Who will you be rooting for?
We’ve been reaching out to trainees and junior lawyers across the nation to get the inside scoop on life inside the country’s leading law firms and chambers.
As part of our annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, we put a series of questions to trainees and junior lawyers from nearly 150 of the country’s leading law firms and chambers. Respondents then rated their firms/chambers on a scale of one to ten in a number of key areas, including: quality of training/work, peer support, superior approachability, work/life balance, facilities, perks, eco-friendliness, technology and adaptiveness to remote working. The highest ranking firms/chambers received A* grades on their Legal Cheek firm profiles.
It is nearly time to crown the winners of these categories, plus a few others including ‘Best Use of Social Media’, at our upcoming Legal Cheek Awards 2021, sponsored by BARBRI. The Awards takes place virtually on Thursday 25 March. Here are the shortlists:
Best Law Firm for Training 2021
Allen & Overy
Bristows
CMS
Clifford Chance
Debevoise & Plimpton
Fieldfisher
Forsters
Linklaters
Macfarlanes
Mayer Brown
Osborne Clarke
Slaughter and May
TLT
Travers Smith
Vinson & Elkins
Best Law Firm for Quality of Work 2021
Accutrainee
Akin Gump
Baker McKenzie
Bird & Bird
Clifford Chance
Debevoise & Plimpton
Irwin Mitchell
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Osborne Clarke
Ropes & Gray
Shearman & Sterling
Skadden
Taylor Wessing
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Wiggin
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best Law Firm for Peer Support 2021
Addleshaw Goddard
Baker McKenzie
Bird & Bird
Bristows
Burges Salmon
Dentons
Herbert Smith Freehills
Hogan Lovells
Mills & Reeve
RPC
Squire Patton Boggs
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Withers
Womble Bond Dickinson
Best Law Firm for Partner Approachability 2021
Accutrainee
Bristows
CMS
Clyde & Co
Eversheds Sutherland
Fletchers
Gowling WLG
Hill Dickinson
Mills & Reeve
Pinsent Masons
Reed Smith
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
TLT
Vinson & Elkins
Wiggin
Womble Bond Dickinson
Best Law Firm for Work/Life Balance 2021
DWF Group Plc
Fieldfisher
Fletchers
Forsters
Hill Dickinson
Irwin Mitchell
Mills & Reeve
RPC
Shoosmiths
Thrings
Trowers & Hamlins
Womble Bond Dickinson
Best Law Firm for Legal Tech 2021
Addleshaw Goddard
Allen & Overy
Ashurst
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
CMS
Clifford Chance
DWF Group Plc
Kennedys
Linklaters
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
Simmons & Simmons
Taylor Wessing
White & Case
Best Law Firm for Perks 2021
Allen & Overy
Clifford Chance
Dechert
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Linklaters
Ropes & Gray
Skadden
Weil Gotshal & Manges
White & Case
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best Law Firm for WFH 2021
Addleshaw Goddard
Akin Gump
CMS
Clifford Chance
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Latham & Watkins
Milbank
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
Shoosmiths
Stephenson Harwood
Sullivan & Cromwell
Travers Smith
Weil Gotshal & Manges
White & Case
Withers
Best Law Firm for Eco-Friendliness 2021
Burges Salmon
CMS
Clifford Chance
Hogan Lovells
Norton Rose Fulbright
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
PwC
Reed Smith
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Most Admired Law Firm 2021
Allen & Overy
Bird & Bird
Clifford Chance
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Linklaters
Mishcon de Reya
Slaughter and May
Osborne Clarke
Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Firm of the Year 2021
Bird & Bird
Clifford Chance
CMS
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Best Chambers for Training 2021
2 Temple Gardens
4 New Square
4 Pump Court
5 Essex Court
Blackstone Chambers
Hailsham Chambers
Hardwicke
Henderson Chambers
Keating Chambers
Radcliffe Chambers
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Best Chambers for Quality of Work 2021
4 New Square
4 Pump Court
5 Essex Court
Blackstone Chambers
Brick Court Chambers
Cornerstone Barristers
Devereux Chambers
Fountain Court Chambers
Kings Chambers
Landmark Chambers
Radcliffe Chambers
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Wilberforce Chambers
Best Chambers for Colleague Supportiveness 2021
12 King’s Bench Walk
2 Temple Gardens
5 Essex Court
Hailsham Chambers
Hardwicke
Henderson Chambers
No5 Chambers
South Square
Wilberforce Chambers
Best Chambers for Facilities 2021
4 New Square
9 Gough Chambers
Atkin Chambers
Cornerstone Barristers
Exchange Chambers
Francis Taylor Building
Hardwicke
Matrix Chambers
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Wilberforce Chambers
Best Chambers for Work/Life Balance 2021
5 Stone Buildings
Crown Office Chambers
Doughty Street Chambers
Exchange Chambers
Landmark Chambers
Monckton Chambers
Serle Court
St John’s Chambers
Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Chambers of the Year 2021
2 Temple Gardens
4 New Square
5 Essex Court
Blackstone Chambers
Cornerstone Barristers
Hailsham Chambers
Hardwicke
Keating Chambers
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Wilberforce Chambers
Best Use of Social Media 2021
Alexandra Wilson ‘@essexbarrister’ (Twitter/Instagram)
Dan Neidle (LinkedIn)
Daniella Swinson ‘@itslegallybrunette’ (TikTok)
Holly Moore ‘@thatlawblog’ (Instagram)
Justin Farrance ‘@justinfarrance’ (Instagram/LinkedIn)
‘Have we got planning news for you’ with Keating Chambers, Kings Chambers, Landmark Chambers, No 5 Chambers and Town Legal (YouTube)
Leticia Santoro ‘@leticia.santoro’ (TikTok)
Liam Porritt (YouTube)
Lola-Rose Avery ‘@legally_lola’ (Twitter)
Lucy Cole ‘@lucydoeslaw’ (Instagram)
Sahar Farooqi (LinkedIn)
Toby Willcocks ‘@tobywillcocks’ (TikTok)
The winner of this category will be decided by an independent judging panel, made up of The Secret Barrister (anonymous criminal barrister, bar blogger and author), David Lammy MP (shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice), and Miriam and Jonathan Seitler, aka ‘Carpool Caselaw’ (barrister dad and daughter duo who won last year’s ‘Best Use of Social Media’ award).
Best Legal Cheek Journal Contribution 2021
‘Music law: A barrier to creativity?’ by Alice Wills
‘Could COVID-19 spit attacks amount to constructive manslaughter?’ by Anna Hayes
‘A critical analysis of the Johnny Depp libel trial’ by Benjamin Ramsey
‘An app-le a day… keeps the developers away?’ by Bethany Barrett
‘’Rough sex’ defence ban: A step in the right direction’ by Haitham Salih
‘COVID-19: Emphasising the societal impact of business decisions’ by Isabella Mason
‘Does the government’s COVID-19 response comply with the rule of law?’ A three-part series by Jordan Briggs
‘Branching out: Could we give legal rights to trees?’ by Paul Wyard
‘Why the law should treat algorithms like murderous Greek statues’ by William Holmes
‘Should NHS staff tackling COVID-19 be immune from negligence claims?’ by Yanusika Srithar
The winner of this category will be decided by an independent judging panel, made up of David Gauke (former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice), Tristan Kirk (courts correspondent for the Evening Standard), and Catherine Baksi (barrister turned freelance legal affairs journalist).
The winners of each shortlist will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2021, taking place virtually on Thursday 25 March.
