Collyer Bristow

About the firm

Collyer Bristow has had a stellar reputation in the City since before sliced bread. Don’t believe us? A certain Florence Nightingale was a client of a previous incarnation of the firm. Famous clientele aside, this firm’s smaller trainee intake means it gives trainees a large degree of responsibility early doors. As one trainee told us: “I chose Collyer Bristow because I didn’t want to be standing by the photocopier all day… working here, I undertake concrete and juicy tasks and feel like I’m really making a difference.”

For trainee solicitors, ‘increased responsibility’ is often legal-speak for being subject to long and punishing hours. But this firm’s pleasant workplace culture ensures that trainees aren’t battered by long hours and impossible workloads; you won’t be trudging round in the small hours like the lady with the lamp was.

The firm is ranked in the Chambers UK guide for Real Estate: £10-50 million and Family/Matrimonial Finance. Collyer Bristow also wins laurels in the exclusive Chambers High Net Worth guide, with rankings for its family team and for Private Wealth Law.

Why trainees joined the firm

Hands-on training

Collyer Bristow trainees told us that they wanted a firm that provided a more “hands-on training experience.” The firm was praised for being “good at checking in” with its trainees. It was also noted that people at Collyer Bristow “really do take their time to explain things,” while the firm’s lawyers were praised for being “willing to pass down their wisdom.”

Small trainee cohort

Collyer Bristow’s headcount is approximately 120 people, and the firm only takes on four trainees each year. Many interviewees cited this as a big draw for them and felt it led to a more collaborative, familiar environment for a training contract. “Collyer Bristow is a friendly and close-knit firm,” was the appraisal of one trainee.

London base

London can be a hugely alluring place to start your legal career. Although it is probably better known as the stomping ground of the country’s largest firms, Collyer Bristow proves that London has more to offer than huge international law firms.

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Trainees do four six-month seats at Collyer Bristow. The seat selection process is quite informal: trainees tell HR which seats they would most like to do.

Most trainees at Collyer Bristow do a seat in real estate, and everyone must complete one seat in a disputes team. When allocating seats, the firm gives priority to the preferences of second-year trainees.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

Our interviewees said that Collyer Bristow’s lawyers and non-lawyers were very approachable, including its senior lawyers. Trainees added that the firm “deliberately creates an environment where it is easy for a trainee to ask the associates for help.”

The firm has recently moved into a new office on Noble Street, which is a short stroll from St Paul’s Tube station. The office was said to have a nice range of dedicated quiet areas for focused work, as well as chattier and more collaborative working areas. We were told that most people tended to sit at the same desks day to day; great news for those who like a well-established office routine.

Lunch in the Collyer Bristow kitchen is said to be a very sociable, enjoyable affair that gives trainees time to switch off during the working day. Trainees said they often chatted with partners and associates in the kitchen and took full advantage of the time to get to know everybody at the firm. Given the firm’s smaller size, this is probably more doable than it seems. The office fridge is stocked with fresh fruit, healthy snacks and sweet treats.

Outside working hours, trainees can attend a diverse range of well-funded social events. The firm’s ‘Collyer Connections’ events are a notable feature of its social life and usually centre on food: breakfast typically comes from Pret or Farmer J, while pizza is served for dinner. There are also dedicated trainee events, including trips to the theatre, the Ned, Fairgame and Blame Gloria, a cocktail bar.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Collyer Bristow trainees told us that their usual start and finish times were 9:30am and 5:30pm respectively, with little variation. They also reported that they didn’t feel any pressure to show their faces before or after the working day. “I can’t imagine a situation where someone stays in the office at midnight,” said one trainee, and another reckoned they could probably “count on two hands how many times I’ve worked later than 6:30pm or 7pm.”

Trainees typically spend three days a week in the office, although the arrangement can vary depending on their seat and workload. They told us that they liked this balance.

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Trainees were generally happy with their salary, which they considered reasonable in light of the firm’s size and their working hours. “I think it’s a trade-off,” said one trainee; “the hours that I find myself working make up for the slight salary discrepancy.”

Supervision and training

Collyer Bristow trainees are quickly brought up to speed on how the firm runs as a business and taught about its IT systems and billing procedures during their first few weeks at the firm.

For each seat, trainees are assigned a new development coach, who acts as their supervisor for that seat. They meet their development coaches at least once a month to talk about how they’re finding their current seat and which seats they should do next. “When you have meetings with your development coach so frequently, it means you can easily address every concern that you might have,” said an interviewee.

The firm also pairs trainees with a mentor, usually a senior associate, who remains with them throughout their training contract and serves a pastoral role.

Every trainee receives introductory sessions in each seat, but departments take different approaches to ongoing training. Some teams ask trainees to research new case law and present their findings to the team, which our interviewees considered a “great public speaking opportunity.” Other teams run weekly training sessions throughout the seat. As one trainee told us: “I had around twelve training sessions in one of my seats: one a week from the start until Christmas.”

Trainees also receive feedback directly from partners. One trainee recalled doing drafting work for the firm’s senior partner and described the detailed feedback they received on it. “I just went through the document for about 40 minutes with him,” the interviewee said, adding: “I just can’t see a scenario where I would get that elsewhere.”

Pro bono & CSR

While trainees were hesitant to say that pro bono work is a top priority at the firm, they told us that working on pro bono matters is a fantastic way to develop skills outside their regular repertoire. As one trainee highlighted: “The pro bono work I did was an invaluable experience. I got to go to court and that was really great.”

Every year, Collyer Bristow votes for a charity to support, and in 2026 it chose Soup Kitchen. The firm also works with Sebby’s Corner, a charity supporting vulnerable families and children living in poverty. Trainees also have the opportunity to volunteer at local law clinics and Citizens Advice on matters relating to housing, employment and family law.

Inclusion

Collyer Bristow has a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee and an inclusion network called ‘HighHer’, which aims to champion gender equality in the workplace. Although the trainees we interviewed felt that the firm’s diversity initiatives could still be improved, they praised its wellbeing initiatives, including the wellbeing champions scheme and wellness walks.

Qualification

The qualification process kicks off when HR asks second-year trainees to identify the departments they would like to qualify into. The firm uses these preferences to decide which departments will advertise vacancies. If multiple trainees apply for the same position, a formal interview process determines who gets the role.

While this qualification process is more relaxed and informal than those at larger firms in London, this is not to say that trainees didn’t have small quibbles about it. Trainees felt that HR could have been clearer when signposting the steps in the qualification process. “I think the second-year trainees would have liked to have been provided with more of a timeline,” commented one interviewee.

Overall, though, our trainee interviewees were very positive about the firm and told us they would like to stay. “I do see myself staying after qualification,” summed up one interviewee, adding: “I really like it as a firm.”

No need to Rome too far to find something interesting… There are sections of London’s old Roman wall on view outside Collyer Bristow’s new office.