The Legal Cheek View
It’s a twin thing at this banking, tech and IP City stalwart. Founded in 1896 by brothers Percy and Edward –– no prizes for guessing their last name –– international firm Simmons & Simmons now boasts over 1,000 lawyers across its 20 different offices in Europe, the Middle East, the US and Africa. Still headquartered from its London base, the firm has two more UK hubs in Bristol and Cambridge, where it hosts its legal engineers under the ‘Simmons Wavelength’ brand.
S&S is celebrating half a decade of success, as another bumper financial year has seen revenues grow 7% to £615 million, whilst profit per equity partner (PEP) enjoyed a 5% increase to £1.1 million. Net profit was also up 6% to £215 million, and the results mark a 70% rise in profit and a 50% increase in revenues and PEP for the firm, over the past five years. Newly appointed managing partner Emily Monastiriotis has credited the strong results to Simmons & Simmons “highly effective sector strategy”, with the firm’s four key sectors of healthcare and life sciences; financial institutions; technology media and telecommunications (TMT); and asset management and investment funds, all growing 7-8%. Monastiriotis also cited the “strategic investments” the firm has made over the past year, which has come in the form of a new office in Riyadh and a planned Abu Dhabi launch later this year. S&S has also been heavily investing in AI following the roll out of its own in-house LLM, Percy and seven of the firm’s latest nine-strong partner promotion round were made up in London.
Highlights coming out of the capital this year include advising JP Morgan AM on the construction of its new 400,000 sq ft digs at 65 Gresham Street as well as helping the management team of skincare brand Medik8 negotiate its majority stake acquisition by L’Oréal Groupe. There is “truly excellent work –– just sometimes quite a lot of it!” according to our inside sources. Another trainee shares their views on the work on offer here: “In some departments the work is genuinely really engaging and intellectually challenging, while in other departments it’s more at the dull/ document and project management/ constant redlines end of the scale.”
The training on the whole remains very good but can vary from department to department, trainees tell us. One rookie reports: “My supervisors have been supportive and have helped me to get involved in areas where I show a particular interest.” Trainees are also rarely left feeling like an outsider to a project, with associates and supervisors having a good reputation for “stopping to explain the logic behind the work you’re doing for them”. The centralised training is provided through the firm’s ‘Compass’ programme, though our sources report a lot of “learning by doing”. Employment gets a good rep for having a lot of introductory sessions to help you get to grips with the seat, as well as having a decent amount of “interesting tasks” to pick up “ranging from researching niche points to drafting contracts and interview plans.”
Hours can vary considerably, according to insiders. “Being in a busy department means that there is always more work to be getting on with and this often means finishing off a day’s work after a break for dinner. Despite the busy week, everyone generally understands that weekends should be kept free from work if possible. My supervisor has also definitely helped me manage my workload so I don’t have to work on the weekend,” a Simmons spy tells us. Although weekday plans seem to be off the cards, weekends and annual leave are well-respected with one junior lawyer recalling that “in two years, I’ve only had to work two weekends, which is pretty great compared to stories of other firms”.
Reports from the front line suggest an average day in a busy period is a nine-til-nine affair and in a quiet period is nine-til-seven. Others stress the importance of personal time management: “If you put in a shift Monday to Wednesday and don’t try to make evening plans, on Thursday you can probably leave at a reasonable time and on Friday I’ve even been told to leave as soon as it went past six.”
The junior end of the firm seems like a reasonably happy ship, as one rookie explains: “Trainees are a close group, especially within cohorts. We regularly meet up in the Gallery for lunch to catch up. Everyone is friendly and I often find myself having long (non-work-related) chats with trainees.” Another adds, “The induction period, where all Bristol and London trainees spend up to three weeks in the office in London was a great way for the cohort to bond. The summer and winter socials then really help you to get to know the rest of the trainees.”
At partner level, the vibe is a bit more formal but similarly friendly. “The firm doesn’t like to be known as ‘nice’, but it really is,” one junior admits. Be warned though that even the most human of partners can lose their approachability when “under the cosh to get something done” and, as another insider reminds us, “there is still a hierarchy in place”.
Simmons & Simmons operates a flexible WFH policy with trainees only required to attend the office three days a week –– most enjoy Mondays and Fridays from home. Insiders told Legal Cheek that “the firm has a great set-up where they sent us external monitors, headsets and office chairs for working from home”.
There is also some positivity when it comes to the firm’s perks. The crowd favourite is clearly the Deliveroo allowance of £50 for those working past 7.30 which puts it at the top end of the scale. The firm has also introduced a wellbeing fund of £300 which can be used on products or activities that support mental wellbeing in some way. Rookies tell us they have been spending their £300 on a range of things from sports gear, gym membership and wellness retreats to music or creative writing lessons. The free coffee machine is also popular as it apparently has “actually good coffee” –– a vote of confidence that is not to be underrated from a famously fussy profession when it comes to coffee.
International secondments are firmly on the cards, with rookies reporting travelling to Singapore, Dubai and Paris this year. Client secondments are also available, with recent destinations include NatWest, UBS and the firm’s legal engineering start-up Wavelength. Although such acquisitions make for impressive reading, insiders claim that “partners are too scared to use it”.
Simmons’ HQ is located right in the heart of the action in Moorgate and trainees are glad to be in the thick of it. “The London office has some great parts (5th floor views, client reception)”, one insider tells us, while another praises the cool artwork adorning its walls which “creates a really nice feel”. The office appears to be in a period of transition with the firm “shifting to open plan/hot desking” that has received mixed reviews. One spy reports: “The offices are nice where they’ve been upgraded to the new, airy open plan. Some of the floors are still the old cubicle office-style but are due to be upgraded throughout this year”. Others, however, think the office “seems a bit dated” and, despite the refurbishment, “needs updating”. Luckily for these picky trainees, the firm has recently announced a move to 25 Finsbury Circus in 2030 into a sustainability-led refurb which includes a new rooftop terrace and “excellent amenities” –– so we’re told! In Bristol, the firm is based in the Aurora development –– a spot which is rated highly by trainees and has a rooftop garden. Trainees are less keen on the canteen out west which only provides sandwiches, but the eatery in London is said to be “9/10 with lots of gluten free and vegan / vegetarian options and variety”. There’s even fresh pizzas from a pizza oven on Thursdays!
The firm recently boosted its ESG credentials with the announcement of near-term targets to reduce global carbon emissions before the end of the decade. These included switching to renewable electricity, tackling emissions from employee commuting and cutting down business travel.