Winston & Strawn

London has been described by new global chair Steve D’Amore as “priority No.1” for Winston & Strawn, after the firm posted a record year of growth in both revenue and profits. Global revenues grew 4% to around $1.2 billion (£930 million) whilst average profits per equity partner (PEP) enjoyed a similar boost of around 3%, to over $3.2 million (£2.5 million). D’Amore, who has recently taken the reins following the end of former chair Tom Fitzgerald’s 17 year tenure, chalked the strong performance up to “strength in big litigation, middle-market and rising private equity, and structured and project finance”. Headcount also continued to grow, with the firm now playing host to around 1,000 lawyers and a further 1,000 business professionals.

The firm’s City office, which it opened in 2003, plays host to around 50 lawyers and wider staff, with the current trainee intake limited to one or two select rookies each year. As you might expect for such a small intake, the firm prizes itself on offering “real legal work” the minute you’re through the door and the trainees we spoke to echoed this sentiment: “Trainees are encouraged to work at associate level and take initiative and ownership of the work they are given, whilst also having an appropriate level of support,” explained one. “We are given real tasks that are key to the deal/case rather than just doing admin in the background.” What’s more, you’ll be taking on this “associate level work” for “a range of interesting clients”, according to our sources, with the London corporate team recently representing a significant investor in the multi-billion dollar acquisition of Chelsea Football Club owners, Fordstam Ltd. Other recent highlights include yet another multi-billion dollar, cross-border deal with Chart Industries on their acquisition of Howden and the firm also counts Motorola, Verizon, Tom Brady and the New York Stock Exchange as part of its clientele list.

Not that you’ll be talking quarterback plays and sharing stock tips all day, there are still the “traditional trainee tasks, such as preparing bundles, arranging printing or preparing signature packs” to be done at W&S. However, the recruits we spoke to were quick to note that “the admin heavy tasks are outweighed by the fact that most of the work is stimulating”. London services UK, US and international clients, with a fair amount of work done in emerging markets across Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The international arbitration and corporate teams are said to get some pretty exciting stuff, but trainees in the City can also enjoy seats in finance, restructuring and insolvency, commercial litigation and EU antitrust/competition. The firm is also expanding these practice areas, recently bringing in Addleshaw Goddard’s UK head of restructuring and insolvency Paul Fleming to bolster its offering in this department.

On the topic of training, expect a stereotypically US approach to “learning on the job” with little to no “opportunities for formal training”. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact the rookies we spoke to felt it was a real positive to get “real work to do from the get go” with one adding that: “I feel like my training at Winston & Strawn has prepared me for qualification and managing matters as an associate.” Another eagled-eyed recruit has noted that “the firm has recently started to run more formal training for trainees and associates (internal and external as well as partner-led sessions)” and juniors are also invited to a European training seminar as well as the HQ in Chicago upon qualification.

One area where Winston does shed any American stereotypes is in its “very collegial working environment” which is said to have no “competitive culture at all”. According to LC insiders, “everyone is happy to share knowledge / give support” and another trainee offered this insight into the working culture: “Winston is very junior heavy and as those juniors have started to become more senior, they have become great role models and support systems. I know that I can go to those people if I have questions about work, but also if it is feeling particularly hard that day and I need a pick me up. The office is very small so everyone knows everyone and what everyone is doing and if someone is struggling that is picked up on and everyone tries to help out however they can.”

This includes partners and higher ups who are noted as being “highly approachable for the most part”. Our spies reported of “regular catch ups with the managing partner (Nicholas Usher)”, a strong sense that trainee “feedback is taken onboard” and even feeling “comfortable asking superiors questions, even if they may be simple/seem silly” — imagine!

Despite its relatively small size the office manages to remain a social hub with “lots of social events including weekly drinks, office weekends away, ski trips, trainee/associate evenings, practice group nights out, Christmas and summer parties and holiday and qualification drinks etc.” (though we’re not sure what else ‘etc.’ could possibly include)! Our sources tell us that the firm puts a lot of effort into making these events happen and prizes its ability to get the troops rallied together, with some even hanging out on the weekends.

Other weekends might involve less ‘hanging out’ and more getting on with work alongside your fellow trainees in the office, as recruits report a mixed work/life balance at Winston & Strawn. Weekends and holidays “are generally respected” if not off-the-cards entirely, whilst “hours in the week are long.” One junior lawyer offered this reflection on their time as a trainee: “We work for an American law firm so of course we are not going to have the best work life balance. As a trainee work/life balance was at times non-existent, working all hours and weekends and at times it did feel never ending and very hard.” That being said, the balance is said to improve massively at NQ level and rookies are healthily compensated for their efforts, with trainee salary starting at £55,000, rising to £60,000 in year two and £150,000 once qualified.

A new swanky office space at 100 Bishopsgate has also helped to sweeten the deal, with Winston lawyers roaming the skyscraper’s 33rd floor, just above Magic Circle law firm Freshfields. “The office is pretty spectacular” said one new recruit, “everyone has a standing desk and there are sparkling water taps. The communal spaces are very nice and the office is generally very open and conducive to collaborative working.” Trainees are allowed to work from home on Fridays, and a standard WFH package including a monitor and keyboard is provided to accommodate for this.

In other legal tech news, the firm have recently launched their own Artificial Intelligence strategy group alongside ‘Winston Legal Solutions’ — a low-cost right-staffing model design to assist with some of the more routine, admin tasks trainees face day-to-day. For the meantime, however, our sources say that most of the benefits of this investment is struggling to make it across the pond, with one rookie informing us that in London, “everything is done manually, which means a lot of time is spent doing things that legal tech could do automatically”. Still, recruits recognise that there “is a general push and openness towards using legal tech and being more efficient” and with so much movement in the States, you’d be mindful to watch this space.

The lack of a canteen is supplemented by regular in-house catering with the firm recently bringing in a taco station to cook tacos for employees from scratch in the lounge. There’s also free fruit and snacks on offer, breakfast options every monday and a bagel round on the last Thursday of every month. Not bad to say there’s no kitchen! Other, non-taco perks include the usual private healthcare and dental package as well as £50 a month to spend on Heka and a personal concierge service for planning holidays.