The Legal Cheek View
The tale of how DLA Piper rose from a humble regional outfit in Sheffield to become (via a series of bold mergers) one of the world’s biggest law firms ranks amongst the great business stories of recent times. This success has inevitably bred some snarkiness, with the now ubiquitous DLA sometimes referred to as the ‘Coca-Cola of the legal world’. But even the firm’s harshest critics concede that its dizzying growth over the past two decades has in general been remarkably well-consolidated.
Particularly impressive is the way that the firm has managed to simultaneously carve out a reputation for both high-end legal expertise and volume work prowess. This reputation is felt right down to trainee level, with one insider mentioning that “the work is very rewarding as you are working on complex and high-profile deals which are often covered in the national media”.
And these high-profile deals have clearly benefited DLA financially, as the firm is in its eighth year of consecutive growth. Global revenues grew 6% to $3.9 billion (£3 billion) making DLA Piper the first UK law firm to surpass the £3 billion mark. Profit per equity partner (PEP) also grew 11.7% on the previous year to reach $3.1 million (£2.44 million). DLA attributes its recent growth to its diversified practice areas and global reach, with the firm recruiting heavily across its many offices. Despite the strong overall performance, the firm’s UK offices saw a marginal fall in profits by 1.2%, to just under £200 million, which it chalked down to higher salary and transport costs as a result of inflation.
In the UK, the firm is led from London with further offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, and is structured similarly to other national firms. Those in the capital earn more, where NQ pay currently sits at £110k after a recent increase, but an effort is made to apportion quality work as evenly as possible – as is evident with regional NQ pay also rising to a competitive £75,000.
Admin-level tasks are sent to the firm’s paralegal-staffed ‘Legal Delivery Centre’ in Leeds, but trainees across the offices do still receive their fair share of “grunt work”. Overall, the work undertaken by trainees is “generally a good mix of typical trainee tasks with more high-level experience, depending on the department”. Another insider elaborates: “The high profile clients and quality of work at DLA means the work you are exposed to can be very stimulating and at times high profile and fascinating. As a trainee you will always be expected to be responsible for the ‘churn’ tasks which can sometimes be painful and lengthy. However, I have had many senior fee earners take the time to explain to me very interesting and complex tasks on occasion.” Insiders also note that increased responsibility comes with time, with one spy telling us they went from “proof reading documents to managing [my own] small corporate projects in six months!”. In this vein, seniors are said to be very encouraging of trainees progressing to higher quality work.
Trainees report that they are provided with formal training at the start of every seat, which is supplemented by online training throughout the TC. Virtual and on-demand training is readily available on DLA’s intranet with an “ample amount” of webinars hosted by a mixture of the firm’s internal knowledge team and industry experts, meaning trainees benefit from training on both seat-specific topics as well as general legal skills. In-person training can be seat-dependant with the quality depending “how busy your supervisor is at the time” but recruits tell us that “generally, there are wide opportunities for training and many opportunities to learn from experts in particular fields.”
As for supervision, one rookie states that “both teams and individuals are invested in their trainees”. Another reveals that the trainee supervisors in particular “take their roles both as legal and pastoral mentors very seriously”. Staff are “receptive” to any feedback provided by trainees and regular seat reviews are designed to “identify areas to improve”.
Another plus is the amount of responsibility newbies are gifted. We’re told seniors are usually willing to let trainees have the first crack of NQ level work. One trainee summarises: “Very good quality work and exposure to clients throughout my TC so far. Regularly working on similar level work to that of associates, alongside the more traditional trainee tasks.” It makes it easier that DLA Piper works with some of the highest profile clientele you’ll find in a regional or City firm. In Leeds, trainees could be working on a solar energy agreement with Bristol Airport, whilst London newbies can expect to come across deals such as advising Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global on a £1.15 billion sale of their production and distribution company, ALL3Media.
The trainee culture is described as being “incredibly supportive” and “one of the best aspects of the firm”. As one happy rookie describes it: “The trainee cohort is a big group of friends. We spend a lot of time with each other together in the office, after work and on weekends. We have a group chat where people ask questions they are unsure of, or ask someone to cover something if they are preoccupied, and everyone jumps to help.” This positive culture extends beyond the trainee cohort, with one spy reporting that even very senior people are approachable and often attend events and interact with people. Another chimes, “I’ve sung karaoke, debated Taylor Swift lyric interpretations, done shots and recommended books or TV shows to DLA Piper partners. They’re colleagues, rather than superiors.”
The approachability of the majority of partners, which is helped by the open-plan office space, is mentioned by many respondents. “It’s a very comfortable environment in which to ask questions and give things a go” was the review from one. Though there are some outliers: “Some partners, including some with training responsibility, are really not approachable at all. Others treat you with respect as though you’re on their level,” summarised one Legal Cheek mole.
Work/ life balance is “generally good but depends on the office and department you are in”. Unsurprisingly, City trainees generally work later, and corporate seems to be the seat with the most unsavoury balance across the offices. But even here, it’s “very rare to work a weekend”. Expect to work late in busy periods, however, and at least one trainee warns against making any weekday plans altogether: “I wouldn’t make plans on a weeknight as there’s an expectation from fee earners that trainees should generally be available until late evening when they log off themselves.” Trainees looking for a better balance are advised to look into advisory or pension seats! One trainee puts it well: “The team always allow you to have a home life, but the work sometimes doesn’t.”
A major selling point of DLA is the option for international secondments, of which there are “plenty of opportunities”. Respondents to our 2024-25 Survey reported spending six months in Dubai or Hong Kong, and trainees in previous years spent time in the firm’s Budapest, Bangkok, Dublin and Singapore offices. With 90 offices in more than 40 countries, there is no shortage of choice. However, there has been discontent in recent years over DLA’s decision to scrap its policy of paying London and regional trainees equal salaries while on secondment abroad.
A multitude of client secondments were also up for grabs with trainees working with clients including Unilever, National Grid, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, AIG and British Business Bank.
Less impressive are the perks, which include all the law firm staples such as private medical insurance, 50% off gym membership, plus a “great cafeteria with tasty food at a cheap price” and free breakfast — though one hungry insider did express discontent at the portion sizes. Rookies report that socials do not happen as often as they would like, but when they do happen, they are pretty good. Things seem to be on the up for social life in the London office although more trainee events for trainees would be appreciated.
Although there’s no “flashy” tech at DLA, according to one source, standard legal software like Kira, Litera and Deepl are now commonplace across the offices and there’s a 24/7 support line for all your IT issue needs. Another recruit notes that a lot of DLA Piper’s legal tech is developed in-house, and whilst we hear there’s “nothing particularly outstanding” on offer, there’s no complaints either.
One area that did receive plaudits was DLA’s new approach to WFH – “the firm’s ‘New Deal’ policy allows for an honour system where we are expected to spend 50% of our time over the course of the year in the office. I prefer this as it allows for more flexibility for everyone, not just flexibility week by week”.
However, we’re told that whether or not the policy is lived up to can depend on the team.Trainees would also like to see a WFH budget for equipment as they currently have to carry their mouse and keyboards around to work between the office and home.
The firm’s London office has been described as being “10/10” and “the crowning glory”. The “simply stunning” building also comes with a gym, “good changing facilities” with towels and lockers, an atrium with spiral staircase and a terrace overlooking St Paul’s, where fortnightly drinks are hosted in the summer. While the open plan office, creates a “much more friendly vibe”, this means “it can get noisy when multiple people are on calls. Also annoying to have to dash into meeting rooms to take private/client calls as everyone can hear everything otherwise”. Outside of London, the firm’s rookies are excited for an office move in Leeds, which “looks like it will be very impressive” and the firm is also rumoured to be planning some swanky refurbishments for its other offices too!
A final point of praise was the firm’s environmental stance. “Talk about ESG initiatives” isn’t just a platitude at DLA. Aside from the firm sourcing its electricity from renewable resources, there have also been smaller changes felt by trainees in the office — “I appreciate that all disposable items in the canteen and free sanitary pads in the bathrooms are all made from biodegradable materials. There is also a compost bin at all tea points to allow for food waste to be composted easily when you eat at your desk.”