Addleshaw Goddard

At trainee level, the work is “incredible, high-profile and news worthy stuff!” Our sources report they’re “treated more like an NQ than a trainee” and that you can expect to be “given as much responsibility as you can handle”. There is of course “always a degree of slog to a TC,” as one insider says, “but with all the support teams – PAs, document production colleagues, research teams – and the use of technology throughout the firm, trainees at AG can get their hands on really interesting work besides the more administrative tasks (which usually trainees are only expected to do once or twice before delegating and managing appropriately).”

One insider offered a thorough overview, explaining, “I’ve had the chance to work on some interesting and novel work. I was once tasked with writing a full first draft of an advice note relating to a complex regulatory matter. I had done all the background research and was asked to run with it (with support wherever I needed it).” Levels of responsibility can vary, with litigation noted for a particularly good calibre of work while seats like finance are more administrative in nature.

Whatever the practice area, trainees can expect to find mega deals at AG. That might mean advising JD Sports on a $1.1 billion acquisition of US-based athletic fashion retailer Hibbett, acting on the UK’s first ever ‘opt-in’ class action against a cartel of truck manufacturers, or working on the sale of London’s iconic BT Tower to MCR Hotels. Big work abounds at Addleshaw Goddard.

Prior to each seat, trainees are given at least a day, and generally two, of training to bring them up to speed with the basic concepts involved. After that you can expect weekly updates, bulletins, presentations and one-to-one feedback, the occasional knowledge session hosted by the “incredible internal knowledge management” team, and “plenty of ad-hoc training opportunities that we are actively encouraged to attend”.

One rookie shared this experience. “Training is consistently excellent. There are always multiple days of training at the start of a seat and supervisors always take the time to provide context or explanations before asking you to do something, which is really helpful for contextualising work and learning from it. There are also great resources available, and some teams have regular training sessions for juniors (e.g. construction team have a session every couple of weeks which cover everything that you need to know.)”

Trainee praise for the quality of work at AG is matched only by praise of its wider culture. “I get on with every single trainee in my office and some of them have become my best friends. Everyone is rooting for each other when it comes to seat move or the qualification process and people are genuinely invested in each other’s happiness,” reveals one gleeful insider. Another echoed this, adding, “Everyone is genuinely rooting for each other to succeed!” New recruits report “eating lunch together, organising socials and celebrating trainee birthdays”, and there are also regular office-wide events, socials and annual summer parties at some swish venues like SushiSamba.

The good vibes generally continue at partner level. As one trainee put it, “Every senior I’ve worked with/for has been very approachable, open and happy to help, from NQ associates to experienced senior partners. Unless someone is truly in the trenches (in which case someone else is usually on hand!), there’s never a time you can’t just ask a question and get a genuinely detailed, helpful response.” While “some supervisors are better at being visible and present in the hybrid environment”, being in the office more has certainly helped here, and on the whole trainees describe their supervisors as “incredibly friendly, helpful and sociable”. One spy does note that it’s not always smooth-sailing, with “some inconsistencies with supervisors – some are very supportive and actively involved in your development and others you wonder why they agreed to be one at all”. Overall, though, partners and seniors seem to earn a good rating.

This sense of inclusion is no doubt enhanced by the fact that offices are open-plan with break-out pods and excellent canteens, although the survey did uncover some gripes about the discrepancy between the “very impressive” and “modern” English offices and the slightly “lacklustre” Scottish hubs. One trainee described the office spaces as “inconsistent across the board”. Trainees in Manchester say they are “yet to see any visitor fail to have a ‘wow’ moment” at the view of the Central Library, though they admit the lack of coffee machines means they are “stuck” with instant. In Scotland, insiders note that despite recent interior refurbishments the catering facilities are still lacking, although the “beautiful views of Edinburgh Castle” go some way towards making up for it.

But office bragging rights will no doubt go to the juniors in London, who have moved into brand-new, state-of-the-art digs at 41 Lothbury, in the heart of the financial district opposite the Bank of England, a “fantastic and convenient location” according to some. The new HQ boasts two roof terraces and a fitness and cycle studio, complete with a “cooling-down wall” for when lawyers work up a sweat. To no one’s surprise, it has been receiving absolutely rave reviews from its junior occupants. “You walk through that banking wall and just feel more like a lawyer. Simple as that,” is one happy junior’s verdict. “Walking into 41 Lothbury every day feels like a dream. The building is steeped in history, and the new facilities are state of the art. The office gym runs daily classes and PT sessions are also available on request,” adds another. As one newbie puts it, “Best offices of any firm in the City (not that I’m biased!).”

Addleshaw’s legal tech is constantly evolving thanks to its highly-rated Innovation and Legal Technology team, who work in-house developing and integrating tech both for clients and internally. Trainees can do a seat within the ILT team, and AG even offers a completely alternative innovation grad scheme, which sees successful candidates join the group for two years. Beyond this, rookies generally benefit from the range of tools the team rolls out, and even the occasional coding session at trainee conferences. As one spy details, “Our Innovation and Legal Technology team are so inspiring in the work that they do. AG was one of (if not the) first to release their own internal version of ChatGPT and it is incredibly helpful. I love knowing that I am at a firm embracing technology instead of running away from it.” This legal AI is described as “impressive” and has been lovingly nicknamed “AGPT”, with trainees and their seniors having “access to a variety of legal tech (Kira, Legora, Legatics etc.)”. One junior even claims they “cannot live without AGPT”!

All new starters get to select their WFH equipment on joining, which includes two screens, a mouse, headset and laptop riser, with desks and chairs available on further request. AG’s current hybrid working policy sees trainees in the office three days a week on average. There’s still some flexibility in this, though the firm has recently tied office attendance to partner performance reviews. After previous fears, “a push to increase office days” has been realised, with one insider telling us “the recent push for mandatory office attendance is impacting mine and many others’ perceptions of our future work/life balance.”

If you have your sights set on an office further afield, you’re in luck. The firm has three seats each rotation in which trainees can opt to work internationally, with past destinations including Dubai, Qatar and Muscat. Client secondments are also available, taken with clients from a host of global companies including Asda, Diageo and BP.

Generally speaking, the lawyers considered their work-life balance not bad for a commercial firm of Addleshaw Goddard’s stature, although one adds “it’s not a 9-5 though”! As one trainee shared, “It depends on the seat, the work you have on and the urgency of the task but generally weekends and evenings are free, and holidays are respected. But I did have some late weekends and evenings in the run up to completions in Corporate!” Another adds, “I’ve had a string of tough seats which has meant 2ams and weekend work has been a regular staple throughout my TC. Some of this has just been bad luck with timings, but it can be stressful predicting your workload as a trainee as the rhythm of work changes radically between each seat.”

On the whole, though, many reported feeling that “work/life balance is the best you can get in a law firm at AG”, with one adding that the “firm really cares about life away from work and days while stimulating are rarely stressful”. Flexibility is also valued here, with one mole telling Legal Cheek their team is “very flexible when it comes to appointments and are more than happy to let me leave my desk for an hour or so during the day, as long as I’m getting the work done and meeting my targets”.

Perks at Addleshaw are nothing to write home about (or, as some put it, “generally non-existent”), and some trainees feel the firm could do more “to up their game” in this regard. Still, there is private health and dental care, an £180 wellbeing subsidy, portal discounts, buy-and-sell holiday options, as well as the well-rated canteens in the English offices (the Scottish offices don’t have canteens). One trainee even confessed, “I would choose AG again just for the [canteen’s] shawarma”. Addleshaw was also among the first major law firms to receive ‘fertility friendly’ accreditation.

There is a firmwide drive towards greater eco-friendliness, with the recent introduction of Environment Week, good recycling systems and compulsory seminars on eco topics. Each office now has ‘environment teams’ who propose and develop initiatives. One junior on the environment committee told us this “isn’t just virtue signalling” and that “AG appreciates that it is now an important part of corporate life”. “A lean mean ESG machine” is how one trainee described AG.

Even so, many agree there is “always room for improvement”. One person highlighted that the litigation teams still print off bundles to be “used once for client meetings”, while another noted that, despite the firm’s policy that domestic air travel should only be done with permission, “all Scottish trainees were straight away given the option of flying down to London for the trainee conference”.