Stephenson Harwood

About the firm

Consider the pelican. A large, arguably unsightly bird that can migrate far and wide. Its range is impressive, but its agility and control are perhaps limited when compared to the smaller cardinal, though that bird is much less likely to reach faraway distances. What of the barn swallow? A species of bird that can migrate the world entire and remain a graceful and agile size.

What does all this ornithology have to do with Stephenson Harwood, I hear you ask? Well, we’d like to propose that SH is the barn swallow of the legal world, and our interviewees were inclined to agree, noting that “the trainee cohort size was perfect: not too big, not too small.” SH’s international prowess continues to grow as well, bringing a lot of eyes and interest to its doors: “I wanted a firm that was international with plenty to offer, but also a work-life balance and no expectation to commit to those crazy US firm hours.”

“The trainee cohort size was perfect, not too big, not too small.”

Our sister guide Chambers UK also dishes out the praise, giving flowers to 43 of the firm’s departments including asset finance: shipping, fraud, financial services, investment funds, and commercial & corporate litigation. While it’s also true that the firm’s expertise in shipping and maritime matters remains a strong standard bearer of SH, juniors were keen to report that it is far from the only feather in its cap. “Historically, it is a shipping heavy firm, but they’re clearly full-service now,” one rookie relayed, “the shipping specialism is still strong, but it’s not the only attraction anymore.”

Why trainees joined the firm

Just-right trainee intake size

Our sources were pleased that they were in a large enough cohort to get that community aspect but also not too large that it became detrimental from a development standpoint. “You don’t just feel like a number here, you’re definitely taken care of,” one insider assured.

International capabilities

With “plenty of scope to get involved in cross-border matters,” SH has established itself as a global player and trainees have reaped the benefits.

Full-service with shipping speciality

Although the firm’s full-service offering gave juniors a host of choices, plenty of our insiders highlighted SH’s roots have not been neglected: “they’re still really leading in those spaces.”

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Seats are assigned using the AI tool RUTH which collates a trainee’s ten ranked preferences and sorts them through its algorithm.

Doing a litigation seat is mandatory, but otherwise everything is up for grabs. Our interviewees were split on whether the system favoured them or not: “it can be a mixed bag and a bit luck of the draw, but I do think they try their best.”

Client Secondments

There are around five six-month client secondments on offer as well as “opportunities to go to a client for three months during a seat.” Client secondments in general seemed to be on the rise and registering interest is as simple as submitting a CV and a cover letter, plus an interview which insiders reassured us “is more like a conversation to gauge expectations on both sides.”

International Secondments

For opportunities abroad, sources informed us that “there’s ten available per seat,” and just as with client secondments, a CV and cover letter are required followed by an informal interview.

Some of the offices available for a secondment include Seoul, Singapore, Doha, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Paris. “It’s a great experience to see an overseas office and see a different working culture,” enthused one insider, “the office is usually smaller than London, so you get more responsibility and it feels like a test run of what it’s like being an NQ associate.”

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

“People at this firm are human,” one junior was happy to share: “they’re not robots. You can have chats with them, and they’re interested in you as well.” This sentiment radiated across our interviews who heralded the fact it is easy to make friends and approach people across all seniorities. “I don’t feel any competitiveness with my peers and most people would feel the same,” added one newbie, “people are just nice and come across as really good people.”

Reviews on the firm’s social calendar were mixed, with some noting “it isn’t the best firm in the world for socialising after work,” while other sources noted SH does put on social events – “probably too many! You could be out every Thursday if you wanted to be.” Largely it boiled down to which team you’re in with some looking to hang out after work more often than others. Some social examples include the staple summer party and Christmas dinner, but also padel events, a rounders tournament, cocktail making, flower arranging, and nail painting if you fancy putting the drink down for something “far more wholesome!”

Based out of Finsbury Circus, at the time of our interviews, trainees were boasting of the office’s air conditioning that helped them get through the summer heatwave with one sharing “I’m not sure I could’ve survived without it!” Otherwise, the firm has a subsidised canteen which got positive reviews, and an office building that “is full of character in the perfect location.”

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees are required to come in the office three days a week. That said, our sources were often in all five days. “I want to be in when everyone is in,” one insider began, “it’s always easier when you’re doing something and you can just go ask a question and learn.” Despite this, a lot of the office attendance is team-dependant and there is flexibility on offer so long as you “mirror your teammates; they are understanding.”

Hours are equally varied, with 6.30pm being an average finish time, but when things really heat up, days can stretch to as late as 3am. “You’re very much recognised and appreciated for the work you put in,” one source reassured: “they’ll give you back time if they can when it gets calmer.” Weekends are sacred though, with sources only reporting a handful of occasions they’d logged on on a Saturday or a Sunday.

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

Across the board, our sources were pleased with their salary, even if it wasn’t quite top band in the market. “It would be quite naïve to expect Magic Circle pay,” one rookie divulged, “it’s a good balance with the hours we work.” That pragmatic view seemed uniform among our interviewees with one noting that “they treat you and your life with respect, so it’s a pretty good deal.”

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

Just how hands on a supervisor will be largely depends on what seat you’re in with interviewees reporting that “I’ve had some that wanted check-ins every week and asked me what work I wanted to do,” while others “can sometimes be too busy, so they let me just get on with things.” In the latter case, the trainee isn’t left on their own, as we heard many associates step up as quasi-supervisors to help wherever they can. “Someone will always give you the support you need,” explained one junior, “everyone is very generous with their time.” Overall, our sources were encouraged to be the best versions of themselves with constructive feedback: “they’re really positive and they give you the confidence to go out and try.”

As for training, it seems sessions are decidedly “frontloaded in your first year; there isn’t much in your second.” Those first-year sessions can include things like transferrable skills, business development, personal brand, grammar, and critical thinking with AI. “They’ve been really useful for us,” one junior considered. All seats will also run a few days of sessions when a newbie joins the group, which are designed to “brush you up quickly on what’s going on,” but after that the firm largely runs a learn-by-doing contract.

Inclusion

Juniors were happy to provide the insight that “from the bottom up, it’s building into a more diverse place.” International representation was on the up as well as racial diversity and gender parity, and sources noted that the firm “is putting in a lot of effort to improve things.”

For example, there are affinity groups aplenty such as a women’s network, LGBTQ+ alliance, religious groups, and ethnic diversity groups. These networks also host a variety of talks and events such as during Black History Month or Pride month, as well as run fundraisers for various charities like The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The firm also works with students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to help open up the industry to more people: “they do take inclusion very seriously here which is great to see.”

Pro bono & CSR

Pro bono work seems to be on the rise at SH as the firm recently implemented a four-person team to advertise opportunities trainees can get involved in. “We’re encouraged to do it,” began one insider, “but the onus is on the individual to make the effort.”

As it happens, most of our sources hadn’t done much pro bono work, largely due to being busy with client work. Those that had partook saw the value and hastened to point out that “it’s low commitment overall, and it counts as billable time.” There’s also a focused seat available to trainees too.

Opportunities include:

• Not Beyond Redemption applications

• Rainbow Migration asylum seeker aid

• Tutoring in schools

• Eye Witness to Atrocities

Qualification

Qualification at SH goes like this: a jobs list is released to trainees who can apply to one or more teams, although sources warned, “it isn’t great for your optics if you register interest across too many teams.” Once a CV has been sent through, there is a panel interview with the team and HR in which “they try to match you with people in the group you don’t know as well, so there’s no bias.” From there, “a variation in interview intensity” can be expected along with some teams running case studies and written tests. Our sources figured it was all worth it though, with the prevailing opinion being “they really invest in their people here so I want to stay for a long time.”

Har-would you pass the cheese?

Located on grassy Finsbury Circus, the firm takes advantage of the gardens by setting up a picnic offering on sunny days.