Taylor Wessing

Aside from its reputation of being exceptionally friendly, TW is also known for the pretty snazzy clientele it works with. The likes of Sky, Monzo, and L’Oreal are just a few of the names on the list –– alongside a raft of fintech start-ups and cryptocurrency platforms. Recent deals coming out of the London office include advising Vinted on its €340 million secondary share sale and helping AI-driven retail solutions leader Rezolve AI on the establishment of its $1 billion Bitcoin treasury programme. Some clients might even be described as peachy –– the firm previously advised The Roald Dahl Story Company and its shareholders on the sale of the business to Netflix, helping bring Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach to a whole new audience.

It’s not all Netflix deals, however. We’re told the variety of work “across practice areas is large, with stimulating work more readily seen in non-transactional seats”. In some areas there can be “some lesser skilled, administrative-type tasks” but at least one trainee notes that they have been “given a significant amount of responsibility on matters, much more than [I] have heard from friends at other firms”, with the opportunity to “run matters and cases by [myself]”. Another trainee sums up their experience as so: “overall, a good level of involvement in important and interesting work”.

Generally, the ratio between challenging work and grunt work is regarded as good relative to many firms. According to one rookie, “every single day is different”. Another enthuses: “Due to the strength of support staff, trainees aren’t stuck with mundane tasks. Lots of my work feels associate-level.” Taylor Wessing’s Liverpool office, which opened with a brief to handle lower-level tasks, may have helped tilt the balance. As one former trainee puts it: “This is a small part of the overall trainee work and the people giving you these tasks try to avoid doing so where possible. At the other end of the scale, I’ve been consistently given the opportunity to engage in interesting and challenging work in all four of my seats. Overall, I think this breadth of experience and wide exposure has helped me to build up an understanding of the way in which matters work, from a junior to a more senior level.”

While Taylor Wessing has closed its TechCity satellite office in Shoreditch, East London, its commitment to tech clients remains strong, with the firm’s well-established Cambridge office developing close ties with top academics specialising in legal tech research. Each year, one lucky trainee gets the chance to engage with these pioneering technology projects, as the firm offers an annual Cambridge-based training contract.

As you might expect, the firm is “always looking to innovate and introduce new technology”, developing its own AI products internally through its ‘TW: navigate’ AI solution. Alongside the recent launch of LitiGate, an AI-driven litigation platform, and TW: Lithium, which is hailed by one trainee as the firm’s “own equivalent of ChatGPT”, Taylor Wessing rookies now also have access to AI platform Legora. “There are always new products being launched and trialled” insiders tell us. The firm’s IT team is also said to be “very responsive”.

The training is thorough, with a one-week training period before you start in your first seat, then department specific training within each seat and ‘know-how’ sessions on different topics. Another positive voice notes the approachability of colleagues at all levels of seniority, that they are “incredibly supportive” and “always willing to answer questions and allow me to develop greater understanding of legal principles and strategy”. That being said, trainees do report that the “quality of supervision varies across practice areas”.

The work-life balance is one of the firm’s strengths, and it has a reputation for being at the more reasonable end of the City law spectrum. One trainee says that it “really varies from team to team. In my first seat, my average hours were incredibly reasonable (apart from the odd late night here and there), which allowed me to have evening plans in the work week. However, in my second seat, which has been slightly busier, my average hours have slightly increased. On the whole, though, compared to other firms, my working hours are incredibly reasonable — highlighted by the fact I have only worked two weekends in my ten months or so with the firm”.

One trainee said he has “no complaints at all”, with most people at the firm respecting work-life balance, “especially for trainees”, although those in the corporate departments “may have periods of longer hours in the evenings”. Another plus, according to one junior, is that there’s no “face time culture”. If you are finished for the day, you can leave for home. For a starting salary of £50,000, which rises to £55,000 in your second year and £115,000 on qualification, it’s not a bad gig!

The firm has adopted a “hybrid” model of working where staff, including trainees, can work remotely for a percentage of their time. To adjust to this shift, the firm has implemented BigHand resource management to ensure that hybrid working is accompanied by equitable and inclusive work allocation. One rookie notes, “the hybrid working system is amazing. It’s great to be able to factor in your personal life by working from home. It also means I can use the time I would usually use to commute for exercise. I personally haven’t noticed a drop in my development due to the model”. As to the equipment required to facilitate this home working, one junior praises the “good allowance” the firm provides “in addition to an office chair”. Another trainee says that the firm will provide “any equipment needed”.

The “chatty and welcoming” partners are “incredibly down to earth” and highly rated by rookies for their approachability, with the natural caveat that they are unavailable during particularly busy times. A trainee reports: “I’m in my fourth seat and yet to come across someone who isn’t supportive and willing to take time out of their day to provide guidance and support. Most memorably, I asked one of the partners if he had 10-15 minutes to speak about a recent update of interest. Our chat ended up lasting just over an hour and when I thanked the partner for his time, his response was that he is always happy to take time to help support and further the interests of junior members of the firm.”

What’s more, the “trainee cohort is absolutely lovely”, with “everyone looking to support each other” and “no competitive culture”, insiders say. One tells us: “my peers are amazing and I can rely on them for support” whilst another echoes: “I think the culture is probably the best part of Taylor Wessing. There are almost no ‘bad apples’ and I’d be more than happy to chat with any of the other trainees or my team.”

The firm offers a number of international secondments to its trainees, with locations including Munich and Dubai, although these are not too common. Trainees have also been known to visit the firm’s offices in Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Bratislava on one-day trips but client side secondments are much more common, with over one-third of rookies reporting enjoying stints at fashion retailer Farfetch, as well as other major tech, pharmaceutical and property companies.

The office is renowned for its “incredible views over the City” and its canteen which offers free breakfasts for those early birds quick enough to catch the morning worm. And it’s set to get even better. TW’s City HQ at 5 New Street Square is currently undergoing a major refurbishment, with changes including a new reception, lifts and an outdoor communal terrace, as well as the decarbonisation of the building. According to one rookie, “the designs for the new office look outstanding”.

The perks are also pretty good, with yoga sessions, premium subscriptions to wellbeing apps, in-house massages, a national art pass, an in-house GP, free dinner and Deliveroo allowances after 8pm, and free tickets regularly made available to some of the glamorous events that Taylor Wessing sponsors. The firm also operates an incentive programme that sees lawyers awarded crypto tokens for “outstanding contributions to the firm” (a scheme which appears to be the first of its kind in the legal industry).

On top of all this, we’re told that Taylor Wessing is incredibly focused on being environmentally friendly, with facilities such as food waste, numerous recycling points throughout the office and the provision of e-bike and opportunities to purchase electric cars, all designed to allow employees to reduce their carbon footprint. This environmental focus also drove the firm’s decision to refurbish its existing London office rather than move into new premises. One trainee also reports that Taylor Wessing “helped develop and sign up to the Legal Charter 1.5 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”. There is even an active Sustainability Network which offers trainees the opportunity to get involved in making the techy firm more green-fingered.