Ashfords

Ashfords receives positive reviews on the topic of training, which is a good mix of giving trainees a fair amount of responsibility while providing support when needed. The firm offers a “very high level of exposure including covering senior fee earner’s inboxes when on leave and dealing directly with their matters and clients in their absence”. Rookies are also given free range to manage some of their own matters: “I am also given a lot of responsibility to draft and create legal documents from scratch, allowing me to get creative and put my own touch on it. It is always a nice feeling to see a finished product that is massively influenced by my personal work.”

Further, approachable colleagues who “are all very knowledgeable and experienced” make for a supportive atmosphere and “partners really take the time to go through work with you and explain concepts”. As expected though, all this can vary from department to department.

One insider details: “I currently have three supervisors all specialising in different areas of Regulatory Law. They are known to be expert lawyers in their field and represent many prominent companies in the Waste, Agriculture, Health and Safety and Maritime sectors. Therefore, the training I receive is extremely varied and thorough”.

The general ethos is one of “friends as well as colleagues”. Trainees are not only enthusiastically complimentary about each other, but also speak highly of the partners. Typical comments include “my current supervisors are great fun to work with” and “I get on really well with my boss”. Ashfords partners are “approachable and welcoming and willing to give their time to help”.

The firm is “very social” with frequent events. The partners do not always dip into their pockets for these though: “To partake usually involves paying for yourself.” Plus the headquarters in Exeter are “out of town” which makes scheduling after-work drinks tricky. Nevertheless, they can be “great fun”. The Ashfords’ lot are a sociable bunch with plenty of shindigs scheduled in the calendar. The firm even has its own social networking group ‘XYBC’ which organises events for rookies to meet with local professionals and develop their networks.

Although everybody is incredibly busy, the long hours culture so prevalent at City firms is mercifully absent at Ashfords and the partners “encourage you to leave on time”. Late nights are a relative rarity. “It is very rare that I work past 5.30pm and I have never had to do work on a weekend,” says one. Though there are some departments that work you harder than others. Litigation can be an unpredictable business, property “was pretty good with average working hours” and “in corporate/commercial your personal life can take a serious hit at times”.

However, Ashfords is “very flexible with work from home arrangements”, allowing its employees to choose what suits them. This comes with a common-sense caveat: “If you are supervising/being supervised it is recommended you spend more time in the office to benefit from this, however, there is an element of using your own discretion and typically most people spend at least a day or two of the week working from home most weeks.”

The pay is average and your chances of getting a client secondment are slim. In fact, you are less likely to do a secondment than you are to see a wagging tail and paws at desks: Ashfords has an open-door policy on dogs! On the tech front, you will be given an iPhone and a laptop. In terms of perks, there is a small gym in the office and ‘Headspace’ premium membership to help employees wind down, as well as money back for some medical and dental treatments, “good” pension contributions, a “pretty good” maternity package and “good” holiday allowance. Trainees get a day’s holiday on their birthday, too.

The Exeter outfit is “impressive” after a recent revamp and is well kitted out with good break out areas and parking. The office in Bristol is “small”, but very modern and in an “ideal location” with an open plan set-up and lots of vegetation. The London office is said to be a fairly standard commercial office but “could do with a little more colour”. A more cheerful colleague notes that the firm is “very accommodating” and offers the option of standing desks.

Overall, the quality of work, range of seats, genuinely supportive environment and generous work/life balance make Ashfords a serious catch for anyone looking for a well-rounded training.