, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Osborne Clarke — with the rest representing “a myriad of different business models and prospective solicitor employers”.

Thirty-eight of the firms will recruit solicitor apprentices from autumn 2024, five will announce for the following year, and the remaining firms will announce their apprenticeships in due course. All of the firms anticipate having installed their programmes by 2025.

The solicitor apprenticeship is a six-year programme open to sixth-form students, who do not wish to pursue the traditional university route into law. It encompasses work with study towards a degree and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), enabling apprentices to earn whilst they learn.

“The cost of going to university and pursuing the traditional route to a career in law is unrealistic for many aspiring solicitors and is one of the biggest barriers for talent entering the City solicitors’ profession,” said Paul Lewis, Linklaters’ firm-wide managing partner, who instigated the new initiative, alongside the five other spearhead firms. “I want us to help address this by opening up the solicitor apprenticeship route in the City. We’ve accelerated our own solicitor apprenticeship programme at Linklaters over the last few months and are working to scale-up this approach by starting the City Century collaboration.”

Patrick McCann, chair of the CLLS training committee and learning director at Linklaters architected the launch alongside Joanna Hughes, CLLS training committee member and founder of a solicitor apprenticeship consultancy. The duo delivered the keynote, focused on solicitor apprenticeships, at this year’s LegalEdCon.

McCann said: “When we spoke to 50 City law firms at the end of last year, it quickly became clear that the conversation was changing — to ‘let’s get this done now’ — a real sense of City firms wanting to create an appealing hiring message and do something special.”

Hughes added: “I find it hugely exciting to see the generosity of spirit flowing between firms. We are now creating high production value and appealing content about City solicitor apprenticeships which City Century will push out to schools, including those in social mobility cold spots, using social media channels, UCAS and other specialist organisations.”

A growing number of law firms now offer solicitor apprenticeships, including the six law firms spearheading the collaboration. They will work to encourage the adoption of solicitor apprentices across the City, in addition to their training contract programmes open to graduates.

UCAS data shows almost half of all users — about 425,000 — are now interested in apprenticeships, and from this autumn, the university admissions service will display apprenticeships side-by-side with undergraduate courses, its chief executive Clare Marchant said.

Sarah Oladele, a Year 12 student and aspiring solicitor apprentice, said: “As a black student from a low socio-economic background, choosing the right option comes down to three things: the degree, the experience and the cost. This is why this collaboration of 50 City law firms offering solicitor apprenticeships is a dream, a hope and attainable option for students like me looking to secure their social and career mobility and get into the profession at the age of 18, without worry of the costs, guaranteeing progression into the rewarding and respected career of a solicitor; but also a benefit to the law firms, gaining from the young talent from under-represented communities that other routes of recruitment filters out.”

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Life as a trainee isn’t easy, so a friendly and supportive culture can be crucial to getting you through the difficult moments. Fortunately, the results are in, and Legal Cheek can reveal the law firms where it’s smiles and backslaps all-round.

The 2,000 plus respondents to the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2022-23 were asked to rate the supportiveness of their peers on a scale ranging from 1 — ‘not at all supportive’ to 10 — ‘highly supportive’. Likewise, partner approachability could be quantified from 1, or ‘not at all approachable’ to 10, or ‘highly approachable’. Firms are then scored from A* to D on the Legal Cheek Insider Scorecard for each category.

Although over thirty firms feature on the two shortlists, scoring A*s for peer support or partner approachability, only Bristows, Fletchers, Hill Dickinson, RPC and TLT secured the top grade in both categories. The results are listed alphabetically below:

Best law firms for peer support 2023

Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Bristows, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Clyde & Co, Dechert, Express Solicitors, Fletchers, Forsters, Gibson Dunn, Goodwin Procter, Hill Dickinson, Norton Rose Fulbright, Pinsent Masons, RPC, Taylor Wessing, TLT, Travers Smith, Watson Farley & Williams, Weightmans

Best law firms for partner approachability 2023

Accutrainee, Ashfords, Bird & Bird, Bristows, Debevoise & Plimpton, Dentons, Eversheds Sutherland, Fieldfisher, Fletchers, Gateley, Hill Dickinson, Morrison Foerster, Orrick, RPC, Russell-Cooke, Shakespeare Martineau, Squire Patton Boggs, Taylor Vinters, TLT.

Respondents were also given the chance to submit anonymous comments to justify their scores and provide further insights into their firm’s supportive rookies and approachable partners. Here are a selection of comments from the firms shortlisted above:

How supportive are your peers?

“Very collaborative, and very friendly peer group. They’re genuine friends who I can go to for support, share tips and insights into the work.”

“There is no culture of competitiveness between the trainees. Everyone supports each other.”

“All of the trainees within my office are incredibly supportive of each other and there is no feeling of competitiveness when it comes to getting NQ jobs. The trainee chat is very active and you know that, no matter how stupid the question, you always have somebody to go to.”

“I love my trainee cohort, we have bonded really well and regularly meet up for lunch and coffee. We also have a WhatsApp chat that we use to check in on each other. The benefit of a large cohort is having a lot of people around you to build a support network.”

“Excellent culture with many opportunities to extracurricular. A very supportive environment.”

How approachable are your superiors?

“There’s a real open door policy — meaning that if I leave the door to my office open, my superiors are likely to stop by for a chat.”

“Including partners — there’s no hierarchy or delegation through associates. Partners will call you directly and ask for your thoughts which is a great learning opportunity.”

“All very approachable which surprised me the most about working with Partners.”

“Every single person (at all levels) is approachable and can always spare time to help you.”

“No matter the level of seniority, every partner that I have experienced working with or spoken to outside of a department has been incredibly welcoming, approachable and helpful. They want you to succeed and you know you could go to them with any issue you had.”

The winning law firm in each category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2023, sponsored by BARBRI and BPP University Law School, on Tuesday 14 March 2023.

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The London office of Eversheds Sutherland has been targeted by environmental activists.

The entrance to the firm’s HQ near St Paul’s was sprayed with fake oil earlier today as part of series of non-violent protests across the capital, according to a post by Extinction Rebellion UK. Other companies said to have been targeted include JP Morgan, BAE and BP.

BREAKING #FossilFuel companies targeted across London

XR & aligned groups take action at Hill & Knowlton, Institute of Economic Affairs, JP Morgan, BAE, INEOS, Schlumberger, IMO, Eversheds Sutherland,BP & BEIS

Time to #CutTheTies to #FossilFuels pic.twitter.com/30PzzBzofa

— Extinction Rebellion UK (@XRebellionUK) November 21, 2022

Roving Rose reporting etc… @ExtinctionR @XRLondon hit @ESgloballaw in London earlier today. The protest group said it targeted the firm for its work advising oil companies. Purple dye was sprayed across the front of the building by the group, with a clean up operation ongoing pic.twitter.com/h65BrZPuTZ

— Rose Walker (@RoseOMWalker) November 21, 2022

Eversheds declined to comment.

This isn’t the first time a major law firm has been targeted by activists. In 2020, Legal Cheek reported that protestors wearing hazmat suits and banging drums descended on Slaughter and May’s London HQ in protest over what they said were the firm’s ties to the oil and gas industry.

On the scene at Slaughter and May where Lawyers for Extinction Rebellion are protesting against the magic circle firm's ties to the oil and gas industry pic.twitter.com/SysA6fsrg1

— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) February 28, 2020

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A former Eversheds Sutherland trainee who was convicted of sexually assaulting two women at a house party has been barred from the legal profession.

In October 2017, Thomas Hagyard was just a few weeks into his training contract in the international law firm’s London office when he sexually assaulted two women during a house party in West London.

Hagyard was suspended by the firm when it became aware of the allegations and has his training contract terminated in June 2018.

In October last year, Hagyard was convicted of two counts of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court. He was jailed for eight years.

Hagyard has now been made subject to a section 43 order, barring him from working in the legal profession without prior permission from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The regulator found that “it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice”.

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A raft of leading law firms have publicly pledged to ensure that students qualifying as solicitors through “alternative routes” are treated the same as their counterparts undertaking the more traditional training contract.

The 17-strong group pledge to screen candidates in a “fair and inclusive way”, which will not disadvantage those who have completed an alternative route to legal qualification, including an apprenticeship.

Firms making the pledge, which includes the Magic Circle law firms Clifford Chance, Linklaters and Freshfields, promise to assess all candidates’ suitability for any given role based on their experience, behaviour and competence to avoid disadvantaging those who have not done a TC, with inclusive competencies being listed for new positions and CVs being matched against the skills needed to fulfil the demands of the role.

You can read the pledge in full here.

Other signatories are Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Burges Salmon, CMS, Charles Russell Speechlys, DAC Beachcroft, Eversheds Sutherland, Fenchurch Law, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose Fulbright, RPC, Simmons & Simmons, Trowers & Hamlins, Watson Farley & Williams.

The recruitment promise follows the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and a new set of rules that give wannabe solicitors the flexibility of completing work experience with up to four different organisations in place of a traditional training contract. This has led to concerns from some that it will create a so-called ‘two-tier’ profession where law firms favour candidates who have completed a TC over those qualifying via one of the alternative pathways.

Commenting on the pledge, Norton Rose Fulbright’s corporate and early careers recruitment partner Clementine Hogarth said:

“It has been inspiring to see so many leading law firms come together to help level the playing field across the industry — the enthusiasm in the market about legal apprenticeships is really exciting. As we continue to further diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it is essential that we are recognising alternative routes into legal careers, and recruiting and progressing people based on talent and merit alone. The pledge is designed to highlight this commitment.”

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Eversheds Sutherland has recorded a 2022 trainee retention score of 82%.

The international law firm revealed 34 out of 43 trainees had accepted newly qualified (NQ) roles with a further eight qualifying six months early with ‘time to count’ (where trainees have gained equivalent legal experience prior to commencing their training contract).

The new recruits will be based across the firm’s UK offices in the company commercial, litigation and dispute management, employment, labour and pensions, and real estate practice groups.

The latest qualifying cohort includes the firm’s first tranche of apprentices, six of whom are staying on as lawyers and one as a legal technologist.

Separately, Eversheds’ Hong Kong office retained four out of its six NQs, and the firm’s Middle East team kept its two trainees.

The firm’s chief people officer Lorraine Kilborn commented:

“Congratulations to our newly qualified trainees in the UK, Hong Kong and the Middle East and to our first cohort of legal apprentices in the UK who also join our legal and business teams upon qualification. Attracting, retaining and developing diverse junior talent, from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, will enable our firm to grow and we are pleased that so many young lawyers will now start their careers at the firm.”

She continued: “In November last year, we launched a third option to qualification as a solicitor with one of the industry’s first SQE routes to qualification and we currently have 10 former paralegals now training via this scheme. We wish all our trainee lawyers and recently qualified lawyers the best of luck in their careers.”

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A raft of UK law firms have signed up to become members of Fifth Day, a non-profit organisation that promotes pro bono opportunities for law firms’ business operations teams.

The programme was launched in June by the former head of corporate communications at Pinsent Masons, Fred Banning, with the aim of extending pro-bono opportunities to those working in non-lawyer roles, including IT, business development, marketing and finance.

Over 10 leading UK law firms have now signed a letter committing to promoting pro-bono opportunities to their 10,000 plus business ops staff.

Amongst the signatories are Burness Paull, Clyde & Co, Dentons, Eversheds Sutherland, Fieldfisher, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gateley, Kennedys, Mills & Reeve, Pinsent Masons, Reed Smith and Watson Farley & Williams.

Commenting on the support, Fifth Day founder Banner said:

“It is really heartening that so many of the leading law firms have embraced the concept of non-legal pro bono. The great thing is that none of the conversations I have had with firms has revolved around ‘this is why pro bono is a good idea’. They know the benefits for their lawyers, and so making the case for extending a culture of pro bono to their business services teams is not a massive leap. It’s a win for the firms, their employees and the third sector organisations we’re trying to help.”

“It’s no secret that we’re in for a tough winter in the UK, and the work of third sector organisations has arguably never been more important. This is a really tangible way for individuals to get involved and help, with the support of their employers. I hope that as time goes on more firms will see fit to join in with us,” he added.

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The unique qualities of the Midlands legal scene, important points about the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), the “dreaded” networking and why it’s important to ‘be yourself’ ― these were some of the topics discussed by the panel of lawyers at The University of Law and Legal Cheek’s ‘Secrets to Success’ event in Birmingham in July. The panel also advised on how to choose the right firm, overcome imposter syndrome and make the most of your work experience.

First, the city. Birmingham offers high quality work and a thriving legal scene but will probably allow for a healthier work-life balance. Gowling WLG senior associate, Simon Harris, said his firm’s Birmingham office is “bigger than the London office”, was the firm’s first office and is currently on the “government legal panel even though the client is based in London”. Laura Murphy, a legal director at Eversheds Sutherland, stated the work in her firm’s Birmingham office is “fantastic”, and made the point that working in Birmingham does not limit you to working only on Birmingham deals.

The panel highlighted that HS2 has emphasised the attractiveness of Birmingham. For example, HSBC has moved its headquarters from London to Birmingham, while Goldman Sachs set up its first office outside London in the city.

Moreover, the ability to have a better work-life balance is a key benefit of Birmingham compared to London, according to HCR law consultant Dee Kundi, who has experience of working in both cities. Kundi said Birmingham gave her greater opportunities “to do other things that I enjoyed” which included her roles as Chairwoman, council member and director of the Birmingham Law Society.

Tackling imposter syndrome

One issue many aspiring lawyers face is feeling they don’t deserve to be a ‘commercial solicitor’, and are less competent than other students. Sarah Ramsey, ULaw Birmingham campus dean and former family lawyer, reminded the audience that every individual has “as much right to take a place at the table as anyone else”.

Hayley Saunders, partner at Shoosmiths, backed this sentiment, highlighting that her firm, which uses blind recruitment processes to prevent unconscious bias, actively “wants to know who you are” as an individual. Gateley associate Tom Allen reinforced this, stating that “people are hiring you as a person” and you should “always know your own value when applying to law firms, as this makes you unique”.

Within the event, Allen noted that many junior lawyers feel like they have to “be technically excellent and know everything from the outset”, but this simply isn’t possible without experience. It is therefore essential to be yourself, because firms are looking to find another member of their team (rather than a fully-formed solicitor) when they hire junior lawyers.

Finding the right firm for you

Researching firms can be difficult, even with platforms to provide you with easy to access information about deadlines and interviews with solicitors. This difficulty was acknowledged by Shoosmiths partner Saunders. “Don’t feel like you have to go to big large international firms even if your friends are, focus on what is good for you as a person,” she said. Helpfully, Gowling senior associate Harris provided some useful examples of how to do this ― he recommended that when researching firms, students should “see the type of people in the firm and the experiences they had and speak to graduate recruitment”. Legal Cheek events like this one in Birmingham, for example, are a great way to meet a variety of people at firms and talk to them about their experiences.

Gateley’s Allen, who has diabetes, said to ensure that when researching and choosing a firm which will help you “work your job around your health” and not the other way around. Open days or other events and talking to employees with similar personal circumstances is a great way to check the firm will be accommodating to your needs and therefore the right firm for you.

Networking

Like commercial awareness, one of the dreaded words every aspiring lawyer hears is ‘networking’. Nevertheless, the panel stressed the important of this, with Eversheds Sutherland legal director Laura Murphy saying her key piece of advice would be to “network early on”, emphasising the importance of building a network at an early stage in your legal career.

Kundi advised future lawyers to “never underestimate the importance of networking” since it is used for “bringing in work and clients and to develop those relationships”. Networking can be viewed as something daunting or foreign, but it can be as simple as speaking to fellow attendees who are also aspiring lawyers or making friends at university with people on different courses, as they are likely to work for businesses who will need legal advice. What was stressed within the presentation was the importance of speaking with and meeting people.

Networking is useful before becoming a lawyer as it can be used within applications and interviews. Being able to speak to employees at a firm you are interested in is a great way to find out about the culture of the firm and make a positive impression before you have applied.

Creative with work experience

Gaining legal work experience, particularly commercial, can be incredibly difficult, especially for university students and for career changers with few legal connections. ULaw’s Sarah Ramsey stressed the importance of “being creative with your work experience”. Whether working at a supermarket, café or volunteering, these experiences all give “certain skills and competencies” that will be needed in law. Within her example of retail, she stated that “if you are entrusted with holding cash, that is an example of trust and integrity”, which is vital for a career in law. ULaw’s employability service can help aid students in understanding and acknowledging what skills they have gained from a part time job, work experience or volunteering.

Kundi also stressed this point, providing an example for students currently studying at ULaw in Birmingham. She said: “The university is a member of Birmingham Law Society. Therefore, take advantage of those opportunities and events to speak to people and associates and ask if there are any projects that you can be involved in.” ULaw’s membership is for every student, therefore if students know that they want to apply to a certain law firm, utilising this membership to speak to current employees builds those networks and offers a new means to gain some work experience.

The panel highlighted that every person will have had unique experiences. They emphasised the importance of being yourself and using your own personal experiences to show why you would make a successful lawyer.

SQE

One popular question surrounded the SQE. Ramsey said law firms will make their own individual decisions about when to move to the SQE although many are not moving until 2023 or 2024. However, she added that “although anyone starting a law degree before September 2021 is able to complete the LPC, as it is being phased out, it is important to question whether it will still be accepted by law firms moving to the SQE”. Therefore, she recommended that “if you are interested in a certain firm, see what their preference is and when they are moving to the SQE”.

Also, Ramsey said the SQE consists of “long papers with a large number of MCQ [multiple choice] style questions”. She acknowledged that although “the pass rate at the moment is lower than the LPC currently, if you get the right training course and practise the single best answer questions, you will get through the exam”.

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The Legal Cheek Commercial Awareness Academy, run in partnership with BARBRI, is designed to help boost students’ business and legal sector knowledge as they apply for training contracts.

The five sessions of The Legal Cheek Commercial Awareness Academy took place from October 2021 to May 2022. You can still complete the Academy by watching video recordings of all the sessions. After each one you sit a short test to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. If you pass all five, you will receive a certificate of completion. You have until 30 June 2022 to complete the Academy.

The series features leading law firms Eversheds Sutherland, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, DWF and Mayer Brown as well as in-house lawyers from the O Shaped Lawyer. The topics explored include law firm economics, the hot commercial awareness themes of 2022, people skills, listed law firms and the deregulation of the legal market, and technology and the future of law.

The speakers also give their views on how students need to be thinking about the session topics as they apply for vacation schemes and training contracts.

Check out the first session in the series where we heard all about law firm economics:

Click here for further information about the series, as well as recordings of the sessions and links to the assessments. You have until 30 June 2022 to complete the Academy.

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Eversheds Sutherland has “completed the transition of its operations in Russia” with all lawyers and support staff transferring to a newly-created law firm.

The move comes just weeks after the global outfit announced it was shuttering its operations in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. It had around 50 lawyers and support staff across two offices in Moscow and St Petersburg.

In a statement yesterday, Eversheds said the new outfit, Birch Legal, will become its “preferred relationship firm in Russia, servicing the needs of its international clients”.

“We wish the circumstances leading to the creation of Birch Legal were different, nonetheless we wish our friends and former colleagues in Russia well for their new endeavour,” the firm added.

Birch Legal will be headed up by corporate partner Mikhail Timonov who will be supported by fellow partner Yury Pugach.

A host of firms have now taken action in response to the crisis, with Baker McKenzie and Dentons both announcing last month that their Moscow and St Petersburg offices would become independent outfits.

Other big legal players — including the entire magic circle — have closed down their operations in Russia while pledging financial and pro bono support.

Update: 16:30pm on 27 April

Eversheds issued the following follow-up statement:

“In order to clarify an apparent misunderstanding around the firm’s previous statement of 25 April 2022, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP confirms that it has ceased operating in Russia.

For clarity, Birch Legal is not part of Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and nor do we have any financial interest in Birch Legal. Should clients choose to instruct any of our relationship firms, including Birch Legal, we do not benefit financially.”

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While the City pay war continues to grab headlines, pay in regional offices is also steadily climbing with some rookies now earning base pay of £68,000.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) was first to announce that its Manchester juniors would receive a pay rise early this year, with pay for newly qualified (NQ) solicitors moving to £51,000.

But last month when DLA Piper raised salaries for NQs in the City, it also raised rates in the regions to £65,000, in turn putting pressure on other firms to make similar moves. A week later Squire Patton Boggs and Eversheds Sutherland responded by putting its NQs on £55,000 and £62,0000, respectively.

In Simmons & Simmons‘ Bristol branch, meanwhile, juniors now start lawyer life on a base rate of £68,000 following a 22% uplift late last year.

Though regional pay for juniors does not reach the dizzy six-figure heights of those in the City, your cash does tend to go further. It is estimated that the average person’s living costs in Leeds sits at £1,500 per month, while the average property price comes in at little under £240,000. In London, meanwhile, average living costs are said to be almost double at £2,900 while a house will set you back, again on average, a whopping £682,000.

Following all the recent regional pay rises, see below for how the firms compare.

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Eversheds Sutherland, Gowling WLG and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton are the latest international law firms to take action in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Eversheds confirmed in a statement this afternoon it will no longer have a presence in Russia, in a move it stressed was “not a reflection on our valued colleagues in those offices”.

The firm — which has bases in Moscow and St Petersburg — said the priority now is to support its 50 lawyers and support staff in the country, and “work together to ensure an orderly transition of the business in compliance with our professional obligations”.

It added “that we are not acting for the Russian government, Russian state-controlled entities and oligarchs, nor are we accepting any such mandates”.

Cleary, meanwhile, stopped short of a full exit, confirming yesterday it will “temporarily” close its Moscow office “pending further developments”.

“We have all watched the events unfolding in Ukraine with shock and dismay, and our thoughts and support are with everyone who has been affected by this tragedy,” a spokesperson for the firm said. “We have been exiting our engagements as counsel to Russian governmental and state-owned entities, in a manner consistent with our legal obligations to clients.”

The spokesperson went on to confirm it is actively supporting efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with lawyers providing pro bono legal support to Ukrainian refugees, “in particular relating to immigration and asylum status”. It has also made a donation to relief efforts and will match employee contributions.

Elsewhere, Gowling WLG confirmed this afternoon it is to leave Russia. “We are shocked and deeply concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”, the firm said in a statement. “Gowling WLG stands united with the Ukrainian people.”

It continued: “Our departure will be orderly as we seek to transition the business to our team in Moscow. This decision is grounded in our values and our deep sense of what is right. We will no longer accept new instructions from Russian clients, sanctioned or not, and we will end relationships with Russian clients in a manner that complies with our professional obligations.”

“We are working closely with our charitable partners — including the Red Cross and the UN Refugee Agency — to help deliver humanitarian aid to those who need it most in Ukraine and the surrounding region”, the statement added.

A host of firms have now taken action in response to the crisis, with the likes of Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Kennedys all confirming plans to shutter their Moscow offices. Other City firms are in the process of reviewing their Russian work while others have stopped acting for clients with links to the state.

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Fourteen law firms have been recognised by charity Stonewall for their commitment to inclusion of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer lawyers and staff in the workplace.

Finishing in third position, Clifford Chance secures the accolade of highest ranking law firm on this year’s 100-strong list. There are also top ten spots for Slaughter and May and Pinsent Masons, coming in at eighth and tenth respectively.

The annual list is compiled using the charity’s ‘Global Workplace Equality Index’, a benchmarking tool which assesses entrants on criteria including training, staff engagement, policies and leadership.

Outside the top ten, Mayer Brown placed 13th, Eversheds Sutherland came 18th and Leigh Day finished 21st. Scottish outfit Shepherd and Wedderburn ranked 23rd, five places ahead of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 28th.

Other law firms to secure positions on this year’s list are: Irwin Mitchell (31st); Allen & Overy (40th); Charles Russell Speechlys (=53rd); Linklaters (=53rd); Burness Paull (70th); Kingsley Napley (77th); and RPC (79th).

Financial services firm Macquarie Group took this year’s top spot.

Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall, said:

“It’s been wonderful to see all of the work put in by the private, public and third sector organisations making up the Top 100 Employers List this year. For many of us, the majority of our time is spent at work, so if we don’t feel comfortable being ourselves, it can take an enormous toll. Creating environments where we can all feel comfortable makes the workplace a safer, better and friendlier place for everyone and helps staff be proud of who they are.”

You can view the full top 100 here.

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Eversheds Sutherland has become the latest major City player to increase the salaries of its newly qualified associates in London to £95,000.

The move, confirmed yesterday, equates to a sizeable 16% uplift from £82,000. It follows similar moves in recent days by Squire Patton Boggs and DLA Piper.

The firm has also splashed across the rest of its UK offices, with rates moving a whopping 24% to £62,000. Regional salaries were previously set at £50,000.

The boosts will take effect from 1 May 2022.

Lee Ranson, Eversheds’ chief executive commented:

“Retaining and attracting the best talent is a key priority and salary and bonuses form an important part of our overall employee proposition, alongside culture, learning and development and quality of work. With this in mind, I am pleased to announce this investment in our UK newly qualified rates.”

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2022 shows trainee pay in London currently sits at £42,500 in year one and £46,000 in year two, while regional rates sit at £28,500 and £31,000.

Last December the firm revealed it had increased its TC offering from 40 to 50 — or 25%.

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At Legal Cheek’s latest virtual event, ‘How to build an international legal career in Ireland’, lawyers from firms with a significant presence in Ireland, A&L Goodbody, Arthur Cox, Eversheds Sutherland, Matheson and McCann FitzGerald, joined a legal education expert from BARBRI, to discuss the opportunities arising for lawyers and students in the country’s booming legal market.

The speakers

• Brian O’Malley, partner in the restructuring & insolvency team and graduate talent partner at A&L Goodbody
• Aaron Boyle, partner and head of infrastructure, construction & utilities at Arthur Cox
• Enda Cullivan, partner in the corporate team at Eversheds Sutherland
• Emma Doherty, partner and member of the US business and inward investment groups at Matheson
• Laura Deignan, partner in the finance team at McCann FitzGerald
• Chris Jorgenson, senior director of institutional partnerships at BARBRI

1. Ireland’s place in the global legal market

The trend of international law firms setting up shop in Ireland shows no signs of slowing — with the likes of DLA Piper, Dechert and most recently, Addleshaw Goddard, all extending their operations into Dublin, the Irish legal market is rapidly expanding. Enda Cullivan, partner in the corporate team at Eversheds Sutherland, observed that because of this, “the market for traineeships is different now to when I was starting out — and in ten years, it will probably look very different to how it does now”. Although the influx in international outfits entering Ireland is creating increased competition, Aaron Boyle, partner and head of infrastructure, construction and utilities at Arthur Cox, did not believe this spelled danger for independent domestic firms. When international firms come to Ireland, “the hardest thing to replicate is domestic expertise in very specialist areas”, which Irish firms focus on. We are “at the cutting edge and top of our game in these key areas”, Boyle explained to the virtual audience of over 150 students.

The attraction to Ireland is not limited to law firms only, but to their clients too. Laura Deignan, partner in the finance team at McCann FitzGerald, noted that companies within the aviation sector are drawn to Ireland due to its low corporation tax rates. And yet, despite Ireland’s agreement to raise its rate — from 12.5% to 15% — Deignan was hopeful that this move would not deter companies from setting up in Ireland. She observed that “the corporation tax is one part of the puzzle of why Ireland is so attractive but it’s not just that”.

2. Going for growth

With the pandemic slowing down some sectors, the panel were asked to consider areas they anticipated growing over the next five years. Deignan offered ESG and sustainability, funds and aviation as sectors which would only continue to grow. But for Brian O’Malley, partner in the restructuring & insolvency team and graduate talent partner at A&L Goodbody, “it would be remiss not to factor restructuring and insolvency into what the economic cycle will look like in the next five years”. With governments providing support for businesses throughout the pandemic — a crucial lifeline for some — once this is removed, this is likely to affect the restructuring and insolvency landscape as the effect “works its way through the system”, O’Malley explained.

This expansion of the Irish legal market will also create opportunities for aspiring lawyers. For Chris Jorgenson, senior director of institutional partnerships at BARBRI, there is “nothing indicating anything but continued growth” of training opportunities for aspiring lawyers in Ireland.

3. The Brexit benefit

When asked to consider the effects of Brexit, Deignan commented that the concerns in the market that were anticipated had been yet to materialise. She observed that it was “business as usual, albeit with a few bumps in the road”. These bumps, namely shifts to practical considerations in a transaction, did not however give rise to any “major hold on deals or anything we’ve been doing”, she added.

Further, O’Malley remarked that though the long-term effects are still uncertain, “Brexit, in a sense, has actually been good for jurisdictions like Ireland and France in terms of the relocation and re-domestication of some lines of business”. This includes the insurance and banking sectors as well as “some movement to the passporting of funds”, he explained. Another benefit O’Malley said Brexit has brought to his sector, is the increase in the Irish judiciary’s openness to embrace complex matters that would have been unfamiliar to the jurisdiction only a few years prior. The jurisprudential value brought by these cases “is pushing Dublin’s confidence in saying that we are a jurisdiction that you can restructure complex and high value deals”, he told the virtual audience.

We are live at 'How to build an international legal career in Ireland – with @ALGTrainees, @ArthurCoxLaw, @ESlawIE, @MathesonLaw, @McCannFitz and @barbri'. On the agenda for the panel discussion: pic.twitter.com/K6JQEkOkQD

— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) February 10, 2022

4. Agile working

With Covid restrictions in Ireland easing, and offices opening up again, the future world of work is a key consideration among law firms. Emma Doherty, partner and member of the US business and inward investment groups at Matheson, revealed that remote working had already been part of the firm prior to Covid, so the shift was “seamless”. But she also admitted that the inability to work through things together in-person and the process of “learning by osmosis” (the idea that junior employees pick up information from their seniors when immersed in the office) presented some challenges.

However, overall, she felt that the pandemic had “kickstarted a whole transformation in the legal industry and I don’t think we’re ever going back”. Doherty added that the change to the delivery of services, the training of people and the way people work together was here to stay. This transformation has brought legal professionals more in line with their clients and that has, in turn, brought these relationships closer.

5. Dual qualification

Dual qualification, which provides lawyers with the ability to practise law in two jurisdictions, is a process that requires time commitment and requires sitting often very intense examinations. However, obtaining that second qualification comes with benefits that should not be overlooked. For Jorgenson, from his experience as a dual-qualified lawyer himself, “it broadened my skillset as a lawyer and practitioner”. He further added that it can help aspiring lawyers as they search for employment — it can distinguish an individual from other candidates in the recruitment process. Overall, Jorgenson summarised that “if you are looking to be an international practitioner or even work in international-facing practice areas, it stands to reason that dual qualification can be very useful and can put you in a good position to advise in those areas”.

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With everyone hokey cokey-ing from office life back to working from home, peer support and partner approachability remains a top consideration on many aspiring solicitors’ ‘dream firm’ checklist. So, if you are wondering which firms have the friendliest partners and most encouraging employees, then look no further!

For our annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, over 100 firms’ junior lawyers were asked to rank their peers from one being ‘not at all supportive’ to ten being ‘highly supportive’. They did the same for their partners, with those ‘not at all approachable’ being scored a one, and ‘highly approachable’ superiors being scored a ten.

All of the firms listed below scored A*s for peer support or partner approachability, with Bristows, RPC, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith and Womble Bond Dickinson hitting the grade in both categories.

The results are listed alphabetically below:

Best law firms for peer support 2022

Addleshaw Goddard
Bristows
Burges Salmon
Clyde & Co
DLA Piper
Debevoise & Plimpton
Eversheds Sutherland
Forsters
Gowling WLG
Herbert Smith Freehills
Hill Dickinson
RPC
TLT
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Womble Bond Dickinson

Best law firms for partner approachability 2022

BLM
Baker McKenzie
Bird & Bird
Bristows
Dentons
Fieldfisher
Gateley
Pinsent Masons
RPC
Russell-Cooke
Squire Patton Boggs
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Wiggin
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Withers
Womble Bond Dickinson

The junior lawyers are also given the chance to (anonymously) back up the scores they have given their peers and partners with a few words.

Here are a select few comments from the firms listed above.

How supportive are your peers?

“Very supportive, always here to help, stay late with, ask questions with. We work as a team and has never felt competitive.”

“Incredible group of trainees across all offices. Despite Covid, trainee group have created a really comfortable network of support.”

“Really supportive. It’s a really happy environment and some fellow trainees are now some of my closest friends.”

“Excellent group of fellow trainees which is a great support system.”

How approachable are your partners?

“All the partners on our team are very easy to chat to and request help from and just have a laugh with.”

“Superiors are all very approachable and friendly. Partners and senior associates encourage you to pick up the phone to them, especially since working from home.”

“Very friendly and easy to talk to, always willing to help.”

“Partners are always happy to chat whether that be work queries or just general thoughts on career progression. They seem genuinely interested in trainees and you feel like they really want you to consider qualifying into their team.”

The winning law firm in each category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2021, sponsored by BARBRI, on Thursday 24 March 2021.

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Eversheds Sutherland has increased the number of trainee solicitors it takes on each year by a quarter and created a new ‘SQE Academy’ which enables its paralegals to qualify as solicitors.

The outfit confirmed its TC offering has jumped from 40 to 50, a sizeable boost of 25%. The Legal Cheek 2022 Firms Most List shows the firm now recruits — give or take — the same number of trainees as Hogan Lovells and White & Case.

The firm has also unveiled a new pathway to qualification as a solicitor for its “high calibre” paralegals.

The two-year route, dubbed the ‘SQE Academy’, operates alongside the firm’s existing training contract and apprenticeship programmes and sees participants work towards sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) while acquiring the necessary qualifying work experience. Participants will receive paid time off each week for their studies at The University of Law.

In order to be considered for one of the ten spots up for grabs each year, candidates will need to be a paralegal in one of the firm’s UK offices and hold a degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline.

Lorraine Kilborn, chief people officer, Eversheds Sutherland, said: “Innovation is at the core of the firm’s DNA and providing opportunity to future talent, often from diverse, socio-economic backgrounds, is a key focus of our people strategy. I am delighted to launch our SQE Academy which will provide a third route to qualification at the firm for our initial group of ten talented and ambitious paralegals.”

She added:

“Our SQE Academy will enable our candidates to move their careers through training to qualification as lawyers over the next two years. By opening up a new route to a legal career for candidates who will come through from more diverse backgrounds, we are reflecting the communities we operate in and meeting the demands of our clients who look to our firm to invest in and shape the future of legal services.”

A number of firms have nudged their TC numbers by a quarter in recent months. Walker Morris bumped its trainee intake from 16 to 20, an uplift of 25%, while CMS became the second highest rookie recruiter in the UK when earlier this summer it boosted its offering from 79 to 95 — again a rise of 25%.

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