New York-based firm announced today it will keep 100% of its London spring and autumn 2015 NQs
Manhattan-headquartered corporate powerhouse Weil Gotshal & Manges will keep all nine of its trainees, the firm announced today.
The latest batch of City lawyers — some of whom qualified back in March of this year — will be spread across departments at the firm’s Fetter Lane offices in London.
The newly qualified associates, who will begin life on healthy annual salaries of £95,500 — more than doubling their trainee whacks — will join a variety of practice areas, including corporate, banking, private funds and tax.
Weil’s strong retention figure follows similar announcements last week from fellow US firms Latham & Watkins, which kept 95% of its trainee cohort, and Shearman & Sterling, which retained all 13 of its autumn qualifiers.
Weil’s graduate recruitment partner Jonathan Wood commented:
We are delighted that, as in previous years, all of our trainees qualifying in September have accepted offers from their chosen practice areas and will be continuing on with the firm following their qualification.
The development came in the wake of recent bad press for Weil. The firm was forced to issue a grovelling apology earlier this year after an internal April Fool’s gag fell flat with staff.
An email poking fun at associates’ work-life balance was met with harsh criticism and anger, presumably leaving Manhattan-based “chief talent officer” and author of the email, Lisa Cuevas, unwelcome in the staff canteen for the foreseeable future.
Previously:
Latham & Watkins is latest US firm in London to trumpet high newly-qualified retention rate [Legal Cheek]