Birketts

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Birketts

Birketts is widely seen by its trainees as “the best firm for my that offers a wide span of seat rotations.” The firm strikes a balance between being a “top 50 full-service firm with a regional feel” and one that is “rapidly expanding,” having recently surpassed £100m turnover and opened offices in London, Sevenoaks, and Bristol. This growth excites trainees, who see “the possibility of growing with the firm” and perhaps even “taking on more responsibility earlier than expected.” Location and lifestyle are also big draws, with recruits citing the “regional nature but clear growth,” “locality, work-life balance, career trajectory,” and the chance to “enjoy the regional lifestyle and work-life balance” without missing out on quality work. The training experience compares favourably with peers elsewhere. Trainees highlight “much more responsibility and actual legal work than my peers in London firms,” alongside a “much better work-life balance.” One summed it up neatly: “I have much more responsibility compared to peers, more freedom and am respected as a contributor rather than just a ‘trainee’.” Support is also emphasised: “At Birketts there is a supportive culture: my supervisors have always been highly approachable, and I never feel like a nuisance if I need to ask for help.” The firm culture is the most repeated theme. Trainees point to the “attitude to being yourself and the friendliness of the people at all levels,” describing Birketts as “a large firm with a small-firm culture.” This supportive environment extends to mentoring, client exposure, and business development opportunities, with trainees even being given “matters in your own name.” That said, challenges remain. The “pay for certain regional offices” and a perceived “lack of diversity” come up, as does frustration that “trainees are expected to be in the office 100% of the time” while supervisors often work from home. Still, Birketts scores strongly on pro bono and CSR, with “lots of opportunities both locally and nationally” and each trainee encouraged to take a CSR day. For many, the best moments involve responsibility and recognition—whether “attending the High Court for an urgent insolvency injunction application” or “receiving praise from partners for an internal diversity article.” Overall, Birketts combines a “friendly, supportive culture” with ambitious growth, offering trainees both balance and opportunity.

About the firm

Introductory paragraph about the firm: Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich
and Sevenoaks.

We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally. Our business is divided into four principal practice groups: real estate, corporate services, dispute resolution and private client.

With our ambition to succeed comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 43% of our partnership.

 

List of deals/cases in which the firm has been recently involved: Advised on the sale of Original Cottage Company, a 30-year-old family business, to Travel Chapter, including exercising options from 250 option holders and also dealing with a partial reinvestment in the business; Shaken Udder’s investment from private equity firm LDC; SDI Group’s acquisition of SafeLab Systems in a deal worth approximately £7.7m; Milbank Group’s purchase of Bruno Rimini Ltd (trading as Silostop); the sale of Manchester Underwriting Agencies Limited to Pen Underwriting, the specialist underwriting subsidiary of global insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co; Vanilla Electronics Ltd’s acquisition of Wiltshire-based electronics manufacturing services business Interconics Ltd; Goddard Veterinary Group’s sale to York-based VetPartners; Titan Motorsport and Automotive Engineering Ltd’s transfer of ownership to a new shareholder team; YFM Private Equity’s £80m Buyout Fund II (YFM) on its acquisition of Essex-based specialist property services company RGE Services Limited (RGE); FM service provider Atalian Servest’s acquisition of the Incentive FM group of companies, one of the largest independently-owned providers of specialist facilities services across the UK.

Senior partner: Chris Schwer

Other offices: Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Chelmsford, London, Sevenoaks, Bristol

Who we are: At Birketts we take pride in getting the details right – doing everything, knowing that everything matters. A top 50 law firm, with over 5700 lawyers in seven office locations. We have you covered, whatever your requirements may be.

What we do: Being effective isn’t just about expertise in the law, it’s about understanding people. We always start by asking the right questions to understand your long-term objectives and the immediate outcomes you need to achieve. We build lasting relationships and many of our clients rely on us as trusted advisers over the years.

What we’re looking for in a trainee: We look for proactive and openminded individuals who show true potential. We ask for 120 UCAS points, though allow space in our application for you to tell us about any mitigating circumstances that could have affected your results. We hire individuals for what they can bring to the firm so we’re looking for your personality to shine through in your application. We like to hear about all work experience, not just legal and appreciate the transferable skills that can be learnt from this as well as extra-curricular activities.

What you’ll do: Your two-year training contract will involve spending six months in four different practice areas (known as ‘seats’). You may also gain experience in another of our offices which is great for building relationships and your knowledge of the wider firm. We invest in our trainee lawyers and as well as supporting you through your compulsory professional skills course, as required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, we also offer a bespoke trainee content programme. This focuses on the technical, commercial and softer skills required to be a successful lawyer, including personal brand, coping with change and client-facing business development skills.

Perks: Contributory pension, including the option to salary sacrifice; interest-free season ticket loan; bonus scheme that reflects firm and individual performance; firm-wide profit share scheme; paid CSR day; subsidised gym membership through Gymflex (access savings at over 3,300 locations); dress for your day policy; fresh fruit in all offices; access to a wellbeing nurse; confidential employee assistance programme; employee referral reward programme for introducing talented candidates; enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay; enhanced shared parental pay.

Sponsorship

We provide full sponsorship of the SQE LLM through our chosen provider, University of Law. This includes sponsorship of the preparation courses and exams. You will be able to complete the course at your preferred campus location. We also provide funding for SQE Law Essentials where applicable as an alternative to the PGDL.

Tips from the recruiter

All firms will look for differing things from their candidates, so we have included our top three tips to help your Birketts application shine.

1. Do your research – and then dig deeper.
   Go beyond the ‘About Us’ page. Explore our recent cases, initiatives, or team members. Find something that genuinely interests you and tell us why—it shows curiosity and motivation.
2. Accuracy matters.
   Attention to detail is a key skill for any solicitor. Double-check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. A polished application speaks volumes about your professionalism.
3. Show us who you are.
   We value individuality and shared values. Let your personality shine through—tell us what drives you, what you care about, and what you’ll bring to Birketts.