Osborne Clarke

Osborne Clarke also continues to expand as part of its ambitious transformation from national outfit to true international player. It has opened an office in New Delhi via Indian relationship firm BTG Advaya, formed associations with firms in Shanghai and Singapore, added Miami and San Francisco to its US practice alongside New York and Palo Alto, opened offices in Amsterdam and Poland, and relocated its Paris office. All told, the firm now has a headcount of over 2,400 spread across 25 international locations.

Throughout this expansion, however, it has preserved its famously nice culture. “The culture at OC is fantastic,” one rookie proclaims, adding: “It’s clear that a lot of effort goes into trainee recruitment. My cohort gets along really well, and we all make an effort to support each other, which has created a great dynamic. I know this isn’t always the case at other firms, so I’m really grateful for it.” There is also a “bustling” junior network within the firm, with regular socials and networking opportunities, both in-person and virtual. Everyone is “friendly, approachable and more than happy to give up their time to discuss most things,” with no noticeable “culture of competition.” Another adds: “They are invested in your development and there are frequent check-ins with trainees at all levels.”

As an example of its team spirit, the firm’s profit share and bonus pool, split among all employees, has grown to a record £9.1 million. This year also marks the third year of its long-term bonus scheme, under which “high performers” receive cash awards of up to 40%, paid out over three years. OC’s perks range from the usual package of subsidised gym membership and private health insurance to a free pass to Bristol Zoo, along with summer and Christmas parties, client events, sporting events and drinks. Other perks include free breakfast, subsidised cake, free Deliveroo and taxis home after 8pm, which one lawyer says “sounds like a small thing but makes you feel valued.” Those based in London also benefit from OC’s status as a “corporate partner” of the Barbican. “This is a really great perk,” one insider explains, giving staff “access to the members’ lounge, reduced rates in all the bars and restaurants, and free access to the Barbican’s art galleries.”

The firm also receives praise for being highly environmentally conscious, as reflected in our latest Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey and embodied by its Bristol eco-office. One rookie singles out the opportunity to take a carbon literacy course, while another credits the firm’s sustainability team for continually looking to improve its environmental practices. The firm has also set a long-term science-based target to reach net-zero emissions by 2040.

Several rookies also praise the firm’s cutting-edge approach to legal technology, including the introduction of OC-GPT, a “multi-award winning” internal generative AI tool aimed at improving efficiency. The firm says the tool places OC at the “forefront” of the legal tech space, while the internal ‘OC Solutions’ team is said to be “great at creating innovative tech” for both clients and lawyers. One rookie commends the OCS team for its “entrepreneurial nature,” noting its willingness to discuss client matter solutions with junior lawyers and trainees: “I feel it really sets OC apart.”

Senior colleagues and partners drive this culture and are, by most accounts, “very approachable.” One trainee notes: “Some days, I might find myself sitting between two partners, including our managing partner, and still be able to have conversations as comfortably as I would with a peer.” Another reports that “all senior lawyers are incredibly generous with their time, whether it’s running through feedback on a piece of work, or sitting down for a coffee to discuss areas of the firm you’re interested in.” A colleague adds: “The hierarchy that traditional firms tend to have has definitely been broken down at OC. There’s always going to be the odd one or two scary partners, but on the whole the people at OC are very friendly.”

As at many firms, training is “variable” between seats, with some “more structured” and others leaning on “more on the job learning,” according to one rookie. “In some seats, you will have a full week of training before starting work in earnest, while other teams prefer a learn-on-the-job approach,” another explains. While this “learning-by-doing style may sound daunting,” one trainee admits, “it has fully prepared me for qualification.” Regular training sessions, an “excellent set of knowledge lawyers” and “extensive materials on the firm’s intranet” mean there is rarely a lack of support to prepare trainees for qualification. As another junior puts it: “The teams are very supportive and willing to involve trainees in different aspects of work. Like anywhere, you need to prove your ability, and then once that has been done, you are given increasing levels of work to develop, but always with a helpful supervisor you can rely on to the extent you feel necessary.”

The work is “all very interesting, with various clients you might recognise; some seats you’ll click with more than others.” Added glitz comes from the firm’s technology and media practices, which complement the much larger corporate and litigation teams and represent tech giants including TripAdvisor. OC lawyers advise games and interactive entertainment clients, such as on Winvia’s recent IPO, and assist tech start-ups; the firm was also the first in Europe to open an office in Silicon Valley. Trainees can expect genuine client contact, though standard trainee tasks such as amending precedents and document review remain part of the job. As one trainee puts it: “In lots of teams, you are treated more like a junior associate than a trainee. While there is the occasional, inevitably dull trainee task, once you have proved yourself in a team, you will be given lots of responsibility on matters and can take on extremely interesting work. More generally, the firm’s client base means you will usually be doing work for interesting and high-profile businesses, which always makes it more stimulating.”

Somewhat of a rarity at law firms, the work/life balance appears to be pretty good, even “amazing” for some. It naturally “varies from team to team,” says one junior, “but having spoken to trainees elsewhere, I know that the Osborne Clarke hours are extremely reasonable compared to the market.” “Being halfway through the TC, I am yet to have any seriously long days,” another notes, while further sources say their evenings and weekends went largely undisturbed for much of their training contract. “There are more pressing deadlines from time to time which require you to work later, but we compare very well to trainees at other law firms, particularly in the City,” they add. One trainee highlights colleagues’ willingness to respect boundaries: “I am more strict than the usual trainee with giving up my entire life, due to having a two-year-old, and people are receptive to that.”

Salaries sit at £97,000 for NQs in London, while those in Reading and Bristol receive £87,300 and £74,000 respectively.

Secondments, both international and client-based, don’t appear high on the OC agenda. A small number of rookies are given the opportunity to spend time at other offices, while recent client secondment destinations include an REF lender, Ascential, Hargreaves Lansdown, Starbucks and Vodafone.