White & Case

Closer to home, the London office didn’t fare as well. Revenues dropped slightly by 1.5% to $444 million (£338 million), amidst what new executive partner Inigo Esteve labelled as a “very challenging market backdrop”. It’s worth noting, however, that this slight decrease comes off the back of five consecutive years of strong growth in the City, during which revenues grew an impressive 32%. In any sense, the firm has no plans of slowing down in London anytime soon and, if you needed any more proof of this, look no further than the 157-strong army of partners WC has built up in the capital, poaching top talent from competitors such as Hogan Lovells, Macfarlanes and Cravath in the past year.

Whether it’s London, Riyadh or another one of their global hubs, White & Case continues to work on some of the world’s biggest deals. Cross-transactional work is a huge strength and a recent deal to secure regulatory approval for Nestlé latest data transfer rules – a joint effort by the London, Frankfurt and Paris offices — is just one example of this. On home turf, the London office has also been busy advising on a £7 billion rights issue involving National Grid.

Rookies on the inside tell us that they do “very interesting work with a good variety of clients” and don’t be surprised to be thrown straight in at the deep end. “From my very first day I was given client exposure and asked to liaise with opposing counsel! I love the sense of responsibility”, says one lucky insider. Whilst there are some “unavoidable basic tasks” for new recruits to cut their teeth on, our sources tell us that “document services are available to pick up the load on more tedious tasks like proofreading and running redlines” leaving trainees to do the more “substantive work”.

One LC mole gives us this in-depth insight into the work on offer here: “I am a trainee in tax and in addition to the more process-based corporate support work we do, I am genuinely being given the opportunity to draft research memos to funds exploring novel structures or investors wondering how the [general] election will affect them in relation to complicated IHT and property tax regimes. I work with almost every team — with the employment team we were exploring whether a CEO could live abroad for employment tax purposes the other week. We really are answering questions for which there is no clear answer, looking in-depth into case law and legislation and presenting novel answers to the extremely complex questions posed by clients.”

We’re also told that there are plenty of “opportunities to get involved in business development and pro bono to see multiple aspects of the business”.

The training itself comes highly rated. There are “two full weeks of department-specific training at the start of the seat, continued interactive training sessions throughout the TC, and regular ‘lunch-and-learns’ run by graduate recruitment,” one source informs us. The level of support can vary between seats, with another spy noting that “larger departments such as project finance have more structured training”. More informal training is offered on the job, making the quality supervisor-dependent, but rest assured, “most supervisors are usually receptive to putting you on a range of deals to ensure you get broad exposure early on”.

White & Case, which competes with the Magic Circle, offers around 50 training contracts annually at a neat salary range starting at £62,000 for trainees and £175,000 once newly qualified. For that, you are expected to put in the hours and then some. While some rookies whisper of “horror stories from certain finance teams where late nights are common and work/life balance non-existent”, others are pleasantly surprised that they “haven’t had to work any weekends or cancel midweek plans yet”, especially “considering the calibre of the firm”. As one level-headed lawyer describes it, “you learn how to manage and communicate your capacity as you are often across multiple deals with different teams, which sets you up well for being an associate. Evenings can be late however weekend work is limited and you usually get a heads up in advance if you will be needed.”

The office is nearing the end of a year-long refurb and we’re promised that it “should be looking swanky soon!”. Recruits are particularly keen on the fact that the entire building belongs to White & Case, which “helps to foster a collegiate environment”. Well, that and the critically-acclaimed free in-house eatery, Broad St Kitchen (BSK) which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside unlimited snacks and fresh coffee all day. “I would have thought someone was pulling my leg if they told me they ate gourmet omelettes each morning, duck breast for lunch, and pork belly for dinner before heading home,” one well-fed respondent explains. “In addition to cakes galore and unlimited barista-made coffee available all day…and it’s all for free!! The main issue is keeping the waistline in check!”

Satiated recruits have the opportunity to work from home two days a week (usually Monday and Friday) and there is a remote working allowance of £250 each year to put towards tech and equipment.

You’ll also be spending your days with a “close-knit” trainee intake, who are always there for “advice” or just to have a “coffee chat” with, according to LC sources. “The trainee intake is great, super supportive and there is never a sense of competition, even during seat selection / secondments / qualification. Some of my fellow trainees are now my closest friends!” beams one happy recruit. Quarterly team socials, office wide events and a local bar (which offers a White & Case discount) also means that there are plenty of social events to keep junior bonds solid, with one Dancing Queen recently going to see ABBA Voyage with their team! Football fans might also be keen to learn of the firm’s annual world cup which brought together over one thousand colleagues from forty offices in Madrid this year for their yearly football and volleyball tournaments.

Further up the ladder, supervisors and associates are said to be “very approachable”, while those at the very senior levels are “super keen to answer questions”. Another source praises the open-door culture and overall friendliness, “I love that I’ve been able to get to know them on a personal level as well.” Whilst we’re told that levels of approachability can vary between departments, it is said to be very good overall.

Given the firm’s huge international network, it should come as no shock to learn that secondment opportunities are a massive pull at White & Case. All rookies are given the opportunity of doing an international secondment, usually in their fourth seat, with some great destinations available. Paris, Stockholm, Singapore, Prague, Helsinki are just some of the names on the menu for London trainees this year. Client secondments are also available, with trainees enjoying recent stints at Blackstone Credit and Nestlé.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, you’ll be pleased to hear that the firm offers some pretty decent perks too. W&C lawyers receive an annual £5,000 wellbeing allowance to be used on anything from gyms to music lessons to beauty treatments, there’s also discounts for tickets to the theatre, wine tasting events, corporate massages, free taxis home, deliveroo after a certain time, volunteering options, private dental and healthcare, and free mortgage advice. Oh and for cricket fans, the firm’s private box at Lords is sure to bowl you over.