Wiggin

Geographically, new recruits might also find themselves flitting between the London and Cheltenham offices to complete their seats. Wiggin also has a base in Edinburgh but no trainees have made it north of the border yet. A hub in Brussels marks the extent of the firm’s international spread, with lawyers there frequently lobbying EU decision makers on issues such as EU copyright, audio visual regulation, data protection, competition policy, trade and e-commerce.

Reflecting on the day-to-day at Wiggin, one insider tells us: “The work is generally very stimulating — Wiggin’s clients are at the forefront of their industries and have unique challenges. Not every task will be thrilling, but you definitely won’t be spending hours photocopying!” A second expands on this insight, adding: “In the first few weeks of my first seat I was pretty amazed to be doing work for Microsoft, for example! Now, in my Film & TV seat, the contracts I’m working on are filled with star-studded cast names and big film studios, which (as far as commercial contracts go) is very cool”.

In summary: “The work is cutting edge stuff. The firm is more often than not in the vanguard of the latest global media story, development or transaction and the subject matter that underpins the legal work is exciting, high profile and often pretty newsworthy.”

Not surprisingly, given its media and tech focus, Wiggin’s agile working capabilities attract high praise. The firm allows lawyers to work away from the office 50% of the time, we are told, and it provides an additional monitor to help facilitate this. “Really easy to work from home and still collaborate / get support” was the overall consensus here.

Another area where the firm excels is training, according to Legal Cheek’s spies. “The training has been incredible,” one rookie exclaims, “teams are keen to get you doing hands-on work and happy to let you have a shot at tasks that are new to you. Feedback is very constructive and I’ve been left knowing exactly what I can work on without feeling disheartened.” Others felt the quality was team-dependent, saying, “certain teams are better than others for training, however, as some teams are not as used to getting trainees, it can take a little time to bring you in on matters. Once working on them, however, the work is always interesting and far beyond normal ‘trainee level’ work.”

Teams are generally set to “let you have a run at drafting documents and joining calls from the beginning” and we’re told the firm is in the process of developing and implementing “a series of training sessions throughout the year for trainees”. But be prepared for a pretty “hands on” approach, as one recruit notes that the lack of formal introductions can make the start of each seat “pretty sink or swim”.

Luckily, you’ll have an excellent raft of superiors helping steer the ship. Our insiders spoke of “highly approachable” partners and associates who “spend the time to review work and explain their amendments.” One rookie explains that “senior lawyers at Wiggin really are experts in their field, so you have the opportunity to learn from the best” whilst another effused, “partners are highly passionate about the work they do and their enthusiasm is contagious.” But this certainly does not mean that they are unapproachable (at least for the most part).

Rookies frequently work closely with partners on a 1-1 basis and, if that wasn’t enough, Wiggin’s new recruits are also expected to put on an annual Christmas show, which pokes fun at all of the partners. “If there were any intimidating characters, that brings them down to size in the minds of new joiners!” points out one. Another told Legal Cheek that “people get on famously with natural, honest, supportive collaborations on projects”.

The “down-to-earth-culture” at Wiggin also extends to the trainee intake — which is just as well considering the firm only takes on around four new recruits each year. “Couldn’t ask for more,” one well-supported rookie gushes about their cohort. “I’ve found that all levels of staff, from paralegals and other trainees all the way up to partners, have been highly supportive and encouraging,” agrees another.

Unfortunately, it’s not all back-slaps and bright smiles. One insider cautions that partner approachability “really varies” and some senior lawyers “could definitely do more to communicate with trainees”. That being said, our sources were quick to point out that “unlike many law firms where a rigid hierarchy can hold people back and stifle innovation, Wiggin’s management actively seek the opinions of the entire firm and it never seems like merely paying lip service either, there’s genuine encouragement (via easy channels) for even the most junior people to get involved and contribute to the firm’s strategy and vision”.

Despite Wiggin’s tech-facing focus, IT on the front-lines isn’t rated too highly. The “quality laptops” and “handy” contract review software get good reviews and the firm is said to be “piloting multiple AI tools” but rookies get the sense that the best tech is being reserved for clientele only. Nevertheless, we’re told the firm is “set to undergo further enhancements over the coming year” and, for the meantime, Wiggin continues to leverage the tech used by its portfolio of spin-offs, which include Incopro, a tech company geared to protect IP online; Wiggin Data Services, designed to help manage data assets and reduce risk and — the newest addition — IR35 Manager, a platform for tax compliance.

Away from the legal work, trainees and juniors can take advantage of the firm’s lively social and sporting scene that helps foster a healthy atmosphere of team players. As well as running the aforementioned Wigstock festival, Wiggin traditionally throws an annual Christmas party, a solicitors’ dinner “which gets pretty messy and typically ends around 5am” and weekly events at its in-house pub, The Wiggin Arms. Cycling is another popular pastime, with a group of the firm’s lycra-clad lawyers completing trips from Cheltenham to Dublin, and from London to Paris in recent years. The firm’s football team, the Wiggin Warriors, plays once a week, and if you’ve got anything left in the tank after all that, there’s also an annual firm-wide ski trip.

Wiggin’s London office in Fitzrovia continues to impress trainees: “I think the building and client-facing floor is pretty impressive. The open-office plan is great, and all desks are adjustable, standing desks”, was the review from one happy camper. Located on the 9th and 10th floors of the Met Building, rookies can’t get enough of the views from the desks which are said to be “phenomenal — you can see right across London!” The rooftop terrace cafe and bar has also gone down pretty well, though some green-eyed recruits note that their compatriots in Gloucestershire get the luxury of their own canteen whilst those in the capital have to make do with “fruit boxes on Mondays.” The Cheltenham office is also said to boast “beautiful views” of the historic spa town.

Wiggin lawyers work hard but the office tends to be fairly quiet by 7pm and there is no routine weekend working. “While of course there will be times when it’s necessary to work late nights and at weekends, it isn’t expected that this will be done all the time” one source tells us. Another mentions that the hours vary considerably between practice areas “but overall I can’t complain”. They continue: “I think everyone expects to work relatively long days if you come into law, but it’s never been really excessive crazy hours during my time at the firm. It would be very unusual for me to have to miss something I’ve planned outside of work due to needing to stay late.”

Another busy bee explains: “The hours were less than expected when I started, but it does have very busy periods which coincide with production peaking in the spring and summer months in the UK. There is no face time culture and you are not expected to work on weekends.”

The trade-off for this downtime is it’s not quite BigLaw salaries. Trainees start at a very respectable £48,000, a figure which rises to £52,000 in the second year of your training contract and £83,000 on qualification — potentially a small price to pay for 7pm finishes every night!

Firmwide, revenues have remained pretty steady over the past couple of years, with a 2% decrease taking the topline from £51 million to just under £50 million this year. According to the latest figures, average profit per equity (PEP) still sits at around half a million.

In terms of perks, things appear pretty standard for a law firm based in London, with many considering the social opportunities a perk in themselves. One insider told us this: “There are lots of little perks like free fruit in the office and an extra day of annual leave for your birthday if it falls on a weekday.” You can also expect the standard package of private healthcare, holiday buy-back and cycle to work schemes.

While in the past some rookies have reported spending time in the firm’s Brussels office, international opportunities are generally very rare. However, over two-thirds of all surveyed trainees did enjoy a client secondment. Recent highlights have included three months in the commercial team of Warner Bros Studios, eight months at Vodafone, and one lucky football fan even got to see Tottenham Hotspur FC lift the Europa League trophy in their six month stint at the club!