Firms

Mills & Reeve

Web: www.mills-reeve.com

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

Web: www.mills-reeve.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?

''Location and reputation'; 'work/life balance'; 'top-40 firm'; 'four-month seat system'; 'variety of seat choices'; 'opportunity to do seats in different offices'; 'the friendly and supportive atmosphere'; 'excellent reputation both in the City and nationwide'; 'its values'; 'quality of clients'; 'ambitious yet personable''

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

''PSC involvement is high'; 'informal training is constant'; 'more responsibility'; 'better work/life balance'; 'more supportive and structured'; 'more client contact'; 'work is more in-depth and interesting'; ' a lot less photocopying and making tea''

Best thing about the firm?

''Its friendly approach'; 'scope of work/departments'; 'reasonable hours'; 'a genuinely distinct ethos running through the firm'; 'the flexible benefits package'; 'no real sense of hierarchy'; 'people are always happy to give you advice and guidance''

Worst thing about the firm?

''Slightly 'old-school' in its approach'; 'lifts breaking down all the time'; 'can feel confining unless you are committed to being outside of London'; 'offices aren't particularly attractive or modern'; 'the temperature - it's never right!''

Best moment?

''Being given lots of responsibility and client contact on matters'; 'assisting on two successful adjudications'; 'attending a financial hearing on my own whilst in the family team'; 'attending court and assisting counsel''

Worst moment?

''Being stuck in a lift for 45 mins'; 'the parking situation is a bit of a disaster'; 'trainee entertainment for the Christmas party!''

The Lex 100 verdict

The Verdict

The firm

Based in East Anglia, Mills & Reeve LLP has a wide reach with other offices in Birmingham, London, Leeds and Manchester. Dominant among the regional firms it excels across numerous practice areas, including corporate and commercial, commercial litigation, banking and finance, insolvency and professional negligence. It is also known for its first-class public sector practice, which advises numerous healthcare, education and local government clients. Through its international network of law firms, it can offer clients advice on matters in most jurisdictions.

The star performers

Agriculture and estates; Banking and finance; Biotechnology; Charities; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate and commercial; EU and competition; Education: institutions; Employment; Environment; Family; Healthcare; IP and IT; Insolvency and corporate recovery; Licensing; Local government; Media and entertainment; PFI; Planning; Personal tax, trusts and probate; Professional negligence; Property litigation; Public sector; Sport.

The deals

Advised Xaar plc on raising £15m for expansion; advised Eastern European brewing group StarBev on restructuring after its $3bn acquisition; handled a £90m breach of warranty and fraud claim for SPC (Norwich) Ltd; advised the FSA on a £100m credit facility.

The clients

Aon Claims Solutions; Adnams; Countrywide Surveyors; Deloitte LLP; FSU Investments; First Property Group; Holkham Hall Estate; Limerock LLP; the Burleigh Estate; The Environment Agency; the MoD.

The Verdict

Mills & Reeve continues to be a favourite with trainees attracted by the 'friendly and supportive' atmosphere not to mention its ambitious growth strategy. With a great reputation, the firm is noted for its 'high-quality' work and impressive client list. Top ranking banking and finance, property litigation and public sector practices as well as a quality of training that is 'comparable' with City firms make it a popular choice. Trainees like the firm's 'vision and values for the future' and thrive off the fact that it is 'ambitious yet personable'. The six-seat training is popular as it offers the chance to experience more of the 'vast' range of practice areas on offer. Trainees also comment that the work they handle seems to be 'more in-depth and interesting' and they appreciate the well-structured training. Hours here aren't a nightmare either ('I have more sociable working hours') with the firm being a Lex 100 Winner for work/life balance as well as for its popular vacation scheme and manageable stress levels. Be prepared to 'assist on adjudications' and perhaps 'attend financial hearings whilst in the family team', and current trainees enjoy seeing high-profile matters they work on being covered in the national press. The offices could be more modern and the temperamental lifts can be a pain ('being stuck in a lift for 45 minutes was a low point!'). The slightly 'old school' attitude of the firm is also mentioned by some trainees. However, if you are looking for a varied and inclusive training contract, plus London quality of work outside the City, then Mills & Reeve takes some beating.

A day in the life

A day in the life of.....

Ben Howell, trainee, Mills & Reeve LLP
Departments to date: Healthcare, construction and public law
University: Leeds
Degree: Sports science and physiology

9.00am: I arrive in the office after a gentle walk to work in the sunshine. I live in the city centre so walking to work is easy and efficient. The first thing I do is grab a drink and a piece of toast from the canteen, before logging on to my computer and checking my emails. I sort through my post and assess my to-do list for the day, which was prepared last night.

9.15am: My seat is in the construction team and I am currently helping one of the associates complete a building contract which is worth £44m to our client. We have a meeting this morning with the client and the main building contractors from the project, so we sit down and go through what the meeting is likely to cover and the tasks we will both have to tackle.

9.30am: The parties to the meeting arrive and my role is to assist in any way possible. The completion of a building contract requires every document to be produced in duplicate, so as a team we all need to check everything is in order. During my construction seat I have had lots of client contact, which I really enjoy.

11.00am: After the meeting, I go back to my desk and check my emails. I have a few other tasks to complete for other members of the team so I take a few minutes to prioritise them and make a start. The good thing about being a trainee is you receive a large variety of work from different people, helping you to learn every facet of the business.

12.00pm: The firm's professional support lawyers often hold internal training seminars (which have the added bonus of a free lunch) and today they are holding a property update. As a trainee, these events are useful because they are aimed at the practical issues that the team deals with on a regular basis.

1.00pm: After lunch I have another discussion with my supervisor about what we need to do next to complete the building contract. I've been working on this matter since I joined the team, so I have been able to get really involved. I'm asked to go back downstairs and assist the client in the audit process of the contract, while she finishes up some work at her desk. A great thing about training here at Mills & Reeve is the responsibility they entrust you with, in addition to being directly exposed to the clients.

5.00pm: The afternoon goes very smoothly with the building contract having only a very few minor glitches which are easily remedied by either myself or my supervisor. The client and the contractor are both happy to sign and complete today in our office and we celebrate with a glass of champagne where we are commended for the work we've done.

5.30pm: As a trainee, you rarely work on the same matter all day and I am consciousthat I still have other jobs to do for the rest of the team. It is important to be able to prioritise your work but I enjoy the variety. I have to send out some collateral warranty contracts for another member of my team, so I draft a covering letter and make sure they are in the post room in time for the evening post.

6.00pm: I check that there is nothing urgent that needs finishing tonight and make sure I have done everything on my to-do list and create one for tomorrow. The work/life balance at Mills & Reeve is brilliant and there are a lot of social and sporting events to get involved with after work. Tonight, the football team (who are reigning champions) are having a social evening, so it's off to a few city-centre bars where we will meet up with other trainees in the city.

About the firm

About the firm

Address: Francis House, 112 Hills Road CB2 1PH

Telephone: 01223 222336

Fax: 01223 355848

Website: www.mills-reeve.com

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

Senior partner: Mark Jeffries

Managing partner: Guy Hinchley

Other offices: Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Norwich.

Who we are: One of the UK's leading full-service law firms. We believe that success can only be achieved through hard work, commitment and investment in the right people.

What we do: Core sectors are: corporate and commercial; banking and finance; education; healthcare; insurance; local government; private client; real estate; and technology.

What we are looking for: We welcome candidates from both law and non-law disciplines who have, or expect, a 2(1) degree or equivalent. You will need to be highly motivated, with excellent interpersonal skills, confidence, commercial awareness, a professional attitude and a readiness to accept responsibility early on.

What you'll do: Trainees complete six four-month seats. An in-house training programme, developed by our team of professional support lawyers, supports the PSC. Performance is assessed by informal reviews during the seat and a more formal review at the end of each seat.

Perks: Flexible benefits scheme, pension scheme, life assurance, bonus scheme, 25 days' holiday per year, sports and social committee, subsidised restaurant, season ticket loan, employee assistance programme.

Sponsorship: Full course fees for the LPC and GDL. A maintenance grant during the LPC year and the GDL year.

Facts & figures