Industry celebrates top trainee-rated firms and chambers in virtual ceremony featuring special guest appearances from shadow Lord Chancellor David Lammy and ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke 🏆
The legal profession has celebrated the top trainee-rated firms and chambers of the year in our virtual awards ceremony. The awards are based on the results of our annual survey of over 2,000 trainee and junior lawyers.
Three-hundred guests tuned in live to Thursday’s Legal Cheek Awards, an invite-only event sponsored by BARBRI.
Before the bash got underway BARBRI managing director, global, Sarah Hutchinson delivered a presentation of the findings of the Legal Cheek 60-second SQE survey.
Legal Cheek hosts Philippa Canfield and Maya Ffrench-Adam were then joined by award sponsors and guest presenters to announce the winners of the 19 categories of this year’s awards, which include training, quality of work, perks and new categories for this year, WFH and eco-friendliness.
The shadow Lord Chancellor David Lammy MP and ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke made special guest appearances to present the winners of additional categories Best Use of Social Media and Journal Contribution with their awards.
So this was pretty special.. presenting (virtually) the award for Best @legalcheek Journal contribution this evening alongside the former Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary @DavidGauke 🏆 #legalcheekawards pic.twitter.com/uhn549THKR
— Aishah (@LC_Aishah) March 25, 2021
Legal Cheek’s legendary DJ Adam Mawardi brought the beats in a themed soundtrack (have a listen as you check out the winners below), while viewers heckled and chatted among themselves in the chat sidebar. Winners were able to join the Legal Cheek team on stage for a brief boogie and fist-clenched celebration.
This year’s virtual bash incorporated a new networking video game where guests could roam around three adjoining mini-worlds with colleagues. They explored a medieval castle, partied on the beach, and toasted this year’s winners at a rooftop bar overlooking the city skyline.
@legalcheek At this year's ##LegalCheekAwards we're transporting guests to a new networking videogame! 🎮 Here's a quick walkthrough of the map 🧭 ##law ##videogame
So who won what? Read on to find out…
Best Law Firm for Training 2021: Travers Smith
Highly commended: Allen & Overy, Bristows, Clifford Chance, CMS, Debevoise & Plimpton, Fieldfisher, Forsters, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Mayer Brown, Osborne Clarke, Slaughter and May, TLT, Vinson & Elkins
Best Law Firm for Quality of Work 2021: Latham & Watkins
Highly commended: Accutrainee, Akin Gump, Baker McKenzie, Bird & Bird, Clifford Chance, Debevoise & Plimpton, Irwin Mitchell, Kirkland & Ellis, 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
Highly commended: 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: TLT
Highly commended: Accutrainee, Bristows, CMS, Clyde & Co, Eversheds Sutherland, Fletchers, Gowling WLG, Hill Dickinson, Mills & Reeve, Pinsent Masons, Reed Smith, Shoosmiths, Squire Patton Boggs, Vinson & Elkins, Wiggin, Womble Bond Dickinson
Best Law Firm for Work/Life Balance 2021: Womble Bond Dickinson
Presented by LawCare, the charity that supports and promotes mental health and wellbeing in the legal community throughout the UK and Ireland.
Highly commended: DWF Group Plc, Fieldfisher, Fletchers, Forsters, Hill Dickinson, Irwin Mitchell, Mills & Reeve, RPC, Shoosmiths, Thrings, Trowers & Hamlins
Best Law Firm for Legal Tech 2021: Osborne Clarke
Presented by STEM Future Lawyers, the legal careers network for science, technology, engineering and maths students.
Highly commended: Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, CMS, Clifford Chance, DWF Group Plc, Kennedys, Linklaters, Pinsent Masons, Simmons & Simmons, Taylor Wessing, White & Case
Best Law Firm for Perks 2021: White & Case
Presented by HBW Consulting, a boutique agency that works as a specialist extension to your graduate recruitment team, helping law firms with media strategy, spend and analysis.
Highly commended: Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Dechert, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Ropes & Gray, Skadden, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best Law Firm for WFH 2021: CMS
Highly commended: Addleshaw Goddard, Akin Gump, 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: Pinsent Masons
Highly commended: Burges Salmon, CMS, Clifford Chance, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke, PwC, Reed Smith, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Most Admired Law Firm 2021: Bird & Bird
Highly commended: Allen & Overy, 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: Clifford Chance
Highly commended: Bird & Bird, CMS, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Best Chambers for Training 2021: 2 Temple Gardens
Highly commended: 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: Radcliffe Chambers
Highly commended: 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, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, Wilberforce Chambers
Best Chambers for Colleague Supportiveness 2021: Hardwicke and Henderson Chambers
Highly commended: 12 King’s Bench Walk, 2 Temple Gardens, 5 Essex Court, Hailsham Chambers, No5 Chambers, South Square, Wilberforce Chambers
Best Chambers for Facilities 2021: 4 New Square
Highly commended: 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: Landmark Chambers
Highly commended: 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: Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Highly commended: 2 Temple Gardens, 4 New Square, 5 Essex Court, Blackstone Chambers, Cornerstone Barristers, Hailsham Chambers, Hardwicke, Keating Chambers, Wilberforce Chambers
Best Use of Social Media 2021: Alexandra Wilson ‘@essexbarrister’ (Twitter/Instagram)
Highly commended: 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, No5 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 was 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: William Holmes for ‘Why the law should treat algorithms like murderous Greek statues’
Highly commended: ‘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, ‘Should NHS staff tackling COVID-19 be immune from negligence claims?’ by Yanusika Srithar
The winner of this category was 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 (leading legal affairs journalist).
