Clyde & Co

For trainees, the obvious benefit of all this internationalism has historically been lots of secondment options, with Hong Kong, Dubai and Dar es Salaam being popular destinations in the past. However, insiders reveal that this has changed over the past few years, with reports that Clydes’ over 80 trainees are left to do battle for one international secondment spot. Rookies are more likely to bag a client secondment, with around one quarter of insiders telling LC of stints at big names like AXA and Allianz. Those who secure one appear to rate the experience highly, with one rookie describing a three-month stint at an insurance broker as “a great experience I really enjoyed.” Be warned, however, that these client secondment spots are still competitive.

Luckily, the work in house is top tier, particularly in Clyde & Co’s core areas of insurance, transport, energy, infrastructure and trade & commodities, where the firm deals with all the biggest clients, such as Aviva and Zurich. The firm has also continued to strengthen its aviation disputes offering in London, particularly in high volume airline claims and regulatory work. However, these aren’t the only sectors where exciting work is found. Those in corporate & commercial could find themselves working on a pioneering investment and carbon credit offtake funding arrangement in collaboration with UBS to decarbonise the Scotch whisky supply chain, whilst juniors in banking might be advising on a first of a kind financing deal to support UAE exports with Etihad Credit Insurance. More recently, a multidisciplinary team was appointed to advise on the proposed Trans-Pennine Connect project, which aims to create a direct transport link between Manchester and Sheffield. What’s more, this calibre of clientele stretches further than just London, with the regulatory team in Manchester advising big name clients such as NatWest.

It’s worth bearing in mind that Clydes is now so big that the differences between departments can be similarly huge. Work is known to, at best, get trainees involved in “extremely large-scale and stimulating matters where you have real world impact on the direction of the matters,” and, at worst, be in a seat where “watching the clock is stimulating.”

“In smaller departments, trainees get to take on associate-level work. In bigger departments, you get involved in huge cases, but correspondingly, only get to do menial or very administrative tasks. However, it is good exposure either way,” one trainee tells us. This year’s feedback paints a similar picture, with one rookie saying that strong performance can lead to “harder/more complex work,” and noting that they acted as a case handler in two of their teams. Training is equally variable, with some rookies finding it to be “supervisor dependent.” However, current recruits report “concerted efforts” by early careers and trainee development to arrange additional training, although the availability of formal and department-specific sessions still varies between teams. Another points out that there is inevitably better training in teams with stronger office attendance, while one rookie cautions that there are some niche insurance seats which do not hire, creating greater competition for NQ roles within popular seats. We are told that trainees have access to “a lot of online training through a portal,” and that the firm is always open to training suggestions.

Despite all the growth, the firm seems to have managed to retain its culture, although its 40-strong trainee cohort is not uniformly tight-knit. “It is impossible for a trainee to be familiar and supportive of every other trainee,” one rookie explains, adding that those they have worked alongside “genuinely care about each other and their career success.” Another describes the trainees as “such a lovely group,” though admits that they “aren’t particularly close,” noting some distance between those who completed the LPC and those who studied the SQE together.

The “exceptionally intelligent” partners also embody this supportive and friendly vibe. Almost all trainee respondents describe their superiors as “approachable” and “understanding,” despite the odd few being “too busy” to have time for newbies. One trainee leaves this solid review: “Every partner is always willing to help out trainees, from all offices. I have been able to have great chats with partners in London, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Toronto, New York etc, which embodies Clyde’s great culture which stretches internationally. Cannot fault the firm at all in this area.” Another quips: “I’ve made jokes at the expense of every partner I’ve ever worked for and they’ve laughed (without being forced to laugh by the employment tribunal).”

Like all firms with multiple UK offices, there are some mild tensions between the regions and the mothership. In Clydes’ case this is exacerbated somewhat by its glamorous blue glass London home in the St Botolph Building, with “really good lasagne” in the canteen, and a “classical pianist who plays at lunchtimes on Thursday in the lobby.” Meanwhile, the firm’s Edinburgh office has moved from Albany House to Saltire Court, a Grade A building in the city’s Exchange District. Though there’s no Vivaldi in Manchester, there is still a cafe, the Garden, which serves sandwiches and hot bakes, and a rooftop terrace which is a good spot for work socials in the summer. Unfortunately, the northern hub also suffers from a “pretty terrible” coffee machine: “The coffee machine has an option for ‘iced latte,’ they don’t tell you it comes without ice. ‘Here, have a room temperature coffee,'” grumbled one uncaffeinated recruit.

As for the reality of working from home, look no further than this description: “Working from home is team-dependent, so it differs throughout the firm. Trainees are expected to be in the office four days a week, which can lead to you being in the office on your own if the rest of the team are given greater flexibility. Some teams have team office days to circumvent this and ensure the whole team is in the office two days per week (or more depending on the team). Other teams seem to acknowledge work/life balance, the effects of a long commute etc more, and allow trainees more flexibility by not enforcing the four days in the office, allowing greater working from home.” As for equipment, trainees receive a monitor, laptop, phone and keyboard, alongside £100 towards a desk and £100 towards a chair. A second monitor may also be provided with supervisor approval.

Clyde & Co continues to invest in tech. Like many firms, there is a bit of a disconnect between the outward facing stuff, such as Clydes’ “innovative consultancy service which provides clients with fully integrated legal and technical advice and services to help them realise the growing potential of smart contracts,” and the internal IT on offer to its lawyers. More recently, the firm worked with industry body FASE to develop an interactive European regulatory map for managing general agents, drawing on the expertise of lawyers across seven markets. “The firm has a Data Lab, but they could make it clearer what this does and how it helps us,” one confused rookie confides. Glitchy document review platforms and old laptops are among the common internal complaints, as are “not ideal” case management systems which require “a lot of manual entries.”

News on the social front is more positive. “The social life as a trainee can be very active, with frequent events, drinks trolleys and informal outings after work. Highlights include karaoke and a black-tie boat party on the Thames,” reports one insider. Chocolate making and “sip and paint” evenings have also been put on by the firm, and insiders tell us that internal sports teams and fitness activities, such as yoga and Pilates classes, are paid for by the firm. This year’s recruits also highlight regular firm-funded events supporting ethnicity and diversity causes. There’s also the usual Christmas and summer parties. In fact, our sources tell us that Clydes have a social for every holiday going, including Halloween, Easter and sometimes even just because it’s the first week of a new month, why not! Insurance Financial and Professional Disputes (IFPD) ranks as the most social practice group, though most departments are said to do socials at least “once or twice a month.” The Manchester social committee also receives special praise for putting on “really good events.”

Work/life balance at Clydes is also pretty good. As one insider summarises: “I feel that I cannot complain too much. I have had to cancel evening plans and work weekends to meet deadlines for a few weeks, but this is not the norm, and I usually finish work at around 6 or 7. Clydes does not encourage anyone to work late or weekends, and encourages you to pursue your hobbies outside of work, as these make you a more rounded person and a more relatable lawyer.” Another adds that even when working late, they “don’t necessarily mind it as the work is so interesting,” and the general consensus is that trainees are trusted to manage their own hours. The trade-off, however, is a lower salary compared to City levels.

“Work/life balance really does tend to depend on the seat, and despite Clyde & Co claiming it provides a lower salary than others in the market due to a better work/life balance offered, this isn’t always true. 8pm finishes are normal [in London], with some days stretching much longer,” says one rookie.

There can again be wide variations between teams and offices. While staying until 6pm “is classed as staying late” in the Manchester insurance team, this is certainly not the case in the London deal teams, and some feel that remuneration should rise to reflect this.
Some consolation is found in the few perks the firm offers, which include a gym subsidy (or £350 wellbeing allowance), a cycle to work scheme, private medical care, and a generous parental leave scheme with 26 weeks full paid leave regardless of gender or parental role.