The Legal Cheek View
A truly blue-blooded law firm that has instructed the likes of Charles Dickens, the Duke of Wellington, and has been the trusted advisor of the Royal Family for decades, Farrer & Co maintains its status as London’s poshest law firm. Tracing its roots all the way back to 1701, Farrer is one of the oldest firms in London and has a rich history serving the country’s aristocratic and elite classes. These days, the firm also offers a bit of new with the old, as –– beyond high-net worth individuals and families –– it plays advisor to educational institutions, financial services firms and non-profits, such as the British Olympic Association.
Stability is the watchword here –– the firm had someone named Farrer as a partner at all times between 1769 and 1999 and has been in the same office in Lincoln’s Inn Fields for 200 years. (Though, admittedly, some of the 450 staff work elsewhere in Holborn these days.) Those that have kept their place in the “beautiful old building” where the firm is headquartered say it’s probably everything you imagine when you think of a firm with roots as old as Farrer & Co has. Insiders say their humble abode, “transmits a sense of the firm’s history,” and is “much more eye-catching than those dull metallic city skyscrapers” you’ll find in the City. The space is also equipped with a “more modern suite of client meeting rooms” to reflect its diversifying client base, with the main office part of the building described as “practical and bright”.
The firm prides itself on building “long relationships” with clients –– it got off to a good start with high-end bank Coutts in 1788, for instance, and aside from entrusting the firm with his will, rumour has it the late Prince Philip was also speaking with lawyers from Farrer & Co over his characterisation in Netflix hit The Crown. If this all sounds a bit stuffy, remember that it works in your favour: the firm has high retention rates, typically keeping over 90% of its final-seat trainees. And the firm is working increasingly hard to modernise its image.
The most recently disclosed figures put profit per equity partner (PEP) at around £600,000 –– still small change by the standards of the average Farrer client, but enough to pay first-year trainees £48,500 and NQs a newly-improved rate of £89,000.
The training contract itself consists of six seats, each lasting four months. Trainees can get to grips with commercial, contentious, private client, and property law work, and the TC apparently comes with additional emphasis on developing essential practical skills such as drafting, negotiation, interviewing, and advocacy, as well as covering IT proficiency and marketing.
Farrer & Co know what they’re good at, and they’re adept at passing on the accumulated centuries of know-how –– insiders describe the training as “exceptional”. The firm reportedly places emphasis on recognising that the trainees are “the future of the firm”, and the smaller size of the trainee cohort (the firm takes on around 10 trainees a year) means that there is “lots of responsibility” on offer. Rookies tell Legal Cheek that they are given mandatory and voluntary sessions “which cover everything from basic law to how the finances of the firm are run” and can also suggest additional sessions based on their experiences.
Although the firm has been diversifying its portfolio, this probably isn’t the place to learn your trade if you’re not into private client work. Trainees attest to the fact that Farrer has “a wide variety of interesting clients, with celebrities, national cultural institutions, owners of landed estates and universities on the firm’s roster. Luckily, this means “lots of client interaction” as part of your TC, and our sources tell us that, on the whole, “teams try and make sure the work you are given is of genuine interest to you and intellectually challenging. There are still some more “admin heavy” seats, but current recruits also report of “lots of opportunities for legal research into niche, complex areas of law, merits of case analyses, contribution to transaction/case strategy”. Trainees also have the chance to get their teeth sunk into disputes ranging from “low-value claims to multi-billion-dollar multi-jurisdictional claims”.
The quality of work is another area exalted by the trainees. Their comments speak for themselves: “Farrer boasts some of the most interested and exciting clients –– in turn, the work they provide us with is often quirky, unconventional and challenging. It’s one of the great perks of being here”, one trainee boasts, with another adding that “Some trainee tasks are inevitably administrative, however, fee earners will often be keen to get you involved with more interesting tasks wherever possible. At the very least, supervisors will provide context for the work you are doing to demonstrate how you are contributing to the team.” Many applauded the level of confidence the firm has in its trainees, with one saying: “I felt completely trusted from day one by supervisors, from the most senior partners in the firm down to NQ, there is a real institutional memory of what it is like to be a trainee and so we are expected and trusted to do real work.” As one trainee put it: “Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I get to work on some really high profile and interesting matters, many of which are reported in the press.”
The high praise continued when the trainees were asked about culture at the firm. Whilst the English gentlemen of old who once graced the halls of Farrer & Co may have prided themselves on having a stiff upper lip, nowadays the firm has a much more “supportive, friendly atmosphere”. The trainees described themselves as being “extremely close”, with one saying “the trainees are a great bunch, and we get along brilliantly. They all have the same naff sense of humour as me, it’s fantastic. Another corroborates: “We lunch together most days, always feel comfortable to drop our silly questions in the group chat and pass top tips about varying expectations of teams and partners”.
Even the “most exalted” are said to “give their time generously” here. As one one trainee told Legal Cheek: “Everyone in the firm is approachable and friendly regardless of superiority or whether you have been formally introduced to them or not.” The open-plan office is said to help trainees quickly build rapport and ease their initial jitters. This environment allows them to become comfortable enough to casually “grab a coffee or a Greggs with the partners”. This appears to be the case both inside and outside of the office, with the “friendly and supportive” partners holding a reputation for being “generally willing to put their card behind the bar for team drinks”. Unsurprisingly, this does not go unappreciated…
We think that the strong work-life balance on offer here might have something to do with all that generosity as our sources claim that “the firm is committed to ensuring that work-life balance is maintained and it is continually emphasised to us how important it is to maintain interests and hobbies outside of work. Even when it is busy our average leaving times are around 6:30pm.” Late nights at your desk are said to be “rare and always appreciated”, whilst your weekends are your own and many describe a “lack of face time culture”. Another rookie adds, “my current supervisor really encourages me to take lunch breaks, not look at emails in the evening and not work on weekends unless absolutely essential, which it usually isn’t.”
The firm continues to operate a hybrid working policy, with a minimum of two days per week in the office, and trainees are given “a generous budget to buy all the equipment needed” for WFH life. Meanwhile, reports on technology at the firm are middling. Rookies note that the “desks and equipment are mostly up to scratch”, but systems can get overwhelmed “especially towards the end of the month when billing comes around”. On the bright side, the facilities team are said to be “quick to respond” when issues do occur and insiders do note that Farrer is doing “continuous IT updates”. The firm has a strong steering committee looking into how GenAI can be implemented into “what is, ostensibly, a historical firm”, with “some changes afoot”.
The perks are decent –– good health insurance, trainee bonuses, a myriad of social clubs from Pilates to cricket and an extra day of holiday at Christmas (called “Farrer Day”) is apparently enough to keep the trainees happy. A good bike storage facility makes cycling more accessible and for those hotter summer days, trainees can make use of the showers and changing rooms to wash off their commute into the office. The firm also boasts “both a restaurant and a café with different vibes, to suit different needs”, with both quite well-utilised. The food is described as “genuinely great” and the menu “very varied” although there are some complaints about price increases in recent times.
The firm’s rookies are also very complimentary of the social life on offer, with one saying “Farrers seems to hire genuinely interesting people with lots of things to talk about. People are always able to find time for a coffee or to arrange lunch/dinner”. BD events are said to be plentiful, with Christmas being a particular highlight, as a firm-wide party was supplemented by department-wide parties. The International Private Wealth Conference at the British Museum isn’t too shabby either and come summertime, the firm’s lawyers can enjoy parties in the courtyard.
Sadly, if you’re looking to spend some of your training contract in an office that isn’t Farrer & Co’s, you may be out of luck. Opportunities seem to be few and far between, but previous survey respondents report stints with the Premier League football club (West London, natch) and the PGA European Tour.
And this historic firm is making sure it’s fit for survival for another 300 years with numerous ESG commitments, including those centred on diversity and inclusion. The office houses a privacy room for nursing parents, as well as a wellness and multi-faith room. “Continuous improvement in environmental performance” was central to the office redevelopment plans, with an emphasis placed on creating workspaces better suited to employee needs in an increasingly digital world. When it comes to green credentials employees seem pleased with the effort being put in, with one saying: “Crucially it’s not all talk and certainly moving in the right direction, a place I am proud to work.”