A&O Shearman keeps 37 of 56 qualifying trainees in first post-merger retention round

Option 1 – This is not “rash and sad” whatsoever. Job security is very important to everyone especially in a cost of living crisis. It is easy to sit on your high horse and talk down on people qualifying into departments that were not their first choice and I would pipe down if I were you as it can very well happen to you this time next year.

You are also neglecting to consider that many trainees across the city are on a Visa and require a job offer to stay in the country and so they may have accepted a role in department that was not their preferred choice for the sake of not being deported – again there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Personal circumstances trump personal preference.

It is all nice and dandy to have a “dream practice area” but a job is a job at the end of the day and a six figure job does not come by easily. Ultimately, the fundamentals of what you are doing in each practice group is the same. You go to work, you do emails, you review and draft documents and contracts, you attend meetings etc.

Take it from someone who has been qualified for many years, switching disciplines is more common than you think and when the market is dire like it is now a lot of firms understand that trainees are having to qualify into teams they did not want and they are open to hiring someone later down the line when roles do open up again. The other benefit of staying at your current firm is you are more likely to be able to move over to another department internally if a role does become available a year or so down the line – I have seen this happen time and time again.

What you need to understand is that trainees are not being unretained because they are not good. Some of the best trainees in my firm are without any offers because the departments simply are not hiring, or they are hiring but only have the budget for a few or due to internal politics and odd decision making they have not been selected for whatever reason (I won’t go into that but if you know you know).

Option 2 – There is no shame in going in house or to a smaller firm. It is not a “downgrade” and viewing it like that is very negative. It is simply redirection and you can absolutely move back to private practice when the market picks up.

Option 3 – This should be a last resort to all trainees. Keep looking and you will find something!