JD Journal » trainees

One Essex Court Raises Trainee Salaries

Erik Even — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:27:35 +0000

The 2010 incoming trainee class at London’s One Essex Court will be paid £60,000 ($99,550) per year, or a £15,000 ($24,900) above current rates.

This is as much as 60% more than new trainees are paid at other major British law firms, blawgs are reporting. And most other firms have cut salaries, not increased them.

The firm is taking in three trainees this October at £45,000 ($74,700).

One Essex Court is a leading set of barristers’ chambers, specializing in commercial litigation. It employs 66 lawyers.

Allen & Overy to Reduce Incoming Associate Class Sizes

Erik Even — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:12:36 +0000

In March, London’s Allen & Overy announced it would retain only 70% of its trainees for September 2009 and March 2010.

Now the firm has added it will take on 105 trainees a year, from September 2011 on. Traditionally, the firm has brought on 120 associates a year.

In April, the firm cut loose 47 equity partners, 200 associates, and 200 support staff.

Founded in 1930, Allen & Overy has approximately 5,500 staff in 31 offices worldwide. It is part of the Magic Circle of London-based law firms.

Ashurst Freezing All Non-Partner Salaries

Erik Even — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:57:53 +0000

Ashurst has slashed pay for its incoming class, and is freezing salaries for all non-partner lawyers and support staff.

Trainee solicitors who qualified with Ashurst this month will receive salaries of £60,000 ($83,800), as opposed to the £65,000 ($90,800) last year’s intake received. All other lawyers and support staff will see their pay bands held at 2008 levels, despite progressing a year in qualification terms.

Earlier this month, the firm cut staff hours.

Ashurst has over 800 lawyers, including over 199 partners, in twelve countries. Founded in 1822, the firm was known as Ashurst Morris Crisp until it rebranded in late 2003.

Allen & Overy to Cut 30% of Trainees

Erik Even — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:38:55 +0000

London’s Allen & Overy will only retain 70% of its trainees for September 2009 and March 2010.

The Magic Circle firm has not made a final decision about the retention rate, and said the figure was a “working assumption in light of the current financial climate.”

Allen & Overy retained 86% of its trainees in 2008, 90% in 2007.

The firm offers its training contracts two years in advance, with some 50 trainees joining each year.

Allen & Overy is expected to cut 9% of associates, 9% of support staff and 9% of its partnership.

Around half of the affected positions are in London. The firm is also freezing pay and billing rates at 2008 levels.

Founded in 1930, Allen & Overy has approximately 5,500 staff and 31 offices worldwide.

Baker & McKenzie Bribes Trainees to Delay Start Dates

Erik Even — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:48:32 +0000

Baker & McKenzie has become the latest law firm to ask its incoming trainees to postpone their start date by up to a year.

The firm’s London arm has asked for volunteers from its 2009 and 2010 intakes to defer starting their training contracts by either six or 12 months.

Those willing to defer for 12 months have been offered a financial incentive of £5,000 ($7,160). There is no incentive offered to trainees electing to postpone for six months.

The next intake of 18 trainees starting in March 2009 is unaffected by the move. September’s projected intake is 21.

Bakers, which this year made 20 UK legal stuff redundant, said that it has no plans to force trainees to defer if there are not enough volunteers.

Baker & McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. One of the first law firms to be truly global, it employs more than 3,900 lawyers in more than 70 offices in 38 different countries.

Norton Rose Offers Trainees Cash to Defer Start Dates

Erik Even — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:31:19 +0000

Norton Rose has offered trainees due to join the firm in 2009 and 2010 up to £10,000 to defer the start dates of their training contracts.

The London firm, which has roughly 55 trainees due to join across its September 2009 and January 2010 intakes, has contacted all of the future trainees asking for volunteers willing to push back their start date.

Those who accept will be offered up to £10,000 if they come up with something “meaningful and constructive” with their time off, while those wishing to start on the agreed date will be able to do so.

Norton Rose said that it has given trainees options to develop their skills during the year off by offering opportunities for pro bono work, internships with clients, completing a masters degree and placements within international offices.

The Norton Rose Group is a leading international law firm. It offers business law services from 20 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. With around 1000 lawyers, its practice specializes in five key areas: corporate finance, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, transport and technology.

Freshfields Delays Start Dates

Erik Even — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:49:13 +0000

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is asking some of its trainees to push back their start dates with the firm.

A number of trainees set to join the firm in August 2010 are being asked to defer the start date of their training contract to February 2011.

Freshfields has 64 trainees due to start in August next year and only 32 set to join the following February. The firm said the decision was prompted by a desire to balance the size of the intakes and was not related to economic conditions.

The August 2009 and February 2010 intakes will not be changed.

Lovells and Simmons & Simmons both approached their March 2009 intake to ask for volunteers to start in 2010.

London’s Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is an international law firm with offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the US. In 2006 it was the world’s fourth largest law firm by revenues.

Freshfields to Freeze Associate Pay

Erik Even — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:45:25 +0000

London’s Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer informed staff yesterday that salaries for associates will be held at 2008 levels.

The pay freeze means associates will not progress through to the next pay band, leaving a newly qualified lawyer at the same salary after one-year post-qualification experience, when they would normally see a 10% rise in salary.

The pay freeze will apply to the firm’s UK, German and Asia offices, and also includes business support staff.

Trainees in the UK are partially exempted from the policy. Trainees qualifying in March will see their pay rise to £59,000 pounds, compared to the current rate for newly-qualified lawyers of £66,000 pounds.

The firm will continue to pay out performance-related bonuses. The pay bands will stay the same for the next 12 months with no mid-year review planned.

Freshfields is the first major UK firm to freeze salaries this year.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP provides business law advice throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. It is the world’s fourth largest law firm by revenue.

London Law School BPP Strikes Deal With London Law Firm Travers Smith

todd — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:03:27 +0000

UK Based BPP Law School has just added London law firm Travers Smith to its client roster. The announcement comes just after BPP says it will be the only provider of the Legal Practice Course to all of the firm’s future trainees.

Travers Smith is one of London’s oldest law firms. Founded in or before 1800, the law firm was the employer to 460 employees in a 2008 count.

Travers will send all of its trainees to BPP’s Holborn, London branch where they will take a legal practice course made specifically for the Travers law firm.

Peter Crisp, dean of BPP, said “We’ve had many years’ experience of working with firms to produce trainees who are ready to embrace the demands and challenges of a training contract and practice.”

Update: Linklaters Set to Eliminate Up to 270 Jobs

Erik Even — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:36:11 +0000

Just a week after announcing mass layoffs, Linklaters is launching a formal redundancy consultation, with up to 120 lawyers and 150 business support staff in London expected to lose their jobs.

The firm said today that all UK staff are involved in the consultation, which is likely to affect between 100 and 120 lawyers, representing up to 18% of the firm’s UK non-partner fee earners; and between 130 and 150 business services staff losing their jobs.

Linklaters has 680 lawyers in the British Isles, excluding partners, consultants, trainees and paralegals, though the firm also has a number of UK-qualified lawyers based in foreign offices. The firm has 1,197 support staff in the UK.

Trainees will not be affected by the cuts, which are expected to be concluded within the next few months, but paralegals may be cut.

The firm’s New York office will lose less than five associates. Support staff cuts are still under consideration.

A “New World” indeed.

Simmons: You’re Hired! Wait — Can You Come Back Later?

Erik Even — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:46:34 +0000

Simmons & Simmons has asked its March 2009 trainees to consider deferring until 2010.

The firm offered its 17 trainees the option of starting their training in 12 months, with two trainees accepting the offer. The other 15 will begin their training in March 2009 as agreed.

Given the current economic climate, the March 2009 intake were asked if they would like to defer their start date by 12 months. There was no compulsion to do so, however. We have had a few take us up on that offer, including one pro bono arrangement which is being arranged with the help of the firm. Every trainee from the original March 2009 intake is starting on the date of their choice.

In November, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft revealed that none of its March 2009 trainee intake in London would be offered a position with the firm on qualification. The firm’s decision will affect three trainees.

Simmons & Simmons is an international law firm with over 2,000 people and 20 offices located in major business and financial centres throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its largest office is located in London, where almost half its legal staff are based.