The Legal Cheek View
In 1797, when John King first established the firm now known as Moore Barlow in Lymington, all eyes were instead on the French invasion of Britain. After 200 years of steady growth, a complete re-engineering of its business model, a regional merger and some history making of its own, it’s Moore Barlow that’s grabbing headlines now.
Most recently, the firm made headlines due to senior partner Trevor Sterling’s efforts in spearheading the release of the first-ever coin by the Royal Mint featuring a named black non-British female, nurse Mary Seacole. The firm is no stranger to these first-in-kinds — Sterling himself became the first black senior partner to be elected to a top-100 law firm in 2021 and the first to be re-elected again this year. Current managing partner Ed Whittington also holds the record for the youngest managing partner to be appointed to a top-100 law firm and, alongside chair Helen Goatley, this makes up Moore Barlow’s executive leadership team.
The firm has grown revenues 5% this year to a healthy £41 million and it also operates an all-equity partnership model, and sets the standard with a 58% female partnership split. In the first quarter of this financial year alone, the firm assisted with deals covering purchases, sales and management buyouts worth £85 million and clients include some notable names such as NatWest, the British Heart Foundation and drinks company Rio, who the firm advised on their £12 million sale last year. The family team have also been innovating, recently devising ‘Accord’ — a unique approach to divorce wherein both parties use a single lawyer to achieve a more harmonious and cost-effective solution.
Whether you’re in London, Guildford, Lymington, Woking, Southampton or the newly refurbed Richmond office, “very interesting” work is what you’ll find at Moore Barlow, according to the trainees we spoke with. Its strong regional presence means MB lawyers get first crack at some of the juiciest deals in the provinces, but the firm also takes on a fair chunk of national work, including some landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Hirachand v Hirachand, which trainees can actually get involved in. “As a first-seat trainee, right from my first week I was given chargeable work that was billed to the client. I have not been given work that I felt was menial — no horror stories of being stood at the copy-machine for hours on end,” described one new recruit. There is, of course, “a level of expected administration work that is involved in a training contract”, another rookie tells us, “but I have found that I have been given lots of responsibility and been allowed to get involved in much, if not all, of the work that fee earners undertake. I have been given the opportunity to take the lead on files and often speak to clients unsupervised.”
The firm services businesses and individuals, meaning your training contract can consist of seats from a wide range of departments, from corporate and commercial to private wealth to real estate and clinical negligence. Regardless of your choice, we’re told you’ll find “approachable supervisors who make time for trainees” and a “great amount of exposure”. Newbies do describe “some elements of being chucked in and having to teach yourself” throughout their TC but most went on to add that “there was always support if you really needed it” and this is apparently especially true of the partners!
In fact, partner approachability is an area “where Moore Barlow excels”, in the words of our inside sources: “All of the associates, senior associates and even partners that I have worked with have been extremely supportive and approachable.” Another adds, “I’ve heard of no stories whereby trainees were neglected by their partners. They are all involved and committed to our training.” This feel-good vibe seems to be a mainstay in all of Moore Barlow’s offices, as one trainee says: “from paralegal through to partner, including all our lovely legal secretaries and admin assistants – no question is a silly question. Everyone is happy to put aside time to help you.”
Trainees are said to be a “tight knit group” and survey respondents spoke of a “friendly small cohort” who “always support each other” when asked about their peers. This cohesiveness lends itself to a good social life and Legal Cheek sources told us that “trainees spend lunch together day-to-day and tend to organise monthly drinks or dinners.” There’s also a trainee social budget and regular firmwide events, including some standout summer and Christmas parties. Some offices are said to have a “calmer” approach to socialising whilst Guildford receives a mention for being a particularly lively hub.
However, it is the Lymington HQ that receives plaudits for being the nicest office space. The quaint, historical building is “perfect for the area” and attracts tons of compliments from employees and clients alike. The newest addition in Richmond is also said to be “fantastic” and at least one recruit contends that this space “is by far the most impressive.” The “modern” London office at 60 Cheapside is in a “great central location,” according to recruits, and Southampton competes by being the only office with a canteen — “which would score a strong 8,” says one foody. Luckily, for hungry recruits wanting to sample the delicacies on offer in Southampton, the firm covers all commuting costs for inter-office travel! The remaining spaces in Richmond and Wokingare are said to be “of a good standard.”
Trainees are likely to split their time across these offices and at home on their TC, and Moore Barlow is said to be “great at allowing flexible working” with our spies informing us they work from home at least one day a week — though there’s no hard and fast rule. “Laptops and headphones are provided as well as accessories such as mouse mats and keyboard wrist rests” to make flexible working as comfortable as possible, though the lack of another monitor was a bugbear for some. There are also a few grumbles about the tech in office as the firm is still integrating systems following their merger in 2020, though rookies are promised a smoother flowing system by the end of this year.
Perks include a standard package of private healthcare, a discount scheme for shops, and travel reimbursement but by far and away the best perk at Moore Barlow is the work life balance. Pretty much all the rookies we spoke with say “it is usual to work 9am-5pm, provided you do not have any urgent deadlines approaching or a large workload that week.” Even then, rookies report leaving the office at 6:30pm at the latest (and don’t even think about opening your laptop on a weekend). What’s more, the story stays the same whether you’re in Woking, Lymington or London so City trainees don’t feel hard done by compared to their counterparts.
The firm is big on charity. The Lymington HQ recently announced that it had raised over £20,000 in its ongoing support for a local hospice and the serious injury team in Southampton have raised over £1,500 for the Wessex Neurological Centre following a 26 km walk. Moore Barlow also sponsors the Silicon Cup Regatta sailing event which has contributed over £1 million to various charities since it began.