14 of 23
Gowling WLG will retain 14 out of 23 trainees due to qualify this autumn, handing the firm a score of 61%.
Competition for spots seems to have been especially fierce in the firm’s London office, where just six roles were up for grabs among 10 trainees. Three ultimately secured positions in the capital, while Legal Cheek understands one additional rookie is relocating to Birmingham and another is heading to the Dubai office.
Gowling doesn’t routinely publish its retention scores, but when it has, they’ve typically sat at 80% or above, making this latest figure something of an anomaly.
A Gowling WLG spokesperson said:
“Our newly qualified lawyer appointments are made in line with the needs of the business, ensuring we continue to invest in the areas where client demand is strongest and where we see the greatest opportunities for growth. The process is focused on maintaining the high-performance culture that underpins our success and providing our trainees with the opportunity to build long-term careers at the firm.”
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Gowling recruits up to 25 trainees each year, with NQ salaries currently set at £105,000 in London and £65,500 in Birmingham.
The firm recently announced the launch of a new training contract pathway for those seeking to qualify in real estate, which runs alongside its existing programme.
Yikes – so 4 out of every 10 trainees at being completely screwed over. Nice one…. Futures applicants should apply with caution.
Big yikes!
NQ market seems particularly weird and bad this year . I wonder if Iran/US war and the legal AI revolution has played a part.
Possibly, 2008 effed up the NQ market for years, at least until 2012.