Bristows

About the firm

For those who consider pronouncing ‘deoxyribonucleic’ (without several tentative attempts) to be their party trick, we’d hazard a guess that Bristows offers your kind of training contract. Bristows has something of a reputation for the kind of technical work that comes with the territory of IP and technology. It’s quite the reputation too – our sister publication, Chambers UK awards the firm top marks for its information technology & outsourcing, IP and patent litigation practices. The firm’s training principal, Angela Fouracre tells us that “if you like tech, life sciences, or data, we're the law firm for you.” Indeed, the firm gladly steers into its areas of focus and refrains from “trying to necessarily be all things to all people.”

As you might expect for an IP specialist, Bristows has long welcomed STEM graduates into its ranks. The firm’s trainee cohorts are regularly populated by those with postgraduate scientific qualifications. That said, atechnical degree is not a prerequisite for the firm’s training contract, especially since the firm has expanded in a more full-service direction in recent years. Fouracre tells us that this decision is “great from a business stability perspective” and is one that has brought the firm to the “top of other sectors that we're interested in.”

The firm’s head office is London, with other offices in Brussels and Dublin. Currently the firm’s London office is located on Victoria Embankment in the Unilever building, though the firm will be moving offices to an area near Cheapside in 2027.

Why trainees joined the firm

Technical focus

“I am passionate about tech,” one trainee told us, “Interacting with the kinds of clients Bristows works with drew me to the firm.” It’s something shared among the cohort too: “Everyone has different interests – one partner was a neurosurgeon before - but I related to these people. Everyone has an interest in these fields and wants to apply it to law.”

Smaller trainee intake

Bristows recruits up to ten trainees each intake. One interviewee was won over by the prospect that they wouldn’t be “in and amongst fifty other people, feeling lost.”

Friendly training environment

The firm’s friendly training environment was cited as one of the main things that helped sell the firm to trainees. One trainee in particular told us that when they had looked into the firm, they could tell that “trainees actually liked each other, seemed to get on well, and seemed to genuinely enjoy where they were!”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Trainees at Bristows can choose to sit either in shorter three-month seats, or six-month seats over the course of their training contract. The rationale behind this was that “many of the seats are very complex, technical and scientific. It takes some time to understand what is going on, pick things up and understand all the acronyms.” The view of one trainee was that taking a longer seat “allows you time to really see everything you need to see.”

During the selection process, trainees rank departments from most to least preferred. Trainees do this for the entirety of their seats at the beginning of their first year, but in their second-year, seat choices take place on a rolling basis, so trainees can amend their seat choices as they go through. Current trainees urged any future trainees simply to choose the seats they would like spend time in, arguing that “people try to be strategic with their choices, but never really works out.” All trainees have to do a six-month seat in IP litigation.

Before starting at Bristows, whilst an incoming cohort are undertaking SQE studies, current trainees reach out to them offer to answer any questions they might have about the firm. Further down the line, a meeting is scheduled between the two cohorts, and in this meeting, the current trainees run through a presentation and explain what typical trainee tasks may entail and what else they may get up to. Typically, this only involves current trainees, future trainees and limited other staff, so we heard that the discussion feels natural, and trainees can ask questions in a candid manner.

Client secondments

For most second year trainees at Bristows, there is scope to undertake a client secondment. Trainees express a desire to undertake one during the seat selection process. One trainee recalled that it was “interesting to see the dynamic of in-house work,” and that working with clients is “all about finding ways to help them achieve what they want to achieve without being risk-averse.” Sources also indicated that certain secondments are being re-evaluated and that there will be some new secondment opportunities available at clients in tech, pharma and life sciences.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

As one trainee put it: “The people at Bristows are nice, which ends up doing most of the heavy lifting!” The firm’s partners were deemed to be very approachable and have garnered a reputation for being “the most laid-back people at the firm.” One trainee admitted that they have “never had a moment where I’ve asked a partner a question and felt bad about it. Partners often drop what they’re doing.”

“The people at Bristows are nice, which ends up doing most of the heavy lifting!”

Trainees presented Bristows as a firm with a vibrant social life. It was estimated that roughly once a month, the firm’s dedicated social committee organises a social activity. Examples of socials we were told about included a football tournament in Hyde Park, a Pride Month-themed drinks, and a Wimbledon match viewing in the office cafeteria. A firm-wide spring ball, team Christmas parties, and the annual general meeting are be marked on the calendar too. The firm also has a football team, a run club, a board games club, and a Bristows band.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees are expected to come into the office three days a week, but we were told that most trainees make an active effort to exceed this figure. A significant factor in this is that it’s common for trainees to pick up work through being in the office and speaking to the right person. As one trainee explained, “initially, when I’ve started in seats before, if you want to look keen, it’s good to be in five days.”

Outside of busy periods and closings, typical hours sat at around 9am-7pm. Obviously, this can vary, but one trainee reassured us that “there have been a few very select moments where I’ve had to work late, but those are not the norm, and it doesn’t go unnoticed when you do.”

Pay

Trainees at Bristows felt that the level of compensation they received was fair and were quick to contextualise any points about salary by discussing their work-life balance. In our interviewee’s eyes, being able to have weekends free and have dinner at home was a fair trade for the salary the firm offers: “You definitely won’t get a text at 10pm asking why you logged off.”

Supervision and training

Those we spoke to unanimously agreed that the training on offer at Bristows was top-notch: “The firm puts a lot of deliberate focus on the trainees throughout each of the seats. They make the effort to ask the client if it’s okay if you are at the trial/onsite visit, and there’s plenty of encouragement.” A big part of this comes from the supervision available. Supervisors were described as particularly invested and willing to “help you to do what you want to make the most of each seat.”

Meetings with supervisors are “always very nice, and informal.” We heard that a lot of work goes in to pairing someone with a similar educational background too in more technical seats. “Partners and supervisors always come prepared with feedback from people in the team,” one trainee explained, “it feels like they always come with something constructive.”

Pro bono & CSR

Pro bono opportunities for trainees are ad hoc and participation is generally “pitched more towards associates.” Opportunities were, however, regarded to be “floating around” for trainees to get involved with. Bristows has a pro-bono email list which trainees can sign up to if they would like to put their name forward.

Every two years, the firm nominates a charity to engage in fund-raising activities for. This has previously involved raising money for Alzheimer’s research, Meningitis Research Foundation, Sane, and Secondary 1^st.

Other opportunities include

• Taking part in the ‘London Legal Walk’

• Volunteering at local schools, educating them about a career in law

Inclusion

Bristows has several dedicated inclusion centred networks including a LGBTQ+ and allies network (known as the Turing Network), a Women's Network, the ‘Lyda’ Network for race and ethnicity, the Families & Carers Network and The Disability & Neurodivergence Network. The firm’s networks often organise their own events, many of which follow a ‘lunch panel’ format where partners on a group’s committee talk about their career experiences. Trainees told us that these events are usually very well attended and are all “events you are interested in going to.”

Trainees praised the mental health and wellbeing resources on offer at Bristows, with one highlighting feeling as if they were provided with “a lot of mental health support.” Bristows offer many different touch points should trainees feel like they want to reach out. These include senior associates, their mentor, fellow trainees, their partner supervisor, their of counsel supervisor and the firm’s Mental health first aiders.

Qualification

Around March time in their second year, trainees are required to submit their preferences for where they would like to qualify. In response to these choices, the firm then outlines the list of departments which are looking to take on NQ solicitors that year. There are no formal interviews that take place at Bristows, and instead, trainees are expected to have informal conversations with the departments they are interested in qualifying into.

When probed about their future plans, many trainees were keen to talk about a future at the firm: “I feel as if I have made the right choice, and I feel pleased to be here,” remarked one trainee. With good reason too, we heard that a good number of Bristows’ current partners trained at the firm.

A mindful approach to law…

Bristows has previously organised lunchtime yoga sessions, meditation sessions, and partner panels on mental health for their trainees.