The Legal Cheek View
Meet the firm at Legal Cheek’s upcoming November UK Virtual Law Fair on Tuesday 19 November 2024
Accutrainee offers over 50 training contracts a year, making it one of the largest training organisations in the UK. The company is not a law firm and as such offers a different kind of traineeship. It provides opportunities to train at a variety of organisations, from US outfits and top 20 UK players to niche boutique law firms and a wide range of other businesses ranging from start-ups to IT service companies. In short, it employs trainees who are then seconded out to in-house teams and law firms. Secondments usually last between three and 24 months, and trainees can therefore benefit from training seats at more than one firm or organisation — a more flexible approach which looks set to grow in popularity following the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
Throughout the training contract, Accutrainee provides mentoring and support, including a monthly meeting with a senior solicitor or the company’s own training principal. It promises graduates: “Once you’re seconded to a firm, that firm is committed to training and treating you in exactly the same way as it trains and treats its own trainees. The only difference is you’ll be employed by us and we’ll be monitoring and ensuring that you’re receiving the support and development you need.”
It’s an innovative model — clients pay for trainees only where they are needed and avoid all the regulatory and recruitment hassles and costs of a traditional 24-month training contract. Accutrainees also get the opportunity to train at organisations that don’t otherwise offer the traditional training contract or apprenticeship route. The company, which ensures all Solicitors Regulation Authority training requirements are met, was founded by former Hogan Lovells banking & finance associate Susan Cooper in 2011 and took on its first trainee a year later. Graduates can apply at any time of year, with interviews arranged once a month. So, how does the Accutrainee experience shape up?
One obvious challenge is the fact the training provider is separate from the place of work. Does this cause difficulties? Not really, according to participants, one of whom explained: “The disconnect between my seconding organisation and training provider probably doesn’t make this as easy as in a large firm putting numerous trainees through the same formulaic training, but I nonetheless feel well supported by both.”
Many rated the variety of their unique training contract, with one rookie proclaiming: “Accutrainee offers a training contract that is not available anywhere else!” Another source describes their training as “flexible and tailored to trainees’ interests and preferred areas without neglecting areas of improvement”.
And trainees do tend to be well looked after, with central training provided by Accutrainee, and mentors to monitor the training provided by seconding organisations. “Both the seconding organisations and Accutrainee are very dedicated and supportive in ensuring we have a complete and well-rounded training,” a lawyer explains. More formal sessions conducted by Accutrainee are supplemented by speaker visits and a specialised learning and development programme designed to keep recruits up to date with recent trends in the industry. The atmosphere at host firms is also said to be equally welcoming. “My peers at my seconding firm have been instrumental in helping me settle down and get off to a really good start in my training,” one source explains.
Superiors are rated as friendly and supportive: “constructive remarks, on the spot evaluation, always prepared to listen and always willing to help and/or improve work environment,” is what you can expect from your higher-ups according to one trainee. Another offered this in-depth review, “Accutrainee offers extremely experienced mentoring for trainees. My mentor is ex-Magic Circle and she gives me the best advice by looking at my portfolio as well as meeting with me whenever I have a big career decision to make. My mentor has taken a direct interest in helping me find the best NQ position for me. Accutrainee also has an amazing HR team who is always there whenever we need.”
Support is forthcoming from both the secondment firm and Accutrainee, with rookies reporting that they enjoy both regular mentor meetings with supervisors and a career coach at secondment companies, as well as their dedicated Accutrainee mentor and the senior team there. “Nothing is too much and they actually care about well-being and your development”, one inside source notes “Accutrainee is also big on feedback and they actually listen to what you have to say and as such creates a fantastic culture.” Others point out that the relatively small size means “you know all your superiors really well. They are happy to call and see how you’re doing on a casual basis, as well as scheduling more structured meetings to review your progression.”
Despite working apart, your Accutrainee peers are also said to be “very supportive” and rookies here boast of the “double layer of support” you receive from fellow Accutrainees as well as your work placement colleagues. The organisation also hosts socials for its current recruits, though these are limited to London.
Insiders feel they can make a real impact with the work they do. “As Accutrainee’s model operates from businesses and firms requiring additional personnel, we trainees are provided with incredible opportunities to get involved in a major way with projects and other work,” explains one. Work quality is of course dependent on the secondment and even this alternative pathway won’t save you from the hallowed admin tasks that trainees everywhere endure: “some work is more stimulating and some less stimulating but overall I would say I am very happy with the work I have been given so far” was a representative response from the rookies we spoke with.
Another offered this personal insight: “I deal with commercial, employment, corporate and intellectual property matters so it is incredibly varied. I also deal with some contentious and non-contentious matters which is interesting.”
Work-life balance is another area where Accutrainees claim to have an advantage: “I believe my work life balance is significantly better than the average trainee completing a traditional training contract” said one. But others do note the added responsibilities involved, such as spending time working on your portfolio after office hours. In reality, this is another area which will vary depending on the seconding organisations but “fair and reasonable” were the buzzwords used by survey respondents this year. “Almost always I have had a good work life balance. There have been occasions where I have worked late, but that is a known fact of the job. My supervisors have always been keen to watch my workload and ensure that my personal life is not too encroached upon by work” offered one LC spy.
Accutrainee operates from its HQ in Canary Wharf, in the corner office of a towering building which has a “start-up-like feeling” according to our insiders. “Good social spaces and a lovely roof terrace which is amazing in the summer months” was the review from one. Although “very comfortable”, these training offices aren’t where you’ll spend the vast majority of your time so office space will again depend on your seconding spot. Many clients are also based in and around London but there are placements on offer across the land, from Leeds to Liverpool to Leatherhead.
Accutrainee provides access to its “dedicated web-based trainee portfolio which is monitored against SRA training requirements”, which now exists as an “amazing” mobile app that makes it easy for trainees to log their progress. Technology-wise, one trainee reports that it “could be better. A contracts database would be good and access to tools such as Practical Law or LexisNexis”. Obviously, the quality of tech at seconding organisations will vary from place to place.
One area where it could improve is perks, which for the firm’s trainee secondees don’t always match the level enjoyed by employees of the host organisation. That being said, one source did reveal that they receive a gym subscription of up to £150 per month and other respondents expressed enthusiasm about the “pastries”, “away days and opportunities to focus on mental health and wellbeing” and “fairly generous social events”. Another rookie lawyer commented that “the only but extremely valuable perk is the monthly mentor meetings”. Perhaps the main perk, and a major advantage of Accutrainee, however, is the opportunity to arrange a bespoke training programme, gaining a portfolio of SRA-approved traineeship experience in workplaces that might not otherwise be available.