Kennedys

Trainees can apply to London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield. A 30-month SQE apprenticeship programme is also available across all those offices plus Taunton, and there are even opportunities for Bermudian law graduates looking to undertake a training contract in London. Client secondments are on offer with a good number of the trainees Legal Cheek spoke with having enjoyed stints at big-name corporates like Allianz and AIG.

Defending insurance claims across almost every industry imaginable, from aviation and medical malpractice to fine art, forms the core of the business, but trainees can also pick up seats in liability defence, healthcare and commercial. The verdict on the work is largely positive. As one trainee puts it: “The majority of the work is varied and I am given a wide breadth of different tasks to assist with. Supervisors consistently check in and check whether there are any other tasks which I would like more exposure to. I get to work with various lawyers of various levels of seniority across various offices meaning that I am exposed to a lot of different types of matters. I have been involved in multi-million pound claims and claims which have a value of £500. Each day and each task is different, and the work given is a mix of research and legal work, there has never been a time where I have felt like I am performing an admin-type role.”

Others echo that “no two cases are the same” and that, even when the occasional administrative task crops up, rookies are well rewarded with “a fair amount of responsibility in complex and high value matters.” Some trainees flag that it can be “difficult getting people to trust you when you’re new to a team”, and a select few in the firm reportedly view trainees as “additional secretaries”, but the overall feedback on the work skews firmly positive.

The training experience can be “a bit of trial by fire”, with many supervisors taking a hands-off approach. “I was thrown in at the deep end,” says one trainee, “and it just so happens that I do well in that scenario, but others who might need a bit more guidance could struggle.” That said, some departments have clearly got the balance right. One trainee reports performing “above the standard required of a trainee” as a direct result of “the exceptional training I have received”, while another notes that “significant time has been invested to develop my skills and understanding of the law and our cases. I have my own caseload in addition to assisting Senior Associates and Partners.” The Junior Lawyer Academy and general training sessions are flagged as genuinely useful, even if trainees sometimes have to be proactive about seeking them out. As one source neatly summarises: “You’re not always chucked into the deep end, but when you show you are capable, there is a natural progression in the responsibility given and there is always useful feedback.”

The open-plan office set-up earns consistent praise for breaking down hierarchy, with trainees reporting that they get to “engage with colleagues at all levels, including partners, everyday.” Senior staff come across particularly well: partners are described as “super approachable” and “always happy to provide assistance”, and are apparently known to “reach out” if they haven’t heard from you in a while. One source puts it simply: “The best thing about working for Kennedys is the approachability of all fee earners, particularly partners. This is something that I really enjoy about Kennedys. In fact, due to our open plan office, I have often found myself as a trainee sitting next to our Senior Partner and he is very approachable.” There is, it seems, one fly in the ointment: some of the older guard refuse to adopt Microsoft Teams, falling back on email and, by some accounts, carrier pigeon.

Fellow trainees are said to have “a good sense of camaraderie” and are “always at the end of the phone or sat next to me available to help and support.” Social events receive more mixed reviews, with some enjoying “regular outings with their team” on top of the firmwide summer and Christmas parties, while others feel “other firms are better at organising events.” Kennedys’ insurance specialism can breed some “cliques” and “competition for the best trainee seats and NQ roles”, and one source notes a “divide between the regional trainees and London trainees”, though the firm is broadly described as having “very nice employees” across the board.

On offices, regional recruits note that “it seems the best facilities are provided to those in the flagship London office, while other offices lag behind”, and it’s hard to argue when London trainees are based in the Walkie-Talkie building, complete with “wonderful views across London and access to the Sky Garden” (with a 20% discount on food and drink, no less). There’s an in-office canteen too, though it offers “a decent variety of options but it is not great value for money and closes early (4pm).” It’s not entirely doom and gloom outside the capital, though. Bristol and Newcastle trainees have recently moved into smart new digs, and the refurbed Birmingham office is praised for its “design and feel.”

On perks, trainees across the firm describe the offering as somewhat limited, “lagging behind other City firms” in London and modest in the regions. What’s on the table includes competitive salaries, flexible working, private dental and medical insurance, free breakfast, a £50 Christmas voucher, a £250 gym contribution and an annual Kennedys wellbeing day (an extra day’s leave). As one trainee cuts to the chase: “They are ok, but they aren’t the reason you would come to Kennedys. The real perk is culture.”

That culture extends to the work/life balance, which is arguably where Kennedys pulls ahead of the pack. “I am very pleased with my work/life balance at Kennedys. We are encouraged to take our lunch breaks and leave at a reasonable time. 90% of the time I have left the office by 5.30pm. It is rare to see people staying much later. We are encouraged to switch off when on annual leave and there is no obligation to have work emails on your phone.” London trainees in the busier commercial and insurance teams may find the balance tips slightly, but even then, late nights tend to be a choice rather than a requirement: “the times I have had to work late are rare, and often I have made the decision to put a few more hours in because I am proud of the work I am doing and want to help the team.”

The WFH set-up is solid, with trainees able to choose between a laptop or iPad alongside a monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset and contributions towards chairs and desks at home. The catch is that trainees are required in the office five days a week, so the home set-up mostly sits idle.

Tech has historically been a sticking point, and some trainees still feel the pinch. Some of the legal tech is “slow and outdated”, and “the lack of legal support staff means that trainees and junior associates spend a lot of time battling technology rather than doing more productive legal work.” The case management system is described as “not fit for purpose”, adoption varies wildly between teams, and less tech-savvy supervisors may rope trainees into “menial tasks like sorting their diary.”

To its credit, the firm is taking the issue seriously. Kennedys IQ, its in-house technology operation, continues to develop tools that automate day-to-day claims processes, now with a sharper focus on innovation in client service delivery. More significantly for junior lawyers, Kennedys has partnered with Spellbook, a generative AI platform, to launch a training programme specifically designed to address the impact of AI on entry-level legal work.

On the sustainability front more broadly, Kennedys is making genuine efforts: limiting office waste, running environmental impact seminars, supporting a global environmental charity and designing the Birmingham office around recyclable materials and plenty of greenery. Most recently, colleagues from Cambridge, Birmingham, London, Newcastle and Sheffield swapped their suits for trowels for a volunteering day, gardening in Kettering, since you ask.