Profession gears up to celebrate achievements of firms, chambers and students
As anticipation mounts within the legal profession for The Legal Cheek Awards 2024 later this month, we are excited to finally unveil the longlisted firms, chambers, and students in the running for gongs this year.
The Awards are based on the results of our annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer and Barrister surveys, which collectively garners nearly 3,000 responses, enabling us to grade law firms and chambers across range of including training, quality of work, perks and work-life balance.
As in previous years, there are also standalone Awards, including Best Use of Social Media, Best Legal Cheek Journal Contribution, and Best Legal Cheek Campus Ambassador.
The Legal Cheek Awards 2024 is jointly sponsored by BPP University Law School and BARBRI. It takes place at the Battlebridge Suite of Kings Place London on the evening of Thursday 16 May 2024, from 6pm until late.
Law firm longlists 🏆
Best law firm for training 2024
Accutrainee, Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, BCLP, Bates Wells, Birketts, Burges Salmon, CMS, Clifford Chance, Farrer & Co, Forsters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills, Howard Kennedy, Lewis Silkin, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Mayer Brown, Osborne Clarke, Penningtons Manches Cooper, Pinsent Masons, Shoosmiths, Slaughter and May, Squire Patton Boggs, Travers Smith, Trowers & Hamlins, Wiggin, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best law firm for quality of work 2024
Accutrainee, Akin, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, Bates Wells, Birketts, Brabners, Burges Salmon, Charles Russell Speechlys, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Cooley, Farrer & Co, Foot Anstey, Forsters, Goodwin Procter, Harbottle & Lewis, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Howard Kennedy, Jones Day, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kingsley Napley, Latham & Watkins, Lewis Silkin, Osborne Clarke, Payne Hicks Beach, RWK Goodman, Ropes & Gray, Shoosmiths, Sidley Austin, Travers Smith, Wiggin, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best law firm for peer support 2024
Akin, Ashfords, Ashurst, Bates Wells, Bevan Brittan, Bristows, Charles Russell Speechlys, Cooley, Debevoise & Plimpton, Express Solicitors, Fieldfisher, Forsters, Gibson Dunn, Hill Dickinson, Howard Kennedy, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Lewis Silkin, Morrison Foerster, Osborne Clarke, RPC, Shoosmiths, Squire Patton Boggs, Stephenson Harwood, TLT, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith, Wedlake Bell, Wiggin, Withers
Best law firm for partner approachability 2024
Accutrainee, Akin, Ashfords, Brabners, Bristows, Cooley, Dentons, Eversheds Sutherland, Farrer & Co, Fieldfisher, Forsters, Howard Kennedy, Irwin Mitchell, K&L Gates, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kennedys, Kingsley Napley, Mills & Reeve, Orrick, Osborne Clarke, RPC, Shoosmiths, Squire Patton Boggs, TLT, Trowers & Hamlins, Wedlake Bell, Wiggin, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best law firm for work/life balance 2024
Ashfords, Bevan Brittan, Birketts, Bristows, Clyde & Co, Cripps, DWF, Farrer & Co, Fieldfisher, Forsters, Gateley, HFW, Michelmores, Mills & Reeve, RWK Goodman, Russell-Cooke, Stevens & Bolton, Trowers & Hamlins, Wedlake Bell, Weightmans, Winckworth Sherwood, Womble Bond Dickinson
Best law firm for legal tech 2024
Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Burges Salmon, CMS, Cooley, Dentons, Farrer & Co, Fletchers Solicitors, Kennedys, Osborne Clarke, Penningtons Manches Cooper, Shoosmiths, Stevens & Bolton, TLT, Travers Smith
Best law firm for perks 2024
Akin, Clifford Chance, Cooley, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Harbottle & Lewis, Kirkland & Ellis, Milbank, Morrison Foerster, Sidley Austin, Travers Smith, Weil Gotshal & Manges, White & Case, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best law firm office 2024
Ashurst, Bird & Bird, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Cooley, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Fried Frank, Gowling WLG, Greenberg Traurig, Howard Kennedy, K&L Gates, Kingsley Napley, Lewis Silkin, Milbank, Mishcon de Reya, Morrison Foerster, Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke, Paul Hastings, Reed Smith, Sidley Austin, Stevens & Bolton, Vinson & Elkins, Walker Morris, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Best law firm for WFH 2024
Addleshaw Goddard, Akin, Allen & Overy, Bevan Brittan, Burges Salmon, Debevoise & Plimpton, Farrer & Co, Forsters, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Lewis Silkin, Michelmores, Osborne Clarke, Penningtons Manches Cooper, Shakespeare Martineau, Stevens & Bolton, TLT, Walker Morris, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Withers
Best law firm for eco-friendliness 2024
Bates Wells, Burges Salmon, Charles Russell Speechlys, Forsters, Hogan Lovells, Howard Kennedy, Kingsley Napley, Lewis Silkin, Michelmores, Orrick, Osborne Clarke, Penningtons Manches Cooper, Shakespeare Martineau, Shoosmiths, TLT, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith
Best law firm for international secondments 2024
Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Dechert, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, HFW, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright, Watson Farley & Williams, Weil Gotshal & Manges, White & Case
Best law firm for client secondments 2024
Accutrainee, Baker McKenzie, Bird & Bird, Bristows, CMS, Dentons, DWF, Foot Anstey, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Lewis Silkin, Linklaters, Reed Smith, Stevens & Bolton, Taylor Wessing, Walker Morris, Wiggin, Womble Bond Dickinson
Most admired law firm 2024
Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Bird & Bird, Burges Salmon, Clifford Chance, CMS, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Mishcon de Reya, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons, Shoosmiths, Slaughter and May, Travers Smith, White & Case
The Legal Cheek firm of the year 2024
To be announced
Chambers longlists 🏆
Best chambers for training 2024
11KBW, 12 King’s Bench Walk, 2TG, 3VB, 4 Stone Buildings, 5 Stone Buildings, 7KBW, Blackstone Chambers, Brick Court Chambers, Crown Office Chambers, Falcon Chambers, Fountain Court Chambers, Gatehouse Chambers, Hailsham Chambers, Keating Chambers, Littleton Chambers, Monckton Chambers, Pump Court Tax Chambers, Quadrant Chambers, Radcliffe Chambers, Ten Old Square, Twenty Essex, XXIV Old Buildings
Best chambers for quality of work 2024
11KBW, 12 King’s Bench Walk, 2TG, 3 Hare Court, 39 Essex Chambers, 3PB, 3VB, 4 New Square Chambers, 4 Pump Court, 4 Stone Buildings, 42BR Barristers, 5 Essex Chambers, 5 Stone Buildings, 7BR, 7KBW, Blackstone Chambers, Brick Court Chambers, Cornerstone Barristers, Crown Office Chambers, Devereux Chambers, Essex Court Chambers, Exchange Chambers, Falcon Chambers, Fountain Court Chambers, Gatehouse Chambers, Gough Square Chambers, Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers, Hailsham Chambers, Henderson Chambers, Keating Chambers, Kings Chambers, Landmark Chambers, Littleton Chambers, Monckton Chambers, New Square Chambers, No5 Chambers, Outer Temple Chambers, Pump Court Tax Chambers, Quadrant Chambers, Radcliffe Chambers, Selborne Chambers, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, Serle Court, South Square, Tanfield Chambers, Ten Old Square, Twenty Essex, Wilberforce Chambers, XXIV Old Buildings
Best chambers for colleague supportiveness 2024
11KBW, 12 King’s Bench Walk, 2TG, 3PB, 4 Stone Buildings, 5 Essex Chambers, 5 Stone Buildings, 7BR, 7KBW, Blackstone Chambers, Crown Office Chambers, Falcon Chambers, Fountain Court Chambers, Gatehouse Chambers, Gough Square Chambers, Hailsham Chambers, Henderson Chambers, Kings Chambers, Landmark Chambers, Littleton Chambers, Monckton Chambers, Outer Temple Chambers, Pump Court Tax Chambers, Quadrant Chambers, Selborne Chambers, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, Serle Court, Tanfield Chambers, Ten Old Square, XXIV Old Buildings
Best chambers for facilities 2024
39 Essex Chambers, 4 New Square Chambers, 7BR, Blackstone Chambers, Crown Office Chambers, Fountain Court Chambers, Gatehouse Chambers, Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers, Keating Chambers
Best chambers for work/life balance 2024
Falcon Chambers, Keating Chambers, Serle Court, Twenty Essex, XXIV Old Buildings
Best chambers for social life 2024
Blackstone Chambers, Crown Office Chambers, Falcon Chambers, Gatehouse Chambers, Gough Square Chambers, Keating Chambers, Quadrant Chambers, Radcliffe Chambers, Selborne Chambers, XXIV Old Buildings
Best chambers for legal tech 2024
11KBW, 39 Essex Chambers, 3PB, 3VB, 4 New Square Chambers, 42BR Barristers, 7KBW, Blackstone Chambers, Crown Office Chambers, Fountain Court Chambers, Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers, Keating Chambers, Littleton Chambers, Monckton Chambers, Pump Court Tax Chambers, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, Wilberforce Chambers, XXIV Old Buildings
The Legal Cheek chambers of the year 2024
To be announced
Social media, Journal and Campus Ambassador longlists 🏆
Best use of social media 2024
- LSE graduate and trainee at Clifford Chance, Mary-Grace Olu (TikTok)
- Solicitor at Womble Bond Dickinson and founder of ‘Legally Possible’, Mia Siddique (Instagram)
- LSE political science graduate and White & Case trainee solicitor Ali Obeid (TikTok)
- Charley-Travis Brennan, a trainee at Irwin Mitchell and graduate from Nottingham Trent (TikTok)
- Shoosmiths’ early careers social media accounts (Instagram and TikTok)
- Mishcon de Reya associate and founder of ‘It’s All Hearsay’, Megan Hulme (Instagram)
- Trainee at Hogan Lovells, Vera Mayzel aka ‘legallyvera’ (Instagram)
- Travers Smith‘s social media accounts for graduates (Instagram and TikTok)
- Henry Nelson-Case, consultant solicitor and content creator, aka ‘that corporate lawyer’ (TikTok)
- Paul Gascoyne, senior recruitment manager at Shearman & Sterling (LinkedIn)
- The CMS accounts for graduates, (Instagram and TikTok)
- Tomas McCabe, future pupil barrister at Hailsham Chambers (TikTok)
- Annabel Field, History grad from the University of Kent and PGDL student (TikTok)
- Harry ter Haar, actor and comedian aka the fictional barrister ‘James Somerset’ (TikTok)
- The Hogan Lovells social media accounts for graduates (Instagram and TikTok)
- Alex Khoury, SQE student and Law & Politics grad from The University of Manchester (TikTok)
- Jay Heer, future trainee at Simmons & Simmons and University of Warwick graduate (TikTok)
The winner of this category will be decided by an independent judging panel, made up of Robbie Mullett (Made in Chelsea star and future trainee City solicitor), Jordan Sanga (Big Brother winner for 2023 and former lawyer), and Aishah Hussain (editor at Law Middle East and former Legal Cheek features editor).
Best Legal Cheek Journal contribution 2024
- The future of music copyright laws by music graduate and future trainee solicitor Katrina Toner
- Flexible working, inflexible stereotypes by psychology graduate Darcie Summers
- How election legislation has failed the UK’s visually-impaired voters by maths graduate and aspiring barrister Lauren Slade
- Navigating bias in generative AI by PPE student and aspiring solicitor Charlie Downey
- Competition chronicles: Microsoft vs the CMA and FTC by law student and aspiring commercial solicitor Dara Adefemi
- Access to justice: how can we do more? by law student Sophia McKenna
- Failure to prevent fraud and what it means for businesses by aspiring barrister Shifra Moriarty
- Could you be fired by a robot – and would UK anti-discrimination law protect you? by law graduate and future trainee solicitor Puja Patel
- Legal Takeaway: Who’s who for Deliveroo? by aspiring solicitor Joshua Masson
- Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation: why was this new offence necessary and what has been its impact? by English graduate and aspiring barrister Lucy Sutton
The winner of this category will be decided by an independent judging panel, made up of The Right Hon Lord Burrows (Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom), I. Stephanie Boyce (former President of the Law Society of England and Wales), and Suzi Ring (Legal Correspondent at the Financial Times).
Legal Cheek Campus Ambassador of the Year 2024
Sponsored by
- Eimear Arnott, University of Southampton
- Afia Dumaah, Queen Mary University of London
- Shannah McKenna, Sophia McKenna and Manik Sibal, Cardiff University
- Vaughan Temiloluwa Oluwafemi, University of Dundee
- James Reed, Durham University
- Alexandra Shuck, Maynooth University
- Raksha Sunder, University of Essex
- Mariella Vildoso, Ulster University
- Ana-Danielle Yembet, University College Dublin
- Zara Yunis, University of Nottingham
