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Firm declines to comment

A Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) trainee has left the firm midway through his training contract to go full-time selling application advice to students.

Yan-Kelvin Monney, who was a second-year trainee at HSF before leaving in March of this year, is the founder of Mindfull Learning, an online education business he founded in 2020, about three years before joining the City outfit.

HSF declined to comment on whether it was aware that one of its former trainees was selling application advice through an online business during his training contract.

Monney is the sole director of the business, which offers a range of tutoring services, summer school programmes, and various PDF resources for those pursuing careers as City lawyers.

The resources, first reported on by RollOnFriday, range from £29.99 to £69.99, offering comprehensive guidance on vacation scheme and training contract applications, assessment centers, and interviews for leading City law firms such as Clifford Chance, Hogan Lovells, Macfarlanes, and Travers Smith.

The website states that the resources are created with contributions from hundreds of future trainee solicitors and legal professionals, and features a range of glowing endorsements from current trainees at top firms.

What remains unclear is what HSF knew about the former trainee’s side hustle.

A firm spokesperson declined to say whether it was aware that he was selling these guides after accepting a TC or during his time at the firm, or if they endorsed the business model. They also remained tight-lipped on why Monney had left the firm, where trainees earn £105,000 across their two year training contract.

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And while many will celebrate Monney entrepreneurial get-go, others have questioned whether it’s appropriate to charge law students for careers advice.

One aspiring solicitor told us that while the guides may provide an understanding of what a successful application looks like, the business is “arguably profiting from students during an already stressful period”.

“Charging up to £69.99 for these guides negatively impacts the steps forward the industry has taken — and will leave socially mobile students feeling disadvantaged and deflated,” they added.

Another future trainee solicitor told us “something like this might be a good jumping off point for those who don’t know where to start with vac scheme and TC applications”, but that students “need to be careful about how much they take from and rely on such a resource, because exemplars can only take one so far”.

Monney isn’t the first, and likely won’t be the last, to turn application advice into a business venture. Legal Cheek has previously reported that trainees and even qualified associates from Magic Circle and US firms have sold careers advice through platforms like Gumtree, while similar services to Monney’s are also being promoted on online.

Monney didn’t respond to Legal Cheek’s request for comment.

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‘Who said those on reality television can’t become lawyers?’

Reality TV star Robbie Mullett has accepted a training contract at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Legal Cheek covered the Made in Chelsea cast member’s three week vacation scheme with the City firm back in July, where Mullett documented his highlights on the firm’s grad rec Instagram stories.

And it seems to have gone well! As the star this week confirmed his place on HSF’s 2025 training programme via LinkedIn.

Mullett revealed that he had a fear of being discriminated against for openly disclosing his sexuality on television and for holding conversations for queer visibility, adding: “I worried that the legal industry would not take me seriously. But they did.”

The 2023 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

The TV personality went on to praise HSF for being a “genuinely inclusive firm” that is “committed to social progress and raising standards for diversity and inclusion” — a mission Mullett is excited to be involved with.

The former UCL student graduated with a first in law earlier this year.

The future trainee solicitor also thanked his fellow vac scheme buddies, supervisors, and grad rec team for their help.

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Made in Chelsea cast member Robbie Mullett has been spilling the tea on Herbert Smith Freehills’ summer vacation scheme.

In a takeover of the firm’s grad rec Instagram stories, Mullett, who joined the three-week scheme starting this week, shared his highlights so far.

Mullett, who studied law at UCL, documented his first day at the firm, from the welcome breakfast to the first-night dinner.

In an earlier post on the MiC cast member’s Instagram account, Mullett explained why he embarked upon a career in law. “By chance, I received a jury summons in late 2018. I emerged with a desire to study law — no matter my internal sense of unworthiness,” he said referencing his background as a state-educated, first-generation university student.

He continued: “The trial altered my perspective. The defendant we found guilty had been sentenced to 15 years. What was four years of study? I felt the gravity of the situation and compelled to get to work.”

Mullett recently graduated with a first class degree in law from UCL, according to his LinkedIn profile. Now, he’s on the hunt for a training contract and could nab one through HSF’s vac scheme.

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Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has launched a new ‘academy’ designed to help clients make sense of the hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), digital assets and other new and emerging technologies.

The new initiative aims to teach in-house teams to utilise these technologies and better understand the risks and legal issues that can arise.

The City player will deliver sessions featuring live demonstrations that it hopes will give clients a “foundation level understanding” which can be built on with further learning.

The first will focus on AI and machine learning and is planned to take place sometime this month. Further sessions in the pipeline include generative AI, blockchain technology, how to navigate cryptoassets, and what the metaverse could mean for the future of business.

“Realising the potential of emerging technologies requires an appreciation of their opportunities and risks in the round, yet all too often their technological complexity stands in the way of success,” says Alexander Amato-Cravero, regional head of HSF’s Emerging Technology Group. “We have launched this course to cut through the hype, demystify the tech, and give in-house professionals from all functions a common foundation from which to build.”

This isn’t the first HSF-led initiative that looks to highlight the benefits of tech.

Last year Legal Cheek revealed the firm had launched a new digital law course which teaches students about how the profession can help clients navigate novel legal and regulatory issues relating to techy-topics including the metaverse, NFTs, robotics and AI.

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Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and Lloyds Banking Group’s legal and secretariat division have come together to launch a reverse mentoring programme with the aim of helping their lawyers and staff gain a better understanding of the cultural differences across the workforces of both organisations.

The new partnership will initially see 20 individuals from across both businesses come together to share their backgrounds, together with the challenges and barriers they have faced in their professional and personal lives. This, they hope, will enable staff to learn from each other about how to navigate potential career obstacles.

HSF confirmed to Legal Cheek that the programme is open to staff from across all levels of the firm, including trainee and junior lawyers.

As part of the reverse element, mentees will be encouraged to provide career advice, ensuring mentors (who are at the more junior end of the career spectrum) can identify their best career path and most likely route to success. They will also provide professional and personal development support, helping mentors manage the integration of their job, career and personal goals.

Miriam Everett, HSF partner and programme sponsor, commented:

“Creating a safe space where people can dare to dream and simultaneously lay the foundation stones that transform their dreams into reality is central to any mentoring programme. Learning from those at different levels of seniority is always helpful, but harnessing the perspectives of people from different backgrounds to your own or those working in another organisation is an invaluable opportunity which could build bridges that stand the test of time.”

HSF isn’t the first firm to try its hand at reverse mentoring. In 2018, Linklaters trialled a scheme where some of the firm’s top partners were mentored by some of its most junior lawyers as part a wider programme on diversity and inclusion. A number of firms have since adopted similar initiatives.

Elsewhere, BPP University Law School created a reverse mentoring scheme that saw law students critique the diversity and inclusion policies of law firms.

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You may have seen him in Game of Thrones, Narcos or recent post-apocalyptic hit The Last of Us, but have you seen him as a law firm?

Here is Pedro Pascal, the meme man of the moment, dressed like a bunch of law firm logos…

Burges Salmon

Pedro Pascal as law firms.

A thread. pic.twitter.com/4ICZPeUEw8

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Dentons

pic.twitter.com/VsSFPwYRZg

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Herbert Smith Freehills

pic.twitter.com/ZABHhGTKGq

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Kirkland & Ellis

pic.twitter.com/zLN7qNs6wg

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Womble Bond Dickinson

pic.twitter.com/78MRULJugI

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Goodwin

pic.twitter.com/rRhdtnssBR

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Accutrainee

pic.twitter.com/99n2MyRpGD

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Simmons & Simmons

pic.twitter.com/6q87imPMnq

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

Gowling WLG

pic.twitter.com/wVTL0Sc6cq

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

CMS

pic.twitter.com/fm41d5fATv

— Emily Hinkley (@EmilyHinkley_) April 11, 2023

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As women around the world unite in celebration of International Women’s Day, Legal Cheek has sought out advice from top female partners at the helm of City law firms.

Whilst women outnumber men at law school, studies show these levels peter out the higher up the ranks they go.

So we asked those who have been through the process and gone on to enjoy high-flying legal careers what advice they would give to aspiring female lawyers who are looking to secure training contracts. Here’s what they had to say:

Georgia Dawson, senior partner at Freshfields

“I would encourage women seeking a career in law to be brave and seize opportunities as they present themselves. The profession has made progress with representation, but we know there is still much to do; a major part of that stems from younger generations driving the momentum. Be an ally and support each other. What’s helped me over the years were my family and mentors, both male and female, who gave me the confidence to take on new roles. Everyone faces challenges throughout their career. For me, moving to different countries seemed daunting but ultimately provided the chance to learn, develop and build relationships along the way. So if at first you don’t succeed — do keep trying — the setbacks only make you stronger and more informed for the next opportunity.”

Deborah Finkler, managing partner at Slaughter and May

“It’s almost impossible to know what it’s like to be a lawyer until you are one, so keep an open mind and try to get as much experience as possible across all sorts of things — it will all ultimately make you a better and more well-rounded lawyer.

“Remember that you get all sorts of opportunities at different points in your career, too. I didn’t train at Slaughter and May; that opportunity came along later, so if the first thing you try doesn’t work out, or if you didn’t initially get what you really want, keep trying!”

Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, chair and senior partner at Herbert Smith Freehills

“My big three tips are: 1. Be your real self and show your personality; 2. See your career as something you are driving, taking active control of it rather than seeing it as something beyond your control that just happens to you; 3. Don’t stress too much.

In an interview, it really is important to be yourself. We are not looking for someone who fits a cookie cutter, we value diverse perspectives. If you show your personality, authentic self and ideas in the interview, it’s much easier to establish rapport, put your best foot forward and secure that training contract!”

Penny Angell, UK managing partner at Hogan Lovells

“Confidence and authenticity are key in landing your dream role. Everyone going for these contracts will have great academic grades so be brave in sharing a bit more about who you are and the qualities that set you apart. Being ambitious is important but don’t overlook the importance of culture and enjoying the people you work with. Follow your heart and values when choosing a law firm, it could be your forever firm.”

Sally Davies, senior partner at Mayer Brown, London and a member of the firm’s global management committee

“As women lawyers it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to be something you are not. Why do some practitioners think arrogance, a sense of entitlement and being generally condescending are essential qualities of being an effective lawyer? My advice is be yourself in any interview, as well as at work, have fun, show your personality, but don’t write anything in an email that you wouldn’t want to be read by a grandparent, or your old head teacher, and maintain your dignity. I think the best client relationships are built from personal relationships, trust and interesting personalities. Surround yourself with people who give you energy and who radiate warmth and empathy. I always say ‘stick near radiators not drains’!

We spend a large proportion of our lives at work, so live your work life as you would want to live your personal life. Find friends at work who will make you laugh, have your back, grow and develop with you, share your passion for excellence and make sure you reciprocate. Also — can everyone stop pretending they know everything? Most people make it up as they go along! Asking for help shows a high level of personal confidence that I really admire in people. Seek help from all quarters — keep your eyes and ears open. You might be out and about and see a waiter who appears to have a knack of engaging with everyone he or she meets. Be inquisitive, ask where they learnt to do that. Be open minded about people and opportunities. Don’t forget your business services team — the greatest most untapped source of wisdom, support, experience and creative ideas in the workplace. Don’t over analyse things and don’t reinvent the wheel. Be decisive. Take risks. Decisions are rarely terminal and risk-taking stretches and excites! Most importantly, focus on health not wealth.”

Laura Cameron, incoming global managing partner at Pinsent Masons

“Keeping an open mind and embracing new experiences helps you thrive in your career. While it can be daunting, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone regularly will broaden your horizons and enable you to hone your skills. Seek out the people you know have different views from you to avoid working in an echo chamber — it’s positive to be challenged.

When you face a disappointment allow yourself a little time to feel sorry for yourself — but only a little. Be prepared to dust yourself down, pick yourself back up and work out what you could have done better. We all face disappointment from time-to-time. Your reaction to failure or your response to a setback in your career, indeed in life in general, are critically important to your future success.”

Carolena Gordon, senior partner at Clyde & Co

“My advice to women who want a career in law is to show your passion and determination throughout the process. It’s obviously important to demonstrate academic achievement and an ability to learn but what law firms are often looking for, in all candidates, whatever the level, is the passion and determination that will be required to learn the skills you will need to excel with your clients and help your firm succeed. Law firms want people who know what they want and are committed to building a long-term career at their firm, so do your homework and think about what type of law you want to practise, and what type of firm you want to work at. And don’t forget to try things so you learn what you like and what you are good at.

Building a career is also about getting to know yourself so that you can direct your career. Good organisations want people to contribute a diverse range of ideas and perspectives, so you should not fear being yourself in the process too. Like all things in life, don’t go in half hearted; if a role excites you then go for it and give it your very best.”

Do you have any advice for aspiring female lawyers? Share your tips and experiences in the comments below!

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Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has confirmed a spring trainee retention score of 93%.

HSF confirmed that all 29 of its March qualifying trainees applied for a newly qualified (NQ) roles, with 28 receiving offers and 27 accepting. None are on fixed-term contracts.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2023 shows HSF recruits around 60 trainees each year, split across two intakes. Rookies earn a salary of £50,000 in year one, rising to £55,000 in year two. NQ pay currently sits at £120,000, excluding bonus, after the firm boosted rates by 14% last year.

The retention result is higher than HSF’s 2022 spring rate of 83% when it retained 24 of 29 qualifying trainees.

Last summer, HSF confirmed it would match the likes of Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughter and May in offering a £17,000 maintenance grants to future trainees completing the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

HSF is now the fourth Silver Circle law firm to reveal its spring retention score. Macfarlanes, Travers Smith and Ashurst have already announced scores of 100% (6 out of 6), 75% (6 out of 8), and 84% (16 out of 19) respectively.

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Having worked for three big names in corporate finance law, Michael Jacobs, a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), is no stranger to high-profile deals.

The promise of travel and interesting work are enough to lure many bright graduates to an area of law but for Jacobs, it’s more than that. “You want to work with clients who are trying to change the world really,” he muses “because you’re going along for the ride and helping them do that. That’s one of the great privileges of being a lawyer in the corporate world.”

And what a ride! Jacobs has advised top-level clients from across industries — from the satellite business OneWeb to Worldpay to Gousto. His work is focused on three main areas: growth capital, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and equity capital markets. These areas are not mutually exclusive, and clients often come to him with projects that span several areas — if not all three.

This is encapsulated in his work for Virgin Money, which has included a succession of high-value deals. “I acted for Virgin Money when they bought Northern Rock off the government,” he explains. The nationalisation of Northern Rock occurred after its collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. “Virgin Money purchased the ‘good’ part of Northern Rock from the Treasury. The ‘bad’ part was kept by the government,” he explains. This sort of acquisition often gathers a lot of attention in the media, he expands, “it’s the stuff that makes the front page of the Financial Times because it’s affecting people’s livelihoods and the broader national interest so people are invested in it.”

Jacobs started his career at Lovell White Durrant (now Hogan Lovells), where a six-month secondment during his training contract took him to New York to work on English corporate law. “I was doing things like European due diligence reports for private equity acquisitions”, he explains, “it was a busy but fun seat, and it convinced me to become a corporate lawyer.”

After qualifying, Jacobs made the move to Allen & Overy, where he became a partner and completed a further secondment in Hong Kong. “I was based in Hong Kong for the last three years of my time at A&O,” he recalls, “I think it’s given me a really international perspective.” In corporate transactions the ability to connect with clients across the world is crucial, does he feel that his time abroad has helped him to hone this skill? “Nothing beats being on the ground in a jurisdiction,” he affirms. “I have a lot of affinity for American and Asian clients. I’ve travelled all over Asia, to meet clients in person and nothing really beats that in terms of building rapport and engaging with them.”

Not long after the Northern Rock acquisition, Jacobs acted for Virgin Money again. This time advising on the company’s £1.25 billion-pound initial public offer (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange. ”That was a great journey,” he reflects, “taking a company from a start-up, all the way through to its IPO and subsequent inclusion in the FTSE-250. It was the ideal client journey.”

Virgin Money is one of a plethora of high-value IPOs Jacobs has had a hand in, with others including Worldpay, the leading fintech. The latter was listed at £2.48 billion pounds and represented the largest-ever IPO of a private equity company in the UK at the time. Since moving across to Herbert Smith Freehills in 2020, Jacobs continues to focus on IPOs and growth capital funding rounds, he has worked numerous transactions, including the recent $5 billion-dollar IPO Petershill Partners and the IPO of fintech PensionBee as well as funding rounds for Gousto opposite Softbank. On M&A, Jacobs has been part of the HSF team advising OneWeb on its $1.4 billion-dollar proposed combination with Eutlesat and Capco on its £3.5 billion-pound share-for-share merger with Shaftsbury Estates. He also led on one of the first special purpose acquisition companies to list in London under the new rules governing this sector – New Energy One Acquisition Company, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) focused on the energy transition.

“Growth capital is a stage in the lifecycle of a newly formed company,” he explains. ”So if you think about how a company begins, first it starts small and then the successful ones will grow exponentially. As the company matures, that growth will taper off. Growth capital is the point in the lifecycle where it grows very fast and therefore needs a lot of money to fund that growth.” Historically, this capital would be gathered from banks or the company would be floated on the stock market to get access to public markets investors. “Now there’s a whole universe of private capital investors who are deploying funds they’ve raised from institutions and high net worth individuals then aggregating that money and investing it in tech companies or fintechs,” he adds. Jacobs’ role is to support both companies and investors on this journey. “We act for companies as they grow and bring on these investors and we act for investors when they come in,” he explains.

So, with all his experience, what would he advise people wanting to become corporate lawyers? “The best thing you can do is to be interested in why people are trying to do transactions and try to understand what the drivers are,” he says, adding: “Understanding how it all fits into the bigger picture always makes it much more rewarding.”

Michael Jacobs will be speaking at ‘Growth capital — with Herbert Smith Freehills’, a virtual student event taking place on Thursday 24 November. You can apply to attend the event, which is free, now.

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The results are in! Legal Cheek’s exclusive survey reveals the law firms with the highest scores for training and quality of work.

The Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2022-23 questioned over 2,000 trainees and junior associates on what life is like at the UK’s leading law firms, with a handful of firms scoring an A* in the training and quality of work categories.

Respondents rated the training they’ve received on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 1 being ‘very poor’ and 10 being ‘excellent’. Similarly, respondents rated the quality of work from ‘not at all stimulating’ to ‘highly stimulating’. Firms are then scored from A* to D on the Legal Cheek Insider Scorecard for each category.

With these two categories being the centrepiece of a training contract, achieving the highest possible grade is a sure-fire way to attract the attention of training contract seekers.

A total of six law firms scored A*s and feature in the shortlist for both categories: Burges Salmon, CMS, Farrer & Co, Mills & Reeve, Osborne Clarke and Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Below are the results listed alphabetically:

Best law firms for training 2023

Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Burges Salmon, CMS, Clifford Chance, Dentons, Farrer & Co, Freshfields, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Mayer Brown, Mills & Reeve, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons, RPC, Shoosmiths, Slaughter and May, TLT, Travers Smith and Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Best law firms for quality of work 2023

Akin Gump, Burges Salmon, CMS, Farrer & Co, Forsters, Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins, Lewis Silkin, Mills & Reeve, Mishcon de Reya, Osborne Clarke, Ropes & Gray, Shakespeare Martineau, Shearman & Sterling, White & Case and Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Through submitting anonymous comments in the survey, respondents could expand on their scores to give further insight into their experiences at their firm. Here is a selection of comments from some of the above firms:

How would you describe the training you have received?

“People are interested in your day to day development as well as the broader picture of how you develop key skills as a junior lawyer. There is an active effort to keep you from doing too much of the same thing. Everyone has so much time for trainees and you can tell they take real enjoyment and supervision and teaching.”

“Training is consistent, well planned and practical.”

“The continued support and guidance has really helped my ability to move between different departments smoothy, understand the areas of law I’d like to work in and provide career guidance for the next steps to qualification.”

“Very high end. I’ve been working directly with very senior people since I started. I’m allowed to make tasks my own and take ownership of them which I’m very pleased about. I’ve developed hugely in a short period of time.”

“Supervisors and the wider teams are genuinely invested in the provision and quality of training (largely because we are seen as the future of the firm).”

How stimulating is the work you are given?

“Throughout my training contract there has been a recognition of when I’ve been reaching my comfort zone and a constant effort to keep pushing me further whilst supporting me at the same time. I have been able to run my own matters and take real ownership over pieces of work.”

“Trainees get involved in top work from day one. No photocopying or printing!”

“As a trainee I have received a broad range of work from the more classic “trainee” tasks to leading workstreams, drafting contracts and leading on client calls.”

“I’ve been given a broad range of contentious and non-contentious work. The breadth of work includes drafting documents, assisting on the signing process for large scale transactions and preparing documents for court hearings.”

“The work is overall of great quality and there is lots of trust from the team.”

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.

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Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has embraced the metaverse as part of new digital law course for aspiring lawyers, Legal Cheek can reveal.

The global law firm has launched a series of free workshops exploring how lawyers help clients navigate novel legal and regulatory issues relating to techy-topics including the metaverse, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

HSF says one of the sessions will be streamed live from the metaverse (a virtual 3D world in which individuals can interact with one another) in a bid to bring these topical issues to life. If that wasn’t enough, course completion certificates will be transferred to participants as NFTs after they have been shown how to “mint” them (the process of converting a digital file into a digital asset stored on the blockchain).

“Digital technologies bring about real-world opportunities and challenges for businesses,” says Alex Cravero, digital law lead for the UK, US and EMEA at HSF. “As the impact of technology and data on our personal and professional lives grows, so does our clients’ need for lawyers who truly understand these technologies and the strategic role they play.”

Students completing any of sessions will also be in line to win two-days work experience with the firm’s digital lawyers, seeing first-hand how they advise clients on the challenges described during the course.

Cravero continued:

“Getting hands on with complex emerging technologies is vital if we want to demystify them. Their ever-increasing use is ushering in a new era of law and regulation, and the most successful lawyers of tomorrow will be those who understand and embrace this change. This course is an exciting and engaging step for students and graduates on their way to becoming a future digital lawyer.”

Applications are open to students and graduates in the UK, US, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, while a separate course will be run by the firm in early 2023 for students and graduates in Asia Pacific.

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Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has expanded its trainee solicitor programme in Belfast by offering positions to external candidates for the first time.

The firm this week confirmed it’s recruiting six trainees to join its Alternative Legal Services (ALT) Trainee Solicitor Programme from next year. It expects the intake to be split evenly between internal and external hires, but this is subject to the quality of applications received.

The Belfast office launched TC opportunities to internal candidates in 2012 and, to date, has supported 33 Belfast-based candidates to qualify as solicitors in England and Wales. It typically hires three trainees a year but this year made four offers internally.

“We are extremely proud to launch our refreshed ALT Belfast Trainee Solicitor Programme,” said Lisa McLaughlin, managing partner for the Belfast office. “We welcome candidates who have a desire to be part of a firm that is at the forefront of the future of law — combining cutting-edge technology with expert legal talent. We want to ensure that we continue to recruit candidates with diverse interests and experience, and that we continue to attract top talent to drive the ongoing success of both ALT and the wider firm.”

The programme comprises four seat rotations in the Belfast office, covering practice areas such as construction, corporate, disputes, employment, finance and banking, funds and real estate, with trainees also offered the opportunity to complete a seat in the firm’s London office.

They will complete the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) on a part-time basis during their second, third and fourth seats, and on completion of the programme, will become England and Wales-qualified solicitors.

The programme is open for applications from final year law students and law graduates until 18 October 2022.

HSF’s ALT practice opened in Belfast in 2011 and offers technology-led solutions for document and data-intensive legal work. The team has since grown tenfold, from 19 to over 200 staff members, spanning ten hubs across the UK, US, South Africa, China and Australia.

Quite a few global law firms offer training contracts in Belfast, including Fieldfisher (as of last month), Allen & Overy, Baker McKenzie and Shoosmiths. US law firm Ogletree Deakins, meanwhile, launched a support hub in the Northern Irish capital last September, mainly targeting graduates to fill the 78 newly-created roles.

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Herbert Smith Freehills has hiked newly qualified (NQ) solicitor base pay to £120,000.

This rise comes as Legal Cheek exclusively revealed today that Linklaters had informed lawyers it would not “rush” into increasing its NQ pay, while fellow magic circle firm Allen & Overy had opted against NQ rises — for now — in light of “challenging” economic conditions.

Effective from today, HSF’s most junior associates will receive an extra £15,000, or 14%, to their base pay, plus a discretionary bonus. Rates were previously set at £105,000.

The firm will also be increasing salaries of associates further up the qualification ladder and “making significant investment throughout the associate bands”.

The NQ pay move sees the firm leapfrog A&O and Linklaters (both £107,500) as well as Slaughter and May (£115,000). Clifford Chance and Freshfields provide an NQ rate of £125,000.

Alison Brown, HSF executive partner, said:

“It is key that we continue to attract the very best talent. We also want to recognise high-performing lawyers at all levels, so prioritising fairness and equity across the whole associate population is key for us. These new salary increases reflect the real depth of talent we hold in our NQ and entire associate population and demonstrate that we value their contribution, as next generation leaders of our firm.”

Our Firms Most List shows the firm takes on some 60 trainees each year, who earn £50,000 in their first year and £55,000 in their second.

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Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has fired the starting pistol on a new retention season with a solid score of 84%.

Of the 19 final seat trainees due to qualify this September, sixteen will be staying on as newly-qualified (NQ) associates. Sixteen rookies applied for permanent roles.

All soon-to-be associates are on permanent deals, HSF confirmed.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2022 shows HSF recruits around 60 trainees each year, split across two intakes. Trainees earn a salary of £50,000 in year one, rising to £55,000 in year two. NQ pay currently sits at £105,000, excluding bonus.

Today’s result more or less matches the firm’s spring rate of 83%, when it retained 24 of 29 qualifying trainees.

Earlier this month HSF confirmed it will provide a maintenance grant of £17,000 to future trainees completing the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) — a sum which matches that provided by the likes of Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughter and May.

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Six City firms have come together to support the establishment of The Black Equity Organisation (BEO), a Black British civil rights group which aims to “address issues of structural racism”.

In support of the BEO, Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills and Slaughter and May provided seed funding, as well as pro bono legal advice focusing on operational and governance issues and registration of the new organisation with the Charity Commission.

The civil rights group was founded by some of the UK’s most influential Black leaders from the worlds of business, law, arts and social justice, including shadow foreign secretary and barrister David Lammy MP, in the wake of the global anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Partnering with organisations in the private, public and non-profit sectors, the BEO aims to tackle six key mandates — economic empowerment and equality of opportunity; education; justice, immigration and rights; culture, awareness and respect; health, wellness and care; housing and community.

The education mandate, for example, sees the BEO seek “to close the education attainment gap that exists between Black and White children in the UK throughout school and university, with knock-on effects in the labour-force”.

Dame Vivian Hunt, BEO’s chair of trustees, said:

“Our partner law firms were among the first organisations to join us in our journey. By devoting their time, expertise and passion they have played a vital role in the establishment the Black Equity Organisation (BEO). We look forward to deepening our partnerships with each of these law firms, and indeed others that wish to work with BEO, as together we work towards equity for Black Britons and broader society. We’d like to publicly thank these law firms for all that they have done.”

The introduction of this civil rights group comes amid a series of initiatives launched by firms with similar goals of closing the education attainment gap.

Earlier this year, national firm Browne Jacobson piloted a new mentoring programme aimed at “kick-starting” the careers of aspiring black lawyers, while Gowling WLG partners launched a bursary scheme aimed to support the studies and future careers of black students.

The post Top City firms help establish Black British civil rights group appeared first on Legal Cheek.

LegalEdCon 2022 returned in-person on Thursday 12 May, the first Legal Cheek conference since the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) on 1 September 2021.

The SQE has brought about a major shake-up to legal education and the wider profession. Over 200 delegates arrived at our annual conference to hear about the opportunities this will bring to attracting and retaining top talent within the profession, and hear about the future of legal education and training.

LegalEdCon 2022 featured sessions including opening up the profession to diverse future lawyers; solicitor apprenticeships; legal tech and the future of training; sustainability and its importance; the practical implications of the SQE; the future of the bar; and considerations beyond the SQE. A key theme that emerged in the speakers’ (view the full speaker roster) talks was how the SQE has the potential to open up the profession to a talented cohort of more diverse lawyers.

Session 1: Thinking differently to open up the legal profession to diverse future lawyers

The speakers (part one):

• Dorothea Bannerman-Bruce, senior learning manager at Linklaters
• Rohan Samrai, future lawyer and Social Welfare Solicitors Qualifying Fund scholar
• Jordan Yohannes, trainee solicitor (secondee) at Phoenix Group
• Dr Assal Kareem, Breaking Barriers SQE scholar

In the first part of the session, we heard impassioned talks from three aspiring lawyers about how the diversity schemes they were participating in, respectively, were helping them to facilitate their dreams to become lawyers via the SQE. Rohan Samrai, future lawyer and Social Welfare Solicitors Qualifying Fund (SWSQF) scholar, spoke on how SWSQF was allowing him to qualify as a social welfare lawyer and serve disadvantaged communities.

Jordan Yohannes, trainee solicitor (secondee) at Phoenix Group, discussed how the Flex Trainee scheme is enabling her to qualify as a lawyer and overcome the cost barrier to the profession. Finally, Dr Assal Kareem, Breaking Barriers SQE scholar, moved the audience with her journey as a lecturer in Iraq to moving to the UK as a refugee, able to access a legal career because of the Breaking Barriers SQE scholarship. After these talks, Dorothea Bannerman-Bruce, senior learning manager at Linklaters, chaired a Q&A with the three to probe further into their journeys.

The speakers (part two):

• Lucie Allen, managing director of BARBRI Global
• Ray Berg, managing partner at Osborne Clarke
• Mary Bonsor, CEO and founder of Flex Legal
• Lorna Nsoatabe, associate at Slaughter and May
• Gemma de Cordova, barrister at Gatehouse Chambers

The second part of this session was a panel discussion and Q&A chaired by Lucie Allen, managing director of BARBRI Global. Ray Berg, managing partner at Osborne Clarke, spoke on his journey, urging the audience to re-evaluate their opinions about “what a lawyer looks or sounds like”. Mary Bonsor, CEO and founder of Flex Legal, discussed how Flex Legal was opening up the profession through Flex Trainee, a scheme which enables in-house legal teams to access the best and brightest young, diverse legal talent.

Lorna Nsoatabe, associate at Slaughter and May, touched on the importance of allyship and how inclusivity is a key driver for retention of talent, while Gemma de Cordova, a barrister at Gatehouse Chambers, highlighted the necessity for representation and mentorship within the sector to encourage more individuals into the profession.

Session 2: Solicitor Apprenticeships — a new generation of qualified lawyers

The speakers:

Alison Wells, company director of legal and HR at BPP University Law School
Maia Crockford, solicitor apprentice (seconded to Sainsbury’s) at DAC Beachcroft
George Yates, solicitor apprentice at BBC
Roma Mcpherson, solicitor apprentice at Colt Technology Services
Rosie Buckley, early careers recruitment lead at Dentons

Alison Wells, company director of legal and HR at BPP, began this session with an overview of what a solicitor apprenticeship is and how it works in practice. She then handed over to Maia Crockford, solicitor apprentice (seconded to Sainsbury’s) at DAC Beachcroft, who discussed how her solicitor apprenticeship provided her with the opportunity to be the first person in her family to go to university, while giving the opportunity to have a career she loved.

George Yates, solicitor apprentice at BBC, spoke on the opportunity it afforded to have an income which provided financial independence. Roma Mcpherson, solicitor apprentice at Colt Technology Services, offered the audience an insight into how the apprenticeship was developing her both professionally and personally. Rosie Buckley, early careers recruitment lead at Dentons, described the positive relationship between solicitor apprentices and the rest of her firm and how this was helping the firm grow and develop.

Session 3a: Legal tech and the future of training as a lawyer

The speakers:

• Siobhan McGinley, head of segment marketing at LexisNexis
• Chloe Kennedy, legal management consultant at Deloitte
• Professor Scott Slorach, director of learning & teaching at The University of York Law School
• Faisal Zainal, legal technology and innovation executive at Macfarlanes
• Nicole Tan, innovation & legal technology senior manager at Addleshaw Goddard

Siobhan McGinley, head of segment marketing at LexisNexis, kicked off the session by discussing the role legal technology plays in her job. LexisNexis, as creators of legal tech tools, familiarise their legal practitioner clients with these tools to provide them with ways to make their day-to-day more efficient.

Chloe Kennedy, legal management consultant at Deloitte, discussed her experiences at the Big Four player and described the blend of law with technology is in part driven by globalisation and clients increasingly wanting more for their money.

Professor Scott Slorach, director of learning & teaching at The University of York Law School, highlighted how law school has integrated legal tech into students’ education and how this contributes to their development, both during university and beyond.

Our lawtech session is underway! #LegalEdCon22 pic.twitter.com/M6GXjLHMB0

— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) May 12, 2022

After Faisal Zainal, legal technology and innovation executive at Macfarlanes, studied the Legal Practice Course (LPC) he was drawn to legal tech to be a part of the “modernisation of inefficient processes”.

Nicole Tan, innovation & legal technology senior manager at Addleshaw Goddard, had her interest in legal tech sparked when she worked as a legal manager at Freshfields and echoed similar reasons for entering the sector.

Session 3b: Why law firms need to take sustainability seriously to attract the best talent

The speakers:

• Laura Yeates, founder of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance and head of graduate talent at Clifford Chance
• Sasha Langeveldt, project manager at Students Organising for Sustainability UK
• Joshua Rutt, Sustainable Recruitment Alliance Student Advisory board member and future trainee solicitor at Macfarlanes
• Maria Connolly, partner and head of real estate and energy & renewables at TLT
• François Feuillat, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Laura Yeates, founder of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance, highlighted that early talent plays a critical part in improving the legal industry’s sustainability practices. She shared the three-phase approach adopted by the Alliance — ‘review, reduce, report’ — to help signatories achieve sustainability objectives. Joshua Rutt, Sustainable Recruitment Alliance Student Advisory board member, and Sasha Langeveldt, project manager at Students Organising for Sustainability UK, emphasised the weight that students nowadays place on an ethical employer, revealing that students would rather earn less if it meant working for an employer who shares their values.

Partners Maria Connolly and François Feuillat encouraged law firms to continue to review their practices, noting that ESG (environmental, social and governance) matters have come to the fore.

The resounding message from the panel was that now is the time for action from both students and employers — it is up to each of us to champion change in the industry.

Session 4a: What does the SQE mean in practice?

The speakers:

• Maxine Warr, head of education and training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Morette Jackson, director of business development at The University of Law
• Laura Yeates, head of graduate talent at Clifford Chance
• Tim West, partner at Herbert Smith Freehills

In the first of two sessions on the SQE, a panel of speakers discussed the practical implications the new training regime is having — and will have — on education and training.

Maxine Warr, head of education and training at the SRA, reflected on the SQE’s journey from concept to introduction, noting the first cohort of students had now completed both parts of the new assessment, with results for the latter part due to be released in August.

Director of business development at The University of Law, Morette Jackson, referenced the law school’s efforts to create and develop a range of SQE prep courses with innovation at their core. She drew comparisons between dating and students selecting the most appropriate course: “students need to find the one they connect with and what matters to them”, she said.

We are live at one of our first two afternoon sessions 'What does the SQE mean in practice?' with speakers from @sra_solicitors, @UniversityofLaw, @Clifford_Chance and @HSFgraduatesUK pic.twitter.com/xN02phy1CD

— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) May 12, 2022

Laura Yeates, head of graduate talent at Clifford Chance, explained how the firm had spent time “reflecting” on what it wanted to achieve through the new regime, and revealed it had chosen to “front load” its prep through a bespoke course designed in partnership with ULaw.

Herbert Smith Freehills partner Tim West provided delegates with an overview of how the firm plans to integrate the SQE. As part of the City Consortium, future trainees will complete a “bespoke” SQE programme with BPP.

Session 4b: The future of education and training at the bar

The speakers:

• Steven Barrett, Big Voice London chair and barrister at Radcliffe Chambers
• Mark Keith, director of programmes at BPP University Law School
• Jacqueline Cheltenham, national BPTC and BPC programme director at The University of Law
• Chris Kessling, vice dean at The Inns of Court College of Advocacy
• Mark Neale, director general of the Bar Standards Board

Having heard from various speakers on the solicitor-side of the profession earlier in the day, the afternoon session in the St Pancras Room at LegalEdCon 2022 was dedicated to everything education and training at the bar.

Mark Neale, director general of the Bar Standards Board, kicked off a series of presentations looking at the bar reforms over the past three years from a regulatory perspective.

Adding law school insights were Jacqueline Cheltenham, national BPTC and BPC programme director at The University of Law, and Mark Keith, director of programmes at BPP University Law School. Both speakers discussed how we can be re-thinking bar training in response to regulatory change and learning from the past and present to best serve prospective barristers of the future.

Big Voice London chair and barrister at Radcliffe Chambers, Steven Barrett, encouraged the audience to consider whether radical change is needed in education and training at the bar, drawing attention to the current burden on young people looking to qualify and the need for greater diversity in the profession.

Rounding off the session, Chris Kessling, vice dean at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, discussed the ICCA’s position in the market and its return to bar training. This was followed by an audience Q&A session exploring topics including what more the bar could be doing to promote itself and whether it could be going further with innovative course design.

Session 5: Beyond the SQE

The speakers:

• Dr Giles Proctor, chief executive officer of The College of Legal Practice
• Joy Davies, principal lecturer at Nottingham Law School
• Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch, associate dean (postgraduate and professional programmes) at The City Law School
• Susan Cooper, founder and CEO of Accutrainee
• Grace Strutton, head of people & development at Lawyers on Demand

In this session the audience heard about some of the far-reaching effects that the SQE will have on training as a lawyer.

At the heart of the changes is the fact that students will be able to take qualification into their own hands. This is potentially quite disruptive as it will mean paralegals will use the new Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) system to become solicitors without the need to secure a formal training contract.

Susan Cooper, founder and CEO of Accutrainee, a pioneer of flexible training contracts, expects her experience of working with companies’ in-house legal teams to find students training placements to become ever more popular under the new regime.

Indeed, Lawyers on Demand (LoD), the flexible lawyering firm, has launched a similar model where its paralegals can qualify as solicitors under the SQE through time spent with big clients such as Airbnb and Adidas. LoD head of people & development Grace Strutton said the scheme already has 20 trainees.

For the College of Legal Practice, a new entrant SQE provider backed by former magic circle lawyers, this is an opportunity to work with the likes of Accutrainee to create innovative new study programmes tailored to students’ needs. CEO Giles Proctor outlined his vision for the years ahead.

Nottingham Law School, meanwhile, sees a gap in the market for qualified junior lawyer training amid a concern that SQE-qualified solicitors may have knowledge gaps in certain more specialist practice areas. Joy Davies, principal lecturer at Nottingham, explained her plans to support firms in this area.

Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch, associate dean at The City Law School, expects the upheaval and dash of chaos wrought by the SQE to end up placing a premium on an education at a traditional university law school — so long as the learning is delivered with a healthy dose of employability training.

We are live at the final session of #LegalEdCon22 'Beyond the SQE' with speakers from @collegalpract @NLS_NTU @CityLawSchool @Accutrainee and @LOD_Law pic.twitter.com/75o08Vz277

— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) May 12, 2022

Keynote by legal education YouTuber Ibrahim Mohamed

Ibrahim Mohamed, Britain’s top legal education YouTuber and a future trainee solicitor, delivered the keynote speech. In this keynote, he dismantled what he describes as unhelpful “diversity terms”, explaining why the use of terms such as ‘BAME’ and ‘state school’ were “problematic”. He explored the microaggressions most faced by future graduates, the psychology behind the ‘resilient diverse candidate’ and wrapped up with the five A’s that students want to see from law firms, their colleagues and higher education institutes committed to making a change — these A’s being acknowledgment, accountability, access, accommodation and advice.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoAPUGKxHt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Legal Cheek publisher, Alex Aldridge, brought the conference to a close, thanking the speakers, delegates and headline sponsors BARBRI, BPP University Law School and The University of Law, as well as silver sponsors LexisNexis, The City Law School, The College of Legal Practice, Nottingham Law School, Flex Legal, The Sustainable Recruitment Alliance and The Food Chain.

@legalcheek Little sneak peak of LegalEdCon22 #sqe #trainingcontract #lawyersoftiktok #lawfirms #lawschools #uni ♬ About Damn Time – Lizzo

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