Gowling WLG

One spy gives this thorough review of their experience so far: “Most teams have weekly compulsory training sessions, where we catch up on recent changes in the law and the things to be aware of, keeping our knowledge up to date. The level of responsibility we are given as trainees allows us to develop quickly professionally, as we take ownership for lots of tasks. I definitely think I have been moulded into a good lawyer by training at the firm”.

The nature of the training at Gowling does mean some learning is seat and market dependent, but as one insider put it: “The work is varied, and across all seats it is clear that the firm wants to get the best out of you. If you look for opportunities, the team will give them to you where possible. Whilst the work can vary, this is generally down to the market, and the teams will definitely do what they can”.

Luckily, any pitfalls in the training are more than made up for by the “high quality” work on offer. Rookies report an “interesting range of work, international, national and local”, as well as a “good mix of big high value matters that come with associated prestige, which are nice to be involved with, as well as smaller matters where trainees are given a greater level of responsibility”. Gowling trainees seem to benefit from a relatively small amount of grunt work, even if admin isn’t entirely off the cards: “I find that I am given a healthy amount of responsibility and that my work is varied, not being restricted to just your typical junior, more admin-heavy tasks. I get plenty of opportunities to get involved in substantive drafting and to interact directly with clients”, one insider told LC. Corporate and commercial seats are apparently hotspots for the more interesting work, while litigation and real estate were noted as departments that contain more grunt work, like bundling.

As another rookie puts it: “The variety of work that you can get involved with is great, and the support from different team members at completely different stages of their professional career has predominantly been fantastic. I’ve been very lucky to have been able to contribute to some incredibly significant deals which have had press coverage, so to see this as a trainee and be able to say ‘I assisted with that’ is something very exciting and a great experience”.

In terms of culture, “this is overall simply a very friendly firm”, one spy told us, “where the majority of people do want to support each other. You get what you give, and if you make the most of that, the support you can receive is fantastic”. Our sources were particularly pleased with the support from cohorts above them, with one telling LC: “Joining as a first-seat trainee, the trainee cohort above made themselves available for coffee chats when we needed advice. The cohort above (now NQs) were also really happy to help by providing us with advice when it came to the internal NQ process a year later for us”. We’re also happy to hear that the trainees in Birmingham are all friends and “nobody dislikes each other”, and the trainees in London were especially pleased with their relatively small size compared to other firms in the capital: “a great size for us to collaborate and champion one another’s careers”. In the words of one happy camper: “our trainee cohort is one of the best things about the firm”.

Higher-ups receive equally high praise, and on the whole, insiders were very pleased with their “personable and approachable” supervisors, with one describing their experience as such: “I have not come across anyone, including partners, that are not willing to discuss any questions you may have. They give you time and engage with any questions you may have. Again, if you show you are interested, they will invest their time in you, and that is really nice to see”. Another spy told Legal Cheek, “I’ve felt very lucky that the seniors in my team are all very approachable and friendly. I’ve never felt scared to ask a question or speak with them”.

The social life on offer at Gowling receives slightly less scintillating reviews, with our sources describing it as “quite underwhelming”. This is largely team dependent, but rookies do note that a distinct lack of firmwide socials means there’s not much trainee contact between offices. That said, there is still an annual Christmas party, as well as a traditional six weeks of summer events, and a number of rookies appreciate the lack of organised fun, with one telling Legal Cheek: “This means there is less pressure to spend silly amounts of time with colleagues, and you get a good amount of time to spend with friends and family”.

On the odd occasion rookies do get to a Gowling WLG event, the firm has challenged its employees to reduce the environmental impact of its get-togethers by doing things like opting for 100% plant-based catering and choosing venues accessible by public transport. The firm has gone largely paperless, and head of ESG Ben Stansfield is said to be a “bit of an industry legend and LinkedIn influencer”, which is a good person to have spearheading environmental initiatives.

Work/life balance seems to be what you make of it at this firm, with many trainees telling us that it’s both seat and perspective dependent: “I feel that although I often have to put in additional time and hours, when I have plans or need to leave on time or early, my team is incredibly accommodating and flexible with this, which is incredibly helpful and makes me feel as though life outside of work can also be prioritised when it needs to be”, one source told Legal Cheek. Another notes that “something that stood out to me was the amount of conversations that I have had with people about the importance of having a sustainable career and ensuring that you have a balance. Any long hours that you do are appreciated, and that appreciation is fed back into seat review feedback. I have found that people do check in with you if you are working late, to see if you are okay or if you need help, to make sure you aren’t doing it when it is not necessary”.

Longer hours can be expected in the usual suspects, and one rookie gives us a helpful breakdown: “Corporate work-life balance (from what I have seen of others) is poor. Real estate work-life balance is generally quite good. Disputes goes up and down, depending on approaching deadlines”. But as their peer puts it, “if you enjoy the work, the longer hours don’t bother you as much”. Our sources also note that “many superiors and teams wouldn’t expect you to consistently work late and will remind you to retain a balance. This includes superiors encouraging you to take time off and book leave in”. Generally, this also means no presentism: “I’ve had a few 2am finishes in corporate, but they are by no means a regular occurrence. The team encourages you to leave at 5:30 in quiet periods, and work from home when possible, so it all balances out in the end”, according to another Gowling newbie.

Gowling WLG’s recent financial performance has been strong. UK revenues sit at around £225 million, according to the latest publicly available numbers, with profit per equity partner (PEP) understood to be around £420,000. While the firm’s Canadian arm does not formally publish financials, its turnover is estimated at approximately £470 million. Globally, the firm is home to over 1,500 legal professionals across more than 20 offices in seven countries, supported by a network of alliances in regions such as Latin America and Australia, and it has recently opened an office in Saudi Arabia.

Another variable, according to our survey respondents, is office location. Expect to work longer hours in the capital, although the upside is that you’ll get paid significantly more (£108,000 as a London NQ, compared to £72,000 in the regions). That doesn’t mean London is top dog: insiders warn against underestimating Gowling WLG’s Brummie branch, where much management power lies. This is echoed in the respective size of the offices, with the Birmingham office reportedly being larger than its City counterpart.

Today’s firm stems from the 2016 merger of British firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co and Canadian giant Gowlings. In the UK, the firm maintains offices in Birmingham, London and Leeds, the latter serving as a base for its housing development team. The firm’s legacy in Birmingham is particularly deep: Wragge & Co, a key predecessor, dated back to 1834 and had long been considered the city’s leading legal name. Lawrence Graham, another predecessor, had even older roots in London, having been founded in 1730.

Structurally, the firm operates through two separate entities in the UK and Canada, a setup reminiscent of the Swiss verein model favoured by other global law firms. As a result, the UK practice retains much of the character of Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, albeit with a significantly expanded international footprint.

The Snow Hill Birmingham headquarters also impress over the Thames-side London base in terms of office space, with trainees noting that “the Birmingham office is much nicer than London, but the view in London makes up for it”. Indeed, the scenery of Tower Bridge, the Thames and the Tower of London just out the window is said to impress clients and lawyers alike (even if the other side does look over a train station), and juniors generally rate their digs down south as “really commutable and a great place to go to work”. New facilities such as changing rooms and more communal areas are also being added to give the space a spruce up. Resident Brummies also enjoy how “well located” their office is, with the one-word review there being “fantastic”.

Both offices have a canteen offering “great food and a variety of options” at subsidised prices. One Birmingham recruit describes it like so: “The canteen has subsidised prices, and there’s always a great variety of main dishes and salads. Never boring. Brilliant”. The residential development team in Leeds has also settled into new digs at Globe Point, on the periphery of the city’s financial district, which boasts a high-quality workspace and terrace, as well as ground floor amenities and event food and drinks spaces.

We suspect these office improvements might have come in response to Gowling’s recent change to its office attendance rules, which now require its lawyers to be in-office three days a week. Not that trainees are complaining: our sources told us the home working split was “fair and manageable”, and there is a full home working set-up, including desk, chair and monitor, provided for those who ask (though we have heard a few grumbles about the lack of a second monitor in the WFH kit). Some have also hinted that it can occasionally be quite difficult to get your hands on the equipment if needed.

Unfortunately, for those looking to swap working from home for working from abroad, international secondments are off the cards for now, though past cohorts have jetted off to far-flung destinations such as Brazil and Dubai. Closer to home, there are opportunities for client secondments, with trainees enjoying stints at Oxfam and TfL this year.

On the perks front, discounted tickets and other experiences are up for grabs through the firm’s social club, an offering that supplements an otherwise “pretty non-existent” perks bundle, according to insiders. There is private health and dental, a subsidised gym membership and various retail discounts, though perhaps, as one eagle-eyed recruit points out, “they are not made particularly well known, so it feels like there could be more done here”. In recent years, at least one newly-wed also reported getting a couple of days’ leave for tying the knot.

Legal tech is an area where trainees say the going is pretty good: “We have some decent legal tech offerings, including Avail (which we helped develop), which assists with legal due diligence on the acquisition of land and with lease reporting and reviewing. We also have things like Clarilis, Contract Express and Lexis Create+, which are really helpful for tidying up and finalising documents and picking up on easily missed points. Having recently done research from an AI in Real Estate perspective, however, there are other AI tools out there which (unless they’ve not been advertised) I think we could benefit from, such as Luminance, which would actually benefit a lot of other departments”. Although some previous efforts, like the firm’s innovative CoLab project, seem to have died out, Gowling has also launched an AI-based brand protection service, Saturn, and all trainees have recently been put through the Legal PSC course for tech training. A new technology seat is also on offer for Gowling trainees, who can split their time between the innovation team and an AI start-up.