Mills & Reeve

The firm’s legal tech also comes in handy at making life easier for trainees, with the verdict being that the firm is heading in the right direction. “Generally, we’re fairly good for tech. Our innovation and tech team do some amazing things. We’ve got some interesting machine learning tech in the pipeline!” remarks one. The more pessimistic have this to say: “There are some really good advances in legal tech at the firm, but it is still somewhat lacking in areas. Advancement could be used to improve it more widely.”

Many rookies in the legal sphere moan about spending time doing more mundane ‘trainee tasks’. Yet such a concept seems to barely exist at Mills & Reeve: “Trainees get involved in top work from day one. No photocopying or printing!” one rookie reasons. “Objectively, the work is really stimulating.” Another details: “Throughout my training contract there has been a recognition of when I’ve been reaching my comfort zone and a constant effort to keep pushing me further whilst supporting me at the same time. I have been able to run my own matters and take real ownership over pieces of work.” The training contract is split across six seats rather than the more standard four so there is a fair bit of variety.

The client secondment opportunities are another element of the Mills & Reeve trainee experience that wins praise. Popular destinations include Jaguar Land Rover, AstraZeneca and even, in a throwback to trainees’ LPC days, BPP University.

When a secondment is outside a trainee’s home office the firm pays accommodation costs, bills and travel. For secondees placed in the capital, this helps mitigate the fact that pay (see below) is set at regional levels (there are no TC places at the firm’s London office or in the new Oxford gaff at present). However, it’s worth noting that Mills & Reeve has bulked up in the capital in recent years, having taken over City real estate, projects and construction law firm Maxwell Winward.

As usual with firms that have several UK offices, there are occasional tensions between the locations. The shinier Cambridge, London, Norwich and the recently refurbed Birmingham offices (which feature adjustable desks) are the most coveted. But equal rookie pay across the firm helps minimise any politics.

The Cambridge office is described by insiders as being a “nice building situated next to the city’s Botanic Gardens. The office has great views over the gardens and the city. Glass-fronted building gives lots of natural light. Nice cafe on the top floor.” The Norwich digs, however, wins some plaudits for its facilities which include “changing rooms, showers, a drying room, very small individual lockers, nice client toilets, a nice client lounge and a café”.

While there are no in-house swimming pools or sushi chefs at Mills & Reeve, the perks are good. “The best perks are buying back an extra week of holiday and outdoor office parties held twice a year,” quips one. Another spy put it like this: “To be honest, I didn’t join Mills & Reeve for the perks. I joined for the positive and supportive working culture and the interesting work and clients. I would rather have a good work/life balance and enjoy going to work every day than get financial perks. Saying that, we have a good pension, good holiday (including the ability to flex your annual leave), options to opt into dental/health/life insurance etc. We also get a bonus that is not linked to performance. Our pay is commensurate with firms of the same size and the firm will pay for you to relocate if you want to do a seat in another office.”

The current salary for first year trainees is £30,000 a year, rising to £32,000 in the second year, with NQ pay rising to £78,000 in London and £55,000 elsewhere. Common sentiment here is that the “salary could be better but is reflected in work life balance.” Despite the relatively slimmer salaries, the firm’s latest financial results make for good reading. Turnover hit £131.2 million over 2021/22, while profit per equity partner (PEP) rose from £448,000 to £470,000.

But don’t expect much from the coffee, with one rookie claiming that “a tub of Nescafe instant” is all that is on offer at most of the offices, some of which lack canteens (Birmingham, Cambridge and Norwich all have canteens). However, we understand that the ‘proper coffee’ situation is improving and now can be procured more easily. The office café is also highly subsidised meaning that food and drink is very cost effective.