Solicitor turned diversity champion Yasmin Sheikh shares her story

Yasmin Sheikh woke up one day paralysed from the waist down — aged just 29.

Sheikh was a personal injury lawyer at international firm, Clyde & Co; she was fit and healthy, sociable, a non-smoker and a vegetarian, when a spinal stroke led, without warning, to the loss of the use of both her legs.

In the latest episode of The Hearing podcast, Sheikh speaks candidly to Child & Child partner Kevin Poulter about how her life has changed since then and how she wants to challenge the daily “microaggressions” against her and others like her.

A year in rehabilitation followed Sheikh’s injury and she soon found herself looking at the world differently. “I was surrounded by charities and other disabled people with these incredible stories. That’s what sparked my interest in diversity”, she tells Poulter.

Returning to work, Sheikh explains how she felt conscious of the way her colleagues perceived her : “I didn’t know who I was and felt as if I was a burden… by that point I ticked every box: I was a mixed-race woman and a wheelchair user.”

After 12 years working successfully in law, Sheikh decided to give it up to found Diverse Matters, a training consultancy firm specialising in diversity and disability.

Living with a disability day-to-day, Sheikh has dealt with her fair share of prejudicial incidents, or what she has termed “microaggressions”. She explains:

“They range from fairly innocuous things like someone asking whether I’m okay if I happen to look down at my phone for a while when out and about in my wheelchair to some pretty horrible things. To them, it’s just one incident, but for me it’s hundreds on a daily basis.”

It is incidents like this that Sheikh is working hard to combat. Diverse Matters partners with a number of law firms — including Mayer Brown and Eversheds Sutherland — to encourage staff to embrace diversity and disability through training workshops, tailored seminars and interactive events.

“Disability isn’t just sticks and wheelchairs”, says Sheikh, “it’s all forms we can’t see such as cancer, diabetes or mental health conditions”. Part of her role is to make sure law firms are attuned to this and understand how they can get the best out of their lawyers and support staff who may have less visible conditions.

Alongside her consultancy work, Sheikh has taken up a whole host of other projects. She is the vice-chair of the Law Society’s Lawyers with Disabilities Division and has taken to the screen and stage as an actress and stand-up comedian.

You can hear more about Sheikh’s life and campaign to change attitudes to disability in the workplace in The Hearing podcast.

Listen to the podcast above or download it for free on iTunes, SoundCloud and Spotify

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We spoke to Catherine Hammon, Digital Revolution Knowledge Lawyer at international legal practice Osborne Clarke

Catherine Hammon, Digital Revolution Knowledge Lawyer at Osborne Clarke, has experienced first-hand how technology has improved lawyers’ lives.

As a junior in the City in the late 1990s, Hammon would sit alongside 20 colleagues, all armed with Post-It notes, manually reviewing documents for six weeks or more at a time. “It was incredibly boring,” she recalls, “and the fact that our juniors don’t have to do that anymore because of advances in technology is a good thing.”

Indeed, aspiring lawyers of today will never take part in six-week Post-It note binges. Firms have long been using online document review, where lawyers can tag important information electronically. Now, eyes have turned to more efficient systems which, utilising artificial intelligence (AI), can be “trained” to recognise content to a level of accuracy equal to, or better than, humans.

Digital transformation is Hammon’s bread and butter. After spending more than 20 years as a specialist in EU and UK competition and merger control law, less than a year ago she ditched her “comfort blanket of detail and deep specialism” to move into a “big picture role” at Osborne Clarke. This proved “incredibly invigorating” for Hammon: “Osborne Clarke is the kind of firm that is open to these kinds of things. It’s a place of opportunities,” she says.

Hammon’s job is to “join up the dots” and look at the big picture to understand how technological disruption is changing the world. Hammon runs firm-wide technical training programmes on the likes of: AI, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, and the Internet of Things and also keeps a close eye on virtual reality, 3D and 4D printing, drones and quantum computing.

Blockchain is a big issue for the firm and its financial services clients (amongst others). It throws up interesting legal issues, for example: because blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority, it sits above geographical jurisdictions. So, if a blockchain dispute arises, which court should hear it? Which law should apply? These are the questions lawyers are currently grappling with. Osborne Clarke recently produced a helpful report on some of these themes.

For some students, this may sound overwhelming and technical. But don’t think you’re expected to rock up to your training contract as a technology expert. Hammon says:

“You don’t have to be a tech geek and be able to code to be interested in how technology impacts law firms and their clients. In the same way, as a competition lawyer I was expected to understand why clients make commercial decisions, but I wasn’t expected to understand how they do so — or be expected to make these sorts of decisions myself!”

The best thing law students and aspiring lawyers can do now is familiarise themselves with key concepts and ideas. There are a “huge number of tech sources” out there that can help you do this, including: Wired, TechCrunch and Computer Weekly — Legal Cheek covers key developments in technology and the law, too.

“Keep reading, keep hunting,” Hammon says, “the more you’re open to it, the less alarming it seems. Aim to be tech curious, with an open, inquiring mind about it all.”

This reading will prepare aspiring lawyers for what Hammon describes as the “gradual” move towards the stronger integration of technology in legal practice. “When you think about what could potentially be done, the world’s your oyster”, she says, but logistics and practicalities dictate a slower pace of change:

“Firms have legacy internet and technology systems, and changing these can mean upgrading hardware and IT infrastructure and you have to be sure that shiny new software interfaces properly with all the existing systems that you are running; it takes effort and time! The world isn’t going to be turned upside down overnight.”

Hammon believes the current position on technology can be summed up by a quote from Microsoft founder Bill Gates: “Most people overestimate what they can do in two years and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” Rest assured, though, that technology, particularly AI systems, will be changing the way lawyers work and what lawyers do in the near(ish) future. But how?

For starters, “automated systems like document review don’t initially work on their own. They need humans who understand the issues and can train the system to recognise the types of document (or even phrases) being looked for, to a high level of accuracy”. This means front-loading the lawyers at the beginning of the document review process, to train up the tech. Once that’s done, the lawyers stand back to let it get to work, and then step back in at the end to analyse what the tech has found and feed it into strategy — something which the tech tool can’t do.

As well, technology has opened up entirely new jobs for its aficionados: “No one’s granny was a search engine optimisation expert”, Hammon says — nor were they a digital revolution knowledge lawyer. There will be more and different types of roles for legal professionals going forwards.

Specialism in technology isn’t reserved for more senior members of the firm: it’s now “entirely possible”, Hammon says, to qualify as a technology lawyer. Interested? Hammon advises:

“Get a good, general training first, so you have a solid idea of how the law operates. Where you have opportunities on your training contract to work on tech matters or for tech clients, make it known to your colleagues that you’re really interested in what you’re doing and that you’d like to do more work like this. Take as many opportunities as you can: that will help refine your skills and define your interests.”

Future-focused candidates who are interested in training at Osborne Clarke can find out more about the firm on its graduate recruitment website.

Follow @OC_Trainee

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Magic circle firm’s bosses still on over £1.5 million

Linklaters has reported a slight drop in the average earnings of its mega-wealthy partners for the first time in nearly a decade as it announced a mixed set of financial results.

The global player has announced that profit per equity partner (PEP) had fallen by 1.9% to £1.538 million — putting it behind its magic circle rivals Freshfields, Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance.

Still one of the most profitable firms in the world, Linklaters cited tweaks to the way it counts its partners for the unexpected dip. The remaining magic circler, Slaughter and May, does not disclose its results, but it is understood to be the most profitable of the elite fivesome.

Partner profits aside, the Silk Street firm saw revenues jump to £1.523 billion, up 6% from £1.44 billion, and pre-tax profits rise from £664 million to £676 million, an uplift of 1.7%.

Magic circle 2018 financials

Gideon Moore, Linklaters’ firmwide managing partner, said: “The firm has performed strongly again this year, achieving a 4.8% increase in income at constant currency. Our performance has been driven by the efforts of our people, our deep client relationships and our sector focus.” He added:

“During the course of the financial year we rolled out the global implementation of our firmwide strategy refresh: increased focus on investing in clients, our people and technology. We’re already seeing the results of some of the initiatives we’ve put in place and I’m excited about how we take the firm forward this year, acting for clients as a united, global team.”

Linklaters is the last of the magic circle firms to announce its results this year.

Clifford Chance saw its PEP jump by 16% to nearly £1.6 million, while revenue increased to £1.62 billion. Meanwhile, PEP at fellow magic circle duo A&O and Freshfields rose to respective figures of £1.64 million and £1.73 million — up 4% and 12%. The partner profit rises at the magic circle duo come on the back of overall revenue uplifts of 4% at A&O to £1.57 billion and 5% at Freshfields to £1.4 billion.

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Mouse droppings and risk of contamination cited in findings

A hygiene report produced by Camden Council and acquired by Legal Cheek has revealed why Mishcon de Reya‘s glamorous staff eatery was hammered by food safety inspectors.

The report (embedded in full below) shows that the City player’s in-house cafe received black marks for various hygiene no-nos, including “potential for cross-contamination of allergens”, “mouse droppings” and “ready to eat food held at ambient temperatures”. Overall, the firm chalked up a score of 50 out of 60 — 60 being the worst mark possible.

Responding to the report’s findings, a spokesperson for Mishcon de Reya said:

“Anything referred to in the assessment report has since been rectified with the help of our supply chain partners.”

On the cross-contamination point, inspectors found food containing peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts were not separated from other foods at the firm’s self-service breakfast table. Moreover, dairy milk and other types of non-dairy milk were prepared in stainless steel jugs that were not labelled or colour-coded to ensure that there was no cross-contamination.

As for the mouse poo, the report states:

“There was an isolated area of mouse droppings to the first floor kitchen next to the wine cooler. Mouse droppings were also found in the area of service pipes/cables to the ground floor catering staff room.”

The detailed findings come just weeks after it emerged that Mishcon de Reya had received a 1 out 5 food hygiene rating by Camden Council’s clipboard-wielding inspectors. At the time, Legal Cheek reproted that inspectors had found the Holborn outfit’s cafe lacking in “hygienic food handling”, “cleanliness and condition of facilities and building” and “management of food safety”.

Hygiene indiscretions aside, the two-office-outfit (London and New York) won the coveted Most Admired Law Firm 2018 at this year’s Legal Cheek awards. Its canteen won an A rating in the same survey.

Read the report in full below:

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Hear from lawyers who’ve done it

Legal Cheek’s final event of the summer season is one for aspiring lawyers who hope to join the profession after previous careers in other industries.

Taking place at The University of Law (ULaw) Moorgate on the evening of Thursday 26 July, ‘How to get into law as a career changer’ features solicitors from Irwin Mitchell, PwC and Shearman & Sterling.

Each has come to the law after working in another sector. They are:

Daniel Hedley, a partner at Irwin Mitchell specialising in IT law. Daniel was previously a senior systems engineer at an IT company.

Tom Dale, a senior associate in PwC’s regulatory & commercial disputes team. Before qualifying as a solicitor Tom worked as a consultant at another Big Four accountancy firm.

Jessica Stanion, a trainee solicitor at Shearman & Sterling. Jessica is a former advertising account executive.

They will be joined by ULaw careers consultant Candy Kobrak, who has a raft of experience advising career changers.

The quartet will answer audience questions in a Question Time-style panel discussion running from 6pm to 7:15pm. They will also share the secrets to their own success, while advising attendees on how they can best position themselves to obtain training contracts. They will look, too, to the future and give their views on what changes we can expect in the legal market.

Afterwards there will be an opportunity to chat informally with the speakers over drinks and nibbles.

Apply to attend here. You’ll be asked to submit a CV and two questions for the panel.

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Level of support remains ‘a lottery’, new research suggests

The legal profession is not set up to accommodate disabled candidates wanting to join the profession, according to new research.

Many talented disabled wannabe lawyers are being blocked from entering the legal sector due to “poorly equipped” recruitment processes — particularly at interview stage.

The findings are the first to be released from the Legally Disabled? project, an investigation into the positive and negative experiences of disabled lawyers, undertaken by Professor Debbie Foster at Cardiff University and independent researcher Dr Natasha Hirst. The results, which originate from focus groups of disabled legal professionals, highlight a mixed bag of experiences.

The legal profession continues to operate “inflexible” and often “outdated” working practices, which in turn limits access opportunities and career progression for disabled people. The research suggests the lack of part-time training contracts available is one such barrier.

Elsewhere, the study found that disabled candidates are an “untapped resource” and “positive experiences of support, good attitudes and appropriate reasonable adjustments are a lottery.” Moreover, the fear of discrimination means many disabled people are reluctant to declare an impairment.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Debbie Foster said:

“Much research and social policy is concerned with getting disabled people off benefits and into entry-level employment. There is limited aspiration to support disabled professionals to progress their careers or return to high-quality work after time out.”

The research comes just days after former personal injury lawyer Yasmin Sheikh spoke out about the daily “microagressions” she faced as wheelchair user. Sheikh, who suffered a spinal stroke at the age of 29, gave up the law to launch a training consultancy firm, Diverse Matters, to encourage the industry to embrace diversity and disability.

You can hear more about Sheikh’s life and campaign to change attitudes to disability in the workplace in The Hearing podcast.

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Macfarlanes, Travers Smith, Addleshaw Goddard, Clyde & Co and Mills & Reeve post strong financial results

Another batch of City law firms have released their 2018 financial figures — and it’s backslapping and champagne all round.

First up, Macfarlanes. The single-office outfit reported an operating profit of £107 million, up almost a quarter on the previous 12 months, while profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped by a whopping 25.5% to £1.7 million. The outfit’s turnover hit a cool £201.5 million, an increase of 20%.

A spokesperson for Macfarlanes told Legal Cheek: “Thanks go to all the hugely dedicated people who work here, both our lawyers and our business services team. Attract and retain really talented people, give loyal clients excellent service and you have a recipe for strong results.”

Meanwhile, fellow silver circle player Travers Smith reported a 17.5% increase in turnover to reach £146 million, while PEP swelled to £1.2 million — an uplift of 24.3%. Reflecting on this year’s stellar financials, Travers Smith’s managing partner, David Patient, said:

“The strategic investments in our people and business over the last few years are paying dividends, and the confidence we, and our clients, have in our model is reflected in some fantastic work this year, and our bumper promotion round of eight new partners.”

Not to be outdone, national player Addleshaw Goddard trumpeted record results this year, with global revenue hitting £242 million, a rise of 23%. Profits for the 2017/18 financial year grew 36% to £87 million, marking the fourth consecutive year of revenue and profit growth for the firm.

Last summer Addleshaws expanded into Scotland through a merger with Scottish outfit HBJ Gateley, creating, at the time, the UK’s 15th largest law firm. Over the past year or so it has welcomed around 30 new partners across England, Scotland, Asia and the Middle East.

Addleshaws’ managing partner John Joyce said:

“Income is now nearly 50% greater than 2013, continuing the upward trajectory of the last four years in terms of higher revenues, improved profitability and stronger cash position. This has been driven most recently by our successful expansion into Scotland, ongoing investment in priority sectors and global infrastructure.”

Next up, shipping and insurance specialist Clyde & Co. PEP climbed a modest 1.5% to £660,000, while net profit jumped to £140.5 million, up 10% on last year’s result of £127.6 million. Firmwide revenue rose to £551.3 million.

Clyde & Co, which has ten UK offices and a further 36 overseas, revealed 63 lawyers were appointed to partner positions over the past year, taking partner headcount at the firm to over 400 for the first time. Simon Konsta, Clyde & Co’s global senior partner, said:

“We are pleased with these results, which reflect the hard work of our people and the support of our clients. The climate for global business remains complex and our priority is to continue to adapt the services we offer and the delivery of them to ensure we are always providing clients with the very best service locally and globally.”

Finally, national outfit Mills & Reeve said it had enjoyed a reported record turnover of £106 million, up 14% on last year. The firm — which has offices in Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester and Norwich — also announced a staff bonus pool £2 million, equivalent to 7% of the firm’s total salary bill. It didn’t disclose its profit results but did confirm turnover rose by hefty 14% to £106.3 million.

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Over 200 industry insiders questioned as part of Legal Cheek’s Future of Legal Education and Training Conference

A survey of over 200 law firm graduate recruitment and legal educators reveals what skills and traits firms are looking for more of in their prospective trainees: and the results will surprise you.

The survey, conducted by BPP University Law School during one of the sessions at Legal Cheek‘s recent Future of Legal Education and Training Conference, reveals that it is “resilience and flexibility” which firms are seeking out, with over 60% of respondents citing this as a top-three skills requirement for the job.

“Written communication” and “commerciality” also secured top three positions, with 43% and 42% respectively. The much-talked-about “tech and digital skills” came in fifth (31%), just behind “time management” in fourth (32%).

Even more intriguing is that the survey also found that there are a number of what might be called more human traits which are seen as “vital” on top of the core skills: these include “emotional intelligence”, a good “attitude” and the ability to take personal responsibility for things.

Not only were these elements cited more often than typical lawyer traits such as “attention to detail” and “analytical skills”, but also more often than business-related skills such as “project management”, “entrepreneurship” and “networking”.

For associate roles, respondents were asked what skills were lacking in most associates: their responses were varied but one skill which came up quite often was “leadership”. Also cited were: “adaptability”, “the ability to delegate”, “creativity”, “open-mindedness” and “innovation”.

Resilience and flexibility are taking centre stage because of the world of law is a world of change, observes Adam Curphey, head of innovation technology at BPP Law School. He told Legal Cheek:

“The Solicitors Qualification Exam, Brexit, deregulation, and new entrants to the market are all major factors [driving change] before we even think about legal tech. There is a growing realisation that the lawyers of the future do not necessarily need to be tech-savvy in a specific area, but have to be ready and willing to adapt to any change and face any new challenge with an open mind and willingness to turn that challenge into an opportunity.”

Students will have to demonstrate this resilience somehow. Curphey advises: “Getting involved in different legal projects” and demonstrating that you “are willing to think differently”. Curphey continued:

“We have started to see law firms increasingly embrace cognitive flexibility in seeking a more diverse pool of new entrants, seeking STEM students for example who have different ways of thinking from the traditional law graduate; but a good mix is what is needed.”

The findings — from a vote taken in the session on skills for the next generation of lawyers — involved specialists in graduate recruitment and legal education participating in the conference. The session included Mark Collins, legal project management lead at Herbert Smith Freehills, and Jo-Anne Pugh, strategic director of programme design and development at BPP University.

BPP are set to release a second report this month following their initial Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) survey in November last year. The follow-on report will give insights from the law firm focus groups held by BPP on what skills new entrants to the legal profession need over and above those required from the narrow focus of the regulator-backed super-exam.

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It’s not the first time that a firm’s identity has been used in this way

Online scammers have used the names of two top international outfits in what appears to be a crude attempt to dupe the general public.

According to a warning on the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) website, a member of the public received an email falsely claiming to be from “Osborne Clarke Solicitors”, containing a link to open a shared file. The email, which has nothing to do with the genuine Osborne Clarke, refers to an encrypted message and invites the recipient to log in to view the file. There is a concern the file may contain malicious software, the warning adds.

An Osborne Clarke spokesperson told Legal Cheek:

“We received reports of scam emails and notified the SRA. While the communications mention a variation of our brand name, ‘Osborne Clarke Solicitors’, our business has no connection and only emails with the osborneclarke.com address are genuine. We cannot control scam emails as we are not responsible for the servers they originate from, but we have created a page on our website that highlights scams that have been brought to our attention.”

The regulator’s warning comes just days after it emerged that scam emails were sent to members of the public claiming to be from a Herbert Smith Freehills‘ (HSF) partner and the firm.

The email falsely claims to be from HSF’s London public law head Andrew Lidbetter and relates to the benefit of a “will investment” of the sender’s deceased client. According to the warning, the email is based on a dispute between the sender and a member of the public regarding the release of a death certificate and a complaint about the fee the sender has requested.

A similar SRA alert — issued at the same time — warned the public that emails have also been sent to organisations falsely claiming to be from HSF. The emails, again nothing to do with the genuine HSF, refer to an attached legal expense, relating to work carried out by the sender.

A HSF spokesperson told Legal Cheek:

“We confirm that the firm and any relevant individuals have no connection with these emails which misused our names. Similar to others which have also been impacted, we reported the incidents to the relevant authorities.”

This isn’t the first time law firms and lawyers have been targeted in this manner.

In 2016, Legal Cheek reported that scammers had pretended to be Withers‘ London partner Matthew Woods. The emails claimed the experienced solicitor needed help tracking down the relative of a deceased client, but neither Woods nor Withers had anything to do with the messages.

More recently, internet wrong’uns used the name of a Norton Rose Fulbright solicitor as part of a scam. The emails, falsely claiming to be from litigation and dispute resolution consultant solicitor Tim Ingham, concerned “an inheritance or other payment following a supposed air crash involving a family member”. At the time, the firm issued a statement stressing it was in no way connected to the bogus emails.

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Luminance was developed by Cambridge boffins

Eversheds Sutherland has become the latest law firm to sign a deal that will see it use artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Based on research and development by boffins at the University of Cambridge, Luminance is a sophisticated AI system designed to “think like a lawyer”. It can read (and understand) legal documents just like a human, only more efficiently, according to its creators.

Luminance will compliment Eversheds’ existing document review techniques and help bring greater efficiency, responsiveness and accuracy. This will, the firm says, free up its top legal minds to focus on more complex work.

On the partnership, Eversheds Sutherland CEO, Lee Ranson, said:

“We are constantly looking at ways to use new technology for the benefit of our clients, and add real value across the legal practice. Using AI solutions allows us to work with our clients as their business partners, delivering what really matters to them: quality, strategic legal advice, combined with greater efficiencies.”

Eversheds isn’t the first firm to use Luminance’s tech.

In 2016, elite magic circle player Slaughter and May signed a similar deal with US business following a successful pilot, and even went on to invest in it a year later.

This latest deal comes just weeks after Facebook purchased start-up and former Allen & Overy tech incubator resident Bloomsbury AI. Coughing up a cool £26 million, the social media giant hopes to use the company’s AI platform to help tackle the rise of fake news.

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International outfit accused of losing ‘sight of any basic standard of decent and compassionate behaviour’ in astonishing Aeroflot judgment

A High Court judge has accused Pinsent Masons of losing sight of “any basic standard of decent and compassionate behaviour” in the way it dealt with the family of a dead oligarch.

Pinsent Masons was acting on behalf of Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, in a now discontinued case that alleged Russian businessmen Nikolai Glushkov and Boris Berezovsky had misappropriated large sums of cash from the company during the 90s. Both men are now dead.

The judicial slamming — which forms part of the costs ruling in PJSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines v Leeds & Anor (Trustees of the estate of Boris Berezovsky) & Ors — concerns a letter sent by Pinsents to Subir Desai, a Mayfair-based lawyer appointed by the court to represent Glushkov’s estate.

Glushkov, former deputy director of Aeroflot, was found dead at his Surrey home back in March 2018. The Metropolitan Police’s investigation into his murder is ongoing.

According to Justice Rose’s scathing judgment, the court received a witness statement from Desai on 12 April which explained how Glushkov’s estate was unlikely to be worth more than £250,000 and that his bereaved family had been trying to work out what to do next.

However, in a move described by Rose as “shameful”, Pinsent Masons wrote to Desai later that same day to ascertain details of Glushkov’s estate. Rose said:

“They effectively berate Mr Trushin [Glushkov’s civil partner] and Ms Glushkova [Glushkov’s daughter] through their solicitors for failing to come forward sooner, demanding an explanation ‘by return and in any event by noon tomorrow’ why they had left it ‘so late’ to make the application. The letter went on to ask many intrusive and hectoring questions about what contact the clients have had with others about the trial; what efforts they have made to establish whether Mr Glushkov left a will…”

Rose added: “But it is, fortunately, ‘out of the norm’ for a litigant and its legal representatives so to lose sight of any basic standard of decent and compassionate behaviour as to send a letter in those terms. It is all the more shocking given that it seems very unlikely that at the time the letter was drafted and sent, Aeroflot had no inkling that the next day it would serve a notice of discontinuance, abandoning all claims against Mr Glushkov’s estate.”

Aeroflot was ordered to pay all the defendants’ costs to be assessed on the indemnity basis for the whole proceedings.

A spokesperson for Pinsent Masons said:

“For a number of years we have been assisting Aeroflot in pursuing a claim against various individuals and companies, alleging that a serious and complex fraud has taken place. Our sole objective has been to help our client discover the truth of these matters. Mr Glushkov’s tragic death has been truly saddening and we have been sensitive to this during our subsequent conduct of the litigation.”

Read the judgment in full below:

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Stonewall’s index celebrates the efforts of organisations to create inclusive workplaces

Six City law firms have secured places on this year’s lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) Top Global Employers list.

Compiled by equality charity Stonewall, the index celebrates the endeavours of leading organisations to create inclusive workplaces and advance equality for LGBT people. This year’s 13-strong list — based on a benchmarking tool called the Global Workplace Equality Index — is dominated by City outfits.

The corporate firms recognised for their LGBT endeavours are: Allen & Overy, Baker McKenzie, Dentons, Herbert Smith Freehills, Pinsent Masons and Simmons & Simmons.

A special mention goes to Baker McKenzie, which will receive Stonewall’s special Global LGBT Network award at an event in London this evening.

Commenting on this year’s list, Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall said: “LGBT people face discrimination, violence and isolation in every country in the world. In more than 70 countries, consensual same-sex activity remains illegal, and the death penalty exists in eight. Only six countries allow trans people to self-determine their gender.” She continued:

“At a time when global LGBT rights are under threat of going backwards, we’re proud to work alongside our Top Global Employers, who operate in some extremely difficult contexts, to ensure all people are protected and welcome at work, wherever they are.”

The other top employers to make this year’s list were Accenture, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, SAP, Vodafone and Zurich Insurance Group.

Earlier this year, Legal Cheek reported that 16 City firms had been named on Stonewall’s workplace equality list. Not to be confused with today’s index, the top 100 list ranks businesses on similar inclusivity-based criteria.

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Court of Appeal reserves decision over former EDL leader’s claim that 13-month sentence is excessive

Former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson attended a media law training session with London law firm Kingsley Napley, it emerged yesterday. News of Robinson’s attendance at the media skills course came as three judges heard his appeal against a 13-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Robinson, who appeared under his real name of Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed in May after he filmed outside a criminal trial and broadcast the footage online. The clip was watched about 250,000 times within hours of being posted on social media.

The Court of Appeal heard yesterday how Robinson — along with members of the Canadian-based news website, The Rebel Media — attended a “rigorous” media law training session hosted by Kingsley Napley. The session, which is understood to have taken place in June 2017, was brought to the court’s attention by Robinson’s barrister, 25 Bedford Row’s Jeremy Dein QC.

Dein refers to a legal seminar that we at @therebeltv set up for Tommy at a leading law firm, Kingsley Napley, where Tommy was given a deep briefing on how to stay on the right side of the law. Dein mentions this as an indication of Tommy's good faith conduct.

— Ezra Levant (@ezralevant) July 18, 2018

From the Court of Appeal: Tommy Robinson competed a "rigorous" media law training session with top law firm Kingsley Napley. "Unfortunately it didn't quite have the impact he might have hoped for", says his barrister. #TommyRobinson

— Tristan Kirk (@kirkkorner) July 18, 2018

Kingsley Napley didn’t respond to Legal Cheek’s requests for comment.

Elsewhere during the hearing, Dein QC urged the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and two other judges to release Robinson, submitting that procedural “deficiencies” had given rise to “prejudice”. He further argued that Robinson’s 13-month sentence was “manifestly excessive” and claimed “insufficient weight” had been given to personal mitigation.

Reserving judgment, Burnett said that the court would do its “level best” to give a decision before the end of the month.

Comments on this article are now closed.

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Canary Wharf-based giant keeps 36 out of 47 NQs

The London office of Clifford Chance has announced an autumn 2018 retention result of 77%.

From a qualifying cohort of 47, the magic circle player revealed 36 newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers will be staying on. Clifford Chance, which dishes out around 80 training contracts each year, received 44 applications and made 36 offers. The firm does not provide details of the departments or offices its rookies will qualify into.

Those sticking around at the firm will start on £87,300, however it’s worth noting that this figure includes what the firm describes as a “binary bonus”. Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows year one trainee salaries currently sit at £44,800, rising to £50,500 in year two.

Today’s result marks a slight drop on the firm’s spring 2018 performance. On that occasion, Clifford Chance posted a score of 92% (44 out of 48).

The firm was a solid performer in our Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. Securing an A* for its office, training and perks, Clifford Chance racked up As for peer support, quality of work, tech, canteen and social life.

News of the firm’s autumn result comes just weeks after Clifford Chance unveiled a new tech-focused internship for some of its future trainees. Teaming up with London start-up Lexoo, Clifford Chance’s rookies will spend two months working across the online marketplace’s product, marketing, business development and operations teams.

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Mixed fortunes for corporate trio

Mishcon de Reya, Gowling WLG and DAC Beachcroft have become the latest UK-headquartered law firms to reveal their 2018 financial results.

Mishcon confirmed its turnover had hit £161.3 million, up 8% on the previous 12 months (£149 million). Despite this uplift, the firm’s profit per equity partner (PEP) dropped by 9% — £1.1 million to £1 million.

Kevin Gold, Mishcon’s managing partner, said: “To see this level of growth across the firm in such challenging and unpredictable market conditions is very heartening and is testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone at the firm.”

Elsewhere, 18-office-outfit DAC Beachcroft revealed its pre-tax profit jumped by 21% to £47 million, while PEP rose by a healthy 23% to £530,000 — the first time it surpassed the £500,000 mark, according to the firm. Total turnover hit £230 million, an increase of £23 million or 11%.

Reflecting on this year’s set of financials, DAC Beachcroft’s managing partner David Pollitt said:

“The strong revenue growth in the year, the continuing trend of growth in profit and profit per member and the ongoing decline in net debt are the results of a commitment to outstanding client service, our investment in our colleagues and more efficient financial management.”

Finally, corporate player Gowling WLG. The firm, which is the product of the 2016 tie-up between UK firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co and Canadian giant Gowlings, saw revenue increase to £455.5 million, up £17% from £390.1 million. Gowling did not disclose its average PEP or overall profit figures.

A host of City firms have now confirmed their 2018 financial results including four magic circle players.

Clifford Chance saw PEP rise by 16% to £1.6 million, while revenue hit £1.62 billion. Meanwhile, PEP at A&O and Freshfields stood at £1.64 million and £1.73 million — up 4% and 12% respectively. The partner profit rises at the magic circle duo come on the back of overall revenue uplifts of 4% at A&O to £1.57 billion and 5% at Freshfields to £1.4 billion.

Bucking the trend, Linklaters was the only member of the elite group to report a drop in PEP, down 1.9% to £1.54 million. The Silk Street firm’s revenues stood at £1.52 billion, up 6% from £1.44 billion, while pre-tax profits from £664 million to £676 million, an uplift of 1.7%. The remaining magic circler, Slaughter and May, does not disclose its results, but it is understood to be the most profitable of the fivesome.

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A trio of leading City lawyers, legal educators and diversity organisations come together for an evening of careers advice and networking

At Legal Cheek’s ‘How to make it as a City lawyer’ event earlier this month, a host of City lawyers delved beyond the glossy graduate recruitment brochures and provided wannabe solicitors with an unfiltered view of life in the capital.

Gathering at BPP University Law School in Holborn were: Kirsty Wilson, a corporate partner at Baker McKenzie, Rebecca Wales, a commercial litigation partner at Hogan Lovells, Emma Sturt, an associate in banking and finance at Mayer Brown, Charlie Radcliffe, a tutor at BPP University Law School and Ramesh Pani, co-chair of diversity organisation NOTICED and associate at Ashurst.

City law v regional law

Many trainee hopefuls face the difficult question of whether they should start their careers in or outside of London. With the ever-increasing salaries of City lawyers, it is understandable that the money is a big factor. “That’s not something to sweep under the carpet”, says former Simmons & Simmons lawyer Radcliffe, “the rewards are very high when you’re working in the City”.

Baker McKenzie’s Wilson thinks it’s imperative students know what they’re looking for in a legal career, “do your research, but then make it applicable to you”, she advises, “but remember: the choice you make doesn’t have to be forever”. Pani read law at the University of Manchester, but reveals to an audience of over 120 that it was the opportunities and exposure available that drew him from the North to the South.

A number of City firms are expanding into regions through the launch of legal hubs and the panel were asked whether this trend poses a threat to the City. Hogan Lovells’ Wales doesn’t view this as a challenge. Her firm recently opened an office in the West Midlands which forms an “integrated part” of the firm’s London HQ. A large team of Birmingham-based paralegals, trainees and lawyers can now assist their London colleagues in areas such as litigation, real estate and corporate transactions.

There is a general assumption that City lawyers work harder than their regional peers. But this is not always the case according to Wales:

“One major advantage of working for a big City law firm is that we are able to work in teams of people. There isn’t much scope for extra capacity in regional firms and it’s often the case that there will only be one person managing a client relationship. If that one person were to be off sick or on holiday and something blows up whilst they’re away, no one is around to pick up the pieces.”

It’s the ability to work in teams across different departments and offices, bouncing ideas off others, to get something over the line that Pani enjoys most. “The sheer scale of work — that just isn’t available in the regions at the moment”, he says.

Life as a City lawyer

The panel, most of whom live and work in the City, were asked how they manage their respective work-life balance. Wilson, who has been with Baker McKenzie since starting out as a trainee in 1992, says:

“Everyone has a smartphone now, so everyone is more on call and ‘on duty’ than ever before. This is something my generation have evolved to accept but for you as the next generation it is a way of life from the start, and that has implications for you.”

Wales remembers when the BlackBerry became an essential workplace tool and feeling that you couldn’t put it down. “It’s important to impose self-discipline and know when you need to react”, she says. A difficult judgement for juniors, she notes, is when they’re copied into a relentless number of emails. It’s important to be able to differentiate between what is critical and what can wait until next week. “Just because you receive a letter from the other side at midnight does not necessarily mean it has to be read at midnight. It’s perfectly reasonable to wait until the next day”, she says.

City law is a very personal lifestyle choice, says Pani, referencing the sleeping pods available at some City outfits. “There are long hours in many professions — you have to weigh up the pros and cons and see whether this is for you”, he says. Lawyers are taken care of, however. If Pani happens to work late one day, he’ll get his dinner paid for and a taxi home.

Mother-of-two Sturt recently relocated to Buckinghamshire for a better work-life balance. It’s very commutable, she says, and flexible working allows her to work from home one day a week.

With regard to working hours, Sturt has the added benefit of being in a previous career. The former civil engineer appreciates that although the hours are longer than her previous 9-5 role, Sturt finds that she’s no longer “clockwatching” because she’s enjoying what she does.

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Ahead of Legal Cheek’s ‘How to get into law as a career changer’ event in London on Thursday, Shearman & Sterling trainee Jessica Stanion looks back on her route into the firm

“I’d always thought about law,” says Jessica Stanion. “It was always in the back of my mind. And now that I’ve gone into it, I have no regrets at all. It’s been all I hoped it would be, and more.”

Stanion is speaking just as she comes to the end of her first year as a trainee with Shearman & Sterling. She makes for a fine ambassador for the firm, speaking with real passion about her time with the US heavyweight which, at the time of writing, has more than 900 lawyers in 22 offices around the world. Collectively, they speak more than 60 languages; Stanion herself is eying up a six-month stint abroad for her final seat as a trainee.

But rewind just a few years, and the Newcastle University graduate’s career was heading in a different direction. Stanion, with A levels in economics, English and history, studied business management at Newcastle, graduating with a first in 2014. During her second year, she had worked as an intern for a media company. Stanion says:

“I worked with Zenith Media for six weeks in its London office, as part of the TV buying team on the L’Oréal account. The role involved negotiating with media owners, booking and buying my own campaigns for L’Oréal and maintaining a good relationship with the client to ensure their needs were meet. It was good experience, and fun. It seemed logical to carry on after university working in the media.”

So, in September 2014, Stanion joined Saatchi Masius’s graduate scheme to train as an account executive. Six months into the job, she knew it wasn’t for her. “They’re a great company and I met some fantastic people there, but the role wasn’t playing to my strengths. I wanted something a bit more intellectually challenging, with more variety. And something that didn’t rely so much on creativity. After all, I had a business degree, and it didn’t feel that I was making good use of it,” she explains.

Law — always there, bubbling away — moved from the back of Stanion’s mind to the forefront. She did not, however, change horses without doing some due diligence. She tells Legal Cheek Careers: “Some friends were doing the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the time, so I asked them what it entailed, and how they felt about the law as a career.” Stanion continues::

“They were very encouraging and helpful. One thing they pointed out was that the legal profession relies a lot on teamwork. They also warned me that the law isn’t for the faint-hearted; that you will work long hours, but that there are many rewards for this — especially the sense of achieving something as part of a team. This appealed to me. I also did a lot of desktop research into what kind of lawyer I could be. Corporate law was logical. Next in the jigsaw was a Shearman & Sterling Career Change day. The firm hosts these annually. I applied to go on one and was accepted. It was the turning point.”

Stanion’s day with Shearman & Sterling convinced her to enrol on the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the University of Law (ULaw) in London, and then complete the LPC, again at ULaw. She gained a distinction in both. Thanks to the career change day, she was also inspired to apply to Shearman & Sterling. She explains:

“It was a fascinating day. We met partners, associates and trainees, and the head of graduate recruitment gave an inspirational talk about the benefit of having transferable skills from other walks of life. Everyone was incredibly helpful and positive.”

A selling point for Stanion was that Shearman & Sterling have a relatively low trainee intake, meaning that the firm can promise trainees good quality work. That’s how it’s turned out for Stanion, who was thrilled when she secured a training contract with the firm. “I’ve worked in finance and tax so far, and it’s been excellent,” she says. “The work is constantly stimulating and varied.” Indeed, so happy has she been with her career change that she has inspired a friend to switch into law too.

What, though, would Stanion — a keen marathon runner outside work — say to anyone else contemplating a career change? She tell us:

“It’s nerve-wracking, and you shouldn’t take the decision lightly. You’ve got to think everything through very carefully, and be as sure as you can that law is for you. There’s no point taking yourself out of employment for two years, to do the GDL and LPC, if you have any nagging doubts. So it’s vital to do your research, and ask friends and contacts what their legal lives are like, what their firms are like. Find out about the culture of firms you’re thinking of applying to, and try and work out what area of law would suit you.”

And then, there’s one more thing. “Be brave,” says Stanion.

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Jessica Stanion will be speaking at ‘How to get into law as a career changer’ with Irwin Mitchell, PwC and Shearman & Sterling at ULaw’s Moorgate campus on Thursday evening. Apply now for one of the final few places to attend.

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How to be smart and maximise your chances

On Tuesday users of Legal Cheek‘s iPhone app received the last and perhaps most important deadline alert of the graduate recruitment year — alerting them that in seven days time the 31 July training contract application deadline used by many law firms closes. Now that’s just six days away!

Not decided which firm to apply to? Don’t panic. Here are eight ways you can narrow down your choices and hopefully make that winning TC app.

1. Money

OK, so officially you’ve been fascinated by M&A since you were a child. But in reality a major part of what draws you to corporate law is basically the opportunity to earn lots of money. So you may as well go for the firms which pay most.

To find out that crucial information in the easiest way possible, go to our Firms Most List, select ‘Most Money’, and away you go. Currently the London offices of US firms Akin Gump, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins and Milbank are the top payers — handing their newly qualified solicitors a whopping £145,000 a year (based on the latest US dollar conversions).

Note, though, by searching the List for ‘Most UK training contracts’, that these firms offer much fewer training contracts that many. So it’s worth balancing that quest for riches with applications to some firms with higher numbers of trainee places.

2. Average arrive and leave the office times

Next priority: how much time you’ll be expected to spend at work in return for all those corporate law megabucks.

In each of our firm profiles (which are accessible through the Firms Most List) we detail the average arrive time and average leave time of trainees and junior lawyers at the nation’s top firms. The figures are based on Legal Cheek’s annual survey of over 2,000 trainees and junior lawyers.

The earliest average arrive time is 8:24am (Hill Dickinson), the latest is 9:34am (Kirkland & Ellis). The earliest average leave time is 6:05pm (Browne Jacobson and Irwin Mitchell), the latest is 10:02pm (Kirkland & Ellis again).

For comparison purposes we have collected all the average arrive and leave times into a table.

3. Target hours

To get a further idea of what’s expected of you, check out firms’ official annual hours targets. To do this go to the Firms Most List and select ‘Most target hours’. Bear in mind that these are billable hours, not just hours spent in the office, and shouldn’t include things like going to the toilet or general admin. Anything over 1,700 is a lot.

4. Firm scorecards

Which firms perform well in areas important to you?

Using the data from the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey we rank firms A*-E on different categories: training, quality of work, peer support, partner approachability, work/life balance, tech, perks, office, canteen and social life. You can view each firms’ scorecard by accessing their profile through the Firms Most List.

The firms that came top in each category were revealed at the Legal Cheek Awards earlier this year.

5. The Legal Cheek View

Alongside the scorecards, each of our firm profiles features a ‘The Legal Cheek View’ section with detailed insider insight about the firms, based on our journalists’ in-depth market knowledge and the thousands of comments we receive — both via the survey and our comments threads — from trainees and junior lawyers at these firms.

6. International opportunities

Major law firms are great examples of globalisation, with offices all over the world doing huge cross-border deals. You can see just how international a firm is by searching ‘Most offices’ and ‘Most countries located in’ in our Firms Most List.

But, beware, a firm’s global megafirm status doesn’t always correspond with the chances rookies have of doing a coveted international secondment during their training contract.

We have used our survey data to paint a picture of how common international secondments are at each firm. The results are brought together here.

7. Diversity

Search our Firms Most List to find out who has the most female lawyers and the most lawyers from BME backgrounds. Then access the individual firm profiles to drill down into the diversity details. Where firms have shared the data with us, with have charted the proportion of trainees who attended Oxbridge, Russell Group and non-Russell Group institutions.

8. Retention rates

Finally, browse ‘Most retained trainees’ on the Most List to see which firms have the highest trainee retention rates. While retention rates can be misleading — particularly for smaller firms which can to see their figures thrown off by the departure of just one or two trainees — they are, generally speaking, a decent guide as to a firm’s health and the prospects you’ll have of getting a full-time position on qualification.

Now get applying! Good luck!

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Autumn score of 86%

Elite magic circle player Slaughter and May has announced an autumn retention score of 86%.

Out of the 37 trainees due to qualify later this year, 32 have committed their futures to the firm and will be taking up newly qualified (NQ) associate roles. The Bunhill Row bunch confirmed it received 35 applications and made 33 offers. It didn’t provide details of the departments its new recruits will qualify into.

Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows Slaughters’ newbies will see their pay rise from a second-year trainee salary of £49,000 to a base rate of £80,000 upon qualification, a healthy uplift of £31,000 or 63%. The firms newest recruits receive a salary of £44,000 in year one of their training.

Commenting on today’s result, a spokesperson for the firm said:

“Our overall retention rate remains broadly in line with previous years. We would like to congratulate all of our newly qualified associates, who we are confident will all play a key role in the ongoing success of the firm.”

The magic circle player is one of the more consistent retention performers. Earlier this year, it reported a spring score of 95% (35 out of 37), while the round before that saw Slaughters’ chalk up a result of 91% (29 out of 32).

But what’s life as a lawyer like at the firm? In Legal Cheek’s Trainee & Junior Lawyer Survey, Slaughters notched up As for quality of work, training, peer support, perks and office. The firm — which offers around 80 training positions annually — scored Bs for work/life balance, tech, canteen and social life.

Slaughter and May is now the second magic circle firm to publish its autumn score. Last week, Clifford Chance confirmed a result of 77% or 36 out of 47.

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Ahead of Legal Cheek’s ‘How to get into law as a career changer’ event this evening, ULaw careers consultant Candy Kobrak discusses transferable skills and application technique

Teachers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ex-military, bankers and even career advisors have all approached ULaw careers consultant Candy Kobrak for help transitioning to law.

In her one-to-one appointments, Kobrak stresses the importance of honesty. Before making any risky decisions, a career changer must be honest with themselves: do they have the good grades, legal work experience and fundamental skills that law firms value so highly? After all, there is no guarantee that this sacrifice will pay off.

Before you answer, here are Kobrak’s seven lessons for aspiring lawyers.

1. Be basic

If you’re treating the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) as your starting point for exploring the legal profession, you’re doing it wrong. Any career change should instead begin with the question: “What does a lawyer do?”

In trying to find an answer, career changers will be forced to do their own research about the different types of lawyers and law. You may be overwhelmed, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Kobrak recommends beginning with legal career websites and ULaw’s StEP programme – both resources outline the stages applicants must take to achieve their legal goal.

2. Different job, same skills

In their initial research, career changers should find common themes across the legal profession. Although roles differ depending on different firms and chambers, all lawyers work with clients, are problem solvers, must be able to communicate and work in a team. Looking at their own profession, a career changer could then identify the same skills that have been applied — just in a different setting.

“Take a teacher for example,” says Kobrak, “in any school, teachers must work together to serve pupils, parents, outside agencies — i.e. their clients. A teacher must communicate information in a way that can be understood by children; and often experience high pressure situations, such as dealing with difficult parents”.

But Kobrak warns: “when moving to a path that has nothing to do with your old job, it may be harder to transfer these skills. For example, a teacher would struggle more in changing to commercial law than they would to family law.”

This is where gaining work experience comes into play.

3. Work experience is good; relevant experience is even better

Successful career changers are those that can prove to employers convincingly of their motive for a new start. Actions speak louder than words — and in this case, actions mean going out and getting relevant work experience.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Kobrak suggests that “work experience does not necessarily have to be in a structured vacation scheme; it could be networking events, shadowing opportunities and pro-bono.” Career changers should also focus on utilising their existing contacts. For example, a person in the medical profession could contact their legal department for work experience.

It’s worth stepping outside of your comfort zone too. Kobrak notes, “a banker using his banker contacts to gain experience would be useful for commercial law, but probably not so important to get into human rights.”

Be prepared, however, to sacrifice your time. Kobrak often finds many career changers use annual leave, holidays and even work part-time to complete essential work experience.

4. Narrow your research

Just as work experience will inform you of the type of law you prefer, getting to know the legal market will guide you in seeking the most relevant work experience.

“Narrow your research to identify where you want to work, what these firms expect of their trainees and then work your way back from there. This will help you fill in the gaps in your own experience,” says Kobrak.

Legal Cheek’s Most Lists are a good place to start learning about individual firms and chambers. Also make use of career events, panel discussions, podcasts and mentoring schemes. These will allow you to ask questions, network and listen to personal accounts of work in particular areas of law.

Kobrak also suggests proactively seeking out firms that have positive attitudes towards diversity and age. As an example, she refers to Shearman & Sterling’s attempt to diversify trainee intakes by holding a one-day programme, ‘Re-Start’ aimed at those changing from other careers to law.

5. Lose the ego

All career changers must recognise that the first thing on the employer’s mind when reading your application is: why is this person wanting to change their career?

For Kobrak this must be addressed at the first opportunity: “by explaining your transition with reference to evidence of transferrable skills and relevant work experience, you can make a potential weakness into a marketable strength”.

Importantly, mature career changers must remember that they have as much to prove as anyone else. Kobrak reflects that she often sees “career changers that haven’t registered how much work there is to do — while your previous career is valuable, it’s not the only factor that employers consider”.

6. Learn from rejection

Those coming from other careers may be used to stability and need to re-adjust to the cut-throat world of the job hunt. Always see rejection from law firms as a way to grow. Kobrak often works with unsuccessful applicants to find the root of their problem by exploring their tactics: the firms they’re applying to; whether or not they met the criteria; the quality of the application; and their interview technique.

If transitioning to law was person’s plan B, then Kobrak warns that it’s very useful to have a plan C: “this could be another type of law, law firm or an alternative path altogether”.

7. Start now

By starting early, career changers can hit the ground running when they begin their GDL in September. It’s an intense course that can leave little time for applications. This puts you in a better position to meet the autumn deadline for Christmas vacation schemes.

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Candy Kobrak will be speaking at ‘How to get into law as a career changer — with Irwin Mitchell, PwC and Shearman & Sterling’ at ULaw Moorgate this evening.

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