Mayer Brown Office

The Legal Cheek View

Mayer Brown has built a reputation as one of the City’s best firms for training, with newly qualified (NQ) associates so well drilled that they’re frequently targeted by US and Magic Circle rivals. “An excellent mix of formal training sessions and on-the-job experience makes the training very good,” a current trainee tells us, noting that hands-on learning is particularly prominent in transactional teams.

The firm also continues to perform strongly on the financial front, with revenues rising 4% to $1.98 billion (£1.46 billion) and profits per equity partner (PEP) climbing 14% to nearly $2.8 million (£2 million) this year –– levels comparable to some Magic Circle outfits. This jump in PEP has been aided by a 10% reduction in the equity partnership, linked partly to the closure of the Mexico City office and the decision to exit Hong Kong, where it now operates via a partnership with spin-off firm Johnson Stokes & Master. Despite these retrenchments, Mayer Brown maintains a robust international network of 27 offices spanning Europe, Asia, the US, South America and the Middle East, with Global Chair Jon Van Gorp identifying insurance, energy, data privacy, capital markets and fund finance as key growth drivers.

Since merging with City legacy firm Rowe & Maw in the early noughties, Mayer Brown has sustained its reputation for high-quality training, cementing its place as a sought-after destination for ambitious trainees.

The London office specialises in banking and finance, corporate and real estate, so expect to enjoy at least one seat in these key practice areas. Freshly qualified solicitors in Mayer Brown’s UK base net a £150,000 pay package, with the firm’s US-based management team opting against adopting MoneyLaw rates and instead choosing to follow what is a broadly Silver and Magic Circle junior solicitor pay scales.

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Trainees in the City can also expect some big work, with recent deals including a billion pound revolving credit facility which spanned Switzerland, UK, Germany, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Latvia and an on-going series of acquisitions for Unilever premium personal care brands such as K18 and Wild.

No paralegals means rookies handle a decent amount of admin-based work. But alongside standard trainee tasks in these practice areas like bundling, bibling, proof-reading and general admin, insiders tell us that there is “meaty work, such as drafting documents, interesting pieces of research, and attending meetings/court”. The quality of the work varies between teams, with one rookie noting that work is “more stimulating” in litigation. Another junior points out that “trainees are generally afforded a high level of responsibility and autonomy once [we] have earned people’s trust”. Being proactive and seeking stimulating work tends to operate in trainees’ favour, with associates also “look[ing] out for good development opportunities they can pass on to trainees”. Work content is said to be “very varied” and the opportunity to work “with most teams across the firm and other offices” is much appreciated by one insider.

Variety is also the name of the game in Mayer Brown’s London canteen, ‘The Hub’ which we’re told has a “varied” menu, offering “breakfast and both meat and veggie options for lunch every day, plus soup, salads and sandwiches, all subsidised”. That said, some connoisseurs have noted that the portion sizes can be “a bit hit or miss” and another laments the “distinct lack of seasoning in the food, even just the basics of salt –– 10/10 for effort, but 3/10 for execution.”

As for the firm’s office, one current trainee describes the “hipster” meeting rooms as “quite impressive” although “some of them do not have any natural light”. Insiders describe the firm’s London office in the Broadgate Tower development as “lovely and modern” and “very well-located”. The “lovely” staff get a particular shoutout from survey respondents, who are grateful for how “they always pick [you] up if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed”. Other much appreciated perks include a in-house GP, physio and counsellor, travel insurance and a gym subsidy, with one rookie noting that “it’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have such perks!”.

Current trainees are also hugely positive about the quality of training that they receive. One insider describes it as “stellar formal and informal training which equips a trainee to do all the typical tasks they would usually be assigned in any given seat”. Moreover, every seat has a “thorough and practical” foundation training programme, with the firm also providing additional, more academic, training, where required. One rookie says that those in a construction seat undertake 15 weeks’ worth of training in construction law. Trainees also find associates “excellent at answering questions” and “always happy to explain why we are doing things a particular way”. Survey respondents are generally positive about their peers as well, with one describing the trainee cohort as a “fantastic resource”, and “really close”, save for the odd competitive one. A relatively small trainee intake of around 15 helps solidify bonds. In line with this, the superiors are also said to be “lovely for the most part”, who are great to learn from and build a nice relationship with in the meantime. The social life at Mayer Brown is said to “depend on the team”, with there generally being team drinks every couple of months and “a few more events around Christmas”.

While client secondments have dwindled in recent years, at least one current trainee has enjoyed an international experience, spending six months in the firm’s Brussels office. Trainees and junior associates have previously sampled life at the likes of Lloyds, HSBC, London Stock Exchange Group, Unilever, Wells Fargo and British Land where they enjoy a high degree of “independence” and “authority”.

Work/life balance varies from seat-to-seat, with generally no facetime culture, “except for maybe in corporate”. Another insider confessed that “it’s generally not amazing” with “draining busy periods”, but recognises that it’s the nature of the job. Trainees say that the general culture and friendliness of the place is a big boost when the going gets tough. Trainees are “a bunch that will go through hell and back with you”, and there’s “a real attitude of everyone being in it together” while “associates try to be considerate of your evenings and weekends”. They also “always try to give you notice if you will have to contribute a couple hours of your free time”.

Feedback on Mayer Brown’s IT offering has improved in recent years, with the “AI and additional technologies” which the firm’s innovation team are working hard to deploy being cited as “very very good”. One such example is ‘Office and Dragons’, which automates document creation and editing tasks. That being said, existing complaints concerning Outlook and how long it takes to convert a PDF document (30 minutes if anyone was wondering) subsist.

As for WFH allowances, the firm does not provide any equipment apart from the standard laptop, charger and work phone to encourage office attendance. That said, there is considerable flexibility if juniors want to leave early and pick back up or work from home on a day and Mondays and Fridays generally see most teams work from home.

Deadlines

Open Day 1

23 October 2025
Applications open 01/09/2025
Applications close 08/10/2025

Open Day 2

30 October 2025
Applications open 01/09/2025
Applications close 08/10/2025

Spring Vacation Scheme

13 – 24 April 2026
Applications open 01/09/2025
Applications close 16/12/2025

Summer Vacation Scheme

22 June – 3 July 2026
Applications open 01/09/2025
Applications close 16/12/2025

First Year Insight Day (Virtual)

22 April 2026
Applications open 01/10/2025
Applications close 31/01/2026

Direct Training Contract

To commence September 2028
Applications open 01/09/2025
Applications close 31/03/2026

Insider Scorecard

A*
Training
A*
Quality of work
A
Peer support
A
Partner approach-ability
B
Work/life balance
C
Legal tech
C
Perks
A
Office
B
Social life
C
Eco-friendliness

Insider Scorecard Grades range from A* to D and are derived from the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2025-26 of over 2,000 trainees and junior associates at the leading law firms in the UK.

Money

First year trainee salary £55,000
Second year trainee salary £60,000
Newly qualified salary £150,000
Profit per equity partner £2,000,000
PGDL grant £15,000
SQE grant £20,000

Hours

Average start work time 09:02
Average finish time 20:42
Annual target hours No targets
Annual leave 25 days

Average arrive and leave times are derived from the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2025-26 of over 2,000 trainees and junior associates at the leading law firms in the UK.

Secondments

Chances of secondment abroad 6%
Chances of client secondment 0%

Secondment probabilities are derived from the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2025-26 of over 2,000 trainees and junior associates at the leading law firms in the UK.

General Info

Training contracts 19
Latest trainee retention rate 80%
Offices 22
Countries 10
Minimum A-level requirement No minimum
Minimum degree requirement 2:1

Diversity

UK female associates 47%
UK female partners 23%
UK BME associates 17%
UK BME partners 11%

Universities Current Trainees Attended

The Firm In Its Own Words