RPC trainee solicitor Joseph Akwaboa reveals his journey from theory to practice — with a few goals on the football pitch along the way

When Joseph Akwaboa was studying law at the University of the West of England, Bristol, intent on becoming a solicitor, he envisaged a trainee’s life to be one spent primarily “in the shadows”: “I thought I would be constantly typing up notes, making bundles, or stuck with my head in books reading case law,” Akwaboa tells Legal Cheek Careers.

It was through numerous legal internships, vacation schemes and paralegal roles that this perception changed: now he knows that trainees are far more visible, and enjoy first hand experiences such as actually “seeing clients”. Akwaboa also grew to realise that solicitors are, in many ways, informed “service providers” who need to know their clients inside out. For example, if a client aims to expand into a different jurisdiction, a solicitor can and should be proactively offering their services ahead of time rather than waiting to be called upon.

Akwaboa was an early convert to the legal profession. Having completed work experience at a law firm as a teenager, he was captivated by the team-based, social environment that he had witnessed.

As an undergraduate, Akwaboa observes, his focus was, rightly, theoretical rather than practical. Take, for example, how solicitors communicate with their clients compared to the undergraduate experience of essay-writing. “As an undergraduate you get ‘word-happy’ with long word counts and are used to putting all the key information at the end in a conclusion,” Akwaboa says. “But when you start drafting legal letters, you put that same key information at the top. You have to think about what you’re trying to get across, what your client needs from you and how to structure that information because no one wants to read a five page email with all of the important information at the bottom,” he continues.

Now as an RPC trainee solicitor, Akwaboa is experiencing his more ‘visible’ role first hand. Three months into his seat in international property and casualty insurance, Akwaboa has not only worked directly with clients, but he has also worked collaboratively with partners.

He recalls a task assigned to him by a partner regarding the coverage of an insurance policy. He says:

“I knew this was something that an associate or senior associate could do very quickly — but it speaks volumes about the seat and also the firm that I have been consistently given a high level of responsibility.”

Nor did Akwaboa expect an opportunity for solicitors to actually be themselves and to get involved in activities other than the law. For instance, during his vacation scheme at RPC, Akwaboa was asked to join an internal football tournament following a last-minute dropout. “Next thing you know, you score three goals and everyone is raving about you,” he tells us.

Akwaboa cites this as an example of RPC’s value for personality — the crux of their latest ‘Strikingly Real’ graduate recruitment campaign. “Here you can bring yourself to work and use your personality to excel. You are who you are. I played a lot of football as a kid; now I’m the captain of RPC’s football team. You spend half of your life doing things you love — once you’ve picked a career, you don’t need to shun those skills.”

For those intrigued by the day-to-day life of a trainee solicitor and their role within a wider firm, Akwaboa recommends starting with the firm’s social media accounts. RPC, for example, gives its trainee solicitors from offices across the globe full control of their own Instagram and Twitter account.

Are you even a litigation trainee if you haven't travelled across London to have a witness statement signed with 7 minutes until the deadline? #strikinglypunctual

— Life in a Law Firm (@LifeinaLawFirm) October 8, 2018

This allows trainees to post updates of what they’re up to — whether it’s bundling, grabbing a spot of lunch, challenging partners to a game of table football or even participating in Pride 2018.

View this post on Instagram

#flashbackfriday to last weekend at #Pride in Bristol! #seriouslycanwekeeptherainbowlogo #swiperight #boomerang #lgbt #proud #social #inclusive #diversity

A post shared by Life in a Law Firm (@lifeinalawfirm) on Jul 20, 2018 at 12:09am PDT

Such “transparency”, Akwaboa says, opens a window for aspiring lawyers into the firm’s culture — a vital piece of the application process ahead of the firm’s upcoming vacation scheme application deadline.

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A boost of 8%

The London office of US heavyweight Weil Gotshal & Manges has nudged newly qualified (NQ) solicitor pay northwards by 8%.

NQs at the New York-headquartered outfit — which offers around 15 training contracts annually — will see their salaries shoot up from an already rather impressive £120,000 to a mind-blowing £130,000. This means Weil’s junior lawyers have surpassed the levels of cash received by their opposite numbers at fellow US players Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Davis Polk & Wardwell and Sidley Austin, all who pay £120,000.

Legal Cheek understands trainee pay remains unchanged, with trainees continuing to earn £46,000 in year one, rising to £50,000 in their second year.

Today’s rise comes just months after the global outfit — best known for its private equity practice — boosted NQ pay by 4% from £115,000 to £120,000. On that occasion, the megafirm also bumped its Legal Practice Course (LPC) maintenance grant by 25%. Trainees-to-be at the outfit’s London arm receive £10,000 to tide them over during their studies.

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New figures show improvement in number of firms heeding Chancery Lane guidance

A quarter of trainee solicitors across England and Wales say they earn less than the Law Society’s minimum salary recommendation, new statistics have revealed.

The survey of over 500 trainees by legal recruiter Douglas Scott found that roughly 25% of trainees were being paid below the recommended levels set by Chancery Lane bigwigs. This compared to 38% in 2018, 35% in 2017 and 31% in 2016.

As things stand, the Law Society recommends (i.e. firms can choose to ignore it) trainees be paid £21,561 in London and £19,122 elsewhere. The minimum remuneration level a trainee receives had previously been enforceable by law. However, amid much criticism, this was scrapped by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in 2014.

According to the findings, the drop in the number of trainees who reported feeling hard done by was mainly due to positive changes in regional salaries. Twenty-six percent of regional rookies are paid below the Society’s recommended minimum, a marked improvement on last year’s figure of 41%. Meanwhile, in London, where rookies’ salaries can hit highs of £60,000 (almost triple the recommended minimum), 17% of trainees said they were paid below what the Law Society deemed fair, down from 20% in 2018.

Jon-Paul Hanrahan, associate director at Douglas Scott, said:

“This is good news. We have been tracking trainee pay awards for some time now and this year does feel different. Law firms have reacted positively to criticism, as our research also revealed that 45% of trainee solicitors received a pay rise this year compared to 35% in 2018 and for many it brought them above the threshold for the first time.”

Elsewhere, the stats suggest that the number of hours trainees put in at the office is down slightly — from 43 hours per week to 42 hours per week. Seventeen percent of respondents reported clocking up in excess of 48 hours each week, down from 21% in 2018.

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Shearman & Sterling’s New York and London offices brought to life in short clip

Shearman & Sterling has 22 offices in 14 countries dotted across the globe, but it’s the firm’s New York and London offices which take centre stage in a video clip (embedded below), ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

It’s two perspectives for one in the minute-long clip, which features New York senior partner David Beveridge and London future trainee Richard Quarshie. They each share their reasons for pursuing corporate law:

“In 1974 Esquire magazine had a cover and the title on the magazine was ‘New York Corporate Law: The place to be’. That’s how I decided I wanted to come and be a corporate lawyer,” shares Beveridge.

The reason Quarshie gives raises a smile and will resonate with junior entrants to the profession: “The reason I first became interested in the law was actually by watching legal dramas on television, you know, like Suits and Law and Order.”

Elsewhere, viewers can catch a glimpse of the firm’s US headquarters, which has been established since 1873, and life as a rookie in the firm’s London office which teeters between the City-Shoreditch border.

Legal Cheek is partnering with the global law firm giant on Wednesday 16 January for an evening of commercial awareness discussion and careers advice.

A panel of Shearman & Sterling lawyers will answer students’ questions on the topical theme of the event, ‘The battle for high margin work: why US law firms in London keep winning market share,’ and explain why they see US law firms gaining the edge in high margin deal work. Apply for one of the final few (and free) places to attend.

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Tense committee session pits Iraq torture lawyer against parliamentarians

A Conservative MP, Johnny Mercer, who has served in the British Army, accused Martyn Day, the lead partner at Leigh Day, of dishonesty in yesterday’s session of the Commons’ Defence Select Committee where Day was giving evidence.

In one of many dramatic exchanges in relation to legal claims against the British Army arising out of the Iraq War in 2003, Mercer said to Day: “I know you have been dishonest”. As the allegation is protected by the rules of parliamentary privilege, Day reposted: “I would like you to go and repeat that outside of this building.”

Day’s firm, Leigh Day, had brought hundreds of claims against the Ministry of Defence in relation to alleged torture during the Iraq War by British soldiers. Subsequently, the 2014 Al-Sweady inquiry examined the way in which these claims were brought and found that specific claims relating to the alleged murder of Iraqi civilians were fictitious.

During an intense examination of Day’s legal practices, his principles, and, it appeared, underlying these, his patriotism, Mercer repeatedly referred to Day as “people like you” who are “clever at this”. He said: “you come here and make these allegations… which are a complete work of fiction.”

Mercer pressed on arguing that Day had “completely destroyed” British soldiers’ lives “with apparently no concern whatsoever” and that he was “deluded”. He asked Day: “are you proud of the lives that you have ruined?” To which Day replied: “I am proud of the system that we represent and the rule of law. The rule of law means that soldiers will have to give evidence: it is tough for them as it is tough for anybody else.”

Following the Al-Sweady inquiry, in 2017, Day and two other solicitors at his firm were investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for misconduct but were cleared of allegations brought in the disciplinary tribunal and subsequently in the High Court. Mercer’s accusation of dishonesty on behalf of Day was not found by the SRA.

The committee was meeting to hear evidence on how former service personnel can be protected from investigation for events in the past and whether or not there should be a statute of limitation on claims against British soldiers. Day’s evidence was that there could be some form of limitation for less serious incidents.

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He denies wrongdoing

Alan Blacker, aka Lord Harley, has appeared in court accused of benefit fraud, two-and-a-half years after he struck off the roll.

Appearing at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday, the eccentric former solicitor-advocate is accused of failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in his circumstances and dishonestly making statements about his physical capacity.

The 46-year-old, who first hit headlines in 2014 following a bust-up with a judge at Cardiff Crown Court, denies the two charges against him.

The Manchester Evening News reports that between 1998 and 2016 Blacker claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a number of medical conditions, including fibromyalgia, which reportedly rendered him “severely disabled and in extreme pain”.

The prosecution, however, suggested Blacker’s problems with mobility were “nothing that came close” to what he claimed and referred to a photograph purporting to show him sitting with children on a model railway train.

John Breen, from the DWP, told the court: “He [Blacker] maintained it was a great effort to stand or get out of a chair, but he appeared to have no difficulty from the statements and pictures.”

The court also heard from Victoria Hains, a clerk at Cardiff Crown Court, who had dealings with Blacker when he represented a client during a trial in August 2014.

Hains said she did not recall Blacker, who arrived at court yesterday with the aid of a walking stick, struggling with mobility issues at the time, nor having issues standing during a visit to the scene of the accident. Hains did, however, remember Blacker requesting short breaks during the trial to take medication, but claimed that she only saw him do this on one occasion.

Representing Blacker, Goldsmith Chambers’ Dominic D’Souza told the court that Blacker was taking morphine during the recesses to combat the pain he was in.

Blacker was struck off in 2016 after multiple misconduct charges were proven. The trial continues.

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Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s Nick Pryor gives his insight into the past, present and future of legal technology

Nick Pryor’s latest project, Clear/Cut, is an early dispute evaluation service that assesses whether a client “should or should not go ahead” with a claim. It is made possible with data interrogation tools including predictive coding — a form of machine learning.

“We ask the client for 5GB of data, which amounts to 50-60,000 documents. We then look through a sample to assess what’s relevant and not relevant, then train an algorithm on what we’re looking for. It sifts through the documents and puts forward things which it thinks might be important,” Pryor explains. From that, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner‘s (BCLP) litigation team are able to assess the strength of their client’s case. “It’s a way of assistance, making the process more efficient and offers the client more certainty,” he adds.

This is just one example of the magic that Pryor can wield in the world of lawtech. In the eight years that he’s been with BCLP, Pryor has been instrumental in identifying, assessing and deploying legal technology to improve legal services across the firm’s practice areas.

As BCLP’s Director of Innovation Solutions for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Pryor finds himself travelling around the globe, working with the firm’s international offices to build tech-based solutions. In these meetings, Pryor’s approach is to emphasise that lawtech should always be a means to an end — and not the end itself. He says: “I try to manage expectations; don’t get distracted by whatever is the market’s new shiny toy, but come to me with a problem,” before adding: “Don’t jump straight to the solution, trust me to show you the toolbox and show how we can help.”

It’s here in this roaming role that Pryor catches a glimpse of where lawtech may be heading — which he believes to be relative to each jurisdiction’s legal market. In Europe, he says, the pressure to become more innovative has led firms to build more technology for themselves or partner with the “white hot” legal tech start-up market. Take, for instance, BCLP’s CrossLITE and SwiftAgree offerings — a contract management platform, and online contracting tool, respectively. These are proprietary technologies built and owned exclusively by the firm. But in other areas, the firm makes strategic decisions to buy in technology rather than attempt to “reinvent the wheel”.

The Asian legal tech market is also highly vibrant, albeit with some challenges around fully leveraging the new tools flooding onto the market. “A lot of client data and records are still paper-based, which limits what you can do with the technology,” Pryor explains. “You then need to rely more on people and processes as a part of the solution, recognising the limits of the technical solution that can be brought,” he adds.

Of course, Pryor did not start life in lawtech. Fresh from his undergraduate degree at Durham University in 2003, Pryor completed the Legal Practice Course and began his training contract at Macfarlanes with the idea of eventually working towards becoming a partner with the firm.

After a busy four years working in Macfarlane’s litigation and dispute resolution team, Pryor says he felt slightly constrained by working on individual disputes — he was angling for a broader perspective. As a result, he decided to take up a position at BCLP as a knowledge development lawyer (a role more commonly known as a professional support lawyer). According to Pryor, the role allowed him to “step back from day-to-day matters”, offering him “more breathing room to take a broader view on reoccurring legal issues and be up to date with developments in the law”. This was the opportunity for Pryor to engage with “harder technical questions” facing lawyers, who lacked the time to properly address them.

With lawtech emerging as a real force, it was inevitable, therefore, that Pryor found himself answering these questions with tech-based solutions. He recalls working heavily with e-disclosure, which, according to Pryor, “has been lawtech longer than ‘lawtech’ has been a thing!” The clever software is used to gather millions of documents in preparation for a trial — thus reducing the costs associated with producing physical copies and makes text searches easier. At this point Pryor was no stranger to e-disclosure, having already used the technology at Macfarlanes on an enormous and high profile dispute involving dumped waste materials that saw over 30,000 individual claims brought against the company deemed responsible.

It wasn’t long before Pryor’s involvement with lawtech was formalised. Promoted to Head of Client Technology, Pryor became responsible for bringing in new technology to BCLP’s litigation and dispute resolution department which was when Clear/Cut came into being.

He is open to the notion that expectations around lawtech are “certainly overblown” and believes the hype will subside once “the way that tech can help is better defined” — although noting we are “a long way from realising its full potential”.

One thing Pryor is certain of is what tech savvy-law firms like BCLP — which scooped an A* for tech in this year’s Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey — are looking for in future trainees. “Understanding the way that tech works is invaluable, but even more important are project management skills which go hand-in-hand in handling big projects and leveraging tech.”

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Allen & Overy eyes up legal weed deals

Megafirm Allen & Overy is touting for business in the legal cannabis market, with its cannabis law team launching a new “legal and regulatory update newsletter” yesterday.

A post on the firm’s LinkedIn page (screenshot below) yesterday promised clients “a practitioner insight on the legal and regulatory developments in the Cannabis sector worldwide” in a new monthly newsletter.

The cannabis page on the Allen & Overy website points out that the global market for the increasingly legal substance is worth approximately $150 billion (£116 billion), with that figure getting higher year on year. The firm has “built a multidisciplinary group focused on the cannabis market”. It offers advice from lawyers “who understand the specific sector and the particular challenges it may bring (including reputational issues)”.

Allen & Overy is thought to be the first magic circle firm to target the budding cannabis law market in this way, although smaller outfits have also spotted its potential. DAC Beachcroft boasts of its expertise in medical cannabis and was the legal sponsor of a recent Cannabis Invest UK event.

The move comes as criminal bans on cannabis are being relaxed around the world, replaced by strict regulations. A&O says that more than 25 countries now permit its medical use. Canada recently became the first major country to legalise the substance, along with many US states. A new Netflix hit, Murder Mountain, documents the rocky road to regulated cannabis production among formerly illegal growers in the wilds of northern California.

Cannabis remains illegal for recreational use in the UK. Last year, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested that possession of the Class B drug could be decriminalised, but stopped short of calling for its legalisation.

Following a recent change in the law, cannabis-based medicines can be prescribed by British doctors in limited circumstances where all other treatments have failed.

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Child & Child lawyer breached anti-money laundering rules, according to disciplinary finding

A partner at a London law firm who failed to check whether his mega-wealthy clients were politically exposed persons (PEPs) has been fined £45,000, in a matter reportedly linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

Khalid Mohammed Sharif, a partner at Child & Child, a private client outfit in Westminster, was handed the hefty fine for a series of breaches of the anti-money laundering rules, according to a recently published decision by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). Sharif was also ordered to pay costs of £40,000.

Although the clients in the case weren’t identified in the ruling, media reports claim Sharif was acting on behalf of the daughters of the president of Azerbaijan.

According to the judgment, Sharif’s clients were looking to purchase two flats in Knightsbridge, London, for just under £60 million. Contracts were exchanged in 2015 and payments totalling £14 million were made. However, the deal failed to reach completion and the clients were reimbursed.

Details of the deal came to light after Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, was hacked and sensitive client files leaked across the internet. It is understood Sharif’s clients were the owners of a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) by Mossack Fonseca. The law firm closed last year.

The tribunal found that Sharif — who originally qualified as a Scottish solicitor in 2001 before moving to London and qualifying as an English solicitor in 2004 — “failed to take any or any adequate steps to ascertain from publicly available information” as to whether his clients were PEPs. Under British rules, anyone with a close association or connection with a senior political figure would be considered a PEP. Moreover, the experienced lawyer failed to assess whether his client’s finances were linked to the proceeds of crime.

The tribunal said a fine of £45,000 was an “appropriate and proportionate sanction in all the circumstances”. Sharif did not respond to Legal Cheek‘s request for comment.

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Legal Cheek Careers caught up with Mayer Brown’s Sally Davies at the firm’s London office to uncover the story behind her success

There are a lot of ‘firsts’ that spring to mind when you think of Mayer Brown. It was the first law firm to launch legal apprenticeships in the City and one of the first to conduct a CV-blind recruitment process. Above all, the firm appointed its first female London senior partner in 2017. Sally Davies.

It was a position she almost didn’t run for. Davies loved working for clients and was concerned about being distracted away from this by a management position. Whilst she had led litigation teams for several years, she did not have experience of leading an office and was apprehensive about what this could entail. But with hard work and support from others she convinced herself that she should go for it.

At school Davies excelled in English, history and languages, but wasn’t sure where these could take her. Studying law appealed to her because it was a vocational course that combined all three.

She had always been drawn to criminal law. But a lack of funding (there was no sponsorship from chambers at the time) steered the UCL grad away from the criminal bar and towards City law. Starting as a trainee in 1992 with Rowe & Maw, the legacy firm which would become Mayer Brown in 2002 following a transatlantic merger, Davies has stayed with the firm ever since.

It was the dynamic, vibrant and team-oriented environment which kept her. She says:

“I had a couple of friends who I was at university with who had gone to the criminal bar and weren’t earning much money — I had student debts to repay. Being in chambers can be a very solitary, academic environment where you tend to work on your own. That’s something I learnt when I joined a law firm. Here it’s all about teamwork, sharing ideas and bouncing off each other — you even form a team with the client — and that’s how I like to work.”

Since reaching the dizzying heights of senior partner Davies has brought in a number of well-received policies. On her very first day, she implemented a relaxed dress code, and has also rolled out a firmwide agile working policy. Her popular associate/business services forums encourage cross-over between core practice areas and serve as an environment where staff can share their concerns as well as ideas. The NextGen initiative was born out of such discussions and launched last September. The professional network is led by the firm’s associates and sees its members (you don’t have to be a lawyer to join) connect and network with the firm’s clients and host events.

A staunch advocate for diversity — “it’s about bringing your whole self to work and feeling accepted for who you are in that environment” — Davies has reinvigorated the firm’s internal networks: LGBT+, BAME (‘Fusion’), Working Families and Women’s Network, and encouraged cross-interaction between all four, plus widening these initiatives to include clients. She’s passionate about gender equality and supporting women into senior positions of leadership (two female partners were recently promoted to the firm’s management committee of eight) and a panel session she chaired on this topic went so well it is being rolled out Stateside in February.

Senior partner Davies keeps a close eye on the day-to-day running of the London office. A single day will often involve several meetings, and when we met, Davies had five scheduled for the day. Fee-earning doesn’t have to stop once you’re senior partner and construction litigator Davies continues to devote her time to cases alongside managerial duties. How then does she manage her time? “I would say the split is currently 70% (fee-earning), but that doesn’t mean I only do 30% of the senior partner role — I just do more than 100% at times!” says Davies, who admits she wouldn’t have it any other way. She continues:

“I wouldn’t have gone for the job if I couldn’t continue to take on client work. I am incredibly loyal to the clients I have worked with for the last 25 years and I love working with them. To be only doing managerial work would be very inward-looking. This way I get to interact with clients and understand their commercial reality and the goings-on of the business world.”

Davies’ most memorable case to date was an alleged negligent valuation of a proposed development in Canary Wharf. Acting for the defendants, chartered surveyors, Davies recalls how her team lost the case in the first instance. However, on appeal, the case leapfrogged the Court of Appeal (there were a number of cases on the same principle) and went straight to the House of Lords (as was the case back then) where it became one of the leading cases on the law of damages. “I was quite junior at the time and it was a brilliant experience because it had a bit of everything,” she reflects.

So how did she make partner in what is predominantly a male-dominated industry? “I’ve never really noticed it,” says Davies, “it’s not something that has ever bothered me and I tend to take people as I find them, not based on their gender.” That’s not to say that she hasn’t come across casual sexism in the workplace. Davies recalls one client who approached her asking whether she knew how to read a construction drawing. Davies’ response? “Sure, I can read a drawing. If you’ve got a problem, let’s talk about it!” Shortly after, the duo formed a great working relationship. “I haven’t come across any ‘male’ obstacle that I haven’t felt was insurmountable,” says Davies, who was up against two male candidates for the role of senior partner.

With a quarter of a century’s experience under her belt, Davies reveals some of the skills the next generation of Mayer Brown trainees need to succeed. The ability to embrace tech is the first skill on Davies’ checklist — “we look to our juniors to see what needs developing in terms of AI (artificial intelligence)”. Trainees are “gold” in this respect: with every seat rotation, they gain a worm’s-eye view on different processes. But don’t sit back, keep your head down and stay schtum. Davies wants trainees to identify areas for improvement and communicate these across.

Indeed, the ability to communicate well is next on Davies’ list. Picking up the phone for a chat or going into someone’s office to run things past them are things trainees shouldn’t shy away from. At the associate level, Davies, who went on to qualify as a solicitor-advocate, actively encourages juniors (Mayer Brown sponsors a number of places each year) to obtain their higher rights of audience. “Our work is very high value, which means when we go to court, we nearly always instruct a barrister. But you’re not doing the qualification to become a QC. It comes in handy during mediations and adjudications, which we do an awful lot of and rarely use counsel on. It also helps in other aspects of your work: marshalling your thoughts and projecting an argument both verbally and in writing,” Davies tells us.

Having a sense of humour doesn’t go amiss either. “Have fun at work! You do your best work if you’re in an environment where you can have a laugh,” quips Davies.

The London office is a diverse environment which is reflected in its outlook, culture and people. Davies wants aspiring trainees to know that Mayer Brown is not a “cookie-cutter environment”. She explains:

“We celebrate differences and draw upon a diverse pool of talent. I want to see characters and individuals who bring different ideas to the table and can add so much more value than the ‘red-brick 2:1’ who just wants to conform. We welcome ideas and innovation and that is what I want to see in our future leaders. It’s never too early to start thinking about leadership.”

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Hopes to take on first UK trainees from September 2021

US law firm Crowell & Moring is to launch a training contract programme in its London office, Legal Cheek has learned.

As part of an ambitious growth strategy, Washington-headquartered Crowell & Moring hopes to welcome its first UK trainees through its doors from September 2021, The Lawyer (£) reports. Details regarding the number of TCs the firm hopes to offer, and what rookies can expect in the way of remuneration, remain unknown.

That said, it’s probably safe to presume a sizeable salary will be up for grabs if the firm chooses to follow in the footsteps of its US counterparts who are already recruiting UK rookies. Traditionally, US firms have much smaller trainee intakes compared to their UK-founded rivals, allowing them to offer hefty six-figure salaries that are often in line with US market rates. Crowell & Moring’s US rookies currently receive a salary of $180,000 (£140,350) upon qualification.

News of the graduate recruitment ambitions came as Robert Weekes, the former managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs, took over reigns of the firm’s London office. Commenting on his new role, the litigation and financial services partner said:

“This is an exciting opportunity to take a leadership role at a firm that is clearly on the move internationally. I see myself as a person who knows how to grow teams that work well together across practice groups to find innovative and commercial solutions for clients. I am delighted to join Crowell & Moring, a firm that is known throughout the legal industry for its entrepreneurial spirit and ability to deliver superb value and outstanding service to clients.”

A relatively new kid on the block, Crowell & Moring was founded in 1979 by a group of over 50 lawyers, most of whom were previously at fellow US player Jones Day. It has over 500 lawyers across seven offices and covers a broad range of work, including antitrust, corporate and securities and international arbitration.

Legal Cheek will be hosting a junior lawyer workshop and social with speakers from Kirkland & Ellis, Quinn Emanuel and Skadden; at BARBRI Moorgate tomorrow evening (Thursday 17 January). Register to attend here.

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D-Day for May?

Robert Buckland MP, the current Solicitor General, has stated he believes a free vote on any possible Brexit deal “should be a way through this” current confusion.

In an interview with the BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme, Buckland argued that “this referendum was not fought on party lines, it was fought on Remain or Leave. It’s nothing to do with political parties.” He continued:

“This should be reflected in the form of a free vote that should be conducted by all the parties.”

Buckland, who as Solicitor General advises the government on its legal position, working under the Attorney General, was one of only 202 MPs (and one of the 196 Tory MPs) who voted for Theresa May’s Brexit deal yesterday and is known for being a loyal supporter of the government.

According to media reports, Buckland had also mentioned whether MPs might unite behind “a customs arrangement” though he did not give much more detail, and appeared to avoid the term “customs union”. This is deliberate because a customs union is something that May has always positioned as a “red line” option that she would never consider.

Buckland’s comments come as MPs must grapple with the extraordinary position they now find themselves in, first to consider the no-confidence vote in May for this evening, second to work out what on earth happens next.

They could do worse than consult the chair of the Bar Council’s Brexit Working Group, Hugh Mercer QC, who today posted his refreshingly optimistic summary of where things stand. The Essex Court Chambers‘ barrister said:

“[T]he door is now more open to a range of other options beyond the Prime Minister’s ‘deal or no deal’. Those options include substituting the Political Declaration for a Canada plus style arrangement, a Norway plus deal with the UK becoming an EFTA member or, conceivably, in light of the CJEU Wightman ruling, unilateral revocation of the Article 50 notice itself. Those options have different implementation risks with knock on effects for certainty as any new proposals will need to pass a majority in Parliament and some will also need negotiation and ratification with the EU27 and/or the EEA members.”

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Rookies carrying out repetitive work face being ‘gradually culled from firms’

Investment in automation tools by corporate law firms could result in junior lawyers going the way of the dodo, a legal academic has warned.

John Flood, a professor of law at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, says junior associates and paralegals are the “endangered species” in law firms, as large chunks of their day-to-day work are ripe for automation. This, according to Flood, includes tasks involving “high degrees of repetition and relatively simple processes”, such as finding key words in a document.

Writing in a new academic paper, ‘Legal Professionals of the Future: Their Ethos, Role and Skills’, Flood continues:

“The effect of automation here could be dramatic in that if junior associates were to be gradually culled from firms, the entire reproduction of the legal profession could be jeopardised since law firms are structured around associates being promoted to partnership…”

In addition to this, the prof cites the decline in paying for junior lawyer work by corporate clients (see our previous story on Deutsche Bank) and the potential knock-on effect this could have on trainee intakes at City firms. Flood, who is also an honorary professor at University College London and a visiting professor at the University of Westminster, goes on:

“We know law firms operate multiple tracks where some juniors are ‘trained’ with prospects of making partner and other tracks where associates are churned through the organisation without training. In all probability, elite big law firms will retrench to a model closer to the 19th century one with a small number of partners and a large cohort of mostly underqualified or uncredentialled clerks who have little or no possibility of rising through the firm.”

The academic’s bleak forecast follows what is arguably an even bleaker one courtesy of the Law Society. Having looked deep into its crystal ball, the Chancery Lane bigwigs released figures in late 2017 which suggested automation could have a devastating impact on employment across the whole legal services sector. It said:

“Over the longer term, the number of jobs in the legal services sector will be increasingly affected by automation of legal services functions. This could mean that by 2038 total employment in the sector could be 20% less than it would otherwise have been, with a loss of 78,000 jobs — equal to 67,000 full-time equivalent jobs — compared to if productivity growth continued at its current rate.”

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The legal profession has changed over the years, but Phil Sanderson of Ropes & Gray shows that some things stay the same

When Phil Sanderson, now co–chair of the global private equity transactions group at Ropes & Gray, started out in the law, some things were a little different.

For starters, the business of securing a training contract wasn’t quite as intense as it is today. “There’s an expectation, now, that aspiring lawyers will have undertaken various internships and vacation placements before the end of their degree,” says Sanderson, who studied law at Durham University from 1987 to 1990. “When I was an undergraduate, there didn’t seem to be quite the same clamour for this sort of thing.”

And the way in which firms distinguished themselves was different, too. When it came to applying for a summer job in the law, Sanderson recalls “going through the phone book, looking for firms which had a Telex number. I thought that meant they’d be bigger and more forward–looking.”

But if Telex is a thing of the past, and if the contemporary legal marketplace is more competitive than it was 25 years ago, talking to Sanderson is arguably an object lesson in plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. This is a man who knew exactly what he wanted from the age of 15. He set about achieving it, and succeeded (and then some). Along the way, he demonstrated exactly the kind of rigour and commitment that would–be lawyers still need now.

“I was fortunate to do a two–week work experience stint with a lawyer called Richard Leman when I was 15,” says Sanderson, who was then at Nottingham High School. “He was a great mentor and a very wise counsel to his loyal clients. Watching what he did crystallised my interest in the law.”

Sanderson’s A-levels were in English, history and economics. Once at Durham, he threw himself into his LLB. “If there wasn’t today’s huge pressure to bag all kinds of work experience, it was clear that you needed a strong academic record to prosper in the law,” he says. The hard work paid off: Sanderson graduated with a high 2:1.

And by the time he was packing his bags to complete the Law Society Finals at Chester College of Law, Sanderson had also gained practical experience of the legal profession. Thanks to scrolling through the phone book, he alighted upon West Midlands firm Rees Edwards Maddox, and wrote to them asking for summer work.

“I had a great time with them between my first and second year,” recalls Sanderson. “I worked in the litigation department and also did some general commercial work. It gave me a real insight into what lawyers do on a day–to–day basis.”

At this stage in his life, Sanderson admits he had “an aversion to London — I assumed my career would be in the North, or in the Midlands.” But a holiday with friends after his second year at Durham was a turning point. While Sanderson had completed summer schemes at various Birmingham firms, his friends had instead focused on firms based in the Capital. “We were talking about our experiences, and where we’d like to work, and my friends were raving about their London experience. So I ended up applying only to London firms having had no vacation scheme experience in London.”

Again, Sanderson’s focus was apparent. “I felt that a silver circle firm would give me more hands–on experience than life at one of the magic circle firms, and that I’d be able to make a contribution more quickly,” he says.

His targeted approach soon led to two years as a trainee with Travers Smith. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1993, Sanderson became a partner at Travers Smith in 2001, and then the firm’s head of private equity in 2007. In all, he stayed at Travers Smith for more than 23 years, joining Ropes & Gray in January 2015.

Of the move, Sanderson says: “I’d been at one firm for so long. I’d had a fantastic time there but felt it was time for a change, and a challenge. It’s healthy to shake things up sometimes, meet new people and do different things.”

Sanderson’s career sees him advise private companies, institutional investors and management teams in all areas of private equity, UK and international buy‐outs and strategic M&A. A keen sportsman with a particular interest in cycling and football, he is consistently ranked in the top tiers of Chambers UK and Legal 500 and was ranked in Super Lawyers 2014.

What tips does the eminently well–placed Sanderson have for those who’d like to follow in his footsteps?

“Knuckle down and do the work,” he says. “You need to have good grades throughout and stand out academically, and there’s no way round this. And do your research: think very carefully about the firm you’re applying to. Many, and Ropes & Gray is one of them, only offer jobs to people who’ve come through a vacation scheme, but it’s by no means certain you’ll get an offer just by being on one. So, do your best to find out what to expect when on a scheme, present yourself well, and practice for your interview.”

And, one might add, demonstrate the same blend of drive, aptitude and interest in the law that Sanderson had from the age of 15.

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Former solicitor-advocate remains in hospital

The trial of Alan Blacker, aka Lord Harley, has been postponed after the eccentric former solicitor-advocate was admitted to hospital after collapsing in court.

Paramedics were called to Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court shortly after lunchtime on Tuesday. Blacker was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he remains in an unknown condition, Legal Cheek understands.

Confirming that the jury were discharged today and a retrial fixed for 2 September, Blacker’s barrister, Goldsmith Chambers’ Dominic D’Souza, told Legal Cheek:

“It is a shame that this case could not have concluded because it must be in everyone’s interests that some closure achieved in relation to these matters. I will of course not abandon Dr Blacker.”

The forty-six-year-old was on trial accused of failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in his circumstances and dishonestly making statements about his physical capacity. He denies the two charges against him.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Blacker, who hit headlines in 2014 during a bust-up with a judge at Cardiff Crown Court, claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a number of medical conditions, including fibromyalgia, which reportedly rendered him “severely disabled and in extreme pain”.

Blacker was struck off in 2016 after multiple misconduct charges were proven.

Comments on this article are closed for legal reasons.

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Pinsent Masons came out on top

Sixteen City law firms secured places in this year’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employer power list — with international outfit Pinsent Masons bagging top spot.

Improving on last year’s number two slot, Pinsents has been crowned 2019’s most inclusive employer in the UK by Stonewall, the lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity. Other top-ranking firms include Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (2), Baker McKenzie (10), Dentons (15) and Travers Smith (25).

The annual rankings are compiled from submissions to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, a benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace.

Other firms recognised for their inclusivity efforts this year were Norton Rose Fulbright (32), Hogan Lovells (34), Allen & Overy (=37), Clifford Chance (=37), Taylor Wessing (=37), Linklaters (51), DWF (59), Eversheds Sutherland (66), Slaughter and May (70), Trowers & Hamlins (83) and Gowling WLG (98).

Commenting on the firm’s success, Pinsent Masons senior partner, Richard Foley, said:

“This is a very special achievement for us. It isn’t about reaching the top spot; it’s about what the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index stands for and what everyone engaged in it is working so hard to accomplish. Pinsent Masons was the first law firm to be ranked in the Index in 2008. Today the legal sector is represented by 16 firms. Our ranking recognises that like many other organisations we are championing LGBT+ inclusion in everything that we do. Pinsent Masons has created an inclusive workplace that enables everyone to be themselves; from our recruitment processes through to our engagement with clients.”

As part of today’s rankings, Pinsents, BCLP and Bakers were also named “top-trans inclusive employers”. The top 100 rankings can be viewed in full here. FYI: link doesn’t work.

Stonewall Top 100 UK (law firms only)

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Impressive 97%

Slaughter and May has confirmed a spring retention score of 97%. Of the 35 trainees due to qualify in March, 34 have committed their futures to the magic circle player and will be taking up newly qualified (NQ) associate positions.

Commenting on today’s impressive result, a spokesperson for the Bunhill Row outfit said: “Our overall retention rate remains in line with previous years and we would like to congratulate all of our newly qualified associates.”

Slaughters is one of the City’s more consistent retention performers. Last year, the firm, which offers around 85 trainees annually, posted spring and autumn results of 95% (35 out of 37) and 86% (32 out of 37), respectively.

News of Slaughters’ latest retention scores comes just a month after it upped the salaries of its junior lawyers. NQs at the four-office outfit now earn a base salary of £83,000, which at the time equated to a modest rise of £3,000 or 4%. Legal Cheek‘s 2019 Firms Most List shows the firm’s trainees currently earn £45,000 in year one, rising to £51,000 in year two.

Turning to the firm’s performance in our Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, it scored As for training, quality of work, perks and office. However, Slaughters could only muster Bs for peer support, tech, canteen and social life.

Slaughters isn’t the only firm to release its 2019 spring score, with Mayer Brown posting a perfect 100% result (albeit from a qualifying cohort of just four) before Christmas.

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Ban on abusers grilling victims in court among changes

A long-awaited ban on alleged domestic abusers personally questioning their victim in the family courts is included in a new draft law on domestic violence published today. The landmark Domestic Abuse Bill, which would also introduce lie detector tests for abusers released from prison, will see law schools rushing to update their family law syllabuses.

The law would “prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the family courts”. Nobody convicted of or charged with certain crimes — the list is to be decided — will be able to quiz the victim during a family court case. Instead, the court will be able to appoint a lawyer to put the questions.

Leading family barrister Philip Marshall QC of 1KBW chambers said that the ban would “apply in ALL family proceedings in which the criteria are met” — not just divorce cases. It would, for example, kick in during financial remedies proceedings.

Judges would also have the power to allow victims to video record their evidence or cross-examination in advance, rather than having to give both live.

Family lawyers and judges have been demanding better protection for abuse victims in court for several years. In a speech last year, outgoing head of the family justice system James Munby laid into the government over its failure to legislate, claiming that “the court has to stand by, effectively powerless, while the abuse continues”.

Also on the menu are lie detector tests for people released from jail following a domestic abuse conviction. The law allows convicted abusers to be hit with a “polygraph condition”, as is already the case with sex offenders.

Next up, the government wants to create new civil orders to protect victims. A Domestic Abuse Protection Notice given by the police would be very similar to one that already exists, but the new Domestic Abuse Protection Order “could be made by the courts in a wide range of domestic abuse-related circumstances (not just in cases involving violence or the threat of violence)”.

The bill would also give statutory backing to “Clare’s Law” on requesting police information on a violent partner’s past, and define “domestic abuse” in legislation. The definition covers a range of violence and controlling behaviour between people in certain relationships.

Around two million people experienced domestic abuse last year, according to official statistics. The Home Office estimates that it costs society £66 billion annually in “physical and emotional harm”, lost economic output, services to victims and criminal justice costs.

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ULaw dean for the Chester and Liverpool campuses, Carol Draycott, shares her tips to the top ahead of Thursday’s event in Liverpool

A New Year means it’s time to shine in applications and interviews as a fresh batch of training contracts is up for grabs. Knowing where to start can be daunting. Luckily, University of Law (ULaw) campus dean, Carol Draycott, who will be speaking at Thursday’s student careers event, is on hand to dispel any training contract application woes.

1. Do your research

Before making a start on applications, Draycott thinks it’s imperative students research their target firms well. You should have an understanding of what the firm does and plans to do, who its clients are and whether its ethos and values align with your own, says ULaw’s Draycott. After all, you’ll be training with a firm for two years (and longer if you’re kept on), so “choose a firm that fits with you as well as you fit with the firm”, Draycott advises. “It’s like a jigsaw,” she continues, “the two have to work together.”

2. Keep an open mind on where you practice

Draycott tells students to be “open-minded”. First, in terms of geographic location. Law isn’t just in London; lawyering in the North West is on the rise, says Draycott, who is soon-to-be president of Cheshire and North Wales Law Society come February. The Manchester legal market, for example, is more buoyant than ever with a clutch of national law firms establishing a significant presence there. Draycott, who was formerly campus dean for ULaw Manchester, but now heads both the Chester and Liverpool campuses, says the Liverpool legal scene is “thriving”. She continues:

“Liverpool has a very strong legal community, and recent developments show that law firms are tapping into this market and investing in the region. There are a wide range of firms in the city from corporate/commercial, general practice to specialist niche firms that practise specific areas of law. It’s a good mix which presents opportunities to aspiring lawyers.”

The work, for example, is “as challenging and rewarding as in any other city, including London”. You won’t be limited to regional work, says Draycott, because there are big hitters such as Liverpudlian native Hill Dickinson (who will also feature on Thursday’s panel) that have both a national and regional presence and undertake high-end commercial work. What’s more, ULaw’s launch in Liverpool last year to a cohort of around 75 students is a further nod to the rise of the region.

3. Be open to what area of law you want to work in

Continuing on the theme of keeping an open mind, Draycott’s next tip applies when picking a practice area. “Sometimes, the study of law can be very different to the law in practice and so it helps not to have set ideas,” says Draycott, who studied law at the University of Hull, completed her post-degree legal qualification (or the Law Society Finals as it was then) at the College of Law in Chester and qualified in a general practice in Wrexham and Chester. She shares an example from her own time in practice:

“When studying family law, you learn the law and apply it in factual scenarios. In practice, however, when you have a client, in your office, across your desk, who has suffered abuse and needs your advice — it is much more demanding than you would first anticipate. The same can be said for corporate law, where you’re dealing with real clients who have invested their time and money into their businesses.”

4. Take a tiered approach

There is a common misconception that students starting the Legal Practice Course (LPC) do so having already secured a training contract. That’s often not the case, says Draycott, and a high proportion start the vocational course without one in the bag. But they’ll often pick one up along the way. That’s because Draycott, who first joined ULaw (or the College of Law as it was originally) as a tutor, has watched students progress throughout her career with the University and attain their goals. “Students often find engaging with the practical elements of the course helps them secure a training contract,” she explains.

But don’t fret if you haven’t bagged a TC post-graduation! Taking a tiered approach is a good course of action. Training contract hunters could seek paralegal placements to build on their legal work experience — it might also lead to an offer of a training contract. It is being open-minded that gives candidates the best possible chance of securing the legal work that is right for them.

5. Grasp all opportunities

Another trick up Draycott’s sleeve is to “always grasp an opportunity because you never know where it might lead”. Students should think about the resources available to them and consider how best to use them. There’s a regular roster of legal networking events which are great places to connect with top lawyers. Legal Cheek’s upcoming event in Liverpool with lawyers from Weightmans, Hill Dickinson and Exchange Chambers is just one example. If the thought of networking fills students with dread, Draycott often reminds them that upon starting at ULaw, they’re networking with the profession from day one since all ULaw teaching staff are qualified lawyers.

6. Skill up

So what sort of skills should lawyers of the future possess? “Most firms will take legal knowledge as a given now,” says Draycott, “they’re looking for something extra, something new.” Indeed, coding may be all the rage, but students mustn’t forget soft skills. Teamwork, the ability to communicate with people across all levels and a sound understanding of the commercial sector, are all assets Draycott says that will see students through.

7. Reflect on rejection

Applying for training contracts is a tough process. It’s even harder when after progressing through the various stages, you’re slapped with a rejection letter. What should students do in the face of rejection? Draycott closes out with some words of advice:

“Most candidates will face rejection, but it’s important not to take it too personally and feel downhearted. Instead, take time to reflect on your performance. Most firms will provide feedback post-interview. Take this on-board and engage with it — interrogate it if you’re unsure and seek further clarification. It’s a learning curve; identify areas for self-improvement and tweak these for the next round.”

But, she adds, although difficult at the time it might be for the best in the long-term as a better opportunity for you is waiting out there. Perhaps you weren’t the “right fit” for the firm — which brings us back to Draycott’s first tip — “it’s like a jigsaw… the two have to work together.”

Carol Draycott will be speaking alongside lawyers from Weightmans, Hill Dickinson and Exchange Chambers at Thursday’s ‘Secrets to Success’ event in Liverpool. You can apply to attend the event, which is free, now.

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Follows Allen & Overy in publishing voluntary figures

Linklaters has become only the second major UK law firm to publish its ethnicity pay gap figures, revealing a partner inclusive UK mean of 30.3%. The median is 0%.

The firm’s decision to voluntarily disclose the figures comes just days after the government closed a consultation on whether mandatory reporting will help address ethnic disparities, particularly with regards to pay and career progression.

Taking its high-earning partners out of the equation, Linklaters’ mean and median ethnicity pay gaps come out at 8.6% and -6.4%, respectively. The bonus ethnicity pay gap, again excluding partners, is 42.6% (mean) and 6.1% (median).

Linklaters says its decision to publish the figures is part of a wider “strategy to increase the representation of BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] colleagues at all levels in the firm”. Commenting on the gap, the report states:

“Our BAME population is relatively small, so changes within the BAME group can have a disproportionate impact on our pay gap figures. We also rely on our people to voluntarily report on their ethnicity to inform this data.”

As part of today’s report, Linklaters also published its latest gender pay figures — a mean result of 61.1% and a median of 37%, inclusive of partners. This compared to last year’s results of 60.3% (mean) and 44.2% (median). Taking partners out of the equation, the mean and median gaps drop to 20.8% and 33.9%, respectively. The 2018 bonus gap, again excluding partners, is 55.3% (mean) and 30.8% (median).

However, Linklaters isn’t the first top City outfit to publish its ethnicity pay data. Fellow magic circler Allen & Overy published a partner inclusive mean of 21.6% and median of -26.8%. Addressing the gap and taking a similar line to Links, Allen & Overy’s report states:

“As the size of the two populations (BAME and non-BAME) differs so significantly, very small workforce composition changes can cause a large change to the overall mean and median ethnicity pay gap.”

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