Legal Cheek Careers speaks with Reed Smith’s early careers adviser Nikiesha Alanya on what makes the firm’s approach unique
Early careers development advisor Nikiesha Alanya oversees “the full life cycle of trainees”, from post-offer onboarding through to qualification. She sums up Reed Smith’s approach to training in three words: “We really listen.” The programme supports trainees at every stage of their career — from pre-trainee internships that demystify how law firms work, through to carefully planned seat rotations and mentoring as a trainee, to career guidance that carries them into qualification and beyond.
“What in particular makes the training and development stand out at Reed Smith is the encouragement and emphasis on listening to trainees, gathering feedback, and actioning that,” she says. The aim is to give trainees “a platform to flourish and for us to help shape their experience in the best way we can”. The goal is simple: to give trainees the best training programme possible.
The support on offer is multi-layered. Every trainee has a supervisor — an associate, counsel or partner — who manages their day-to-day work and oversees their feedback and development as they progress towards associate. In each practice group there are also trainee mentoring representatives, who help newcomers integrate into their teams and navigate the move between seats. “When the trainees start in their first seat, they are all assigned a buddy” — that buddy is a more experienced trainee with similar interests and background. For instance, a future trainee keen on a particular practice area might be matched with someone who has already sat there, and career changers may be paired with another career changer. The system helps trainees settle into new seats throughout their training contract and gives them an ear to talk to with a lawyer who has already been through the process.
Trainee development is also supported by a mixture of more formal appraisals and the opportunity to receive feedback ad hoc, thanks to the firm’s open-door culture. There are mid-seat and end-of-seat appraisals, plus bi-annual career development chats looking at long-term plans and upcoming rotations, but trainees are encouraged to seek help whenever they need it. “If they need me, they can come down to my desk or pop me an email,” she says. Each cohort elects a trainee representative who gathers feedback and brings it to quarterly meetings with the training development team so that themes can be discussed, explained or, where necessary, re-worked.
The sense of community extends beyond the trainee cohort. “We have various networks within the firm, including the multicultural network, a Muslim inclusion network, and an LGBTQ+ network, to name but a few” Everyone is encouraged to get involved and support the networks to create a more inclusive and open firm. “It is important as individuals and as a part of the firm that we all go there to support, but also to learn a lot more about the people that you are working with and your clients.”
One of the unique aspects of Reed Smith’s training is the ‘professional SQE programme’, through which future trainees spend time in business services teams at the firm (such as early careers, learning and development, business development or events) alongside their SQE studies. The benefit for future trainees is early integration, building confidence and making connections at the firm before embarking on the two-year trainee programme. It also lets them see what current trainees are doing and start to think about what seat rotations they might want.
There is a tailored induction when they commence their training contracts, covering the different systems used, firm culture and core skills — everything “they would need to know as a trainee” to hit the ground running as they start their first seat. They are also trained on Harvey, the firm’s AI tool, as part of their induction, with a focus on using it “effectively and responsibly” in day-to-day work.
Another distinctive feature of Reed Smith’s training programme is its “seat fair”, where representatives from each group set out their work and answer questions ahead of seat allocation. “I have regular discussions with trainees about where their interests lie,” Alanya says. When preference forms land, she works with the training principal, training partners and the wider team “to try to align trainees’ preferences with the business needs”. There are some non-negotiables: every trainee must complete at least one finance seat and one litigation seat, and these requirements help shape what is possible. “We obviously want to give trainees as much of their preferences as we can, but we have to balance it,” she says. “We cannot have trainees continuously getting seats that they are interested in if it means some other trainees miss out.” We hear an increasingly popular option is one of the firm’s newer offerings: an emerging technology seat.
Asked what makes a successful trainee at the firm, Alanya stresses openness and engagement. “Be open to any form of work that comes your way. You are only a trainee once. Even if you are getting lots of admin, that is the opportunity for you to develop that element of trust with the seniors” Do the small things well and you’re more likely to be entrusted with bigger, more complex work in future.
The second theme is visibility. Trainees should not only produce strong work for their supervisors, but also embed themselves in the wider firm. “If there are any events that you can attend, attend those — network, network, and network,” she urges. When qualification decisions come around, “it is not just your supervisor’s decisions” that matter; it helps if people across the office know who you are, what you have contributed and what you can bring to the team.
For those still at the application stage, Alanya has one big “do” and one big “don’t”. The “do” is to “be intentional”. That means taking time to understand your own interests and how they align with Reed Smith’s sectors and culture, then making sure your answers are genuinely tailored. “If you are using examples of any cases that we have worked on or any awards that we have won, make sure that it relates to your interest, but also to the question that is being asked,” she says. “When you are writing each sentence in your application, think about why you are putting it in there… is it just a filler?”
The don’t is simple: avoid copy-and-paste applications. “I always say this: if you copy and paste your application, you might be copy and pasting mistakes in your application,” she warns. For those who are genuinely interested, her message is clear: “stay open, get involved and take advantage of every opportunity that comes to you. After all, you’re only a trainee once”.
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