Russell-Cooke

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Russell-Cooke

Russell-Cooke offers ‘very interesting work in a broad range of practice areas’ while still preserving the ‘excellent culture and work-life balance’ that respondents repeatedly praise. The firm’s Putney, Kingston and Holborn offices offer ‘ample opportunities for people to find their “niche”, even in incredibly niche areas of law’, with trainees citing the variety of seats, ‘quality of work and supervision’, pro bono commitment, and impressive Legal 500 rankings as major draws.

The culture is a clear selling point: ‘partners are normal, kind and considerate people’, and the firm is described as welcoming from the vacation scheme and beyond. ‘This general attitude is invaluable’, said one respondent. Trainees also value the level of responsibility on offer. Highlights include ‘instructing counsel and attending a subsequent site visit unsupervised’, ‘attending mediations and court hearings’ and being ‘meaningfully involved in big cases’ with regular client contact.

Pay is the most consistent gripe. Respondents call for ‘better remuneration’, ‘more benefits’ and greater salary transparency, particularly because trainees ‘are not aware of the NQ salary until we qualify’. Still, several acknowledge the trade-off: the ‘phenomenal work-life balance’ has ‘huge value’. Diversity is another area for improvement. While the firm is ‘good for gender diversity’ and is ‘improving in terms of diversity in educational background’, trainees feel it should take ‘more steps to increase the diversity in terms of ethnicity, disability and class’. Expansion has also created pressure on office space.

Challenges are familiar: ‘managing expectations and workload’, ‘adapting to the differences between each seat’ and qualification decisions. Busy spells do happen, especially when demanding clients and competing matters collide, but late finishes appear rare: ‘usually I log off at 5.30pm, or shortly after’, said one respondent.

For trainees seeking variety, responsibility and genuinely sustainable working practices, Russell-Cooke proves that an ambitious legal career need not come at the expense of life beyond the office.

A day in the life of... Deya Shergill, Trainee

Departments to date: Trust and Estate Disputes; Real Estate

University: University of Bristol

Degree: Law

8:30-10:00am: A partner in my team kindly arranged for me to attend a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice with her and an associate. You may recognise the building from news reports and television programmes about high-profile court cases. At Russell-Cooke we officially start work at 9:30am, but since this was a morning hearing, I came in at 8:30am. I arrived at our stunning Bedford Row office (a Grade II listed town house in the Lincoln’s Inn area). Russell-Cooke has two other London offices, one in Putney and the other in Kingston – all three have different characteristics and identities.

I made myself an extra strong coffee and familiarised myself with the hearing bundle. We walked ten minutes to the barristers’ chambers where we met with our barrister to discuss our position and to briefly speak with the other side’s barrister as well. I took the minutes of these meetings.

10-10:30am: Our barrister led us through security and then through the breath-taking Royal Courts of Justice to a side room for some last-minute discussions.  

10:30-1:45pm: The hearing concerned a Court of Protection matter and lasted around three hours with a break in between. It was a real privilege to be involved in court proceedings just a few days into my training contract – witnessing such experienced lawyers working together on a case was truly inspirational.  

1:45-2:45pm: I arrived back at the office just in time to have lunch with the trainees and associates from other departments. Trainees in Bedford Row meet for lunch every day in the coffee lounge which always seems to catch the sunlight. We updated each other on our weekends and Monday mornings before heading back to our departments.

2:45pm-5:30pm: After lunch, I finalised my minutes before carrying out some legal research for a separate matter regarding a dispute over the administration of a high-value trust fund. Taking minutes is a common but useful trainee task as it allows you to pick up on the important skill of communicating difficult concepts to clients in clear, simple terms.

5:30pm: The partners booked a table at a nearby wine bar called Davy’s to welcome new joiners and also those returning from exotic trips abroad. We work closely with the private client team and also share a floor with them, so both teams logged off at 5:30pm and walked over to Davy’s where we caught up over wine and charcuterie.  

About the firm

The firm: Russell-Cooke is the London law firm with a more thoughtful approach. Clients range from private individuals desperate for a legal remedy where the result could be life-changing to royal families, celebrities and other high-net-worth individuals, as well as businesses ranging from tech start-ups to household-name retail outlets and charities.

The clients: Pret a Manger; Sky; Chelsea Football Club; The Law Society; British Heart Foundation; Lendlease; Matalan; Unicef; Lidl; World Wildlife Fund; part of the consortium representing victims and families of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The deals: Successfully representing a father on his application under the 1980 Hague Convention for the summary return of his child to Ukraine (children law); advising TMB Group on the sale of Best IT Limited and its subsidiary Technology Means Business Limited (corporate and commercial); advising iconic Brick Lane Beigel Shop on a new lease, saving the family business (real estate and property litigation); successful appeal against a local authority for not deciding within the prescribed period an application for a certificate of proposed lawful use to a home for young care-leavers (planning); representing TransActual and a young person in a judicial review challenging legislation on the restriction of puberty blockers (regulatory); obtaining a rare Welfare Deputyship on behalf of the family of a young adult with special educational needs (SEN) (private client); continuing to represent victims and families of the Grenfell Tower fire at the inquiry (social housing).

Senior partner: Matthew Garrod

Managing partner: James Carroll

Other offices: Putney, Kingston

Who we are: We’re not driven by profit alone and we’re proud to have a reputation for highly regarded lawyers who are specialists in their fields whilst offering a better work/life balance alongside high-level legal work.

What we do: We offer the most broad-based training contract in London, with seats ranging from charity and family to real estate and corporate.

What we’re looking for: A hardworking individual who is a quick learner with strong academic results (AAB at A level and a 2(1)). You’re used to working – and thinking – independently.

What you’ll do: Four seats across at least two of our offices with two formal reviews during each seat and ongoing mentoring and supervision from dedicated supervisors and the graduate recruitment partner.

Perks: Benefits include generous bonus scheme, pension, childcare vouchers, private medical insurance and cycle-to-work scheme, plus free lunchtime yoga in Putney and a variety of clubs (running, cycling, book, theatre, board games, football, cricket)

Sponsorship

Up to £10,000 to cover SQE/LPC costs.

Seat options

Charity; children law; construction; corporate and commercial; crime; dispute resolution; education; employment and immigration; enfranchisement; family; insolvency; personal injury/clinical negligence; private client; professional regulation; property litigation; real estate; residential property; trust and estate disputes (some seats are subject to availability at the time).

Tips from the recruiter

1. Be yourself on the form and at interview! Don’t second guess what you think we are looking for. We don’t recruit a ‘type’ of trainee; we need a wide range of personalities and backgrounds.
2. Previous non-legal work experience may not seem relevant but is always worth including and being ready to discuss it as so many transferable and relevant skills are obtained from the most unlikely roles.
3. Second career applicants are very welcome and we have a strong track record of offering training contracts to those who have come via a non-traditional route – whether that is a nonlaw degree or many years working in another career before coming to law.

Diversity and inclusion | Russell-Cooke | Russell-Cooke