Firms

CMS Cameron McKenna

 

Web:  www.cmstalklaw.com 

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

Web:  www.cmstalklaw.com 

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Survey results

Survey results

 

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 

 ''Gives options that other firms do not provide'; 'specialities in niche areas of law such as energy and pensions'; 'impressed by the friendly yet ambitious environment of the office'' 

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 

 ''Large firm with varied work, but without Magic Circle attitude'; 'the fact that all trainees are sent on secondment'; 'never expected to stay to put in 'face time''; 'we did the PSC course all at once which others don't'; 'better training sessions'; 'work/life balance is a lot better than for some of my peers'' 

Best thing about the firm? 

 ''International focus'; 'work is same quality as Magic Circle but within more reasonable hours'; 'you get a big firm support network'; 'the opportunity for everyone to go on an overseas secondment'; 'good training materials and opportunity to learn'; 'genuine open-door policy'; 'I feel like I am more than just a number'; 'sense of camaraderie'' 

Worst thing about the firm? 

 ''Worry of no jobs at the end of training contract'; 'building is dated'; 'lack of positions in the recent round of qualifications is extremely worrying'; 'poor retention rate'; 'the apparent lack of marketing strategy'' 

Best moment? 

 ''Secondment to the Moscow office'; 'conducting a client meeting with no supervision'; 'working closely with counsel on a high-profile case and seeing this through to trial'; 'flying to Prague to drop off a document'; 'completing a transaction, almost single-handedly, when on secondment'; 'having my supervisor's chauffeur pick me up outside my apartment'' 

Worst moment?

 ''Changing document management systems after just getting to grips with the old one'; 'being sent on secondment with very little notice'; 'staying late on Christmas Eve'; 'karaoke'; 'being shouted at by a partner''

The Lex 100 verdict

 The Verdict

The firm

With particular strength in the energy, infrastructure, and hotel and leisure sectors, and leading practices in pensions, health and safety, and immigration, CMS Cameron McKenna is a strong and stable all-round performer. The firm has a substantial European footprint, with numerous international offices adding to its City presence. 

The star performers

litigation; Commercial litigation; Construction; Corporate tax; Environment; Financial services; Health and safety; Immigration; Insolvency and corporate recovery; Insurance/reinsurance litigation; Oil and gas; Pensions; Pensions dispute resolution; Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; Planning; Product liability: defendant; Private Finance Initiative (PFI); Professional negligence; Projects and energy.

The deals

Advised the Department for Transport on the restructuring of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the sale of HS1; advised trophy client BP on the $7bn sale of international oil and gas assets to Apache Corporation; advising National Grid Offshore on its bid for OFTO transmission assets.

The clients

Barclays Pension Fund Trustees; Colgate-Palmolive; Lloyds Banking Group; London Underground; Royal Mail Group; RWE; the Government of India; the Ministry of Railways; the Wellcome Trust; Transport for London.

The winners

Legal Business Awards 2011

Winner Regulatory team of the year, highly commended CSR programme of the year, Energy and Natural Resources team of the year. 

The Verdict

CMS Cameron McKenna's significant international network makes the firm a popular choice for trainees looking for foreign secondment opportunities and it is also noted for its 'friendly environment' and 'open-door policy'. The vacation scheme is popular and the training contract application scheme is clear and straightforward. Widely acknowledged for its expertise in areas including projects and energy, trainees get stuck in to the diverse practice areas at the firm and are pleased that not all are corporate focused. To prepare for international secondments language lessons are offered and 'the working environment is a lot more relaxed and less intimidating' than at some similar-sized firms. Current trainees also note that they are given 'strict training schedules' and 'more on-the-job rather than classroom-based training'. They are also trusted with a lot of responsibility, often running files from early on in their training. Partners 'take an interest in career progression' and the 'work/life balance is a lot better' than at other City firms. There are some concerns about the 'lack of transparency over qualification jobs' and trainees can be 'sent on secondment with very little notice'. However, if you are looking for a firm with wide global reach, varied work without the Magic Circle demands and a practical approach to training then CMS is a great choice.

A day in the life

A day in the life of.....

Rachel Ormsby, second-year trainee, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP 
Departments to date:  Real estate, Wellcome Trust (secondment), corporate
University: UCL 
Degree: Law with French Law, 2(1) 

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8.30am: I arrive into work early as I have a corporate trainee training session starting at 9.00am. I check my voicemail and emails and plan my tasks for the day ahead. Another trainee pops into my office to ask me a question about some company statutory books that she has been asked to prepare. I show her what I have done previously and then we decide to make some tea before our training session on joint ventures begins.

10.30am: After the training I have a quick chat with my supervisor about the football the previous evening. He tells me he received a phone call from one of our clients to ask for advice regarding the urgent contract termination of a senior employee. The employee is also a director of the company which makes this a very sensitive situation. My supervisor has set up a meeting with the client for 11.00am along with a partner from our employment department and a partner from our litigation department. He asks me to research what we need from a company law perspective.

11.30am: I do some research and discuss the situation with one of our professional support lawyers. My supervisor comes back from his meeting with the client and I tell him my findings. He instructs me to draft the necessary letters and resolutions as soon as possible and to take everything to the meeting room where the client is waiting. Having to work to a tight time deadline is not unusual in the corporate department. Although it is a lot of pressure, it is often when I am given most responsibility and get the most interesting work.

12.00pm: I have been working on a hotels deal (for a very well-known group of hotels) for a few months and it is due to complete next week. The week leading up to completion is usually a very manic time and I am trying to get as much done as possible to ensure I am organised for the week ahead. The financial advisors have asked us to insert a new company into the purchaser's group for tax reasons. I prepare the necessary board minutes and forms to transfer one of the CMS shelf companies to form the new Midco.

2.00pm: I receive an email from a client who would like to drop off some documents which I had previously requested from him. I agree to meet him in our reception at 5.00pm. Another partner asks me to look at and update his client's articles of association. His client is a search engine company which intended to list on the stock exchange prior to the downturn and its articles need to be updated to reflect the fact that this will no longer happen. I notice that the articles were drafted under the Companies Act 1985 and I decide to update them in line with the provisions of the new Companies Act 2006.

5.00pm: Reception calls to tell me my client has arrived to drop off the documents. The client is a director of a major coffee and sandwich chain and he greets me in reception with a large latte - my favourite coffee. We have a quick chat about the deal that we completed a few weeks ago and then I go back upstairs to check my emails. My supervisor asks me to do some research on a private equity house as he is thinking of pitching them for work. He tells me this is not urgent and gives me a deadline of one week.

6.00pm: Today is the monthly corporate team meeting which is being held on our client floor. We have just had our year end so we discuss our encouraging year end financials and the major deals that the department has worked on over the last month. At the end one of the partners announces that he is putting his card behind the bar at the pub and so we all head down there for pub-grub and drinks.

About the firm

About the firm

Address: Mitre House, 160 Aldersgate Street EC1A 4DD

Telephone: 020 7367 3000

Fax: 020 7367 2000

Website: www.cmstalklaw.com

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Senior partner: Dick Tyler

Managing partner: Duncan Weston

 

Other offices: Bristol, Scotland 

Who we are:  CMS is the leading organisation of European law firms, which includes CMS Cameron McKenna.

What we do: Our clients benefit from an extensive range of tailored services which can be grouped broadly into six practice groups: banking and international finance; commercial; corporate; energy, projects and construction; insurance and reinsurance; and real estate.

What we are looking for: We look for high-achieving team players with good communication, analytical and organisational skills.

What you'll do:  Over two years you will undertake four six-month seats in different practice areas. You will be awarded a priority seat and will undertake a compulsory seat in either corporate or banking, and a contentious seat. You will also have the opportunity to spend a seat with a client or in another office. In addition to your on-the-job learning and technical training you will also attend a variety of talks, workshops and lunchtime sessions.

Perks: Trainees can expect gym membership/subsidy, life assurance, pensions scheme with firm contributions, private healthcare, season ticket loan, confidential care line, subsidised restaurant and 25 days' holiday with options to buy a further five days. There is also the opportunity to be seconded to another office, a UK-based client secondment or further afield to our Central and Eastern European offices.

Sponsorship: The firm will cover fees for the GDL and LPC or DLP and provide you with a maintenance grant of up to £7,500.

 

Facts & figures

 Facts and figures

Trainee places available for 2014: 60

Applications received pa: Approximately 1,000 

Percentage interviewed: 20% 

Salary

First year: £37,500

Second year: £42,000

Newly qualified: £60,000

 The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £214.4m (-11% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £444,000 (-20%)

Total partners: over 120

Other fee-earners: over 1,000

Total trainees: 120

APPLY NOW

Application process

Apply to: Lisa Wells, graduate recruitment officer.

How: Please apply online at www.cmstalklaw.com. 

When to Apply: By 31 July 2012. 

What is involved: Online application form and psychometric test, HR interview and presentation, analysis and group exercises, and a partner interview. 

 

 Vacation schemes

Spring: 26 March-5 April (apply by 31 January 2012). 

Summer: 18-29 June and 9-20 July (apply by 31 January 2012).