Exclusive: Spill the tea ☕
A departing lawyer at Clifford Chance has taken a swipe at the Magic Circle giant after leaving a number of “commemorative” mugs dotted around the office as she headed for the exit.
In a farewell email to colleagues last week, seen by Legal Cheek, the senior associate begins by reflecting fondly on her 20 plus years at the firm’s London office. She thanks the “fantastic” paralegals, trainees, practice assistants, and fellow associates she worked alongside during her time at the firm.
But the lawyer, who we aren’t naming, also alludes to some difficult experiences, writing that the partners had “taught me an awful lot”, including “how to lawyer and how (and how not) to conduct oneself”.
The email then turns to what she says young lawyers want from firm leadership.
“To the partners: you have taught me an awful lot — including how to lawyer and how (and how not) to conduct oneself,” she writes. “I have often been asked by you over the years what the associates are thinking. I can’t speak for anyone other than myself but, for what it is worth, most associates I know want to be paid fairly, treated with respect, recognised and genuinely thanked, given quality work including interesting pro bono work which means so much, so very much, to so many of us and should be regarded as something more than just “business development adjacent”) and a chance to develop and to be part of a vibrant progressive culture which values things other than partnership profit, which supports junior lawyers if they make mistakes, which offers courageous leadership and alternative career paths for those who do not want partnership (and the responsibility of bringing in business) and where people still feel able to laugh loudly. When partnership profit becomes the sole aim and metric of success, something special is irretrievably lost. And that is a shame.”
Explaining that she “didn’t have the heart” for leaving drinks, the lawyer ends her email by revealing that she had left some “commemorative” mugs around her department as a parting gift. In a photo sent to Legal Cheek showing what is believed to be one of the mugs, the message printed on the side reads: “‘An up or out’ business model is potentially discriminatory on the basis of sex.”
The reference to “up or out” appears to relate to a career progression system used by many professional services firms, including top law firms, where employees are expected to move up through the ranks and those who do not meet promotion criteria within a certain period are typically expected to leave. However, it’s often not a black and white thing, with many firms offering professional support and other roles to staff who don’t want to become partner.
The departing lawyer rounds off her email by revealing she had just one regret, telling her former colleagues: “[The mugs] could not be printed with curly commas.”
A spokesperson for Clifford Chance told Legal Cheek:
“We thank the individual for their contribution to the firm and wish them well.”
Seems a bit of strange thing to do tbh
Wow!
I feel the butt-hurt from here!
How childish. Most firms operate for profit and have an “up and out” system geared up to get rid of underperformers.
20 year associate taking a parting swipe at “up or out” tells you everything you need to know, to be honest.
The solution seems to go and work for a law centre full time and do 100% pro bono work. It may not pay as well as CC but sure that’s not an issue if there’s a vibrant progressive culture.
20 years at the firm and still a senior associate – up and out seems right to be honest
If you can’t get a promotion internally or externally and you’re stuck at associate level for 20 years, the problem might be you…
20 years at the firm and still a senior associate – up and out seems right
Not her cup of tea then
Breaking news: Law Firm focused on making profit…. well, yes. Sound commercial thinking railing against this. Might explain the unusually long tenure as a Senior Associate..
Clearly none of these commenters have been anywhere near the magic circle – this is what it drives you to lol
They’re students.
If this person survived 13 years as a senior associate (assuming 2 years a trainee and 5 as an associate), surely this is proof CC don’t operate an up or out model?
Most up or out firms boot senior associates out after 5 or so years as a SA at most if they aren’t on partner track or have come to some sort of arrangement.
Puerile.
The comments here are not getting it. Not everybody wants to move up to partnership.
Up and out is actually illegal under uk law. Though this does not mean it does not exist in reality. Law firms are by their nature very sneaky, psychopathic and backstabbing because that is what the partners are like. So whilst everyone knows the policy exists it is never officially admitted. Therefore when they want someone out they resort to psychological pressure and bullying, and concoct reasons usually related to performance. I should imagine it is quite easy to reduce a target’s performance by simply diverting work to others or giving them dead files going nowhere or excessive business development targets. That sort of thing.
I know people say there is a business case for it. But it’s very much a slave mentality to work in this way. Who can please master the most? Who can suffer the most? Who can make other people suffer? Who can rise to be head slave?
Even if you think survival of the fittest is natural or even honourable it definitely encourages backstabbing and the like which makes these places unpleasant to work at and causes dishonourable behaviour.
If law firms were upfront about how they operate I’d be less critical, but then again no one would want to work at them.
As the us military says when someone has their legs blown off and they put out to pasture with no money, “thank you for your service”
In large firms this is exactly what it’s like. Eversheds, for example.
But they do make long-lasting garden buildings!
“I’ve shown this to the Barristers’ Clerks and they’ve translated ‘laughing loudly’ as ‘insufficiently billed,’ so they’ve booked you a 9:00 AM hearing in a basement court in Grimsby.
“business model” shouldn’t be in the inverted commas. I can see why they wanted her gone