34 out of 40 stay put
Clifford Chance has become the first magic circle outfit to announce its 2020 spring retention score.
From a qualifying cohort of 40, the Canary Wharf-based giant confirmed 34 newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers will be staying put — or 85%. CC received 40 applications and made 34 offers, all of which were accepted.
As with its previous retention announcements, CC declined to provide a further breakdown or comment on today’s result, which marks a slight drop on its spring and autumn 2019 retention scores of 90% (46 out of 51) and 87% (41 out of 47), respectively.
Legal Cheek’s 2020 Firms Most List shows the firm’s newly qualified (NQ) lawyers will start life on a pay package of roughly £100,000. This six-figure sum does, however, include a discretionary bonus. Trainees receive £48,000, rising to £54,000 in year two.
As for its performance in our latest Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, CC scored A*s for training, perks, office and tech, as well as As for quality of work, peer support, partner approachability, canteen and social life.
Last month the firm announced it will reduce the number of places on his London vacation scheme as it moves away from “traditional hiring methods”. As part of this, the firm launched a new internship programme that sees future trainees spend up to two months with a participating business, broadening their commercial skills.