McDermott Will & Schulte

About the firm

Some things just go well together – think salt and pepper, fish and chips, prospective trainees and Chambers Student. And now there’s one more pairing for the list: recently merged McDermott Will & Schulte has brought together McDermott’s global reach and Schulte’s investment funds expertise in a pairing that just feels right. “It’s been a really positive move for everyone, especially the increased exposure that the trainees can now get,” training principal Mark Fine says. MWS trainees agree, adding that, with the small cohorts and hands-on training style, “you get a lot of responsibility from day one. It’s challenging but also a great way to learn.”

“You get a lot of responsibility from day one.”

There’s “no one-size-fits-all” trainee at MWS, Fine tells us, but what unites successful applicants is that they are “inquisitive, proactive and hungry for knowledge.” Selecting go-getters certainly pays off when it comes to prestige: the firm receives top marks from Chambers UK for its healthcare and investment funds work UK-wide, with nods as well for its leveraged finance work on both the borrower and lender sides in London. Headquartered in Chicago, MWS has more than 20 offices across the US and Europe, and it bags a Chambers Global gold star for its investment funds work as well.

Why trainees joined the firm

Small trainee intake

Our sources were keen on MWS’s small cohort sizes, which lend themselves well to “more hands-on experience and early responsibility.”

International outlook

Trainees were drawn to the fact that there is “lots of work coming from the US, and you’re working a lot with local counsel.”

Transactional focus

MWS was a match for trainees interested in private equity dealmaking, who explained that “that’s definitely a focus at McDermott.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Three of the four seats are compulsory: corporate/private equity, leveraged finance and litigation. Trainees’ first seats are allocated blindly, then for subsequent rotations “you’re able to have conversations and flag preferences towards certain seats.” Interviewees underlined that “there’s a lot of flexibility,” and Fine tells us that trainees aren’t confined to their allocated seats: “you are encouraged to go out there, to find other departments that you’re interested in or potentially interested in, and to offer your help to those departments or to gain an understanding of what the work looks like in such team.” This is reflected in the experience of our insiders, who felt that “even when you’re in one seat, you can do work for another.” Trainees do note that following the merger, the seat allocation process may be subject to change in the future.

Client secondments

While client secondments are not currently offered at the firm: “Increasingly, there may well be. It’s something we’ve talked about with the training principal.”

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

“Everyone’s super friendly and will make a lot of effort to say hello,” was the general consensus when it came to culture at MWS. Newbies felt that “people really appreciate that you’re a trainee and you don’t know much when you start,” and they had no qualms about asking anyone for help, from associate to partner. There was a strong feeling that “everyone is genuinely there to help and support you.” It helps that there’s a lot of partner-facing time to be had, because “the teams are also quite small, which means that you can work with the partner directly.” Another interviewee agreed that they “didn’t expect how much partner-facing work you can find yourself doing from such an early stage!” Small teams also lend themselves well to a friendly atmosphere: “because there’s only five of us across the two cohorts, everyone is super close,” one insider shared.

“Everyone is genuinely there to help and support you.”

On the social side, the office has a social committee responsible for organising various events, which have recently included a trip to Clays for virtual clay pigeon shooting and a pizza-making session for junior lawyers. Trainees are given a budget from the social committee, which is “a newer thing,” and much appreciated. Alongside this, there’s the Summer Party and Winter Party, which are “increasingly well-attended,” and regular after-work drinks, known informally as sundowners. Once a month, the firm holds a birthday hour to celebrate everyone’s birthdays: “there’s too much cake! I know that’s a first-world problem,” one trainee admitted.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Generally, trainees are in the office for at least three days a week, and mostly four. Fine tells us that although there’s no set requirement for in-office days, “we do encourage our trainees – just as we encourage our associates and our partners – to be in the office as much as they possibly can” to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Reports on average working hours varied from “probably 40 to 45 hours” per week to “around 60” – sources emphasised it can be quite team-dependent, and in seats such as litigation, “there were a couple of weeks where I did 75 hours, but that was unusual.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Across the board, trainees were very satisfied with their salary relative to the hours they put in. “It’s at the top of the market!” one interviewee said delightedly. “I’m very happy, we’re well compensated,” another shared.

Supervision and training

“Learning-by-doing” is the preferred style of training at MWS, where “you are given as much as you can handle, and the more that you demonstrate that you’re proactive and willing to take on more responsibility, people are happy to give it to you.” Another interviewee agreed that “you have responsibility, but it’s paired with a good level of oversight.” That oversight is provided by supervisors, who sit next to trainees during their first and second seat, and who “always make themselves available to help in any way.” Trainees are given formal mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews, with chances for informal feedback along the way, but our insiders emphasised that “the onus is on trainees to ask for feedback – that’s actually a positive thing because it helps you develop good habits early on in your career.” The quantity of feedback “does fluctuate based on the busyness of the team” and “because there’s a lean team structure, it can fall by the wayside a bit.” Our sources assured us, however, that if you ask for feedback, supervisors and other members of the team will be happy to sit down with you and help you develop: “there’s never been a moment where it’s felt like I’ve been out on my own.”

“You have responsibility, but it’s paired with a good level of oversight.”

There has been a “big drive to restructure the training programme in the past year” according to our interviewees, who were very complimentary about the new regime: “the knowledge management team puts in a lot of work.” Training is both cross-departmental and team-specific, and there are sessions held for juniors and trainees on “the basics.” There’s also a culture of “cross-practice training, where a team will deliver a training to the firm,” as well as visits from external specialists, which have recently included an AI software training session.

Pro bono & CSR

There are “unlimited possibilities!” for pro bono work at MWS, according to our sources, who described a “big pro bono culture” with opportunities for trainees to onboard their own pro bono clients and “the freedom to do the whole process.” As well as being a great chance to take charge of a project, trainees said that pro bono work is “super rewarding.” One interviewee shared that “when we have calls with all the offices, we talk about how we need to give back to the community. That’s something I’m proud to be a part of – a place that actually tries.” Recent pro bono cases have included working with secondary schools and sixth forms to roll out a social action project and advising charities on formation.

Other opportunities include

• The Switch: a charity that supports young people through a range of volunteer-based programmes

Inclusion

MWS is “very committed” to encouraging diversity and inclusion, according to our interviewees. A JDEI (Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) committee hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including a film night, and the firm always turns out to celebrate Pride Month and Black History Month. Other major cultural holidays are marked as well and will often show up in the firm calendar. Alongside this, our sources were enthused by the level of female representation in the higher ranks, with one pointing out that “litigation has just brought in a female partner which is good, because across law firms, litigation is quite male-dominated. It’s good to have a lot of strong women here.”

Mental health and wellbeing is also a focus at the firm, with designated mental health first aiders and advocates in the office, as well as events to raise awareness and invited speakers giving talks on topics such as managing mental health in the legal industry. “It’s not just watching videos, it’s events put on in the office. There’s good attendance, which I think shows the support [for mental health initiatives] across the firm,” one interviewee highlighted.

Qualification

The qualification process at MWS is “more on the informal side.” There’s no qualification test or interview, but there is “an onus placed on you as the trainee to go and have conversations with people,” and it’s best to “be proactive” in the second half of your training contract in indicating your preferred area to qualify into. One interviewee shared that “at the beginning, they said there’s a place for everyone, so you’re not fighting! They’re potentially taking everyone, but they don’t have to, so you have to prove yourself.” Looking longer-term, our sources were positive about the prospect of staying on at MWS: “I matched well with the firm, and they matched well with me. So far, so good!”

A new office, coming soon…

The MWS merger will be marked in August 2028 with a hop across the capital from Bishopsgate to Mayfair.