The Legal Cheek View
Since Shoosmiths was founded in Northampton in 1845, it has gradually conquered the country. Once known for its out-of-town bases in locations such as the Solent and Milton Keynes, the firm is now made up largely of city centre sites, in hubs including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Reading, Nottingham and Edinburgh.
This is a disciplined, focused law firm, run by a combination of Shoosmiths loyalists and, increasingly, partners brought in from leading City law firms. Shoosmiths has undergone somewhat of a transformation; ditching its classic green colour in favour of a sleek, black design — featuring an infinity-style logo — and repositioning its conveyancing arm under the brand ‘Swiitch’ (no, we promise that’s not a typo). It comes as a 6% rise in global revenue takes the firm’s turnover to over £200 million, marking an impressive ten years of consecutive growth. Profit per equity (PEP) also saw a significant bump this year, rising 16% to £781,000.
Growth has been particularly strong in Leeds and Belfast, with both offices almost doubling their headcounts in recent years, while Shoosmiths now counts over 1,500 people worldwide in 14 different offices. Internally, the firm has been growing its key practice areas, adding to its litigation and real estate teams, as well as creating an equity capital markets team in London. In recent years the firm has increased its training contract numbers by over a third and extended its TC programme to London, where it has a swanky office in St Paul’s. Outside of the capital, Shoosmiths has expanded its trainee solicitor scheme to Belfast and opened its very first international office in Brussels.
Once again, Shoosmiths scores well in the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. Trainees are said to get “good quality work and lots of responsibility from day one”, without ever being left feeling unsupported. Although the quality of the training is said to be very dependent on your supervisor and department, “those teams/supervisors who do take the time to train you properly are excellent and will sit down with you to explain the background of a case or deal and feedback on your work and how you can learn, and this is very valuable. Such colleagues also genuinely want the best for your career development and this is really motivating”. The firm is small enough to allow for one trainee per team whilst being “large and reputable enough that you receive high quality, complex work”. There are also said to be some “great” formal training resources such as on-demand e-learning training sessions and monthly team-wide live training sessions.
As can be gleaned from these comments, Shoosmiths partners are overall very approachable. One trainee tells us this: “Nearly every supervisor is approachable, and I feel comfortable talking to them on a daily basis about work and non-work-related things.” Something that the firm’s non-hierarchical structure and open office plan encourages. Another recruit tells us that they are “really happy to call anyone or meet people face-to-face and no fear that someone will be unapproachable” with a third adding that “everyone is invested in the firm, and each individual within it, embarking on its strive to excellence.”
And trainees had just as much praise for their cohort: “My peers are amazing — we are happy to pull together at any moment. I can genuinely say that they are brilliant friends as well as colleagues!” Another insider also praises the firm’s effort to build lasting support amongst juniors, adding that “the firm has given us plenty of opportunities to get together and form a strong peer network.” Overall, it seems the firm is doing well at fostering a culture of inclusivity and openness.
Word has it that the quality of work is getting even better as the firm wins more high level corporate and real estate mandates. “I have been given the responsibility to liaise directly with senior management and even general counsel of large US organisations to advise,” one trainee tells us. “On other occasions, however, whilst you may be involved in something big and exciting, you may take a behind the scenes role.” Newbies can manage smaller cases and projects, however, and overall “have lots of opportunity to get involved in really interesting work”. Though that’s not to say that there aren’t some of the “very dry”, “mundane”, or “soul sucking” admin tasks that every trainee can expect.
In terms of the quality of work, rookies can expect to come face-to-face with some big names like the IKEA, Total, and McDonald’s, with car enthusiasts given the opportunity to advise Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Mercedes, the Peugeot Citroen group, and Volkswagen. Clients as varied as The National Trust, Ann Summers, and the United States Air Force also contribute to the kind of work that “you can really sink your teeth into” as a newbie.
The regions in particular stand out for the calibre of its work: “City class work in the regions. Top clients to work with and even better secondments — I’ve spent time on secondment at Volkswagen Group”. Client secondments are a big draw of the Shoosmiths training experience, although they are becoming harder to secure, with less than a quarter of rookies getting one. For the lucky few, destinations include Mercedes-Benz UK, Hamleys and RBS, as well as Volkswagen. Recently, one trainee was even seconded to Tokyo, the firm’s first non-European international client secondment.
But as the high-quality work becomes more commonplace, the firm’s excellent reputation for a good work/life balance ebbs away. “The firm’s work/life balance is not totally what its reputation had once suggested. As the firm moves into a new phase of growth, working hours across many offices and departments are becoming much more closely aligned with City firms all whilst maintaining its substantial national presence,” one source tells us. “It’s definitely not the 9-5/9-6, it was once sold as,” another chips in. That said it’s not “a ‘Devil Wears Prada’ approach to work where you’re left on your own to work things out and expected to be available at all hours”, and trainees are keen to point out that the sway is very seat-dependant. “Most days I am able to leave at around 6pm”, one notes, with another tell us that they’ve only had to work “a few late nights”. Supervisors have also been known to step in when rookies begin getting overwhelmed.
There is still plenty of time to socialise, however. “After work drinks are quite common, and there is often something going on at lunchtimes or after work, such as book clubs or run clubs.” Another junior seems keen on the “weekly five a side games; monthly team socials; and bi-monthly office wide socials!”, although one grumbles about being “forcibly inducted into the social committee”.
Perks are ok, with nice touches like sweets and free coffee in the office and a day off on your birthday, alongside an “affordable” salary sacrifice scheme to secure an EV. An “above and beyond” scheme also encourages lawyers to reward their peers with vouchers for Amazon and John Lewis, whilst the standard dental/healthcare are also thrown in, as is the option to buy and sell holidays. For one rookie, however, the only thing that matters is “a bag of mini eggs and fizzy drink on a Friday.” Whilst the pay rankles among some, Shoosmiths’ £63,000 regional newly qualified (NQ) rate is pretty standard for large non-London commercial firms. The London NQ salary is £97,000.
The offices win mixed reviews, although overall are a highlight. Whilst some are said to be “good, but could be better”, and “varied”, the crown jewels appear to be in the capital and second city. “Fantastic, great locations, London and Birmingham are highlights!” one junior tells us, with another noting how the flagships are “excellent modern office spaces in great locations finished to a very high standard — and with stellar meeting and entertaining facilities.” Amateur horticulturalists will also be pleased to hear that the digs are, amongst other things, “full of plants”.
We seem to have hit a nerve, however, when we asked about canteens. “There is no canteen.”, “doesn’t have”, “we don’t have a canteen in our office”, and “there’s no canteen”, were amongst the responses received, although some did praise the availability of fruit, soft drinks, and sweets. Whilst this may be the Shoosmiths Achilles heel, one junior did point out that, actually, “no-one is expecting us to be here for breakfast, lunch and dinner” anyway.
The IT and tech on offer is another area creating a buzz amongst new lawyers. “There is a lot of work going on at the moment,” we’re told, with the firm recently adopting a new document management system, “which is way better than the old one”, and trialling new AI tools. On this front juniors can’t seem to get enough of the firm’s Microsoft Co-pilot trial. Amongst the comments received are a few potential new taglines for the tech, including; “Copilot has made my life much easier when it comes to summarising documents and drafting emails”, “in my humble opinion, its brilliant”, and simply, “it’s really good”.
For those looking for some time away from the office, the WFH policy receives a good deal of praise from juniors. “Got everything I need” says one happy recruit, referencing the firm-supplied monitors, laptops, keyboards, mice, and new wireless kit. “All the equipment we need is provided to us before we start at the firm” a trainee adds, “and surveys are done to make sure if any needs changed that these are accounted for.” As for how often rookies are able to use their home setups, the overall policy is described as “very flexible”. Whilst “some teams are happy for you to be home 2 or 3 days”, an insider tells us that others mandate four or five days in the office.
The firm’s efforts to become greener have also ramped-up, with the introduction of a £200 levy on lawyers choosing to travel by plane, which in turn is used to fund a low-carbon initiatives. Staff bonuses are also being tied to environmental metrics such as firmwide travel. Overall, rookies speak of a “really good sustainability policy”, with the firm being “highly conscious about the environment”. There is also some buzz around the 2030 net-zero strategy.