All ten trainees to be kept on
City law firm Bristows has revealed a perfect retention score of 100%.
The firm — famous for its intellectual property practice — confirmed that all ten of its 2016 starters will remain at the firm upon qualification this summer. The rookies will be entering the following teams: patent litigation; commercial and intellectual property/information technology; brands, designs and copyright; and commercial, technology and copyright disputes.
Bristows, which opened its first overseas office in Brussels last month, dishes out around ten training contracts annually. In 2016, it reported a 67% retention rate, with six out of nine newbies staying on; two left the firm to pursue other careers, while one other could not be accommodated in the department of their choice.
Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows the new lawyers will see their pay rise from a second-year trainee salary of £41,000 to a hefty £63,000 on qualification, a boost of £22,000 or 54%. Bristows’ newest recruits earn £38,000 in their first year of training.
The firm was a strong contender in this year’s Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, scoring A*s in a whopping six categories: quality of work, peer support, partner approachability, work/life balance, tech and social life. The firm won a trophy at this year’s Legal Cheek Awards for its client secondments.
This news follows a plethora of newly-released City firm spring retention rates, including: Macfarlanes (100%), Freshfields (74%), Herbert Smith Freehills (92%), Norton Rose Fulbright (92%), Linklaters (84%) and Hogan Lovells (78%).