The Legal Cheek View
From private clients and tech to media and entertainment, Harbottle & Lewis isn’t your typical London law firm, boasting a client roster that includes high-profile A-listers, giant corporations and humble entrepreneurial start-ups. Located in an idyllic spot near the swanky Savoy Hotel and London’s biggest theatres, the firm’s lawyers tackle some of the most complex and significant issues in their sectors while expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of IP, corporate/M&A, employment and real estate work.
Each year their six lucky trainees engage in the whole spectrum of this work, with the traditional four seat training structure offering experience in a range of areas including commercial litigation, corporate, employment, family, film, TV & theatre, media & entertainment, private client, tax and immigration, and technology, data and digital. Supported by a dedicated learning and development team, rookies are exposed to hotshot clients from day one. During this time, newbies receive a very respectable £47,000 in year one, £50,000 in year two, and then £80,000 upon qualification. Whilst this may not be the same as the largest City and US packages on offer, we’re told that the smaller firm, housing all of the 46 partners and 73 other fee earners in a single office, brings a more homely atmosphere. It’s reported that juniors usually leave by 7 pm most days, though a trainee in one of the busier teams noted that working late a couple of days a week is likely, but “you will be checked on if you are working past 9 pm”. Another points out that they “can usually plan to do something in the evening and very rarely cancel plans”.
This healthy work/life balance comes alongside great training for the firm’s juniors. Trainees can expect a two week “comprehensive” induction process which is supplemented by regular training from external speakers. “I feel like I’m learning a lot very quickly,” notes one insider. Another trainee highlighted that the relatively small cohort of six provides a better training experience with “more supervision, better work exposure, and a wider range of seat options”. Rookies are also complimentary of recently rolled out firm-wide training sessions on soft skills such as delegation and negotiation, which are said to be “very useful”.
It’s no surprise then that the quality of work on offer is rated very highly in the 2024-25 Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. “Some of the most interesting clients and exciting cases around,” says one respondent. Another elaborates: “Whilst you are expected to do the typical trainee admin tasks, I’m often given the opportunity to do the more advanced work such as the first draft of a complex application, which can be very rewarding and useful for learning”. Fast-paced, interesting work with great clients seems to be the consensus.
The firm’s juniors are also very positive about their peers, describing them as “very supportive” and “lovely to work with”. Regular trainee socials help boost this camaraderie, with trainees “supporting each other, rather than battling it out”. Trainees are also reported to collaborate on non-billable projects and occasionally share the same seat. As one rookie notes, “If you are looking to be super-competitive with your peers, then this is not the place for you. We all work together.”
This sentiment of collaboration rather than competition seems to run through the firm, with a “very friendly environment that does not feel hierarchical”. This is evidenced by the recently appointed managing partner duo, Tony Littner and Charlie Leveque, who don’t have their own offices and frequently attend firm socials. H&L also appointed its first female senior partner, Catherine Bedford, and one trainee notes that the new senior leadership team is “very keen to be open and approachable”.
A further perk of joining Harbottle & Lewis is the bumper client list and exciting work which lawyers, at all levels, engage with. The firm’s corporate clients include the likes of: Expedia, Nissan, Sky, The Pokémon Company International, Microsoft, Iceland, Pets at Home, Oxford University Press, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Volkswagen, Emirates, Trivago, KFC, F1 Arcade, and Universal. That’s a hefty selection on its own. But, you say, this is a media specialist, what about those A-listers and celebrities? Well, beyond some of the lesser-known figures like the late HM Queen Elizabeth, the former Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), and just about every senior member of the Royal Family, the firm has assisted the likes of: Victoria and David Beckham, Queen, Stormzy, Gordon Ramsey, Melania Trump, Sir Richard Branson, Romelu Lukaku, half of the England Cricket team, Cricket West Indies, and Little Simz. This roster may just be the reason why the firm receive over 400 applications a year for those coveted six spots!
Some of the “especially stimulating” and “very interesting” work at the firm includes representing actor Sean Bean and late Australian Cricketer Shane Warne in a phone hacking case against News Group Newspapers; advising London-headquartered fintech Smart on a $95 million Series E Funding; and advising F1 Arcade on a £30 million expansion project. More recently, the firm advised Mercuri, an early-stage venture capital fund, on its co-lead investments in a London-based AI startup and also advised Soho Studios Entertainment on a strategic investment. It’s no wonder then that the firm has posted a record financial year, increasing its turnover by 9.3% to £51.9 million, crossing the £50 million figure for the first time in its nearly 70-year history.
If such a high-profile selection of clients sounds at all stressful or difficult, fear not, the firm offer a range of (very nice) perks to keep you happy and healthy. Monthly massages are on the cards, along with (as almost all respondents to the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2024-25 have emphasised) very tasty free daily lunches. The canteen is said to do world cuisines and a great selection of salads and fruit to go along with the mains, all of which are well-catered to dietary requirements. “Think Ottolenghi salads plus fish and chips on a Friday,” tempts one full rookie. Eating lunches at one’s desk is “actively discouraged” and “each team eats lunch together, which is a great way to get to know everyone in the team”. This is supplemented by frequent firm-wide events put on by the Social and Charity Committee, which are “very well-attended”. The Christmas party and annual quiz are said to be “particular highlights”, although one trainee notes that social activities can sometimes feel centred around drinking.
The firm’s West End location is praised by juniors for being where a lot of its clients are based, rather than the City digs of most law firms. “Being on the Strand means you are right in the centre of everything”, gushes one rookie. While the open-plan office is great for approachability, there can sometimes be insufficient places with the ongoing hotdesking — more breakout areas, quite spaces to take calls and outside spaces are some of the suggestions that trainees have to improve the office. As for WFH options, trainees are required to come in at least four days a week, with the number dropping to three upon qualification, although team preferences may vary.
In addition to the highly commended free lunch, monthly massages and daily wellbeing classes such as Pilates and yoga are also on offer. One junior comments: “the dance cardio is better than classes that I pay for, and we are very much encouraged by senior leadership to attend”. These come in addition to the standard life assurance, medical insurance and occasional discounts which are more commonplace junior lawyer benefits. The firm’s legal tech is also said to be on the up, with the creation of a new ‘Head of Innovation’ role and lawyers having the opportunity to “trial various programmes and feed back to the tech team”.