Walker Morris

Highlights from the banking and finance team this year include structuring transformative financing arrangements for Premier League and EFL football clubs amounting to over £250 million of debt, whilst those in infrastructure & energy have been busy with a £5.4 million project to help install solar panels on the rooftops of 120 Marston’s pubs!

The quality of work is some of the best you’ll get in the regions. One trainee put it like this: “there is a good balance between exposure to high level matters and responsibility given in relation to work — WM is a large enough firm that there are lots of big/exciting matters to work on, but the deals are not too overbearingly large that trainees are only relegated to the menial admin jobs — for example I will often be asked to produce the first drafts of key documents in large matters” As an independent, single-city firm, expect lots of responsibility and exposure to a wide variety of deals and cases, with “very few admin-level tasks” unless there’s a bit of a lull; “summer can be a bit quieter for some departments” says one. Another insider warns the quality can “vary from seat to seat”, recalling how in one team they were rarely tasked with “chargeable work with a lot of the work being research based for the team’s own knowledge rather than tasks which actually assist our clients” while in another they were “given a lot of responsibility early on”. Overall though we’re told there’s “really not too much donkey work”.

The training is also solid. One inside source told us that “each department offers trainees bespoke training from various fee earners over the course of the seat” and the corporate team also runs weekly sessions where other teams are invited to present the latest legal and commercial updates so everybody is in the loop. There’s a mixture of “very active and involved supervision” both firm-wide and at each of the six (not four) seats you’ll sit in. Although some feel that the training isn’t always consistent. One recruit told LC: “The training varies from department to department. Some departments / supervisors are comfortable with letting you run the matters and allow for a lot of client contact. Some departments are a bit more wary about ‘letting trainees loose’ and actively review even the smallest email you send out. There are departments where you as a junior never get any client contact. Overall, the training is good and even the more quiet departments always try to make sure you get enough work.”

Luckily, an open-door policy and “extremely approachable” partners (some of whom “you can discuss Love Island with”) mean it’s easy to ask for help. While certain fee earners “have different styles of supervision or communication” insiders assure us that “all deliver great feedback and report. Superiors are generally rated across the board and the firm even boasts quite a few ex-City higher-ups who “are extremely open to developing juniors and passing on their knowledge”, according to one newbie. Another puts it like this: “Pretty much everyone at the firm is supportive and approachable. Most partners are friendly and will take the time to chat. I’d say in most teams there doesn’t feel like a hierarchy and I’d have no issue asking the partner questions or chatting with them about weekend plans. This is partly due to the open-plan office environment. I think the firm attracts friendly lawyers who want the social and friendly atmosphere. There are very few people in the firm that have a reputation for being unfriendly.”

As all new recruits are under one roof, the trainee cohort is also said to be “tight-knit” and we’re told “there is a great deal of support from fellow trainees as well as other colleagues”. One rookie had this to say “the teams are fantastic, the trainee cohort is great and supportive, overall the people are really really good. We also have this thing called ‘Coffee Roulette’ that if you sign up, there is a draw every month which matches you with a colleague for coffee. It’s a great way to meet new people and get your face known across the firm. It also helps that it’s a single site because it’s easier to meet people.”

Another heart-warming trainee offered this: “we would all say the workplace values are definitely the opposite of a ‘step on your colleagues to get ahead’ culture; the firm fosters a social, collaborative culture which we have embodied. I cannot speak for everyone but I have made some lifelong friends in my intake.” The firm takes on around twenty trainees each year.

The social life on offer here is rumoured to be “the best in Leeds”. As one LC spy divulges: “Having spoken to trainees at other firms in Leeds (e.g. DLA/AG), their peers are far less social. We are able to make proper friends at WM, that you genuinely want to see outside of the workplace socially.” An annual firm social is complemented by “lots of business development opportunities” and even the odd ticket to see Leeds United or Rhinos. Inside the office, there’s said to be “a range of activities that you can get involved with which suit an array of interests e.g. cooking classes, book club, socials etc.”

A “state of the art” office on Wellington Place continues to impress new recruits and, even though it’s coming up to its fifth birthday, trainees the place “still looks like a new pin”. The “impressive” building, found at the heart of Leeds’ business district is “probably the best” in the city we’re told. It’s an open-plan office space with large meeting rooms including “beautiful” communal spaces, swish meeting pods, a subsidised in-house Ts&Cs café, a scenic outside courtyard area and a boardroom that “will make you feel like you’re on The Apprentice”. Client secondments supplement the learning; according to our figures, around a third of the firm’s rookies have done one with places like Asda, energy companies Drax or Equan, or Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

As you might expect outside the City, the hours are considerably nicer and there are few complaints about the work life balance on offer at WM even if there is the occasional late one. “A few late nights in busier departments but no issues taking a full hour for lunch or arranging plans after work. Most people respect boundaries. As trainees we don’t get work phones so it’s also easier to create work life balance as people don’t usually tend to expect you to reply once you’ve logged off. It’s also fine to leave on time but then log back in if you really need to finish some work but want to do it at home” noted one trainee. On average, WM insiders reckon they put in a “steady 8-6ish”, late nights rarely go beyond 9pm and weekend work is almost unheard of. There is some variation between departments with real estate providing “quite a steady 8:30pm to 6:30pm”, whereas in corporate — where it has been a “super busy year” — the “hours are much more unpredictable and often longer”.

One insider describes it like this: “I have had times in my Corporate seat where you find yourself working until 2.30am on the Friday night and into Saturday/Sunday. However, you know that everyone else working on the deal is going through the same thing so you don’t feel quite so isolated (free food is always welcomed). In quieter times you can find yourself logging off at 5/5.30pm and heading to the gym/pub.” Another adds: “I’d say if anything the balance is too good and I am rarely challenged to work long hours which I am concerned will not properly prepare me for qualified life. I have had to work late a few times, however the associates you are working with tend to be super thankful” — not a bad problem to have!

Trainees can work from home once or twice a week depending on the department but all lawyers are being encouraged to attend the office more to benefit from better exposure. The firm provides a one-off £300 joiner allowance to purchase anything you need to WFH — mini-treadmills are off the list though apparently!

In the past couple of years, WM has advanced its use of legal tech implementing many AI tools for drafting, reviewing and other processes. Rookies are fairly impressed with the offering but it’s noted that none of it gets used very frequently, in part because clients aren’t that keen to sign off on it.

The perks are said to be good too. These include a solicitor sabbatical scheme, Help@Hand, free food and taxis when working late, “excellent” charity events such as quizzes, rounders and dress down days, as well as the option to “buy extra weeks leave” and a salary sacrifice scheme for electric vehicles. But one rookie wants it to be known that they’d like a day off for their birthday!