Walker Morris

The firm has built its success through a range of rather unique sectors. The usual suspects of banking, real estate and private equity form some of WM’s core practice areas but the firm also has a specialist sports group which regularly advises on Premier League arbitration and the sale of grounds by clubs such as Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley. Elsewhere, in departments like banking and finance, trainees get the opportunity to work with names like Santander — which WM recently advised on funding the acquisition of The Pharmacy Hub.

The quality of work is some of the best you’ll get in the regions. One trainee put it like this: “there is a good balance between exposure to high level matters and responsibility given in relation to work — WM is a large enough firm that there are lots of big/exciting matters to work on, but the deals are not too overbearingly large that trainees are only relegated to the menial admin jobs — for example I will often be asked to produce the first drafts of key documents in large matters” As an independent, single-city firm, expect lots of responsibility and exposure to a wide variety of deals and cases, with “very few admin-level tasks” unless there’s a bit of a lull; “summer can be a bit quieter for some departments” says one. Another insider warns the quality can “vary from seat to seat”, recalling how in one team they were rarely tasked with “chargeable work with a lot of the work being research based for the team’s own knowledge rather than tasks which actually assist our clients” while in another they were “given a lot of responsibility early on”. Overall though we’re told there’s “really not too much donkey work”

The training is also solid. One inside source told us that “each department offers trainees bespoke training from various fee earners over the course of the seat” and the corporate team also runs weekly sessions where other teams are invited to present the latest legal and commercial updates so everybody is in the loop. There’s a mixture of “very active and involved supervision” both firm-wide and at each of the six (not four) seats you’ll sit in. Although some feel that the training isn’t always consistent. One recruit told LC: “The training varies from department to department. Some departments / supervisors are comfortable with letting you run the matters and allow for a lot of client contact. Some departments are a bit more wary about ‘letting trainees loose’ and actively review even the smallest email you send out. There are departments where you as a junior never get any client contact. Overall, the training is good and even the more quiet departments always try to make sure you get enough work.”

Luckily, an open-door policy and “extremely approachable” partners (some of whom “you can discuss Love Island with”) mean it’s easy to ask for help. While certain fee earners “have different styles of supervision or communication” insiders assure us that “all deliver great feedback and report. Superiors are generally rated across the board and the firm even boasts quite a few ex-City higher-ups who “are extremely open to developing juniors and passing on their knowledge”, according to one newbie.

As all new recruits are under one roof, the trainee cohort is said to be “tight-knit” and we’re told “there is a great deal of support from fellow trainees as well as other colleagues”. One rookie had this to say “the teams are fantastic, the trainee cohort is great and supportive, overall the people are really really good. We also have this thing called Coffee Roulette that if you sign up, there is a draw every month which matches you with a colleague for coffee. It’s a great way to meet new people and get your face known across the firm. It also helps that it’s a single site because it’s easier to meet people.”

Another heart-warming trainee offered this: “we would all say the workplace values are definitely the opposite of a ‘step on your colleagues to get ahead’ culture; the firm fosters a social, collaborative culture which we have embodied. I cannot speak for everyone but I have made some lifelong friends in my intake.” The firm takes on around twenty trainees each year.

The “state of the art” office, which Walker Morris moved into in the summer of 2019, continues to impress new recruits. The “impressive” building, found at the heart of Leeds’ business district is “probably the best” in the city we’re told. It’s an open-plan office space with large meeting rooms including “beautiful” communal spaces, swish meeting pods, a subsidised in-house Ts&Cs café, a scenic outside courtyard area and a boardroom that “will make you feel like you’re on The Apprentice”.

Client secondments supplement the learning; according to our figures, around half of the firm’s rookies have done one with Asda, energy companies Drax or Equan, or Tottenham Hotspur Football Club!

As you might expect outside the City, the hours are considerably nicer and there are few complaints about the work life balance on offer at WM even if there is the occasional late one. “A few late nights in busier departments but no issues taking a full hour for lunch or arranging plans after work. Most people respect boundaries. As trainees we don’t get work phones so it’s also easier to create work life balance as people don’t usually tend to expect you to reply once you’ve logged off. It’s also fine to leave on time but then log back in if you really need to finish some work but want to do it at home” noted one trainee. On average, WM insiders reckon they put in a “steady 8-6ish”, late nights rarely go beyond 9pm and weekend work is almost unheard of. There is some variation between departments with real estate providing “a quite steady 8:30pm to 6:30pm”, whereas in corporate — where it has been a “super busy year” — the “hours are much more unpredictable and often longer”. One insider describes it like this: “I have had times in my Corporate seat where you find yourself working until 2.30am on the Friday night and into Saturday/Sunday. However, you know that everyone else working on the deal is going through the same thing so you don’t feel quite so isolated (free food is always welcomed). In quieter times you can find yourself logging off at 5/5.30pm and heading to the gym/pub.”

Another rookie adds: “Most days I can probably work 8am to 6pm and no-one would bat an eyelid. In fact, they’d all already be gone. I have been in the office trial bundling until 1:30am but it was a one-off. Most weeks I need to stay for one evening until 7pm or 8pm and/or work for a few hours at the weekend but it’s manageable. The partners tend to comment if you stay late, so it is noticed and not expected. They do, however, expect some fee-earners to work at home and if you get into the habit of it, it becomes difficult to break.”

Trainees can work from home once or twice a week depending on the department but all lawyers are being encouraged to attend the office more to benefit from better exposure. The firm provides a one-off £250 joiner allowance to purchase anything you need to WFH — mini-treadmills are off the list though apparently!

In the past couple of years, WM has advanced its use of legal tech implementing many AI tools for drafting, reviewing and other processes. Rookies are fairly impressed with the offering but it’s noted that none of it gets used very frequently, in part because clients aren’t that keen to sign off on it.

The perks are said to be good too. These include a solicitor sabbatical scheme, Help@Hand, gym discounts, free food and taxis when working late, “excellent” charity events such as quizzes, rounders and dress down days, as well as the option to “buy extra weeks leave” and a salary sacrifice scheme for electric vehicles. But one rookie wants it to be known that they’d like a day off for their birthday!