The Legal Cheek View
Having set up shop in the capital as Trollope & Winckworth in 1777, this established London outfit has since sprouted two further offices in Oxford and Manchester (though only London and Oxford currently offer training contracts). The name change to Winckworth Sherwood came in 1998, not long before the firm moved out of its parliamentary digs in Westminster.
Since then, the firm has moved again — into the eighth and ninth floors of environmentally sustainable Arbor building in Bankside Yard, Southwark. The net-zero eco-hub with “great views of the river” and a “nice balcony” couldn’t have gone down better with trainees. “It is a great office, very Suits with a great view of London’s landmarks,” one insider beamed, “it is also easy to get to!” Another source points to the “excellent environmental credentials with “great wellness facilities in the basement including a yoga studio” and we hear there’s also standing desks and individual call-pods in the office. Trainees are currently expected in the office five days a week –– though this is said to be team-dependant – but with digs like these there’s not too many complaints.
Wincks continues to leverage its history as a firm of parliamentary agents, offering something quite different to its City competitors by allowing trainees to do seats in parliamentary or ecclesiastical law. The lion’s share of Winckworth Sherwood’s work, however, is in real estate. That being said, the firm has a full-service offering, so trainees might also find themselves working on some litigation for employees of X (formerly known as Twitter) or supporting on the acquisition of a new sweet factory in M&A.
All this leads to some pretty stimulating work according to the trainees we spoke to. “In my time here, I’ve realised that although a business law firm, what makes WS’s work interesting is that nothing any of the firm’s teams do is ever purely commercial –– there is usually always an extra socially purposeful layer on top, and that makes the work on offer really stimulating,” one spy tells us. “Examples I have done myself or heard from my colleagues include arranging grant money for a charity in Sierra Leone or building social housing for some of the country’s largest housing developers.”. We’re told that trainees should still be prepared for “a fair amount of procedural work”, especially in real estate which, because of its size, is said to be particularly prone to less exciting trainee tasks. But this is all, of course, down to personal preference: “I personally have enjoyed litigation more and found this more interesting, but the more transactional seats still have something to offer, they are just a bit more admin heavy,” noted one new recruit.
Alongside this, budding WS trainees can expect “absolutely top notch” training with “contact and support from all levels,” according to the insiders we spoke with. Recruits were quick to point out that the learning and development side of the firm is really great” because “they really care about you as a person, not just as an employee. Another junior lawyer offered this insight: “I have been so surprised by how much responsibility I have been given from the start, which has made me feel like an important part of the team. For example, I have led client meetings with the help of my supervisor but also on my own. There is a sense that my supervisors care about the quality of my training and there is an emphasis on me making sure I get as much experience as possible, and that I get varied tasks. I also have had a lot of time with my various supervisors across my seats and always feel that they are willing to explain things and answer questions. The mid-seat reviews are also a great opportunity to look at gaps in your training and for your supervisor to work with you to try and help fill them.”
Wincks is said to focus on providing its trainees with business skills coaching and network development, alongside their legal training, and you can expect direct client contact from seat one. You’re also given a bespoke training diary which is regularly reviewed as well as bi-annual appraisals from seniors. Trainees do note, however, that some teams “are pretty old fashioned in how they are run and how trainees are integrated into them”, making them less appealing when it comes to qualifying. However, generally rookies had high praise for the partners and senior associates who they are seated alongside. “You can ask questions to solicitors, associates, senior associates and partners. You can pop into their office or give them a call,” one trainee told us.
As you might expect, this also meant that WS newbies rated their superiors highly with most said to be “very approachable”. Our sources tell us that almost all seniors “will make time for trainees and are invested in trainee learning” and the higher-ups at Winckworth’s are praised for their ability to strike a “good balance between knowing where your boundaries are and then pushing you to develop.” Rookies also describe their peers as “super nice” and “super friendly” –– which is super news for budding recruits. As one detailed: “My trainee cohort has become very close and we all have lunch together every day, and it is lovely to have a group of people that are all going through the same thing. I have also found my colleagues in the various teams I have been in very helpful and supportive, and they really understand that you do not know everything and are always happy to help you and answer questions.”
The firm’s social scene includes a football team which is said to be “good fun”, as well as two trainee socials a year and a firmwide Christmas party –– past events have included quizzes, shuffleboard and darts. The small trainee cohort –– around eight each year –– means a lot of direct partner and senior lawyer contact and the firmwide open-door policy encourages a flat hierarchy. But “whether that translates into approachability depends on the individual team,” says one insider. Luckily for trainees, we’re told that there are “a lot more organised events amongst the juniors than within teams, which are always good fun”.
Another high point for Winckworth Sherwood is the “excellent” work-life balance on offer. As one rookie tells us: “I get to go at 5:30-6pm most days. Obviously, there’s the odd late night but that has only happened to me once so far across multiple seats.” Real estate is renowned for having longer hours than most departments and one recruit warns that they do work “later hours than the firm likes to advertise” but “the work life balance is still much better than most firms”. Generally, the consensus seems to be that the hours are good, especially in comparison, and there’s no expectation to work late unless it’s super urgent.
International and client secondments are currently off the cards but trainees in past cohorts have reported enjoying stints at housing association Notting Hill Genesis.
Perks leave a little to be desired with “good coffee” and “free fruit” being the highlight for at least one rookie, but employees do get a standard package of private medical insurance, dental cover, subsidised gym memberships, a cycle to work scheme and childcare vouchers. The firm also hosts regular corporate responsibility (CSR) activities that trainees can get involved in, with a group of Winckworth walkers recently conquering the Brecon Beacons to raise money for Women’s Aid.