DLA Piper

And these high-profile deals have clearly benefited DLA financially, as the firm is in its ninth year of consecutive growth. Global revenues grew nearly 11% to $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion) this year after DLA became the first UK law firm to surpass the £3 billion mark the year prior. Profit per equity partner (PEP) grew the same amount to reach $3.4 million (£2.5 million). Global co-CEO Charles Severs credited DLA’s “extensive bench strength and sector-first strategy” for the firm’s continued growth, and the proof is certainly in the pudding here as 65 were made up in the latest promotion round. Twelve of these were across the firm’s seven UK offices, and these numbers were matched by the 67 lateral partner hires DLA made globally in the past year. Trainees in the City office might also see a familiar face roaming the office as former PM David Cameron has joined as a consultant.

In the UK, the firm is led from London with further offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield. DLA is structured similarly to other national firms — those in the capital earn more, with NQ pay here now sitting at £130k after a recent increase. But an effort is made to apportion quality work as evenly as possible — as is evident with regional NQ pay also rising to a very competitive £82,000.

Admin-level tasks are sent to the firm’s paralegal-staffed ‘Legal Delivery Centre’ in Leeds, but trainees across the offices do still receive their fair share of “grunt work”. Overall, the work undertaken by trainees is “generally a good mix of typical trainee tasks with more high-level experience, depending on the department”. Another insider elaborates: “The high profile clients and quality of work at DLA means the work you are exposed to can be very stimulating and at times high profile and fascinating. As a trainee you will always be expected to be responsible for the ‘churn’ tasks which can sometimes be painful and lengthy. However, I have had many senior fee earners take the time to explain to me very interesting and complex tasks on occasion.” Insiders also note that increased responsibility comes with time, with one spy telling us they went from “proof reading documents to managing [my own] small corporate projects in six months!”. In this vein, seniors are said to be very encouraging of trainees progressing to higher quality work.

Trainees report that they are provided with formal training at the start of every seat, which is supplemented by online training throughout the TC. Virtual and on-demand training is readily available on DLA’s intranet with an “ample amount” of webinars hosted by a mixture of the firm’s internal knowledge team and industry experts, meaning trainees benefit from training on both seat-specific topics as well as general legal skills. In-person training can be seat-dependent with the quality depending “how busy your supervisor is at the time” but recruits tell us that “generally, there are wide opportunities for training and many opportunities to learn from experts in particular fields.”

As for supervision, one rookie states that “both teams and individuals are invested in their trainees”. Another reveals that the trainee supervisors in particular “take their roles both as legal and pastoral mentors very seriously”. Staff are “receptive” to any feedback provided by trainees and regular seat reviews are designed to “identify areas to improve”.

Another plus is the amount of responsibility newbies are gifted. We’re told seniors are usually willing to let trainees have the first crack of NQ level work. One trainee summarises: “Very good quality work and exposure to clients throughout my TC so far. Regularly working on similar level work to that of associates, alongside the more traditional trainee tasks.” It makes it easier that DLA Piper works with some of the highest profile clientele you’ll find in a regional or City firm. In Manchester, trainees could be working on securing a significant Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, whilst London newbies can expect to come across deals such as advising Concord in $1.7 billion music securitisation.

The trainee culture is described as being “incredibly supportive” and “one of the best aspects of the firm”. As one happy rookie describes it: “The trainee cohort is a big group of friends. We spend a lot of time with each other together in the office, after work and on weekends. We have a group chat where people ask questions they are unsure of, or ask someone to cover something if they are preoccupied, and everyone jumps to help.” This positive culture extends beyond the trainee cohort, with one spy reporting that even very senior people are approachable and often attend events and interact with people. Another chimes, “I’ve sung karaoke, debated Taylor Swift lyric interpretations, done shots and recommended books or TV shows to DLA Piper partners. They’re colleagues, rather than superiors.”

The approachability of the majority of partners, which is helped by the open-plan office space, is mentioned by many respondents. “It’s a very comfortable environment in which to ask questions and give things a go” was the review from one. Though there are some outliers: “Some partners, including some with training responsibility, are really not approachable at all. Others treat you with respect as though you’re on their level,” summarised one Legal Cheek mole.

Work-life balance is “generally good but depends on the office and department you are in”. Unsurprisingly, City trainees generally work later, and corporate seems to be the seat with the most unsavoury balance across the offices. But even here, it’s “very rare to work a weekend”. Expect to work late in busy periods, however, and at least one trainee warns against making any weekday plans altogether: “I wouldn’t make plans on a weeknight as there’s an expectation from fee earners that trainees should generally be available until late evening when they log off themselves.” Trainees looking for a better balance are advised to look into advisory or pension seats! One trainee puts it well: “The team always allow you to have a home life, but the work sometimes doesn’t.”

There are occasional opportunities for international secondments, with recent destinations including six months in Bangkok and shorter placements in Budapest, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, and Singapore. With 90 offices across more than 40 countries, the options are extensive. However, in recent years some dissatisfaction has arisen over DLA’s decision to end its policy of paying London and regional trainees the same salary while on secondment abroad.

Trainees are less impressed with the perk offering, which does still include private medical insurance and subsidised gym membership, but that’s about it. The firm does host regular parties in London — with the office’s roof terrace doubling as a great BBQ spot in summer — and social life is said to be on the up across the firm, with fitness and painting classes becoming commonplace.

Although there’s no “flashy” tech at DLA, according to one source, standard legal software like Kira, Litera and Deepl are now commonplace across the offices and there’s a 24/7 support line for all your IT issue needs. Another recruit notes that a lot of DLA Piper’s legal tech is developed in-house, and whilst we hear there’s “nothing particularly outstanding” on offer, there’s no complaints either.

One area that did receive plaudits was DLA’s approach to WFH — “the firm’s ‘New Deal’ policy allows for an honour system where we are expected to spend 50% of our time over the course of the year in the office. I prefer this as it allows for more flexibility for everyone, not just flexibility week by week”. However, the lack of any home-working equipment to complement this offering is a bit of a sore point.

On the bright side, DLA’s office spaces receive top marks. The firm’s London office has been described as being “10/10” and “the crowning glory”. The “simply stunning” building also comes with a gym, “good changing facilities” with towels and lockers, an atrium with spiral staircase and a terrace overlooking St Paul’s, where fortnightly drinks are hosted in the summer. While the open plan office creates a “much more friendly vibe”, this means “it can get noisy when multiple people are on calls. Also annoying to have to dash into meeting rooms to take private/client calls as everyone can hear everything otherwise”. Outside of London, rookies in Leeds are impressed with their new gaff which comes equipped with an “incredible cafe” which is said to be — if you can believe it — “cheaper than a meal deal”. London also has its own canteen which provides the odd free trainee breakfast and lunch here and there. As one told LC: “Food is good in the London office, although at £5.95 a meal it is a bit spenny. Big salad bar which is very good, although not sure how I feel about the firm forcing a health kick onto me.”

A final point of praise was the firm’s environmental stance. “Talk about ESG initiatives” isn’t just a platitude at DLA. Aside from the firm sourcing its electricity from renewable resources, there have also been smaller changes felt by trainees in the office — “I appreciate that all disposable items in the canteen and free sanitary pads in the bathrooms are all made from biodegradable materials. There is also a compost bin at all tea points to allow for food waste to be composted easily when you eat at your desk.”