Firms

Freshfields

Web: www.freshfields.com/uktrainees

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

Web: www.freshfields.com/uktrainees

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?

''Friendliness in interview'; 'pro bono programme'; ' the worldwide network'; 'the quality of clients and work'; 'enjoyed the vac scheme'; 'strength of certain practice groups'; 'three-month seats'; 'Magic Circle, yet down to earth'; 'prestige'; 'flexible training contract'; 'reputation'; 'quality of training''

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

''About the same'; 'I get a large amount of actual trainee work'; 'training is excellent'; 'very good quality of interesting and varied work'; 'greater input into your own career development'; 'more flexibility and more responsibility'; 'longer hours''

Best thing about the firm?

''You are usually able to shape your training contract'; 'high-quality work'; 'exciting deals'; 'seat flexibility'; 'working with some of the best lawyers in their field'; 'does not feel at all hierarchical'; 'client contact opportunities'; 'very friendly and sociable teams'; 'facilities are fantastic'; 'remuneration'; 'the international aspects''

Worst thing about the firm?

''Negative attitude towards work in some teams'; 'I can't make mid-week plans'; 'lack of certain internal resources'; 'the drudge work'; 'lack of communication'; 'no bonuses for NQs'; 'culture of face time'; 'the IT'; 'stress'; 'dog-eat-dog work culture'; 'high pressure''

Best moment?

''Being asked for by name by partners and senior associates'; 'pro bono activities'; 'closing a deal'; 'attending an arbitration hearing (and eventually winning)'; 'a client meeting with an important client'; 'flying to Switzerland to do a closing by myself'; 'our team winning the pub quiz'; 'working with fun associates'; 'PSC advocacy course''

Worst moment?

''Having to cancel on friends and family at the last minute'; 'redacting confidential information from a 400-page document with a black marker pen at 1am'; 'nearly missing New Year's Eve'; 'no sleep in 36 hours'; 'first few weeks came as a shock to the system after the LPC''

The Lex 100 verdict

The Verdict

The firm

Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP continues to be a world-beater in many areas, including M&A, corporate restructuring, securitisation, equity capital markets and EU and competition. The firm is also a strong performer on the contentious side, with leading practices in commercial and banking litigation, international arbitration and public international law.

The star performers

Administrative and public law; Arbitration; Banking litigation; Commercial property; Corporate restructuring and insolvency; Corporate tax; EU and competition; Environment; Financial services; Fraud; Insurance and reinsurance litigation; Investment funds; Mergers and acquisitions: upper-mid market and premium deals, £250m+; Pensions; Private finance initiative (PFI); Private equity; Public international law; Rail; Regulatory; Securitisation; Trade.

The deals

Acting for the British Bankers' Association in a significant judicial review application against the FSA and FOS regarding mechanisms for customer redress and the misselling of PPI; acting for Goldman Sachs on the UK aspects of the issues relating to its 'Abacus' CDO; advised RBS in the high-profile dispute between Liverpool FC and its US owners; advised MTN in its ICSID arbitration against the Government of Yemen.

The clients

AstraZeneca; Eclipse Film Partners; Bank of England; Barclays; Betfair; BNP Paribas; Deutsche Bank; Essar Energy; EWS; HSBA Bank; JP Morgan Cazenove; NEC; Nomura; Promethean World; Rolls-Royce; Sara Lee; Standard Chartered; Tesco.

The winners

Legal Business Awards 2011

Winner Restructuring team of the year, Private Equity team of the year, Highly commended Competition team of the year, Dispute Resolution team of the year, Real Estate team of the year.

The Verdict

Making a great impression right from the start ('fantastic vacation scheme') Magic Circle firm Freshfields also attracts trainees with its 'great clients, great work and friendly people'. The firm is very highly regarded for its expertise in arbitration, litigation and public M&A amongst a host of other practice areas. Trainees get the chance to go overseas ('my New York secondment was a highlight') and the three-month seat system means that they are exposed to more practice areas than many of their peers. Unusually for a Magic Circle firm, it is possible to shape your own training so that you are able to 'see the seats that you want to see'. Expect to be given a 'better quality of work' and a lot of responsibility very early on, with one current trainee 'flying to Switzerland to do a closing alone' and several others seeing deals that they are working on in the national press. As is to be expected, time spent in the office can be gruelling ('36 hours without sleep!') and some trainees feel that instructions given can be 'unclear'. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, but if you want a firm with an outstanding global reputation, a committed pro bono programme and a collegiate approach look no further.

A day in the life

A day in the life of.....

Richard Mabey, first-year trainee solicitor, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Departments to date: Structured and asset finance, corporate (private equity and M&A)
University: Edinburgh University
Degree: MA Hons, Philosophy and Modern Languages

7.30am: I quickly scan my BlackBerry to see whether anything has come in overnight that needs my urgent attention. Fortunately the emails can wait and I cycle to Lincoln's Inn where I am meeting three other trainees for a game of tennis.

9.00am: I have a quick shower at the office and grab some breakfast from the canteen. My supervisor is not in yet so I take the opportunity to wade through a 50-strong email backlog. I am working on a cross-border sale of part of a client's business, which will be signing in a few days time.

9.30am: I go and have a chat with a couple of the associates working on the deal to see where I can help. I am asked to read a disclosure letter and suggest amendments.

10.00am: I get a call from my supervisor who is in a meeting with the client's CEO. He says that a new commercial point has just been agreed and asks me to touch base with one of the associates to get a simple agreement drafted in the next hour. I stop reading the disclosure letter and get straight on it.

11.30am: My supervisor gets back to the office and we have a chat about the draft I have created. He explains where the document will need to be amended and then leaves it to me to get it into a form that can go to the client.

12.00pm: One of the associates on the deal is having a meeting with the client on the disclosure letter and asks me to come along. I quickly read the rest of the disclosure letter and make some notes on the drafting. We go up to the client floor and talk to the client's general counsel about our amendments.

1.00pm: I grab a sandwich to eat at my desk and do some preparation for a meeting I need to attend as a representative for my intake on the trainee consultative group. I read through some feedback from trainees on their experiences at the firm and submit some items for the agenda.

3.00pm: I attend a training session given by a fellow trainee on the negotiation of warranties. I am doing a presentation next week and the bar has been set pretty high. I have a chat with her about useful sources of research and have a think about what I could talk about.

4.00-6.00pm: I am flat out doing bits of drafting and compiling a bill for the client.

6.00pm: I attend a treasure hunt that has been organised by part of the corporate team. We go for some drinks afterwards and then I head to Hyde Park for an Arcade Fire concert with a couple of friends. I make it just in time.

11.30pm: I get home and check my BlackBerry to see if anything has come in. I send a couple of emails and get a good night's sleep.

About the firm

About the firm

Address: 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HS

Telephone: 020 7936 5554

Fax: 020 7832 7001

Website: www.freshfields.com/uktrainees

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

Other offices: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bahrain, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vienna, Washington DC.

Who we are: A leading international law firm with 27 offices in 16 countries. Clients include Mars, The Bank of England, Nomura and Tesco, among many others.

What we do: Provide first-rate legal services to corporations, financial institutions and governments.

What we are looking for: Whatever their background, trainees need some non-negotiable qualities. They need to be intellectually talented and have excellent English skills. They need to enjoy working on difficult problems, working alongside others and never doing less than the best they can.

What you'll do: Every training contract is unique to the trainee. Trainees can move departments every three months, so they can see more of what's on offer. Other firms are not so flexible. All departments provide formal training. But trainees learn most by working for clients alongside the firm's more experienced lawyers.

Perks: Flexible benefits to include options of: pension scheme, private medical insurance, permanent health insurance, life assurance, car share scheme, cycle to work scheme, interest-free loan, interest-free travel loan, gym, subsidised restaurant.

Sponsorship: CPE/GDL and LPC fees paid; maintenance grant (CPE/GDL: £6,250; accelerated six-month LPC: £6,000).

Facts & figures