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 Lincolns 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 recurring themes which respondents would like to see improved. Workloads can also 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… Lucy Crawley, third-seat trainee

Departments to date: Real Estate; Commercial, Sports and Intellectual Property

8.30am: I tend to arrive at the office at around 8.30, but the floor usually won’t be busy until 9.30. I’m lucky enough to be able to walk to work, sometimes stopping for a coffee on my way in. I am currently sat with our Commercial, Sports and Intellectual Property team (known as ‘CSI’) which is a Corporate sub-team dealing with a wide range of matters including the preparation and negotiation of commercial agreements (e.g. supply and distribution, hotel management and agency agreements), trade mark filing and disputes, sports receivables purchase deals, data protection advice and competition law.

8.45am:  I start my day going through my inbox, responding to anything urgent and writing up a to-do list for the day. Having some time in the office before the office gets busy allows me to prepare properly for the day ahead.

9.15am: Each day/week in our commercial team looks different. This morning, I am preparing an advice note for our client addressing GDPR compliance in relation to their direct marketing strategy. I attended a client meeting with a Partner via teams last week, so I review my attendance note to remind myself of our client’s instructions and the commercial considerations highlighted. It’s important in CSI that our advice is not only legally sound, but also that it involves the right amount of common-sense and is fit for purpose in the given context. I decide on the structure of the advice note, drop a quick line to the Partner to sign off on my proposed approach, and then get started on the research making use of the various resources available at the firm.

10.30am: The team meets at the start of each week to give an update on our workload, and for Partners/Senior Associates to hand out new work. It’s also an opportunity to catch up as a team, and flag any upcoming BD or social events, including those with the wider Corporate team. I volunteer to assist with a due diligence exercise on a Corporate transaction which has come in that morning.

11.30am: I finalise my advice note for the client and send this to the Partner to consider, along with an explanatory email I have drafted for the client. On another matter, I receive an email from a client approving the final draft of a manufacturing agreement, so I issue this to all parties for signing by DocuSign.

12.30pm: The trainees often eat lunch together. Being in the middle of Covent Garden means there’s a huge range of options – Atis being the latest favourite. It’s a good opportunity to socialise with colleagues outside your department and get some air with a wander round Lincoln’s Inn (weather permitting!).

1.30pm: Fladgate opens up department-specific training to all the trainees, so we’re encouraged to attend these and learn as much as possible about the work across the firm – this also means we’re better positioned for future rotations in our training contract. Today, there’s an external session delivered by a Barristers Chambers about Share Purchase Agreement claims, attended by our Corporate and our Dispute Resolution teams. As well as regular training, the firm hosts lunchtime yoga and weekly personal training sessions in nearby Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

2.30pm: I catch up with the Corporate associate regarding the commercial due diligence required. They give context to the wider transaction, explain the scope of work and give an indication of the pertinent deadlines in the deal. Our client is acquiring a hotel, which means the deal is a cross-departmental effort with Real Estate, FFR and Employment. My first job is to review the hotel management agreement, the key commercial document in the transaction. I prepare a detailed report of its terms, identifying any issues we deem to be a ‘red flag’. If I have any questions, I compile a list of these as I work through the document and then speak to the CSI associates for guidance. Fladgate has a very friendly culture and questions are always encouraged! Once I’ve completed my report, I send this to the Partner for review.

5.00pm: We run a trade mark ‘watching’ service for a number of clients. We receive daily email alerts, which the CSI trainee is responsible for reviewing on a weekly basis. I work through the alerts and identify a potentially infringing application, filed in the same goods and services classes as our client’s. I email the associate running the matter for their view on the mark, offering to prepare an email notifying our client.

6.00pm: I check in with my supervisor ask if there’s anything else I can help with. We agree to go for coffee the following day to catch up, check in on my workload and identify any tasks in my departmental trainee checklist I’m yet to tick off. I log off and go for a quick drink with colleagues at a pub nearby – we are spoilt for choice in Covent Garden!

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.