Shoosmiths

Training contracts are up for grabs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, with the firm recently downsizing its smaller hubs in Northampton and Milton Keynes to focus on these key cities.

Seat options are pretty varied, ranging from corporate to employment to real estate litigation, with the only requirement being that trainees must do at least one contentious and one non-contentious seat. However, those looking to get their teeth into some juicy personal injury work are advised to look elsewhere, as Shoosmiths has recently sold its 80-strong serious injury practice to PI specialist Fletchers. Regardless of your choice, trainees tell LC that a training contract with Shoosmiths means “good quality work and lots of responsibility from day one”, without ever being left feeling unsupported. Our sources tell us that the “training is good on the whole but often you have to be a self-starter to get the most out of it” with one adding: “The majority of training comes in the form of the actual work you do. Each task is usually explained clearly and most supervisors take the time to explain the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. There is some formal training, but this differs between teams. For example, our Corporate team has regular all-team sessions discussing new case law or clinics on certain aspects of the role; this is for all lawyers, not just trainees.”

Although the quality of the training is dependent on your supervisor and department, we’re told that: “those teams/supervisors who do take the time to train you properly are excellent and will sit down with you to explain the background of a case or deal and feedback on your work and how you can learn, and this is very valuable. Such colleagues also genuinely want the best for your career development and this is really motivating”. The firm is small enough to allow for one trainee per team whilst being “large and reputable enough that you receive high quality, complex work”.

The top-brass here are a combination of Shoosmiths loyalists and, increasingly, partners brought in from leading City law firms. But the firm has done a good job at maintaining a solid reputation for having some decent people at partner level: “This feels like something the firm is renowned for, and still is. It’s an open-plan office and everyone is very approachable” summarised one current recruit. Another had this to say on partner approachability: “So far, all of my superiors have been lovely and open to teaching. Of course there are appropriate times to approach a supervisor, and that isn’t while they’re knee deep into reviewing a 200 page document, and there does need to be consideration as to what is appropriate to approach a supervisor for (e.g., have I tried to find a solution myself first, or have I defaulted to asking my superior?), but over all they are very approachable. Knowing when to reach out is a skill I’m still fine-tuning.” Our spies tell us that they are “really happy to call anyone or meet people face-to-face” and have “no fear that someone will be unapproachable”.

And trainees had just as much praise for their cohort: “My peers are amazing –– we are happy to pull together at any moment. I can genuinely say that they are brilliant friends as well as colleagues!” Another insider also praises the firm’s effort to build lasting support amongst juniors, adding that “the firm has given us plenty of opportunities to get together and form a strong peer network.” Overall, it seems the firm is doing well at fostering a culture of inclusivity and openness.

Word has it that the quality of work is getting even better as the firm wins more high level corporate and real estate mandates. “I have been given the responsibility to liaise directly with senior management and even general counsel of large US organisations to advise,” one trainee tells us. “On other occasions, however, whilst you may be involved in something big and exciting, you may take a behind the scenes role.” Newbies can manage smaller cases and projects, however, and overall “have lots of opportunity to get involved in really interesting work”. Though that’s not to say that there aren’t some of the “very dry”, “mundane”, or “soul sucking” admin tasks that every trainee can expect. Another current recruit gave this review: “Trainees are heavily involved with real life work –– definitely no fetching a coffee or being asked to make 100 copies of a document. Although of course as a trainee you will be involved in some of the lower level work like trawling through emails to find information, I think that’s to be expected and is heavily outweighed by real work being completed.”

In terms of the quality of work, rookies can expect to come face-to-face with some big names like IKEA, Total, and McDonald’s, with car enthusiasts given the opportunity to advise Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Mercedes, the Peugeot Citroen group, and Volkswagen. Clients as varied as The National Trust, Ann Summers, and the United States Air Force also contribute to the kind of work that “you can really sink your teeth into” as a newbie.

The regions in particular stand out for the calibre of its work: “City class work in the regions. Top clients to work with and even better secondments –– I’ve spent time on secondment at Volkswagen Group”. Client secondments are a big draw of the Shoosmiths training experience, although they are becoming harder to secure, with less than a quarter of rookies getting one. For the lucky few, destinations include Mercedes-Benz UK, Hamleys and RBS, as well as Volkswagen. Recently, one trainee was even seconded to Tokyo, the firm’s first non-European international client secondment.

But as the high-quality work becomes more commonplace, the firm’s excellent reputation for a good work/life balance ebbs away. “The firm’s work/life balance is not totally what its reputation had once suggested. As the firm moves into a new phase of growth, working hours across many offices and departments are becoming much more closely aligned with City firms all whilst maintaining its substantial national presence,” one source tells us. “It’s definitely not the 9-5/9-6, it was once sold as,” another chips in. That said it’s not “a ‘Devil Wears Prada’ approach to work where you’re left on your own to work things out and expected to be available at all hours”, and trainees are keen to point out that the sway is very seat-dependent with real estate getting a better rep than corporate and commercial areas. That said, insiders tell us that even these busy areas “are not constant” and higher-ups are known to help you out if you are at capacity.
Another current recruit gave us the low-down on their experience: “Like most law firms, it definitely isn’t a traditional 9-5 and I would wager that a post-5:30 finish is far more frequent than a 5:30 finish. I haven’t had to work many weekends, and where I have it’s mainly my choice if I felt that I needed to in order to assist with capacity the following week or in the lead up to annual leave etc.”

There is still plenty of time to socialise, however. “After work drinks are quite common, and there is often something going on at lunchtimes or after work, such as book clubs or run clubs.” Another junior seems keen on the “weekly five a side games; monthly team socials; and bi-monthly office wide socials!”, although one grumbles about being “forcibly inducted into the social committee”.

Perks are ok, with nice touches like sweets and free coffee in the office and a day off on your birthday, alongside an “affordable” salary sacrifice scheme to secure an EV. An “above and beyond” scheme also encourages lawyers to reward their peers with vouchers for Amazon and John Lewis, whilst the standard dental/healthcare are also thrown in, as is the option to buy and sell holidays. For one rookie, however, the only thing that matters is “a bag of mini eggs and a fizzy drink on a Friday.” Whilst the pay rankles among some, Shoosmiths’ £67,000 regional newly qualified (NQ) rate is pretty standard for large non-London commercial firms. The London NQ salary is £105,000.

The offices win mixed reviews, although overall are a highlight. The crown jewel is the newly renovated Birmingham space which comes equipped with a dressing room, various meeting rooms, client suite and bar, standing desks, and breakout areas, whilst Manchester is said to be “in a good location”. London is described as being a “lovely” space with a “couple of terraces which is nice” but the amount of desks packed in has led some to compare it to a call centre. Amateur horticulturalists will also be pleased to hear that the digs are, amongst other things, “full of plants”.

We seem to have hit a nerve, however, when we asked about canteens. “There is no canteen.”, “doesn’t have”, “we don’t have a canteen in our office”, and “there’s no canteen”, were amongst the responses received, although some did praise the availability of fruit, soft drinks, and sweets. Whilst this may be the Shoosmiths Achilles heel, one junior did point out that, actually, “no-one is expecting us to be here for breakfast, lunch and dinner” anyway.

The IT and tech on offer is another area creating a buzz amongst new lawyers. Beyond the bonus-linked AI scheme, insiders were full of praise for Shoosmiths early up-take of new tech and AI schemes, adding that the tech team “are very quick to respond to any issues”. That being said, at least one rookie felt that “there is room for improvement on our actual tech” adding “trainees are lucky if they get an iPhone SE, otherwise you’ll get an android phone that barely turns on.” Erratic headphones are another bugbear but beyond this the firm could be doing a lot worse.

For those looking for some time away from the office, the WFH policy receives a good deal of praise from juniors. “Got everything I need” says one happy recruit, referencing the firm-supplied monitors, laptops, keyboards, mice, and new wireless kit. “All the equipment we need is provided to us before we start at the firm” a trainee adds, “and surveys are done to make sure if any needs changed that these are accounted for.” As for how often rookies are able to use their home setups, the overall policy is described as “very flexible”. Whilst “some teams are happy for you to be home two or three days”, an insider tells us that others mandate four or five days in the office.