The Legal Cheek View
Birmingham-headquartered Shakespeare Martineau has its sights set on the top. The commercial and private client firm has more than 900 staff working from 12 offices (London, Leicester, Lincoln, Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon and, new addition Southampton) and is currently nearing the conclusion of its five-year expansion plan.
And expanding it is. Since announcing its plan to become a top 30 law firm by 2025, Shakespeares has undergone some major changes. In 2020, CEO Sarah Walker-Smith announced a “house of brands” strategy, to build a group of legal, professional services and complementary brands that are brought together under the Ampa LLP — which functions as Shakespeare Martineau’s holding LLP. This was followed by a string of acquisitions and mergers by Alma, which included cyber security company CSS Assure, debt and loss recovery business Corclaim, personal injury and clinical negligence specialist Lime and Leicester law firm Harvey Ingram. But wait; we’re not quite finished. It also included Leicester town planning consultancy Marrons Planning, regional southeast firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, Bristol-based law firm GL Law, and, most recently, non-legal consultancy Coadax.
Since its inception, this rebrand has been paying dividends, with revenues at Shakespeare Martineau’s English offices climbing 11%, from £66 million to £73 million this year. The firm’s recently-established Scottish arm also saw income surge from £234,000 to £912,000. Average profit per equity partner (PEP) is understood to sit at around £320,000. The Ampa group recorded similar growth of 13%, as group wide revenues rose to £119 million. Even better news for those at Shakespeare Martineau is that this growth is being reinvested back into the firm: those in Southampton have seen significant investment with new office space taken there to accommodate for a growing headcount, whilst those in Leicester got a brand-new relocation just last year. As Shakespeares accelerates into a prosperous future, this may be the perfect time to hitch a ride. So, what’s it like to work there?
Pretty good, according to the results of our latest Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. The firm allows flexible working, appears to trust its junior staff, has a healthy approach to the work-life balance, and has generally supportive peers and approachable supervisors and partners.
Commercial property makes up a large proportion of its work, as does corporate and commercial. The firm’s corporate and banking teams supported a record £4.6 billion worth of deals last year alone, but you won’t just be confined to one type of work as Shakespeare’s solicitors advise on a range of areas from surrogacy to IT and telecoms. Other specialist areas include energy, education, litigation and insolvency and the firm also boasts a niche sports law team and is highly regarded for its expertise in private client, planning and professional negligence work, agriculture and rural affairs, corporate M&A, family and banking law.
The firm received top-notch ratings for its “excellent and really high quality” training, which is hindered only by it being slightly seat-dependent so trainees tell us. “There is the occasional unenviable task (as you would expect as a trainee), although I have been given an enormous amount of responsibility on high profile and complex matters. Supervising solicitors and partners always provide feedback and ways I could tweak work to improve,” summarised one rookie. Another gave a special shout-out to the infrastructure and commercial property team for hosting a day-long training course on the 1954 landlord and tenancy act which they apparently “really enjoyed” – each to their own we guess! Trainees also benefit from a great deal of partner contact through regular ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, and there are always “extra optional sessions and online options” for further training. Another trick up Shakespeare Martineau’s sleeves is that it provides a training seat in its legal tech team.
Work-wise, expect “very stimulating tasks from drafting and researching through to client interaction” and “a varied caseload”. One LC spy even told us that: “We get told the times of trainees photocopying bundles is over!” As with many firms, this “varies from team to team” and often depends on supervisors and workload but the consensus is that rookies feel “engaged with the work and like you’re gaining competency to help you once you become an NQ”.
The firm’s clientele includes the National Grid (where some trainees enjoy a client secondment), Lloyds Bank, and Dr Martens — who the firm advised on their £3.4 billion IPO. And it’s not just London who get the big names — trainees in Bristol have represented claimants under the Windrush legislation, whilst those in Birmingham have recently been working on a £33 million loan facility contract with Santander.
Plus, it’s an enjoyable place to work, with “very very supportive” co-workers: “Genuinely have made some great friends in my cohort. We have each other’s backs,” remarks one spy. Trainees can expect bi-weekly trainee catch ups, and daily communication via Teams. Generally, everyone “is up for a laugh”. One junior happily reveals “I have always found the firm to be like a family. I chose the team I wanted to qualify into because I enjoyed the work, and the team are great lawyers, but also because the team has the most fun by far!”
The firm’s partners score highly for approachability and make “asking any questions feel very easy”, either “in person or over the phone” no matter how busy they may be. There are, predictably, “a couple” who are less approachable but, on the whole, the trainees we spoke to shower praise on their “receptive and nurturing” supervisors — and on the partners’ “open doors” attitude — which is refreshing to hear.
Moreover, trainees and juniors can still have a life. The word “good” cropped up repeatedly among comments on work-life balance, with working weekends being a rarity and average reported finish times of 6:30-7pm. There is variation, with seats such as asset finance and shipping litigation said to have “much longer hours” but even here trainees seem happy. “In Energy (commercial) I worked many late nights and sometimes the occasional day over the weekend…I didn’t mind this though as the work was thrilling and with some big clients (Shell, EDF) — depends what you’re looking for!” However, there were some gripes about the pay being below market rates. London trainees start at £40,000, rising to £43,000 in year two, whilst those in the regions receive £30,750 and £33,000. Rookies are allowed to WFH up to two days per week and receive a £350 allowance for equipment.
Further perks include BUPA healthcare, travel loans, 35 days annual leave including bank holidays (with the option to buy 5 extra), pension and life assurance, a small corporate gym discount and the option to take a day off on your birthday (the day off doesn’t necessarily have to be taken on your birthday). The office pastries on a Tuesday are good too, as is the “great” bean to cup coffee machine. Trainees also receive iPhones, Microsoft Surface Pro laptops with a wireless mouse, dual screens and desks for remote working.
The head office, near Snow Hill station in Birmingham, is in “a grand building”, and all the offices (known as “hubs” within the firm) are being or have been renovated, with breakout areas, hotdesking and standing desks. One insider is looking forward to an upgrade of the firm’s Nottingham office, which is apparently “quite old” whilst London receives tempered praise — “nice office”.
Legal tech is a bit of a sore point with one trainee claiming they “constantly have technological issues. However, juniors may be able to look forward to a refurbishment on this front too, with “new laptops” reportedly being on the cards soon.
The firm is highly regarded as environmentally responsible and community-minded, with “amazing investment in social mobility”, according to one rookie. Staff are given an hour off each week to go litter-picking and the Ampa group recently celebrated reaching B-Corp status. The firm has also committed to becoming net zero by 2030, by reducing all emission sources they have control over and developing initiatives to support those areas they don’t.