DWF

About the firm

Much like the intercity rail, DWF was first built by Liverpudlians and Mancunians with the ability to take you down south to Birmingham, London and Southampton, or up north to Leeds and Newcastle. Indeed, DWF boasts a network spanning eleven domestic offices. An additional 23 overseas offices mean you’ll also have international connections without having to make a change (something UK intercity rail still hasn’t quite mastered…).

With its signposted reputation for insurance and commercial law, and tracks laid far and wide, for many of our interviewees, DWF served as an ideal platform to get their careers moving full steam ahead (we’ll see ourselves out…). Our colleagues over at Chambers UK are inclined to agree with this assessment, rolling out praise for its nationwide health & safety, personal injury, food product liability, insurance and police law expertise.

However, even with its impressive global footprint of offices, DWF only takes a small handful of trainees per office. This allows trainees plenty of opportunities to get stuck into leaner teams. While direct training contract applications are possible, the firm largely recruits its trainees from its vacation scheme, and frequently welcomes those that have undertaken paralegal work at the firm into its trainee ranks.

Why trainees joined the firm

Hands on responsibility

Almost all interviewees we spoke to were big fans of the levels of responsibility they were given. As one insider explained, “I never feel like I’m being pandered to once my team know I know what is happening.” Using a cake analogy to explain how responsibility progresses at DWF (and making us feel rather hungry in the process), one trainee told us, “At first, you’re just doing the icing, then you’re tasked with doing the batter, and then soon enough, they’re asking you what cake to make.”

People-focused culture

One trainee made it crystal clear their goal was to “enjoy work and be at a ‘people’ firm that really cared about its employees, and clients.” Another trainee pointed to a mentorship event they attended during the recruitment process as a key reason they were attracted to the firm.

Good selection of client secondments

Client secondments are popular among trainees at the firm, with many undertaking stints at large household names. “You have to do it!” one trainee encouraged: “what you get from the client side is so different to private practice.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Trainees sit in four six-month seats, though what’s on offer each rotation will vary depending on office location. Rookies are asked to rank their seat preferences for each rotation from a list of available spots. Insiders noted the firm’s commercial and insurance seats are often the most popular among cohorts, and when it comes to allocating spots, second years nearing qualification are often given preference.

Those in the Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool offices can undertake a seat in another northern office, though they are generally not able to rotate through the firm’s London office.

Client secondments

Trainees are encouraged to undertake client secondments when made available. These are applied for in the same way seats are applied for: by ranking options in order of preference.

Opportunities tend to crop up on an ad hoc basis, as interviewees estimated roughly one in ten trainees had participated in one.

International secondments

The firm does not offer international secondments.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

If a firm devoid of “cliquey nonsense” sounds like music to your ears, you and DWF’s lawyers are reading from the same hymn sheet. Partners were said to be very approachable and on a first name basis with trainees. “They’ll often ring you out of the blue to check in,” remarked one trainee: “No problem is too small for you to ask them about!” Trainees can also interact with partners in a somewhat less formal environment during Thirsty Thursdays, a monthly drinks event which sees teams get together to present on recent work.

Across difference offices, the firm’s social committees host an array of activities for lawyers and non-fee earners alike. Examples include Pilates classes, book clubs, summer matcha events, padel tournaments, run clubs and organised hikes. There are also firmwide summer and Christmas parties.

DWF’s various offices are open plan and were described as “modern” and “pleasant” by our sources. The only qualms we heard were from those in the Manchester office who reckoned their office was the one most in need of a refresh… though we suspect these feelings stem from some FOMO of the Liverpool office’s recent renovation. The open plan layout in particular was popular among interviewees who enjoyed “being able to sit next to colleagues and see their interactions with clients and other colleagues. It’s invaluable… you can’t get that at home!”

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

When quizzed on their typical working hours, interviewees reported generally working from 9am to around 6pm. As one trainee recalled, “I think I’ve stayed late like three times during the time I’ve been here… The firm understands that you have a life outside of work, so there’s no expectation to graft your life away.”

Trainees are expected to be in the office at least 50% of the time, although a number of sources we spoke to deliberately came in more often. Those who chose to be in more often explained that they did so because they felt being in the office helped lead to more frequent informal work opportunities; as one trainee explained, “If a partner is looking to dish out some work and you’re in their eyeline, they will give it to you. They appreciate you making the effort to be in.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

The firm recently upped trainee salaries, which sources were expectedly pleased with. Salaries now sit closer to what insiders perceived to be market rate for the hours they were putting in. Ultimately, one insider reasoned: “It’s not the highest salary, but the training is great. It’s quid pro quo…”

Supervision and training

According to insiders, the quality of supervision and training at the firm is “superb.” Supervisors were said to be good at striking a ‘Goldilocks’ balance between being available to trainees and encouraging them to learn independently. One trainee reported, “They were really encouraging; they were there for me to lean on but keen for me to step out and do things on my own.” Trainees typically meet with their supervisors every two weeks, though for those in-between moments, we heard it’s fairly common for supervisors to sit with their trainees.

As such, many of our interviewees revealed they felt very comfortable speaking out about the amount of work on their plate to let supervisors know they were at capacity, as well as expressing their interest in work they’d like to get involved in in the future. “Your work/life balance is so much better when you’re working around approachable people,” one trainee mused: “That’s done really well here.”

As for training, there are formal sessions available through a number of channels. Dedicated monthly training sessions delivered by professional support lawyers are supplemented with team meetings in which general guidance is provided, alongside caselaw updates hosted by barristers’ chambers.

Trainees were also keen to report the firm’s positive outlook on the adoption of AI. Trainees have access to systems like Legora and Orbital Witness: “you feel like you’re on the cutting edge!”

Pro bono & CSR

When it comes to the firm’s CSR work, some trainees felt the firm wasn’t “publicising the work they’re doing enough!” DWF has a dedicated manager who focuses on community and projects. In fact, in conjunction with a handful of other corporates, the firm recently made a 50-year commitment to fund rewilding and carbon credit generation at Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire.

Charitable drives like cake carts and bake sales are also frequent features at the firm to raise money for the DWF Foundation. Trainees can also spend eight to ten hours annually volunteering at local schemes and community projects like food banks. These initiatives were popular among interviewees, with one remarking, “It’s nice to get out and spend some time away from the office and usual work!”

While charity-focused events are more common than pro bono work, a few opportunities do crop up and a number of trainees we spoke to had gotten involved.

Other opportunities include:

• The Proud Trust

• Coach Core Foundation

• Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis

• Beatson Cancer Charity

Inclusion

All of our interviewees commended DWF for putting significant effort towards promoting inclusion initiatives. One even went as far as to rate it “10/10. They don’t endlessly talk about CSR or diversity; they show you what they’re doing about it.”

The firm has a number of dedicated inclusion networks, including one centred on wellbeing; Out Front (focused on LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies); This is Me (focused on gender parity); Race and Ethnicity Network (focused on increasing ethnic and cultural diversity); and Diverse Ability (for those with hidden and visible disabilities, carers and allies). These networks frequently host panel talks and dedicated socials to raise awareness on various topics.

Qualification

Conversations about NQ positions start around April. Those looking to stay on at DWF as NQs can choose a maximum of two departments they’d like to join. Trainees then participate in an interview as part of the selection process. Most of our interviewees agreed they’d received “a lot of support from the early careers team,” pointing to various workshops and presentations. And finally, trainees learn about the outcomes in May/June.

(D)on’t (W)orry (F)riend…

Sources also noted in the event trainees are unable to secure an NQ position, the firm provides CV support in their search for opportunities elsewhere.