Fieldfisher

Whether you’re the firm’s top earner or just finding your feet as a trainee, “juicy” work abounds at Fieldfisher. The firm specialises across four main sectors: energy and natural resources, financial services, life sciences, and technology. This means one minute you could be advising Yodel on its legal strategy during its takeover by InPost, and the next you could be helping Space Norway implement the world’s northernmost subsea cable system. The firm even has a private client service, which successfully helped former supermodel Katie Price secure her discharge from two bankruptcies. Talk about diverse!

Whatever the deal, our sources tell us “you are given a lot of responsibility from the start.” Others recognise that this can be seat-dependent, with one noting that “you have to earn your way to interesting work by building trust with the team, but some teams naturally have more admin tasks or fewer paralegals, which leads to the trainees doing less stimulating tasks.” Still, our sources were unanimous in their opinion that the quality of the work improves throughout the process, and superiors are at least said to be “very appreciative when you do the more soul-draining work.”

The training on offer is said to be “decent,” with some “excellent practice-specific training sessions” in certain seats, while others opt for more “on-the-job style training.” Rookies tell us that here you’ll even still occasionally find “markups on your desk with red pen; intimidating but a great way to learn,” according to one. You’ll have to be a bit of a go-getter to make the most of your TC, though: “It really depends on you getting your head out there, being keen and enthusiastic, trying to get involved in different matters with different people.”

High praise for superiors was a running theme in the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey this year, with insiders revealing that even the partners here are “very approachable.” As one recruit gushed: “They really care about you and want you to do well. I’ve been asked many times by various supervisors if there’s anything I want to chat about (whether work or otherwise), how the team can do better to enable me to do well and enjoy my time, and if there was anything in particular I’d like to work on. Fieldfisher is stellar on that point. Many firms claim to be open-door, friendly, etc., but here you really feel it.”

The positive vibes continue at trainee level, as current trainees described their cohort as “fantastic, supportive and caring,” adding that “other juniors in the team have been very lovely and supportive.” Rookies are said to all get along and have lunch together most days. All this translates into a decent social scene, with monthly office socials and various charity and client events to attend, alongside the annual summer and Christmas parties.

At one point, the working week at Fieldfisher wasn’t just a simple Monday to Friday affair but consisted of Muffin Mondays, Fruit Tuesdays, Choc Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Smoothie Fridays. To the disappointment of many, this alliterative affair has been scaled back over the years, but “never-ending drinks” on the rebranded “Filled Pitcher” Thursdays still go down a treat. Free drinks aside, there are also subsidised gym memberships available, plus the nice bonus of Fieldfisher Days (extra days off) to round out the perk package.

Fieldfisher remains a pretty balanced place, despite its growing megafirm status. Across the London, Manchester and Birmingham offices, rookies work on average less than ten hours a day, with one junior proudly reporting: “I’ve only had to cancel plans twice in two years; have only worked three weekend hours (and that was entirely avoidable); and the firm is generally really appreciative of the fact that people have lives outside of the office.” Busier times do still come, and another rookie reports having “a handful of late nights,” but adds that “I think this is as close to perfect as it can get. People usually respect when I have plans in the evening I need to leave for, and I’m not expected to stay at my desk beyond a certain time. I have had multiple two week periods where I can leave at 5:30pm!” NQs can expect to earn £102,000 in London and £67,000 in the regions.

There’s also decent flexibility around working from home, with most trainees spending about three days in the office and free WFH equipment such as a chair, monitor and keyboard provided. That said, there are some complaints that rookies often end up with the law firm equivalent of kit from the smelly PE box, which insiders describe as “not fit for purpose.” The tech “is nothing to write home about,” but “new laptops and AI are being rolled out,” with Fieldfisher collaborating on a responsible AI training programme. That said, it’s worth noting that “you don’t get your own phone as a trainee, and the laptop is prone to crashing.”

International secondments are also up for grabs these days, alongside the client secondments rookies have enjoyed to destinations such as NBCUniversal (Universal Pictures), the BBC and even high street staple JD Sports.

Not that trainees are desperate to leave Fieldfisher’s offices. The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly London, located on the north bank of the Thames beside London Bridge. The terraces running around it have spectacular river views and, unlike at some firms, they’re used regularly thanks to a daily morning fitness class held on the ninth floor balcony, alongside other social events. “Our ninth floor terrace is to die for; best view in the City and a lovely place to have lunch on a sunny day,” shares one insider. In fact, the “views of the Shard and the HMS Belfast” are so great that the firm has committed to enjoying them until 2036. Those in Birmingham, meanwhile, have enjoyed a move to a central location at Two Chamberlain Square, whose headcount and revenue have been steadily rising since last year.