Osborne Clarke

About the firm

With a runway that starts in Bristol, Osborne Clarke trainees step onto a global platform that is already in full flight. The firm has grown well beyond its South West base, now operating from 26 offices worldwide, spanning across North America and Asia. As training principal Marc Shrimpling confirms: “Osborne Clarke is a forward-facing, ambitious international firm. We have market-leading expertise across multiple practice areas, with particular strengths in technology, energy, real estate, finance and life sciences.” Day-to-day as Shrimpling explains: “Across all of our UK offices we have colleagues who provide high-quality commercial advice on a wide range of international matters. We work very closely with our overseas offices in the US and across Europe.”

“The firm has hundreds of lawyers that are well established and high-profile cases; that all stood out to me.”

Indeed, in our sister guide, Chambers UK, the firm boasts top-tier recognition across banking & finance, construction, corporate/M&A: £25 million and above, employment, information technology, litigation, real estate, and restructuring/insolvency in the South West. Further, it scoops up best-in-class accolades for its capital markets: AIM, financial services: payments law, media & entertainment: advertising & marketing, and public procurement expertise nationwide. With that in mind, one trainee highlighted: “The firm has hundreds of lawyers that are well established as well as high-profile cases; that all stood out to me.”

Why trainees joined the firm

Location, location, location

Around 35 trainees join the three UK offices annually in Bristol, Reading and London. Whether its home, university roots, or another local connection, applicants were united in wanting to build a career in their location of choice, without sacrificing “the quality of the work that would challenge you to progress, and the international work with other offices.”

Strong sector focus

Tech, energy, and life sciences are at the forefront of the firm, and this “strong sector” approach stood out to trainees. “I really liked the firm’s thinking,” one source said, “the focus on tech and the sector approach was really attractive. It’s a law firm that understands that practice areas are important, but sectors are key. Everything I do is impacted by it.”

Personal feel

The culture at Osborne Clarke proved to be the winning combination for trainees: “It has a more personal feel.” Sources gushed that, “it really does value its people and work quality – it doesn’t make you lose that human touch,” and moreover, “there’s a good work/life balance as part of the offering.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat Allocation

Seat allocation was described as “very hands-on.” Trainees meet with the future lawyer team before each rotation, and have an open conversation about their interests, “what we have and haven’t enjoyed,” as one source explained. They then rank the available seats from 1 – 10 via RUTH, an AI-algorithm. Together, those conversations and the data output shape the final allocation, ensuring that the highest number of trainees receive their top choices.

Trainees are expected to complete at least one contentious seat during their six-month rotations, though, “the firm has been more flexible if you have had a seat with an element of contentious experience” to fulfil that requirement.

Client Secondments

There are numerous client secondment opportunities up for grabs each rotation, from household names in social media and entertainment, to technology and construction. If interested, trainees send through an application including a cover letter and CV, often interviewing with the client partner.

There is even the possibility of doing a stint in ‘OC Solutions’, the firm’s in-house technology department, “where multidisciplinary teams – including lawyers, technologists and project managers – work together to deliver managed services and technology-enabled solutions for clients,” Shrimpling explains: Working with OC Solutions gives trainees exposure to different ways of delivering legal work and develops skills in collaboration, innovation and legal operations, all of which are increasingly important in modern practice."

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

One insider theorised that, “individual personalities are like the weather; the culture is the climate, and over time, the weather shapes the climate.” The atmosphere, or culture, we were told is friendly, with one interviewee sharing: “There is no one I don’t feel able to approach or ask a question.” Sources all seemed to agree, noting that the open-plan layout within the offices boosts this. Even sitting near partners, “doesn’t feel like you’re treading on eggshells.” Some did express a shift in culture due, in part, to changing client demands, coupled with the firm strategising to meet evolving expectations. However, insiders felt that this did not detract from the approachability of people, at any level of the hierarchy, within the firm.

“Everyone is friends rather than just colleagues.”

Amongst the trainees, there is a real sense of camaraderie: “Everyone is friends rather than just colleagues.” Trainees are allotted their own social budget to get together and plan events. There are also plenty of other occasions to do so, ranging from committee socials, charity fundraising, volunteering, monthly drinks, team socials and the big seasonal events; those being the individual office winter parties and the headline firm-wide summer bash.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

“Bristol is the star of the show.”

Everyone is expected to be in the office more often than not. In practice, trainees shared this translates to being in three days a week. An insider boasted that “Bristol is the star of the show” with a sustainable office equipped with a rooftop terrace, indoor gardens and “plants in every room” as well as spin and yoga studios. London and Reading were described as modern, respectively, with each having their “own distinct vibe.”

As for hours, finish times can really depend on the department. Trainees shared that an average day starts around 9am and wraps up around 6pm, with some finding themselves regularly logging off around 7pm. Transactional departments, such as corporate and banking, are subject to peaks with longer hours, with juniors sometimes being required to burn the midnight oil. It was noted that quieter troughs also came between the longer slogs. One source caveated that despite the occasional later hours: “I’ve never felt overworked or anything like that.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Across the offices, most trainees felt that their salaries were competitive, especially given the fact “it’s a law firm where you have a good work / life balance.” We did note that some felt, with the trajectory of the firm and its ambitions, compensation could benefit from an increase in time to meet the market rates offered at firms of a similar calibre.

Supervision and training

Starting out newbies are paired with a trainee and NQ buddy to help them adjust to firm life. While supervision varies from team to team, most trainees shared having standard weekly catch ups. These provided trainees with a touch point, with one insider highlighting a good mix of professional and pastoral support: “They will ask about your workflow and what you want to do more of.” Formal feedback comes during mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews.

The bulk of the training was described as being at the beginning of each seat to bring trainees up to speed. Periodic trainings continue throughout, from practical ‘how to’s’ to practice area updates, alongside support from dedicated knowledge lawyers. “If anything comes up, you can go to them,” explained one interviewee. More broadly, trainees have a programme led by the future lawyer team which covers soft skills, as well as meeting in the Bristol HQ for annual training too. “Another thing that we’ve continued to focus on is how we embed AI within our business to enhance the services and impact we can deliver to our clients. We use several AI tools, including Legora, and we’ve been implementing that in a lot of the work that we do,” Shrimpling adds. In turn, trainees and lawyers receive dedicated tech training before gaining access to the tool.

Pro bono & CSR

Everyone, including trainees and qualified lawyers, have three days to use towards CSR initiatives. They are also able to count up to 40 hours of pro bono towards their billable targets. “From a promotion perspective, it’s a big champion – the firm publishes a list of the highest contributors each year,” sources told us. That said, juniors felt charity initiatives were more commonplace than pro bono at the trainee level.

“…we hosted the ‘Weakest Link’ with partners, who were properly roasted.”

Opportunities range from participating in OC for Good its responsible business network, volunteering days including clean ups, charity fundraising and pro bono initiatives. One insider boasted: “In London, we hosted the ‘Weakest Link’ with partners, who were properly roasted,” for a local charity. “It was one of the best events of my whole career, it was brilliant!” another happy trainee shared.

Other opportunities include:

• The Bridge Programme, providing employability support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds; and

• Westminster Legal Advice Centre, answering questions related to housing, family law and simple contract disputes.

Inclusion

Sources agreed that OC “cares a lot about” diversity and inclusion. One trainee was quick to point out OC Reach’s work as a clear indication of the firm’s commitment to DEI: “Last year, we did a listening exercise with partners, it was super honest and educational.” There are several affinity groups across race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, wellbeing and social mobility to join. Each hosts their own initiatives and social events.

“As part of the gender sector, we held a junior women in law event with different firms, and around 150 people turned up,” one insider praised. There is even a book club, where “we come together and discuss the book from different viewpoints.” Social mobility efforts received particular mention, with the firm participating in mentorship programmes with local schools as well as the 10,000 Black Interns Foundation. We also heard that the firm had a diverse intake on the vacation scheme more generally. OC also has its own solicitor apprenticeship scheme.

Qualification

The qualification process begins with the release of the jobs list, although trainees are advised to have conversations with the team and partners beforehand. Candidates then apply to their role(s) of choice and subsequently interview for the position. It was noted that in some cases a technical assessment may be required to be undertaken with the relevant team. Sources agreed that the process and timeline is transparent overall. Those who continue at Osborne Clarke can also take up to three months’ qualification leave, subject to team approval, to reset before they begin their careers as NQs.

Radi-OC

Travelling without entertainment? Try a podcast episode of OC’s ‘Law Beyond Limits’ to hear more about the firm’s trainees’ and apprentices’ journeys into the legal profession.