Burges Salmon

About the firm

Sure, we’ve all heard the phrase ‘there’s plenty of fish in the sea,’ but there is only one Burges Salmon. As one of the biggest names in the South West, Burges Salmon somewhat bucks the trend of regional firms that revolve around particular areas of specialism. A proper full-service firm, Burges Salmon has sector strength across energy, power and utilities, financial services, infrastructure, private wealth, the public sector, real estate and transport. “Many of our clients are in energy and sustainability, so our position in the Southwest is important,” business partner Jess McGee confirms, and at its heart, “we describe ourselves as doing City-level work from a regional headquarters.”

The firm bags a haul of over 35 rankings in our sister guide Chambers UK including best-in-class for its corporate M&A, banking & finance, construction, agriculture & rural affairs, real estate, employment, family/matrimony, information technology, intellectual property, litigation, professional negligence, restructuring & insolvency and competition law practices in the South West. It proves to be quite the catch for its public procurement and rail transport expertise nationally. “Through our preferred network; around 30% of our work now comes from international matters, which is exciting and creates further opportunities,” McGee highlights.

“Everyone is genuinely lovely; there is a good work/life balance along with high-quality work – it’s an attractive package.”

Burges Salmon has some real wind in its sails; its headcount has increased by about 40% in the past few years alongside its revenue which has increased by a whopping 50% too. Burges Salmon’s headcount is split between offices in Bristol, Edinburgh and London. The majority of trainees join the Bristol office, with Edinburgh taking on a relatively small number. “We opened in 2019 with only five people and now have more than a hundred, which is all down to organic growth,” Grace Elliott, resourcing specialist tells us. Even with such a growth trajectory, it still strikes the right balance: “Everyone is genuinely lovely; there is a good work/life balance so you can pursue other interests, along with high-quality work – it’s an attractive package.”

Why trainees joined the firm

Genuine alternative for high-quality work outside of London

One of the main draws amongst our sources was the attraction of a firm offering high-quality work in the South West: “Knowing that Burges Salmon is headquartered in Bristol was a big draw, the quality of work isn’t affected by location,” an insider told us.

Culture

Burges Salmon has something of a reputation for beingon the “friendlier side of law firms.” “I was looking for a firm where I would be appreciated - collaborative rather than competitive,” a trainee highlighted. From first impression at a law fair, another explained, “I was looking for those characteristics. You get the picture of how things are based on how they react to questions. Everyone was talking about a collaborative team culture, and it seemed like they meant it.”

Six seat training contract

The flexibility to explore practice areas was a pull factor, with six seats compared to the usual four offered by the majority of firms. One quipped, “We have so many seat options, so we can try more areas - it gets a big thumbs up from me!

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

At Burges Salmon it’s a four-month, six-seat training contract. For each rotation, trainees rank all the available seats in their home office from most to least preferred. It’s an accumulative system which considers users’ preferences throughout as well as prioritizing second year trainees. “It’s as fair as possible - there’s no element of schmoozing the trainee partner,” one insider remarked.

It’s worth noting that real estate and disputes are big departments, so there is a high likelihood of doing a stint in either at some point. The final sixth seat is open for trainees to repeat their potential qualification choice, have a stint in a complementary practice, or go on secondment.

Client secondments

Client secondments are open to trainees from all the offices. Typically, there are four or five secondments available at any one time. Most are within the energy sector, such as with EDF, a long-standing relationship.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

Our interviewees had lots of positive things to share about the culture at Burges Salmon. As one put it: “It’s collaborative, friendly and down-to-earth,” plus it has “a great rep for being so.” Another added, “I’ve made genuine friends who I see outside of work.” With open-plan offices, “it very much feels like a flat structure (as much it can be at a law firm); everyone is lovely and willing to introduce you.” Even with notable lateral growth, trainees felt that “the firm is aware that people aren’t looking to change culture wise, so they’re making sure expectations are aligned.”

“It’s collaborative, friendly and down-to-earth…”

The firm has various internal networks providing community such as B-Social – “it’s great, second to none, there is always stuff going on.” This includes volunteering (“involvement with local charities is a cultural point”), team socials, ad hoc drinks and dinners. We even heard of a Live Traitors experience, going to the theatre, pottery painting as well as the usual array of summer and Christmas parties. In Bristol, there are sports clubs including running, rugby, football and netball – “we had the first firm-wide netball tournament last summer, and over 60 people turned up!” The Edinburgh office has its own running and football clubs, and a pilates instructor comes into the office every two weeks as part of the firm’s wellbeing offering. First year trainees also organise their own annual weekend away, informally. All trainees come together in Bristol for induction to help build connections. There are also opportunities to travel between offices for departmental trainings and social events.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees are expected in the office three days per week, although they are encouraged to come in more often to support their learning and development. The Bristol office is a stone’s throw away from the train station, and it has recently undergone a significant renovation: “it’s so much more aesthetic than it was, and a place you’d want to work!” Edinburgh has undergone a reno too: “It’s open plan. You’re sitting beside partners and senior associates, there is no separation,” sources highlighted. While Edinburgh doesn’t have a subsidized canteen like Bristol, some trainees said they would welcome improved lunch options, although “there’s lots of shops and bakeries around, so there is nothing you would miss.”

“The hours are very, very reasonable.”

The general consensus among those we spoke to was that “the hours are very, very reasonable.” Trainees indicated that working between 9am and 6pm is standard. There might be later periods on occasion, but it doesn’t last long, we were told. “Lots of teams are good at protecting trainees, if they see you are online at a certain time you’ll get a message asking why you are working,” they added. Corporate was described as involving more frequent later finishes, especially when deals come to a close. Similar things can be said of the likes of litigation too, which can often come with tight deadlines.

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Trainees felt well compensated for being at a regional firm: “It’s definitely a great balance and trade-off.” Rookies are also enrolled in the firm’s bonus scheme.

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

Overall, trainees were happy with the level of supervision. It was noted that it varies from person to person, “as people have different styles and communication languages.” That said, our interviewees generally found that “people offer to sit down and explain why they have made changes.” Formal feedback comes at mid –and-end of seat reviews.

As one of the first cohorts to have gone through the SQE, sources explained that the approach to training has been a learning-curve with the new qualification route, with a few mixed reactions: “Some of the more practical aspects have been addressed this year, as we needed more support with drafting and reviewing commercial contracts and negotiations,” they detailed, “but they’re always asking for feedback.”

Typically, training is frontloaded at the start of each rotation, “it really sets the tone for the seat and sector area,” and this continues with knowledge updates throughout. Soft skills are also covered, even “the in-depth accountancy aspects and how we make our money as a law firm. A lot of it I didn’t know, which was interesting,” one added.

Pro bono & CSR

While there might not be much of an emphasis on pro bono, community outreach was seen as a significant part of life at Burges Salmon, with a 52% volunteering rate: “There aren’t many firms that are out at 3am on the river to raise money for charity!” For some context here, in aid of Young Bristol, an organisation that supports school children, the firm had a 25-hour charity canoe! Everyone has two CSR days a year to put towards fundraising or volunteering initiatives. Arguably the highlight is the firm’s annual charity performance event, whether that’s Burges Salmon’s Got Talent or Strictly Legal. Time to warm up those vocal cords or dust off those dance moves!

Other opportunities include

• Charity sports tournaments

• Volunteering at community outreach farms

• Reading with local primary school children

Inclusion

On the topic of inclusion, trainees were quick to give B-Cultured (an employee resource group that supports people from different backgrounds) a shout out! While “it’s not the most diverse firm out there, especially compared to London,” one insider admitted, “the network feels like a little family in terms of support.” Representation at senior levels was seen as an area for improvement, but on the whole the gender balance was praised. The firm also continues to work on improving representation across the business.

Other networks include BProud, BEnabled and BBalanced, the gender network, creating spaces for those who identify and allies to convene and host events – “there’s lots of positive action.” There are lunch & learns to raise awareness and highlight initiatives. For International Women’s Day, there was a talk held by a specialist women’s health GP to raise awareness of the issues women face in the workplace.

Social mobility is an area of focus. “We do a lot with local schools in Bristol, including helping out with mock interviews for students,” insiders shared. Burges Salmon is also a partner in the Social Mobility Partnership Foundation.

Qualification

The qualification process at Burges Salmon was described as largely “informal.” Trainees are highly encouraged to speak with the departments that they are interested in qualifying into early on, before submitting a written application consisting of a cover letter and CV. There is no interview process. “It’s not a super daunting process as you have already done the hard work,” one source claimed. What’s more, if the firm is unable to offer a candidate their first-choice position, it will assist with placing them in another department where possible: “Retention has always been quite high,” one trainee observed.

Just keep swimming… upstream

“Our solicitor apprenticeship is celebrating 10 years of recruiting this year, which is a huge milestone,” McGee celebrates, highlighting its history as “one of the first firms to recruit apprentices and we actually helped write the initial standard for the legal apprenticeship.”