Weightmans

Weightmans boasts more than 1,500 lawyers spread across its UK bases. The two state-of-the-art premises in London’s Square Mile and Manchester’s ultra-swish Spinningfields financial district are well-rated by recruits, with Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle and a Liverpool HQ making up the rest of the spread. Nottingham is the most recent midlands hub to join the party. Leeds recruits rate the “floor-to-ceiling windows” and “large social hub” used for events and coffee breaks, while the boardroom there reportedly offers a “lovely view of the river and Elland Road”. Newcastle rookies, meanwhile, enjoy a “lovely open plan office” complete with a mini cherry blossom and a live moss wall. Weightmans’ resident Brummies are also settling into eco-friendly premises on 103 Colmore Row, a site which offers a host of emission-reducing benefits including ergonomic furniture, a social hub, an innovation space and bespoke client suites kitted out with the latest video conferencing tech. Glasgow has made a similar move to the sustainable Ink Building, which uses mineral paint for its refurbishments and boasts solar PV and heat pump installations alongside wellness amenities. Recruits down south seem to have the worst of it, with the working spaces there described as a bit “outdated and stuffy”. Apparently “all the nice offices are up North.”

There are no such discrepancies when it comes to the firm’s recent financials. Net revenues hit £162 million last year, representing five consecutive years of growth, while net profit rose 17% to £17 million. Every employee also received a bonus of £2,500. The firm’s profit per equity partner figure is understood to sit around the £400,000 mark. Weightmans is also no stranger to a merger or two, most recently snapping up City firm Elborne Mitchell and Hull-based Myton Law as part of its nationwide expansion strategy, while in Scotland it added a specialist immigration team in Glasgow.

Though a national firm at its core, Weightmans has also built a global network through international connections including the invitation-only Legalink and Insurance Law Global, the latter spanning more than 30 cities across six countries. Unfortunately, this hasn’t translated into international secondment opportunities just yet, but client secondments are on the table, with placements available at the Financial Conduct Authority, NHS Trust, Whittington Hospital and London Ambulance Service.

A “comprehensive and fulfilling training scheme” is what you can expect from a TC here, and all the trainees Legal Cheek spoke with praised the supportiveness of the early careers team alongside an innovation training programme designed to sharpen legal tech skills. One insider breaks it down: “A training plan for each seat is agreed with an emphasis on training targets over hours targets. That plan is reviewed monthly and weekly check-ins are a good way to check capacity and training needs. I’ve completed a diverse range of admin and fee-earning tasks, attended client meetings and court hearings, and colleagues will often give you a task with learning in mind as opposed to business need. In claims seats, you can run your own files if you feel confident enough.”

A couple of rookies note that the level of training can vary from department to department, but the general consensus is that the firm offers a well-structured development programme for its newbies. General training sessions run “one or two every quarter”, though these are “not the most understandable” for newcomers, according to one junior.

The quality of work also “varies from seat to seat but is mostly positive.” In some departments trainees are handed really high-quality work; in others it can skew more administrative. Examples include “attending conferences and talking to clinicians in healthcare” and “running a couple of small claims matters to trial”. Though the reality of being a trainee inevitably comes with “some pretty mundane tasks”, there is “no photocopier in sight”. One insider offers this perspective: “I did a seat with the Police team and every case had an interesting set of facts, with a lot of responsibility given in dealing with counsel, drafting documents and taking on your own caseload. In other insurance-related seats, the facts will be very interesting but the work you get involved in might not be as hands-on.”

The firm’s 250-plus partners are said to be “more than willing to call in to explain anything”, and one trainee notes: “I often find myself chatting to partners at the monthly office socials, sometimes without even realising how senior they are.” This is unsurprising given that the firm scores consistently well for partner approachability in Legal Cheek‘s Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. According to one trainee, “there is a genuine interest for you to progress and to stay with Weightmans if they can make it happen”, though another adds that “you do have to be proactive.”

Junior lawyers and trainees receive equally high praise, with sources telling us that “everyone is happy to help whenever I ask and encourages me to push myself out of my comfort zone.” Trainees are said to rely on each other for unwritten rules and helpful hints during seat rotations, with one adding: “My peers are always very supportive, which is especially valuable because I am in a top-heavy seat with very few admin or secretarial staff.”

On top of all this, the work/life balance is apparently “really good” – words that don’t often grace Legal Cheek readers’ ears. The firm was one of the first to introduce agile working across its offices, and rookies note that “as long as you get the work done and hit your targets, you are not expected to work late or on weekends.” Another adds that it is “very odd to be logged on after 6pm” and by 6:30pm you’re usually “encouraged to go home and enjoy your evening.” There are no formal hours targets, although claims departments “will often give you something to work towards.” The flexibility to work from home three days a week helps support this balance, and rookies are impressed with the agile working set-up, which comes with a keyboard, mouse, two monitors and £300 to spend on a desk and chair.

Tech-wise, there are complaints about an “outdated” case management system and glitchy software, but rookies do appreciate an IT team that is “great at communicating what issues they are working on and keeping everyone updated.” There’s also an innovation team which trainees can do a seat in, though judging by the current tech reviews, enthusiasm seems mixed. That said, sources do note that Weightmans is developing its AI usage: “Software that can bulk process documents is already in use and the innovation team is producing a bespoke litigation management system to make routine cases easier and more profitable to run,” explains one trainee. Embracing technology has also tied into the firm’s broader push to comply with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Salary and perks are “probably a bit on the low side compared to similar-sized firms”, according to sources. Weightmans does offer a performance-based cash bonus scheme, but trainees are a bit miffed that nobody seems to have received anything this year. Perks run to discounts at various retailers, gyms, health assessments and mobile network providers, as well as the ever-popular monthly pizza lunches. But this doesn’t seem to bother rookies, who value their 28 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a packed social calendar (including a summer party at London’s Oxo Tower) and the camaraderie they’ve built with their peers above all else. As one trainee put it: “Law firms with perks tend to strike me as a bit gimmicky and usually using the perk to hide a more deep-seated problem, such as poor work/life balance.”

On the sustainability front, beyond the moves to greener offices in Birmingham and Glasgow, Weightmans’ eco-credentials include a roll-out of more sustainable laptops across all offices, a mostly paperless policy firm-wide and a dedicated ESG committee. Trainees also receive two CSR days a year to go and do things like litter picking or a charity hike.