Slaughter and May

In spite of its reputed profitability, Slaughters has been reluctant in recent years to keep up with its Magic Circle compatriots when it comes to lower level pay. Although the firm did eventually match pay hikes to bring trainee and NQ salaries in line with the rest of the Magic Circle, it was the last to do so. The firm has been increasingly building its pitch to new talent, not around salaries, but around being a nice working environment. Slaughters’ “Switch On/Off working model” allows associates to reduce their hours to a 0.8 or 0.9 full time equivalent for a corresponding cut in pay and holiday, and the firm’s 30-day holiday allowance is more generous than most in the City. This emphasis on work-life balance has certainly been felt at trainee level, as at least one rookie has been “very pleasantly surprised” by their working hours which they’ve claimed are “the best of the magic circle!” Others caveat this, adding that “obviously you are working in corporate law and expect long hours” and there is still some work to be done one weekend (as well as the odd “ungodly night” here and there). “I’ve only been asked to do work a handful of times on weekends and never while on holiday.”

Another spy gave us this run-down: “I feel my work/life balance is very good for a Magic Circle law firm. Inevitably there are busy periods involving many late nights. However, there are also quiet periods where there is no expectation for me to stay late if I have no work to be doing. I’ve worked very few weekends and that has generally been only for an hour or two over the entire weekend. Most associates and senior people are very good at protecting trainees’ weekends and holidays, and they definitely encourage you to make the team aware of any important evening commitments. All of my supervisors have also been happy for me to relocate home, go to the gym etc, and log back on after to finish any work (unless the work is extremely urgent).”

And it is clear that the work isn’t half bad either. As one sardonic recruit notes: “despite hating many of the things the firm does, I enjoy the work too much to consider leaving. I think the work I would do elsewhere would be significantly less stimulating.” This was a sentiment echoed by many trainees (loving the work – not hating the firm – to be specific) and even those in their first seat claim to have “opportunities to get stuck in to some of the most significant sophisticated work in the City” from the get-go. There is still “grunt work”, but Slaughters’ rookies add that, “even for more administrative tasks, the subject matter of the work is always interesting, and you are still able to learn a lot about the project by absorbing all of the information.” Trainees credit the firm’s decision to stand pat on its traditional multi-specialist approach, which makes the work “especially varied across departments.” You’ll also be happy to hear that “More capable trainees will be trusted with more advanced work.”

Another source gave this review on the day-to-day at Slaughters, “the work is interesting and varied, and the clients are too. One of the best things about the firm is that you often will not do the same type of deal twice, although this does make the work more challenging for junior lawyers than those at other firms who specialise in narrower practice areas. The learning curve is much steeper here,” boasts one LC spy. The clients are also first-rate: expect to be assisting listed blue-chips with their key strategic decisions and acting for household names in a huge range of sectors. “I work on a range of interesting matters (many of which are front page of the FT kind of stuff),” another newbie explains.

The Bunhill Row-based outfit also maintains its rep as a top-notch place for training which is described as “second to none”. Expect to cover “a wide variety of subject areas, from underlying financial knowledge to specific legal points” as well as “soft and business skills training” according to our insiders. Firmwide and department specific training is described as being “well-structured and managed, given by partners and associates who really know what they are talking about”, whilst the firm also reportedly “gets external experts to speak, including academics at the best universities in the country, clients and senior lawyers from other firms.” One trainee also adds: “Training is practical while being rooted in “law”. What that means is, you leave with a good understanding of the underlying law (which is essential) without losing sight of how it applies in practice. Too often training is overly practical – you leave with almost a to-list of points to raise / mark-up for, without an understanding of why they are relevant.”

On top of all this, recruits also report that further learning is constantly provided on-the-job. “You work alongside some of the brightest legal minds in the world so much of the training is by osmosis.” said one — even if some supervisors are said to be more keen to show you the ropes than others!

As you might expect, such praise for the firm’s training programme feeds into how rookies ranked their superiors, with most senior associates and partners rated as “very approachable”. Newbies tell us that “people make time when possible” and the firm’s lack of target hours is said to help with this, but this praise isn’t universal and one rookie reports that there is still the feeling that some partners are seen as a “totally different species of being”. That being said, most recruits feel that any aloofness from their higher-ups comes down more to them being busy rather than extraterrestrial and that “there’s a strong culture of asking questions and sounding ideas.” The consensus is that “seniors will always make time to take your questions / explain things to you and even if it’s a busy time, they’ll take the initiative to find you afterwards”.

At junior level, there is said to be “great camaraderie” and support. Slaughters trainee cohorts are known to be “very supportive” and the general impression is that the larger intake smooths any type of sharp elbow culture that might arise from training with some “naturally very competitive” people. “Peers will step up when you need, answer questions, and cover for you if you have a significant non-work commitment. My team didn’t let me miss my birthday!” added one grateful trainee. Another details: “I think one of the best things about the firm is the camaraderie in the trainee cohort. There is no sense of back-stabbing or competition (or this is limited to very few) in general people are very supportive, always want to help you out where they can. I think this is probably reinforced by having spent a year studying together on the SQE, making many of us good friends outside of work as well as colleagues.”

The social life amongst trainees, however, gets pretty mixed reviews, despite the generous number of socials hosted in the summer and it can be “a struggle to get anyone to the pub on a Thursday”, with another LC spy adding that “fellow trainees are not particularly sociable”. Failing thirsty Thursdays, trainees can expect Christmas parties and an annual black-tie dinner at the five-star Grosvenor, which is said to be “a real highlight”. Insiders rate that there are “all sorts of different activities on the go” without any pressure to attend if you have plans outside of work or (perhaps the more likely scenario) you are simply too busy in the office. For those looking for a bit more of a social scene we’re told that the work-hard play-hard stereotype is true of those across the corporate teams (at least compared to the quieter bunch in disputes).

Slaughters’ corner building office at 1 Bunhill Row has finally completed its long-awaited refurb and the digs have garnered some mixed reviews. “The coffee pods on each floor are nice and offices spacious – it’s fine but not outstanding,” says one LC sleuth, with another claiming that “no significant changes” have been made. And apart from fancy GH hair straighteners in the women’s bathrooms, it “does not have any remarkable features”. Though, the sensitive-nosed among you will be happy to hear that the famed lobby water feature has now gone, “so the lobby no longer smells of chlorine”. Trainees do appreciate the fact that the firm is the sole occupant of its office building and at least one sporty trainee rates the “good shower and locker facilities available” but it seems that the highly-anticipated office facelift has left some disappointed.

But by far the worst part of the renovation process according to trainees was the closure of the canteen, which is now back with a bang! One happy camper tells us “There is an array of food from around the globe which I enjoy sampling, as well as the weekly fish and chips which I find myself going back to.” Meals seem to average between £5 – 7 and breakfast seems to be the preferred meal of some with others rating the desert options highly – apparently the pastry chef is very capable! You are also guaranteed free dinner if working after 6pm and as part of its sustainability efforts, Slaughters has meat-free Mondays, of which (we are told) a large number of trainees are not the biggest fan, although they can “appreciate the climate goals which it is helping to reach”.

Slaughter and May offers trainees the opportunity to go on secondment to a range of international offices. Brussels and Berlin feature on the list this year, while past destinations have included hotspots such as Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Milan and Copenhagen, thanks to the firm’s ‘Best Friends’ network. Client secondments are also on the cards, with insiders enjoying spells at American Express, Legal & General, ITV, AI lab Google DeepMind.

Tech-wise, budding recruits might be interested to learn of Slaughters high-profile partnership with Cambridge University-tied artificial intelligence start-up Luminance. As part of this alliance, we’re told that rookies are invited to a range of legal tech discussions and presentations from an early stage in their training. It’s also worth noting that Slaughters has a legal tech incubator, called Collaborate. On the front-line, however, trainees are worried Slaughters’ slower investment in legal tech has seen them fall behind competitors in this field. And whilst Harvey has now finally been rolled out firm-wide, the tech offering seems to still be lacking, with one trainee adding that even the “internal document search systems are outdated”. However, as one recruit has a slightly more nuanced view: “I would say the firm’s approach to AI has been “deliberate”. It wasn’t the first to roll out any tools, and I don’t think it was trying to either. The focus was on seeing how exactly it could add value to the service being provided.”

Trainees are allowed to work from home once a week whilst associates are only required to be in the office three days out of five. The firm provides “any and all equipment” needed when WFH including a desk, chair, monitor, keyboard and mouse but you better not get too comfortable as Slaughters have recently begun monitoring office attendance using gate data. That being said, insiders told us that there’s still fairly reasonable flexibility for leaving the office earlier on and logging back on from home if needed.

Of more pressing importance to future recruits may be the perks, and Slaughters’ juniors enjoy a top range of benefits, including a subsidised gym membership for any gym in London, free dinner in the office after 6pm and taxis home after 9pm. If that wasn’t enough, how about the occasional free ticket to events now and again? Slaughter juniors are known to enjoy a smattering of away days including “Cheltenham Gold cup club enclosure tickets, Royal Academy opening night exhibition, box at the O2, and T20 cricket at the Oval”.

On the environmental front, insiders have noted the firm’s move towards renewable cups, mugs and cutlery, even if the “horrifying” amount of printing done in disputes is undoing half of this good work. On the client side, one of Slaughters’ latest pro bono projects has been advising the Institute of Grocery Distribution, alongside various charities, on a new venture called Alliance Food Sourcing, designed to tackle food waste and redistribute surplus food.