Addleshaw Goddard

About the firm

When it comes to putting together a jigsaw, all the pieces matter. Starting with the edges is, of course, a given, but if you don’t have the rest, then you’re just not seeing the full picture. Resisting the temptation to put all of their eggs in the London basket, AG has invested heavily in its regional presence over the years, with offices in London, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Add to that the firm’s rapid growth in Europe, and it’s clear that the emphasis is on the big picture: “It’s very much an international London-headquartered firm that’s been going through a sustained period of growth,” explains training principal Richard Yeomans, “we’re outdoing the market in terms of growth, and a big emphasis for us is our international footprint.” Our interviewees saw the value too, noting that “there’s a real degree of authenticity about AG, they’re really forward thinking.”

“…there’s a real degree of authenticity about AG.”

Chambers UK awards the firm top-tier nationwide rankings in commercial contracts, consumer finance, partnership, public procurement, retail, social housing: finance, rail: projects & infrastructure, and rail: rolling stock. In Scotland, top-ranked departments include banking litigation, corporate/M&A, data protection & information law, restructuring/insolvency, shipping, and transport: rail. “They’re really expanding,” one insider reported, “this is a global firm with global business and a lot to offer.”

Why trainees joined the firm

Firm on the rise

AG’s ambitions were front and centre for a lot of our interviewees, with most noting recent office moves and the development of new technologies as clear indicators the firm had a bright future ahead. One such example: “I wanted to go to a firm that was forward thinking and open to new ways of working. The firm was a really early developer of their new language model, that was just one of the things that attracted me.”

Strong regional presence

Regardless of the location, the calibre of work that comes with the Addleshaw Goddard name is consistent. “I applied because I’m from Leeds and I wanted to work for a big firm in the area,” one told us, “one of the perks of working in a regional office is that you can attract bigger clients, but we do local stuff as well.”

Development opportunities

“You can really push yourself and grow as a lawyer here,” explained one insider, “it’s a firm that really looks after its people.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Trainees will have a say in all their seats, ranking five preferences per rotation. From there, the firm uses the program OptiSeat to “help generate choices, and then early careers moves things around if they need to.” Most of our interviewees reported getting their preferences more often than not, and on those unlucky occasions they’re likely to be prioritised next time. There are no mandatory seats per se, but the firm does insist on trainees completing one finance and one disputes seat. This didn’t phase our sources who were just happy of the variety, noting: “There’s so much choice, which is great when you don’t know what you want to do.”

Client secondments

There are a variety of clients that accept trainees for secondments, particularly within the sports and transport sectors. “There’s quite a few from all over,” laid out one source, “it all depends on which office you’re based out of.”

International secondments

As for international opportunities, the word on the street was that Dubai seemed to be the main fixture that trainees could count on popping up, whilst other places like Singapore, Oman, and Paris tended to vary year-on-year.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

“It’s almost surprising sometimes how good the culture and the community here is,” began one insider, “especially given our high quality of work.” Colleagues were said to be approachable, friendly and although “there’s a healthy dose of competition, it’s a supportive dynamic amongst all of us.” The frequency of socials varied from team to team, but there were still plenty of office and firm-wide events on offer, such as a drinks reception at the end of the financial year, monthly staff drinks, and an annual summer party.

“It’s top of the range and right opposite the Bank of England. We’re really lucky to have the building to ourselves!”

Those working out of London were still riding on the high of the new office: “It’s top of the range and right opposite the Bank of England. We’re really lucky to have the building to ourselves!” Not to be outdone, the Edinburgh trainees were also settling into a very new office which was described as being “in a premium location.” There are perks aplenty at AG’s various locations including an onsite gym, roof terrace, standing desks, coffee machines, a café, and a cooling wall.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

The firm’s general policy requires in-office attendance three days per week, but trainees are encouraged to do more than that if possible. That encouragement was met proactively by our sources who noted they aim for four or five days because “you learn more being in and it’s good for your personal brand.” The quality of home working is not neglected however, new joiners are given a link to a website where they can order everything they need for home working: “If you have the space for it all, then your home office is just as good!”

Hours fluctuated largely by team but also the season, with a rough average finish time being 6pm. “When it gets really busy, you can be finishing in the early hours,” cautioned one insider, “but senior people try to shield you from working weekends as much as possible.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

There was some slightly more mixed feedback when it came to compensation at the firm, but also an acknowledgement that perspective was key. Everyone we spoke to acknowledged “we make a lot of money” but when compared to their peers at other offices within AG, it gave them pause: “There’s definitely an appetite for the Scottish salaries to match the Northern offices, especially now the cities are getting more expensive,” pointed out one junior.

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

For the most part, supervision starts off quite hands on in your first seat, before relaxing to “mostly just a welfare check” by your fourth. Juniors reported that as they progressed, they were “given the freedom to get on with work and build our own confidence to crack on with things.” It wasn’t just specific supervisors looking out for trainees either, as we heard that “there’s always someone who will be around to help you grow.”

“…there’s always someone who will be around to help you grow.”

At the start of the training contract, all trainees are brought down to London for a few days for training: “They put you up and then it’s a week of sessions on different things.” After that, the training is largely dependent on the practice group, with some of the more technical groups opting for a few days of intense training while others space out their sessions here and there.

Pro bono & CSR

As part of the firm’s 2030 strategy, pro bono was said to be on the agenda as something that AG was looking to get involved with more, but juniors reported plenty of opportunities available at present. Pro bono is highly encouraged with London trainees participating in the Springfield pro bono clinic that comes around every six weeks. “There’s only a finite amount of stuff we’re allowed to advise on,” reasoned one source, “but it is great for building confidence and having a more human interaction with a client.”

Other opportunities include

• Veterans’ appeal hearings for Royal British Legion

• Two days of CSR a year

• London Legal Walk

Inclusion

As is a problem industry-wide, there is room for improvement when it comes to diversity, but the firm was said to have it front of mind as an area of improvement. AG uses RARE recruitment in its goal of diversifying its ranks, and there was said to be growing opportunities for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. “It’s a priority for us to get better at it,” one trainee acknowledged, “there’s a D&I meeting every six months, and they’re always hosting talks to attend.” The firm also hosts a variety of affinity groups for different backgrounds, and we heard “they’re not just lip service, for example the LGBTQ group is active across the year not just during Pride month.”

Qualification

Juniors heard stories of “really stressful processes” at other firms, which is why they were relieved to hear that at AG, the qualification process is more informal: “You just pull people in departments for chats, discuss your options and what you want to do, and then we find out the jobs list not long after.”

Interviews are uncommon, and usually only occur if a trainee hasn’t sat in that particular seat before. Otherwise, juniors are encouraged to apply to two departments submitting a qualification pack that consists of end of seat appraisals and other such feedback. “It’s a really simple and straightforward process,” insisted one rookie, “I think our retention is great too and I know I really want to stay here.”

Guess who I just Addle-saw?

The firm runs a trainee conference every year where trainees get the chance to meet their counterparts and socialise.