Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Fladgate

The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Fladgate

Why did you choose to join this firm? ‘High quality of work and training without the hours that come with other City firms’, ‘the modest trainee intake’, ‘the firm’s supportive and approachable culture was somewhere I felt would help me develop early on in my career’, ‘the firm’s growing practice areas such as in dispute resolution meant that I would be able to grow with the firm’, ‘the culture, the breadth of practice areas, quality of clients and quality of training’

What is the best thing about the firm? ‘Access to good work as a trainee, generally speaking supportive and friendly colleagues, great training opportunities’, ‘the work-life balance’, ‘the business development opportunities even from an early stage’, ‘there isn’t a work only culture here, which means people are always happy to go out after work, or grab a coffee and walk in Lincoln’s Inn Fields’, ‘if you show willingness to learn, then you will receive hands-on training’

What could the firm do to improve? ‘It could be more sociable in terms of events and the office itself could be better’, ‘more certainty on NQ retention and improved communication on firm changes’, ‘get better IT equipment’, ‘better showers/changing rooms would help encourage more people to cycle to work or exercise around work hours’, ‘have a canteen; better pay and benefits’, ‘maybe slightly higher pay’

What has been the best moment of your training? ‘Obtaining stellar feedback after a difficult first six months’, ‘attending a contempt hearing. These are rare in civil cases!’, ‘attending dinner with an expert after a day in court’, ‘a one-on-one client meeting explaining legal documents’, ‘attending a mediation with a client and having an active role in managing the relationship’, ‘attending the High Court’

What has been the most challenging moment of your training? ‘Managing many competing deadlines with a heavy workload’, ‘feeling like I couldn’t say no to the work I’d agreed to do for fee-earners and staying up until 3am to get it all completed’, ‘joining a busy disputes seat and having to get to grips with a case ahead of a trial in the first month’, ‘completing a challenging finance deal on a very strict timeline with little knowledge at the time’

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Fladgate

Fladgate offers trainees a blend of high-quality City work, entrepreneurial clients and a genuinely close-knit culture, making it a compelling choice for those seeking substance without feeling swallowed by a large machine. Recruits were drawn to the firm’s ‘independent reputation’, ‘broad practice areas’ and ‘interesting work that is not all-consuming ’, with several highlighting Fladgate’s mid-sized model as a particular strength.  

Trainees are happy to be part of a cohort which is ‘not too large to make me feel like another cog’ but also ‘not too small’ to lack peer support. They also enjoy ‘quality work balanced with good exposure and available support’. The work itself is varied and often unusual, spanning interesting clients and sectors including sport, which makes for a different experience than your average City training contract.  

Trainees also appreciate being trusted early on and highlighted experiences such as ‘attending a contempt hearing’, running a ‘one-on-one client meeting explaining legal documents’ and ‘attending a mediation with a client and having an active role in managing the relationship’. The people at Fladgate are described as ‘approachable and friendly’ and have ‘a good sense of humour’. Supervisors ‘who take time to listen’ are the norm here. 

When it comes to improvements, trainees would welcome better IT equipment, stronger office facilities, more social events, improved communication around firm changes, and greater certainty around NQ retention. Pay and benefits were also areas where respondents would like to see improvement. Workloads can bite, with one trainee recalling ‘staying up until 3 am’ during a busy period.  

For entrepreneurial clients, unusual matters and genuine early responsibility, all within a firm small enough for colleagues to know trainees by name, consider Fladgate. 

A day in the life of… Tori Humble, Third Seat Trainee Solicitor

Tori Humble, Fladgate

Departments to date: Real Estate Disputes

9:00am – Arrival and inbox review

I get into the office and if I haven’t succumbed to the temptation of Redemption Roasters (an office favourite), I make a coffee and go through my inbox and write a quick to-do list for the day.

9:30am – Instructions to counsel

I am asking counsel to advise on the merits of our client’s claim and on the next procedural steps. I set out the key issues we need counsel to address and make sure the chronology matches the documents.

10:30am – Bundling the enclosures

With the body of the brief drafted, I put together the enclosures and index everything so counsel can find their way through it easily, then send the draft brief to my supervisor for review.

11:15am – Emails and client correspondence

I work through my emails and send off a few follow-ups.

12:00pm – Supervisor feedback

My supervisor comes back with comments on the brief. Thankfully there were not too many but there was a helpful point regarding references to the lease.

12:30pm – Lunch and learn

Most weeks there will be a lunch and learn hosted in the office. Today’s session happens to be led by a barrister that we have instructed on one of my cases and was at court with last week. He took us through what judges do and do not like to see when it comes to application hearings. These lunchtime sessions are a great opportunity to build relationships.

2:00pm – Witness statement: reviewing the attendance note

Back at my desk, I now need to draft a witness statement on another file. I interviewed the witness yesterday, so I start by rereading my attendance note while it’s still fresh. I highlight the key facts, dates and any points where I need to check documents or go back to the witness for clarification.

2:30pm – Drafting the witness statement

I start drafting. I structure the statement chronologically, in the witness’s own words as far as possible. I keep it to matters within the witness’s own knowledge and refer to exhibits where needed.

4:30pm – Cross-referencing exhibits

I go through the draft against the documents, checking dates and figures from correspondence. I prepare a draft exhibit list and add notes in the margin for my supervisor. I send a follow-up email to the witness asking them to confirm a couple of points.

4:45pm – Sending the brief to counsel

With the brief from this morning now finalised, I send it and the enclosures to counsel’s clerk.

5:15pm – Finishing touches and admin

I tidy up the witness statement and send it to my supervisor with a short covering email summarising the open points.

5:45pm – Planning for tomorrow

I then check my time recording for the day and make sure I haven’t missed anything and check my inbox one last time, reply to anything that can’t wait, and write my to-do list for tomorrow.

6:00pm – Head home

Laptop closed. A busy but varied day, from drafting for counsel to learning from counsel over lunch.

About the firm

The firm: 

Fladgate is an independent London-based full-service law firm with over 100 partners and 250 fee earners. Its practice areas include corporate, commercial, construction, dispute resolution, employment, funds, finance, immigration, IP, private client, restructuring, real estate, and tax. Fladgate is known for its ‘unlimited partnership’ approach to build deep, true connections with clients to achieve sharper thinking, faster decisions and stronger results.

The clients: 

Pensée Foundation; Yoo Capital; Pinewood Studios, Equitix, Penguin Random House; Ares Management; Beyond Play; UK Sport as well as high-net-worth families, individuals, leading entrepreneurs and family offices.

The deals: 

advising Pensée Foundation in relation to a claim brought against them, worth approximately US$41 million, with the total value of the claims accumulating up to US$1 billion; advising on the restructuring of Argo Blockchain, a large-scale Bitcoin mining company; advising Yoo Capital on the development of Camden Film Quarter, a mix-used development site of 30 acres; advising the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a landmark settlement concerning a long running dispute for an offshore oil exploration licence in Nigeria; advising Kennet Partners on an investment in Summize Ltd, a pioneering developer of AI contract lifecycle management software; advising Snowcentres Limited, the leading indoor snow sports operator on its merger with SnowWorld, Europe’s leading operator of indoor ski resorts and advising Ares Management on a transaction leading to the exchange of an agreement for lease for its future occupation of new London HQ at One Hanover Street, London W1.

Senior partner: Stephen Lewis

Managing partner: Grant Gordon

Other offices: 

Fladgate LLP is an innovative, progressive and thriving law firm which prides itself on its friendly and professional working environment. We are based in modern, attractive offices in London’s Covent Garden.

What we do: 

Fladgate has a broad skills base that covers a wide spectrum of legal services across the business lifecycle, and is shaped to operate collaboratively to move fast and flexibly:

  • Dispute resolution: includes regulatory, corporate governance and investigations, banking and financial services litigation, international commercial arbitration, insurance, contentious trusts and family, civil fraud and asset protection.
  • Corporate: including private capital, capital markets, M&A, tax, restructuring and employment.
  • Real estate: including planning, construction, real estate finance and real estate litigation.
  • Funds, finance and regulatory: including investment funds, private equity, fund managers, asset and investment managers, promoters, sponsors and investors; alternative finance providers, banks and debt funds, family offices, owner/manager businesses, private equity funds and corporate borrowers; FCA applications, advice on UK regulatory frameworks, fund-related advice. Our practice is varied and includes the full range of real estate finance, both for investments and developments, and we also have a number of sector specialisms within real estate finance.

What we’re looking for: 

We look for the best. We value academic ability, previous work experience and relevant extra-curricular activities. We seek candidates who demonstrate high levels of commercial awareness and business acumen, enthusiasm and leadership potential while also understanding the value of teamwork and the importance of culture and inclusion. We value individuality and strive to create an environment where our employees can truly be themselves at work.

What you’ll do: 

Our two-year training programme is divided into four seats of six months and combines a first-class education programme with real hands-on experience and client contact. The nature of our business and small intake of trainees each year mean you will be given exposure to high-quality work with lots of responsibility from an early stage.

Perks: 

A generous holiday allowance of 26 days, staff introduction bonus, life assurance, group income protection, private medical insurance, employee assistance programme, free online GP service, contributory pension, season ticket loan, corporate gym membership loan via GymFlex, cycle2work, options for private dental cover, eye test vouchers and free weekly personal training and yoga sessions.

Sponsorship

Full GDL and SQE course fees sponsorship when studying with the University of Law. Maintenance grant of up to £7,000 for those studying a sponsored PGDL or SQE.

Seat options

Dispute Resolution; Corporate; Finance, Funds and Regulatory; Private Client; Corporate Tax; Real Estate; Real Estate – Residential; Real Estate – Disputes; Construction; Family; Private Wealth Disputes; Employment; Commercial, Sports and Intellectual Property;

Tips from the recruiter

Be yourself; we want to get to know the real you! We run a very transparent, informative and collaborative recruitment process for our graduates and it’s important that your ability to be authentic shines through from the very beginning. Try to stand out for all of the right reasons.

Be diligent and thorough. Silly errors or typos can mean the difference between making it to the next round or not. Don’t fall foul of a simple spell-check or grammatical error. Perhaps ask a friend or relative to review your application with a fresh pair of eyes.

Be curious and creative. Simply regurgitating information on a website isn’t going to highlight your best qualities – and it is those qualities that are going to encourage us to hire you. Showcase your strongest competencies in sequence with telling us about our strengths (or weaknesses) and why you think Fladgate is a good fit for you and vice versa.

Diversity/inclusion

At Fladgate we run our business in ways that promote equality of opportunity and respect for diversity. Ours is a business that thrives on bringing together people with different perspectives to address our clients’ challenges, so we value and encourage diversity, both internally and externally. Furthermore, the firm recognises the importance of the health and wellbeing of all our people and that it can play a part in promoting an environment which allows everyone to flourish and reach their full potential.

Promoting diversity and inclusion is a key element of our commitment to being a great place to work, enabling us to attract and retain the best talent, and we take our responsibility to this seriously. We will continue to strive for a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Our strategy is led by the Director of People and Culture on behalf of the Executive Board, who works closely with our Partner Lead for I&D and Senior Culture and Inclusion Manager. We also have employee and partner led networks across the firm who support and inform our inclusive culture at Fladgate. We are also proud to partner with a number of organisations working hard to improve access to the legal sector.

This includes the PRIME commitment, which aims to provide fair access to meaningful work experience within the legal sector for school-age students who may not otherwise have the opportunity. Following our work experience programme, we are proud to have seen these students filter through our graduate and apprentice pipeline.

We ensure equity within our recruitment processes and monitor the data to ensure that we are reaching a diverse range of candidates. We use RealRating when reviewing our trainee and apprentice applications. This is a feature developed by UpReach, a social mobility charity, to help us to understand academic performance in the context of factors such as type of school attended and background.

We also uphold a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, dedicating fundraising to two nominated charities per calendar year.

We care deeply about the wellbeing of our people and have a strong commitment to employee wellness. Our wellbeing programme consists of four key pillars: physical health, mental health, financial health and social & CSR. As part of our programme we offer a range of benefits to staff and provide regular updates and seminars on health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the firm has run various physical and mental health seminars, led by internal champions and external experts such as Nutrable, Mind and LawCare, encouraging staff to feel comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. As part of our commitment to employee wellbeing, we also offer a wellbeing information session guiding our trainees and apprentices on ways to manage their wellbeing and how to access the resources we have available. We were delighted to be win the “Best Health and Wellbeing Initiative” entry at the People in Law 2020 Awards, recognising our efforts and commitment to encouraging and support the wellbeing of our people.