The Legal Cheek View
Lewis Silkin is an industry heavyweight when it comes to both employment law and specialisms catering to creative industries. With roots stretching back to the early 20th century, the firm has come a long way from its humble beginnings, with a turnover of around £86 million and comprising more than 75 partners across eight offices: London, Manchester, Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds, Dublin, Belfast and Hong Kong. And remaining true to its niches has paid off ― Lewis Silkin rookies can expect to rub shoulders with an incredibly broad spectrum of clients, ranging from media stalwarts to Magic Circle firms (because yes, law firms need lawyers sometimes, too!)
Clearly some of the starry-eyed wonder induced by their Hollywood clients has rubbed off on the junior lawyers, who score the firm highly across the board. And having such a small trainee intake each year ― typically around nine places are offered ― means the firm can offer the rookies a more personalised experience. While the firm still operates a standard four-seat rotation plan, trainees “are encouraged to seek out the work we are most interested in” so their training and experience can be tailored to their goals.
The training itself is described as “excellent” with a focus on ensuring trainees get all the support they need or want from the outset. As one insider explains, “the legal specific training we consistently receive ensures we are up to date on any recent developments or issues we may need to be aware of but the investment in training in all our soft skills and development generally allows us to continue to improve how we are able to support both the teams and clients”. Another chimes in: “I have received interesting, high-quality work whilst being supported. I have regular meetings with my supervisor where we discuss how I can improve”. Moreover, the firm has moved to an open-plan model which should certainly allow the trainees more than adequate access to training through direct contact.
The firm scores highly when it comes to the approachability of superiors and closeness of trainee ranks. “Good team spirit and lovely bunch to work with. The friends I made as a trainee are my lifeline and have become some of my closest friends,” reports one spy. “We’ve got an amazing trainee cohort who are all incredibly supportive of each other, whether that’s delivering a coffee to your desk in an hour of need, lending a hand when you’re busy, or just generally doing what they can to help you,” another happy camper adds. Partners are, overall, “very approachable” ― but also “incredibly busy”, so be prepared to pick your moment of approach wisely and be ready to chase things up with them. One insider adds that, “throughout my training contract I’ve never had any issues approaching any supervisors. They have always been fantastic and ensured I’m comfortable speaking to them about anything and everything.”
Trainees praise the amount of supervision they receive, coupled with the “large amounts” of responsibility they are given. One notes that they have received a “wide range” of work, some of which has been “incredibly interesting and a great learning opportunity”. Obviously, it’s not all NQ-level work ― the downside of being part of a smaller trainee cohort is there are fewer people to share the grunt work. The level of this differs between teams, and we’re told that ― as with many other firms ― litigation trainees fare the worst when it comes to drowning in paperwork. On the plus side, as one rookie rather smugly puts it, “we have some of the most interesting work in the market on the intellectual property and media & entertainment front”.
The trainees might have a reason to feel proud of the firm’s impressive client roster, which features the likes of Deliveroo, FuturLab, Lush, Purplebricks, John Lewis and a good sprinkle of Premiership football teams. Trainees also have a good chance of securing a client secondment, with recent placements including a top media and entertainment company, and a leading video game company.
When not on secondment, trainees are typically based at the firm’s London headquarters, which recently relocated from near the Royal Courts of Justice to the super-eco Arbor building at Bankside Yards, located on the South Bank of the Thames. So far, our sources are impressed with their new digs, almost unanimously giving it a high score. One insider says: “It is high tech with amazing views of the Thames, a great canteen and unlimited coffee from a barista.” Another describes it as “a huge upgrade”, adding: “Aside from everything being brand new (including the building itself) it’s a fantastic space which has been designed perfectly to meet the needs of a hybrid workforce who realistically aren’t going to be there every day. The facilities are absolutely fantastic and it’s a brilliant space to work”.
The new office is a step-up in terms of sustainability too as it is part of the UK’s first mixed-use regeneration scheme, and net zero in terms of carbon emissions. Sustainability is clearly a growing focus for Lewis Silkin, with insiders reporting the firm is “very conscious of their environmental impact”.
Of course, since the pandemic, trainees nowadays don’t spend all their time at the office. Rookies describe the firm’s WFH set-up as being “pretty faultless”. Nowadays, Lewis Silkin has opted for the hybrid approach to working, though the lure of a shiny new digs is apparently drawing many to spend much of their time in the office. It still offers a “very generous” budget for trainees to purchase WFH equipment and the hybrid working policy is not just all talk, either: “People here have a refreshingly relaxed attitude to hybrid working,” one respondent tells us. The expectation is to generally come into the office two times a week, one of these being a team “anchor day”, and this flexibility is very much appreciated by the firm’s rookies. Social life at the firm is also rated highly by juniors, although one respondent caveats that it can be “very team dependent”.
When it comes to tech, however, there’s slightly less praise to be handed out, though as one insider points out it is, “something that’s improving and being focused on.” As it’s a smaller firm, new technology can be integrated at a “much faster pace” than at larger outfits, but equally the technology itself is likely to be “not as advanced”. Regardless, the firm is reported as having the “key basics” covered, and the insiders remain positive that change is coming: “With our brilliant solutions team and initiatives like innovation sprints I’m sure it will improve dramatically in the next few years.” One spy reports that there are currently projects in the pipeline, “but the tech currently available is very case-specific”.
Rookies rate the firm’s perks as everything from “respectable” to “excellent”. Besides private healthcare and a gym subsidy, there are “various post-work events and team lunches.” One well-caffeinated spy added: “Personally, I think the best perk is the free coffee from our in-office barista who has very quickly become one of the most popular people in the firm.”
But perhaps in reality the biggest perk of working at Lewis Silkin is the work/life balance. Compared to its City rivals, this is an area where the firm excels: “Decently low chargeable targets and definitely have much better work/life balance than peers at other firms,” says one mole. “I’ve never finished later than 8 pm”, corroborates another rookie. Understandably, this will differ between teams ― again, the contentious seats tend to fare worse ― and there are grumbles that sitting in a busier team makes the £45,250 starting salary (which rises to £81,000 on qualification) poor value for money. Despite this, “there’s a genuine respect for people’s other commitments and working hours are much healthier than most other firms of its quality”. Rookies add that “there is no need for presenteeism” at the firm and when things are busy, “there is always another colleague around to help or offer support if needed”.