Fieldfisher

Whether you’re the firm’s top-earner or just finding your feet as a trainee, “juicy” work abounds at Fieldfisher. The firm specialises across four main sectors: energy and natural resources, financial services, life sciences, and technology, meaning that one minute you could be advising Yodel on its legal strategy during its takeover by InPost, and the next you could be helping Space Norway implement the world’s northernmost subsea cable system. The firm even has a private client service, who have been busy helping former supermodel Katie Price secure her discharge from two bankruptcies this year — talk about diverse!

Whatever the deal, our sources tell us “You are given a lot of responsibility from the start”. Others recognise that this can be seat-dependent with one noting that “you have to earn your way to interesting work by building trust with the team, but some teams naturally have more admin tasks or less paralegals which leads to the trainees doing less stimulating tasks.” Still, our sources were unanimous in their opinion that the quality of the work improves throughout the process and superiors are at least said to be “very appreciative when you do the more soul-draining work.”

The training on offer is said to be “decent” with some “excellent practice-specific training sessions” in some seats, whilst others opt for more “on-the-job style training”. Rookies tell us that here you’ll even still occasionally find “markups on your desk with red pen — intimidating but a great way to learn” according to one. You’ll have to be a bit of a go-getter to make the most out of your TC though: “It really depends on you getting your head out there, being keen and enthusiastic, trying to get involved in different matters with different people”.

High praise for superiors was a running theme in the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer this year, with insiders revealing that even the partners here are “very approachable”. As one recruit gushed: “They really care about you and want you to do well. I’ve been asked many times by various supervisors if there’s anything I want to chat about (whether work or otherwise), how the team can do better to enable me to do well and enjoy my time, and if there was anything in particular I’d like to work on. Fieldfisher is stellar on that point. Many firms claim to be open-door, friendly, etc. but here you really feel it.”

The positive vibes continue at trainee level as current trainees described their cohort as “fantastic” adding that “other juniors in the team have been very lovely and supportive.” Rookies are said to all get along and have lunch together most days. All this translates into a decent social scene with monthly office socials and various charity events and client events to attend, alongside the annual summer and Christmas parties.

At one point in time, for Fieldfisher’s lawyers, the week was not a simple Monday to Friday affair but consisted of Muffin Mondays, Fruit Tuesdays, Choc Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, Smoothie Fridays. To the disappointment of many, this alliterative affair has been reduced throughout the years but “never-ending drinks” on the re-branded “Filled Pitcher” Thursdays still goes down a treat. Free drinks aside, there’s also subsidised gym memberships available and the nice bonus of Fieldfisher days (extra days off) to make up the rest of the perk package.

Fieldfisher remains a pretty balanced place, despite its growing megafirm status. Across the London, Manchester and Birmingham offices, rookies work on average less than ten hours a day, with one junior proudly reporting: “I’ve only had to cancel plans twice in two years; have only worked 3 weekend hours (and that was entirely avoidable); and the firm is generally really appreciative of the fact that people have lives outside of the office.” Busier times do still come and another rookie report having “a handful of late nights” but adds that “I think this is as close to perfect as it can get – people usually respect when I have plans in the evening I need to leave for, and I’m not expected to stay at my desk beyond a certain time. I have had multiple two-week periods where I can leave at 5:30pm!” NQs can expect to earn £95,000 in London and £65,000 in the regions.

There’s also decent flexibility about working from home with most trainees spending about 3 days in the office and free WFH equipment such as a chair, monitor and keyboard provided — though there are some complaints that rookies often end up with the law firm equivalent of kit from the smelly PE-box which insiders describe as “not fit for purpose”. The tech “is nothing to write home about”, but “new laptops and AI are being rolled out” with Fieldfisher collaborating on a responsible AI training programme.

Despite its European branding, Fieldfisher is yet to offer any international secondments opportunities to its UK rookies, though a handful have enjoyed client secondments to destinations such as NBCUniversal (Universal Pictures).

Not that trainees are desperate to leave Fieldfisher’s offices. The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly London, located on the north bank of the Thames beside London Bridge. The terraces running around it have spectacular river views — and, unlike at some firms, they are used regularly thanks to a daily morning fitness class held on the ninth-floor balcony, alongside other social events. “Our 9th floor terrace is to die for — best view in the City and a lovely place to have lunch on a sunny day.” shares one insider. In fact, the “views of the shard and the HMS Belfast” are so great that the firm has committed to seeing them until 2036. Those in Birmingham, meanwhile, have enjoyed a move to a new central location at Two Chamberlain Square.