Akin

About the firm

Many of us will be familiar with Akinator, the guess-who game that works as if by magic. Well, if we were to imagine a round with Akinator for this firm, we’d like to think it’d go a little like this: Does this firm have restructuring expertise? Yes... Does it offer hands-on training? Yes… Do trainees have high levels of responsibility from the jump? Yes… Finally, Akinator asks, is the firm Akin? …spooky.

It’s an outfit with all the hallmarks of a US law firm training contract, offering new starters a healthy dose of exposure with lean teams. “Akin’s training contract is aimed at making you the best associate you can be, rather than the best trainee, because that’s the level they want to push you at,” an insider explained.

“…aimed at making you the best associate you can be … because that’s the level they want to push you at.”

It goes without saying that the “people here work very hard, and everyone respects each other for it,” noted another. Indeed, that hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed by our colleagues over at Chambers UK, who award a gold star to Akin’s restructuring/insolvency team in the capital, with further nods for its shareholder activism, investment funds, sanctions and energy & natural resources efforts nationwide. And although the firm is headquartered in the US, its London base is “really its own beast,” according to interviewees: “It’s the centre of the international offices for the firm, not just a satellite!”

Why trainees joined the firm

On-the-job training style

“I liked the idea that you learn on the job, rather than sitting in rooms with someone teaching you,” said one insider. Another said, “I function better in that kind of environment with less formalised training where it’s kind of sink-or-swim.”

Small trainee cohort

With a trainee intake of only eight per year, our sources were keen on the idea that “you won’t get lost as one of 90 trainees; people will know you by name.” Smaller cohorts also often mean leaner teams on cases, which was a plus for our interviewees who felt that “because you’re only working with a couple of associates and a partner, you can really get involved.”

Global view

Trainees were on the hunt for a firm with “a good international focus.” In particular, one source “enjoyed the fact that Akin works in unique jurisdictions and in emerging markets.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

New starters indicate whether they would like to begin in a transactional, advisory, or contentious practice, and are assigned seats accordingly. For subsequent seats, trainees submit three ranked preferences, and “if you have a strong preference, you can make that known” to the trainee coordinator. According to insiders, the system is a well-oiled machine, and “everyone tends to be happy on the whole!”

Client secondments

One client secondment to The Carlyle Group was available to the current crop of trainees. These opportunities are based on business need, and insiders noted that they don’t tend to come along very often.

International secondments

International secondments are currently on offer to Akin’s Hong Kong office, which took two trainees last year. The application process is “quite formal,” as one interviewee described. An email is circulated to outline the opportunity, and interested trainees submit a 200-word statement. This is followed by an interview with two partners from the destination office. The firm has previously offered secondments to Dubai, but availability depends on business need, so these tend to be more fluid.

Seat experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

The culture at Akin was described by several trainees as “non-hierarchical,” with one source emphasising that senior associates and partners at the firm are “invested in my development. They will always take the time to answer questions, even if they’ve got a hundred other things to do.” Small team sizes allow trainees to become embedded early on, and trainees are often given the opportunity to work with partners one-on-one. It certainly helps that “whilst everyone is very professional, they also don’t take themselves too seriously,” noted a trainee.

“People know this isn’t an easy job, so they want to make it easier by being pleasant to each other.”

Even when hours are long, one trainee described the atmosphere as being one of, “you’re all in it together!” – with another admitting that “people know this isn’t an easy job, so they want to make it easier by being pleasant to each other.” Getting to know your superiors also helps in building trust, and there was a feeling that “there’s no micromanaging. If you can do your work and do it well, they do allow you quite a lot of flexibility.”

Aside from a Christmas party and summer barbecue, our insiders noted that “there isn’t a huge amount of formal social stuff,” and “things like post-work drinks don’t happen as much as it does at other firms,” but trainees will make an effort to have lunch together every day when in the office. There’s a firmwide lunch every other Wednesday as well, and there’s “a lot of budget for internal team activities.”

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Currently, everyone is encouraged to be in the office four days a week. Working hours vary between teams and can be “quite unpredictable,” with trainees reporting 50- to 60-hour weeks in restructuring, and 40 to 50 hours in finance and litigation.

“Of course, hours can be tough, but in my experience, it’s super appreciated when you do put in the hours,” one interviewee told us. Although “the general rule of thumb is that you don’t make midweek plans,” one source pointed out that “I don’t think I’ve had a single weekend ruined!” Equally, there’s no pressure to stay in the office if there’s nothing to do: “sometimes, I can leave at a good time but just keep an eye on my phone in case I need to reply to emails.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Trainees are “very happy” with their level of compensation, “especially when you qualify, because it jumps quite a bit,” noted a source. Indeed, the NQ salaries are so high that it’s “kind of ridiculous!” another laughed.

Our interviewees were also pleased that the firm has introduced a ‘Work-Ready Payment’ for its vacation schemers, paying £300 two weeks before the scheme begins.

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees share an office with their supervisor, which means that “you can ask questions really candidly” and “get that one-on-one time every day to touch base.” Trainees also have a mid-seat and end-of-seat review in every seat where more formal feedback is delivered. Insiders had glowing reports of their supervisors, with one divulging, “My supervisor always takes time to explain things to me, and their instructions are very good and thorough… I’ve never felt like I was silly for asking a question!”

On the training side, formal sessions typically take place early in the training contract, covering professional communication and development. These occur less frequently as trainees progress through their rotations, though departments often run individual sessions on practice-specific knowledge.

Additionally, in several departments, once a deal has closed, trainees can attend a lunchtime session where seniors on the deal talk about what went well, what didn’t and what could have been done differently. “It’s really interesting to hear partners talk about that,” one insider reflected.

“This training contract isn’t for someone who likes very structured training or feedback after every task – we work too quickly for that!”

Ultimately, on-the-job, hands-on training takes precedence at the firm, with one interviewee pointing out, “This training contract isn’t for someone who likes very structured training or feedback after every task – we work too quickly for that!” That said, trainees were keen to note, “If you have any questions, people are really happy to put time in the diary and go through it with you.”

Inclusion

“There’s definitely an emphasis on” inclusion at the firm, according to interviewees, with firmwide resource groups (FRGs) representing a diverse range of identities and open to all to join. “People are really encouraged to attend” the FRG meetings, trainees told us: “there’s a lot going on, and you can choose what you want to get involved with,” from cultural holiday celebrations to lunches and external speaker invitations. “It’s a really good opportunity to meet other colleagues and learn a bit about the people you work with,” one interviewee was pleased to share of the meetings and events.

The trainee cohorts themselves are “quite diverse, with lots of people from different backgrounds,” interviewees noted. That said, some trainees felt that the diversity among juniors didn’t quite translate when it comes to more senior levels. Ultimately, “we’re actively looking at ways to improve social mobility,” said an insider.

Pro bono & CSR

Insiders assured us that Akin takes pro bono very seriously; the firm even has a motto, ‘Pro bono work is client work’, indicating that pro bono cases are just as important as billable ones. All lawyers are encouraged to undertake at least 20 hours of pro bono annually. “It’s not mandatory, but we have a good track record,” noted one trainee. Moreover, insiders noted that working on pro bono cases is “a really good opportunity for a trainee to get involved in running a workstream.”

Beyond ad hoc work, first-year trainees can apply to be pro bono scholars, which involves membership of the pro bono committee, plus the bonus of a trip to Akin’s Dallas and DC offices in the summer. This ‘pro bono bootcamp’ involves informative sessions about what the firm’s US pro bono work involves, as well as the lowdown on what the general finances and practicalities are for pro bono practices at law firms.

Other opportunities include

• Not Beyond Redemption (helping incarcerated or previously incarcerated mothers regain contact with their children)

• Youth Justice Legal Centre

• Asylum Aid

Qualification

To qualify at Akin, trainees are asked to submit up to three unranked preferences and are tasked with technical assessments and interviews for each department that take place in April. Although the process was described by some as “relatively formal,” many felt that in the interviews themselves, “the vibe was quite informal, because you’ve worked with these people for six months.”

Trainees are encouraged to make their preferences known early through conversations with partners and associates in the team they’re aiming to join, which meant that qualification ultimately “felt like a very natural process.” Interviewees feel that people generally remain at the firm for a while once they qualify, and even when they go, some just can’t stay away: “people leave for six months or a year and then come back!”

M-akin’ moves…

The firm is soon moving to shiny new digs in Spitalfields.