The Legal Cheek View
Bates Wells is a City firm that does things differently. With its pledge to create a positive impact, it eschews the traditional corporate model of ‘profit over all’ for a mantra of social purpose and climate responsibility.
The firm’s commitment to this pledge is actually written into its partnership agreement, and you’ll find that this, over average profit per equity partner (PEP) is the true measure of a lawyer here. Its status as the first ever law firm to become a B Corp — a certification given to businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability — is a great example of how this firm operates.
Bates Wells was founded in 1970 by Andrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury, who believed that “a legal system that only served the interests of the wealthiest sections of society was no legal system at all.” Ever since, this message has been the core of what the firm does. Its first recruitment advert affirmed: “We do not seek to maximise profits. We realise there is a life to live outside the office. We seek to serve the public interest as well as our own.” However, the financial outlook for Bates Wells is positive and the firm’s income grew by 10% last year to £31m.
A full-service commercial firm which is well known and embedded within the charity sector, Bates Wells is rich in interesting projects and active in supporting the local community. One example of this is its annual Steven Lloyd Awards: an initiative where social enterprises nominate themselves for a grant from its charity foundation and receive additional pro bono support alongside.
More than half of its clients operate in the charity and social enterprise sector, however, there are other opportunities here too as the firm is also known for its work in immigration, education, health and social care, technology, the public sector and the creative industries. Some recent highlights include winning a headline case against Uber’s racially discriminatory AI facial recognition system and advising on the charity Samaritans restructuring of its 200 branches as separate unincorporated charities. The firm now also boasts a “Roll A” Parliamentary Agent amongst its ranks in Mark Abbott, meaning the firm is one of a select few who is able to introduce and promote private Acts of Parliament for its clients.
For Bates Wells rookies, all this top-end stuff certainly trickled down: “I am entrusted with interesting work and high levels of client contact. Our clients are diverse and are always seeking to achieve fantastic things, meaning the work we then do for them tends to reflect their interesting and diverse ambitions,” says one trainee we spoke to. Our sources emphasised the broad variety of work available to them and the consensus that each department offered its own “stimulating” and “exciting” projects, which trainees can get involved in from the moment you’re through the door: “The work is diverse enough to keep me engaged and interested. There is a mixture of “process work” which keeps me churning out work that is well within my comfort zone, but also plenty of opportunity to stretch my capacity and understanding.” Or, the short version, “Love the work I do.”
The training is said to be “varied, complex and well supported” due to a winning combination of small cohorts and hands-on experience: “You are involved in client matters from the day you step into the firm and are given both good supervision and the chance to take the lead on matters to develop skills and responsibility.” This means trainees can expect a high level of responsibility but are also supported throughout. “You are able to learn quickly without it being too overwhelming,” said one insider. “The solicitors and partners at the firm are some of the sector’s brightest and most conscientious minds, therefore the training is of the highest order,” another spy enthused.
And Bates Wells’ superiors aren’t just some of the sector’s brightest minds, they’re some of the nicest too, as survey respondents scored their higher-ups top marks across the board: “I have a good relationship with my seniors who I approach happily for questions and support on matters and to have a chat with around the office” said one happy newbie. The firm prides itself on being non-hierarchical and senior staff are said to be very generous with their time and keen to see rookies learn and develop. One source reported: “Even when I have not produced high-quality work at first, superiors continued to work with me to see me improve and to produce top-level work.” Another seconded this supportive atmosphere, saying, “There are no conversations I would struggle to have with my supervisor or head of department and I know they would support me if I needed it.”
Trainee cohorts are very close-knit, one trainee told us: “There is absolutely no competitiveness amongst peers but rather a culture of knowledge sharing and amplifying each other’s successes.” Another offered high praise for their current flock, who are described as “utterly dependable, relentlessly kind, and a primary reason why my training at Bates Wells has been thoroughly enjoyable. I cannot speak highly enough of the recruitment success that this cohort was, both in terms of professional quality and cultural fit.” Sign us up! All this recruitment success has led to a pretty thriving social scene at BW with weekly drinks on a Thursday and a variety of events put on by the social committee including pub quizzes, theatre trips and games nights.
Each year the firm offers training contracts to six new trainees with a starting salary of £41,000 that rises to £45,000 in the second year. Once qualified, this increases to £73,000. These rates may be at the lower end of what other City firms offer but as ever there is a work/life balance trade-off which many feel is well worth it.
Work/life balance at Bates Wells is fairly good, according to our sources: “I have almost always been able to attend after work / weekend activities, and very rarely felt pressured to cancel. Even when the workload has been high, I have felt empathy from superiors who have encouraged me to attend any social or life events outside of work” raved one new recruit. “I can count on one hand the late nights I have worked which have only been when there was no alternative, each time I do, it has been genuinely acknowledged and appreciated” added another. Partners and senior colleagues are said to “make a point of leaving on time and a lot of them have flexible working patterns to fit in around their families and other commitments.”
The UK-based firm’s only office is located on Queen Street Place, just a stone’s throw from Southwark Bridge. A roof terrace with “beautiful views across the city” makes the most of this location, however, insiders do feel that it’s “not as swanky as some of the other City firms.” “Perfectly pleasant (lots of natural light and a roof garden) but nothing overly impressive”, in the words of one Legal Cheek spy.
As for working from home, the firm requires a minimum of two days in the office each week but can be flexible. There is a budget for equipment but this is “limited” as the firm is trying to strike “a balance between providing tech and remaining conscious of the environmental effects of purchasing numerous tech pieces for a wfh setup” according to one green-fingered recruit.
Perks at Bates Wells appear to be centred around their feel-good ethos. Those joining can expect the usual health and insurance perks, a day off for their birthday, the chance to buy additional holiday and a “cycle to work scheme with nice showers and lockers available”. Then, there’s the more unique: B Corp Discounts and “an extra day’s holiday if you choose a sustainable mode of travel which takes longer to reach your vacation destination”.
If there was an award for the firm with the most extensive collection of recycling bins, our money would be on Bates Wells. Many respondents mentioned this quirk, noting not just numbers but variety: “There are about ten specific bins for different types of recycling, medicine blister packs, contact lens packets, anything you can think of.” One spy calls it the “greenest law firm in the City.” There’s even a report that employees committed to public transport get up to two extra days of paid leave per year.