Harbottle & Lewis

During this time, newbies receive a very respectable £49,000 in year one, £52,000 in year two, and then £85,000 upon qualification. Whilst this may not be the same as the largest City and US packages on offer, we’re told that the smaller firm, housing all of the 48 partners and 76 other fee earners in a single office, brings a more homely atmosphere. It’s reported that juniors usually leave by 7 pm most days, though a trainee in one of the busier teams noted that working late a couple of days a week is likely, but “you will be checked on if you are working past 9 pm”. Another points out that they “can usually plan to do something in the evening and very rarely cancel plans”.

And if you thought these good vibes came at a cost, think again, as revenues at Harbottle & Lewis are up by almost 4% this year to £54 million — the highest ever figure in the firm’s 70 year history. Profit per equity partner (PEP) also enjoyed a similar hike of 2%.

The healthy work/life balance comes alongside great training for the firm’s juniors. Trainees can expect a two week “comprehensive” induction process which is supplemented by regular training from external speakers. “I feel like I’m learning a lot very quickly,” notes one insider. Another trainee highlighted that the relatively small cohort of six provides a better training experience with “more supervision, better work exposure, and a wider range of seat options”. Rookies are also complimentary of recently rolled out firm-wide training sessions on soft skills such as delegation and negotiation, which are said to be “very useful”.

It’s no surprise then that the quality of work on offer is rated very highly in the 2025-26 Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. “Some of the most interesting clients and exciting cases around,” says one respondent. Another elaborates: “Whilst you are expected to do the typical trainee admin tasks, I’m often given the opportunity to do the more advanced work such as the first draft of a complex application, which can be very rewarding and useful for learning”. Fast-paced, interesting work with great clients seems to be the consensus.

The firm’s juniors are also very positive about their peers, describing them as “very supportive” and “lovely to work with”. Regular trainee socials help boost this camaraderie, with trainees “supporting each other, rather than battling it out”. Trainees are also reported to collaborate on non-billable projects and occasionally share the same seat. As one rookie notes, “If you are looking to be super-competitive with your peers, then this is not the place for you. We all work together.”

This sentiment of collaboration rather than competition seems to run through the firm, with a “very friendly environment that does not feel hierarchical”. And this sentiment runs all the way up the corporate ladder here, as managing partner duo, Tony Littner and Charlie Leveque, don’t even have their own offices and are said to frequently attend firm socials! H&L also appointed its first female senior partner, Catherine Bedford, and one trainee notes that the new senior leadership team is “very keen to be open and approachable”.

A further perk of joining Harbottle & Lewis is the bumper client list and exciting work which lawyers, at all levels, engage with. The firm’s corporate clients include the likes of: Expedia, Nissan, Sky, The Pokémon Company International, Microsoft, Iceland, Pets at Home, Oxford University Press, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Volkswagen, Emirates, Trivago, KFC, F1 Arcade, and Universal. That’s a hefty selection on its own. But, you say, this is a media specialist, what about those A-listers and celebrities? Well, beyond some of the lesser-known figures like the late HM Queen Elizabeth, the former Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), and just about every other senior member of the Royal Family, the firm has assisted the likes of: Victoria and David Beckham, Queen, Stormzy, Gordon Ramsey, Melania Trump, Sir Richard Branson, Romelu Lukaku, half of the England Cricket team, Cricket West Indies, and Little Simz. This roster may just be the reason why the firm receives over 400 applications a year for those coveted six spots!

The firm is notorious for representing famous faces such as actor Sean Bean and late Australian Cricketer Shane Warne against the News Group Newspapers and Rupert Murdoch in the infamous phone hacking scandal. But some of the “especially stimulating” and “very interesting” work H&L lawyers have been involved in recently includes advising Adam Spiegel on the sale of the world’s longest-running play, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap; helping online gaming safety platform PlaySafe ID on its million-dollar pre-seed fundraising; and, supporting the founders of Topgolf and Puttshack with their latest venture into revolutionising the game of pool. Trainees might even get to enjoy the fruits of their labour when new social entertainment venue Poolshack opens in Liverpool Street next year! On top of all this, the firm have recently been doubling down on their support for start-ups, launching a new start-up portal ‘The Vault’ which is designed to support founders and emerging companies, as well as partnering with angel investor community South East Angels.

If such a high-profile selection of clients sounds at all stressful or difficult, fear not, the firm offers a range of (very nice) perks to keep you happy and healthy. Monthly massages are on the cards, along with (as almost all respondents to the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2025-26 have emphasised) very tasty free daily lunches. The canteen is said to do world cuisines and a great selection of salads and fruit to go along with the mains, all of which are well-catered to dietary requirements. “Think Ottolenghi salads plus fish and chips on a Friday,” tempts one full rookie. Eating lunch at one’s desk is “actively discouraged” as everyone here chows down together — a “great way to get to know everyone in the team”, according to one insider. Communal dinners are supplemented by frequent firm-wide events put on by the Social and Charity Committee, which are said to be “very well-attended”. The Christmas party and annual quiz are also “particular highlights”, although one trainee notes that social activities can sometimes feel centred around drinking.

The firm’s West End location is praised by juniors for being where a lot of its clients are based, rather than the City digs of most law firms. “Being on the Strand means you are right in the centre of everything”, gushes one rookie. While the open-plan office is great for approachability, there can sometimes be insufficient places with the ongoing hotdesking — more breakout areas, quiet spaces to take calls and outside spaces are some of the suggestions that trainees have to improve the office. As for WFH options, trainees are required to come in at least four days a week, with the number dropping to three upon qualification, although team preferences may vary.

In addition to the highly commended free lunch, monthly massages and daily wellbeing classes such as Pilates and yoga are also on offer. One junior comments: “the dance cardio is better than classes that I pay for, and we are very much encouraged by senior leadership to attend”. These come in addition to the standard life assurance, medical insurance and occasional discounts which are more commonplace junior lawyer benefits.

The firm’s legal tech is also said to be on the up. In recent years, H&L have been recruiting for their new innovation department, with insiders telling LC they’ve had opportunities to “trial various programmes and feed back to the tech team”. This year also saw the firm integrate AI platform Legora into its client offering.