Cripps LLP

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Cripps LLP

A stone’s throw from London, Tunbridge Wells-headquartered Cripps’ ‘people-centred culture’ was evident ‘from the moment I interviewed’, said one respondent. Commercial property, family and private wealth are some of the firm’s strengths, and trainees are ‘well supported in our training contracts’. The firm is ‘large enough that we receive certain benefits, but small enough that you can make a good impression as a trainee’, especially because ‘direct contact with and supervision from partners’ is a given at Cripps. Generally, the training is ‘good’, and trainees don’t just complete administrative tasks, rather they ‘do a lot of work that truly adds value to a case, and get to do associate-level drafting on a daily basis’. ‘Trainees are trusted to liaise with clients, and sometimes even lead on matters’. ‘It’s great to have that level of responsibility and trust’ said one respondent. Formal training is plentiful too; trainees get ‘refreshers of basic knowledge during the first two weeks of a new seat, as well as more in-depth training as you get deeper into the seat’. Recruits feel that ‘the salary could be more competitive’ compared with other firms, especially given that they still go through periods of ‘working late nights’. Also disappointing is that ‘social activities are not what they used to be, or sometimes don’t happen at all because of budgetary concerns’. But at least the work/life balance is ‘excellent’. As one respondent elaborated: ‘the firm respects that people thrive when they are not overworked’. To ‘work on exciting and diverse projects and learn from experts in their respective fields in an ambitious law firm’, consider Cripps.

A day in the life of... Ben Cooper, trainee, Cripps

Departments to date: Commercial dispute resolutions; Corporate transactional

University: University of Sussex

Degree: Product Design BA, Law MA

8.30am: I get to the office around 8.30am and grab a flat white from the coffee machine in the kitchen. I log in and check my emails to see if anything urgent has come in overnight. I always end my day with a to-do list for the following day, so I know exactly where to start in the morning – I find it’s a good way of making sure your mornings are as productive as possible.

9.00am: Today is completion day on an investment transaction I have been working on for the past couple of months. I call my supervisor to run through the status of the documents and to check whether there are any other priorities. We agree a rough game plan for the day and then it’s time to get stuck in.

9.15am: We’ve received documents from the solicitors acting on the other side of the investment. My task is to review these for amendments to drafting, referencing, definitions and general typos and grammar checks. There are several documents, some quite long, so I prefer to listen to calm music while I do this to fully focus on the drafting. Once I’ve finished, I send these over to my supervisor with a brief note explaining any errors or amendments I have made or any points to review.

11.30am: An all-parties call is held which includes my supervisor, the partner working on the transaction, our clients, the solicitors on the other side and their clients, to discuss any changes to the documents and general progress on the matter. A completion time of 5pm is set.

12.30pm: Time for a break and I head into Horsham town centre to grab some lunch – today is Thursday which means market day and that means a chow mein and a duck spring roll from the pop-up Vietnamese food stall. Other days if it’s sunny, I will go to the park with other trainees, paralegals and apprentices and eat lunch in the sun.

1.00pm: On my way back to my desk I grab a brownie from the kitchen – there is always something going on at the office, whether it be a bake sale, sweepstake, team social or trainee social. Since today is completion, I don’t take my full lunch as I need to draft two contribution agreements for our clients for agreement prior to completion and I am eager to get these out.

2.00pm: The agreements are sent to my supervisor for review before they are sent out to the clients for agreement. In the meantime, I liaise with the other side’s solicitors to agree the form of some ancillary documents sent over. I file these on the file management system; it’s important that the file is well organised and kept up-to-date so the associates and partners working on the matter can find the correct document quickly.

2.30pm: I join a training session with the talent development team as part of the ‘Corporate Training Programme’. This helps with learning the fundamental skills you need as a corporate lawyer.

3.30pm: The contribution agreements have been agreed so I check in with my supervisor. We have had a query on an IP assignment related to the transaction from a third party and I’m instructed by my supervisor to contact our commercial team to put together a response. It’s great working in a firm which offers so many sectors of law for reasons just like this; I can quickly get an answer and settle the query.

4.30pm: Since all the documents are agreed, I prepare the online DocuSign pack for signature.

5.30pm: Signed documents have come back from the DocuSign packs; I review these signatures and confirm with my supervisor these are all okay. We send them to the other side for checking while we receive their signed documents. Once everyone is happy, I send a Teams invite out to all the parties for a completion call.

6.00pm: I attend the completion call with all parties to confirm the completion of the transaction, albeit later than we intended, a fulfilling moment when all the hard work pays off! This is followed by a team call to say thank you to everyone on the team for their help on the matter.

6.30pm: Before signing off for the day, I close my time recordings and update my to-do list for the following day. I then head off to the pub over the road with some of my team for a celebratory drink, ready to tackle all the post-completion matters tomorrow…

About the firm

The firm: Cripps is one of the country’s leading legal practices serving corporate, real estate and private clients. Headquartered in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with offices in London and Horsham, the firm offers a dedicated, integrated team of more than 500 people to deliver exceptional service to its clients. The firm builds, equips and continuously strengthens its teams, investing in the best talent and technology to deliver this service. Cripps’ purpose is to ‘be the difference’, harnessing the collective energy, empathy and expertise of its people to make a positive and long-lasting impact on people’s lives and business.

The clients: Wates Group, South East Water, Kadans Science Partner, Cadogan, M&G, Kennedy Wilson, Federated Hermes, Getlink SE, Accor Hotels, Eurotunnel, Park Holidays, Thortful, Close Brothers, HSBC, Santander.

The deals: The team’s recent achievements involve advising on the development of a major new garden village suburb for Tring incorporating 1,400 residential dwellings and a new residential-led mixed-use development providing 1,500 homes through the allocation of the site in the former Ford Airfield, acting in connection with Kennedy Wilson’s $230m acquisition and funding of portfolio of 20 UK urban logistics assets, and dealing with all the letting, asset management, construction and planning work at centre:mk shopping centre in Milton Keynes, advising Federated Hermes. Our team played a key role in advising Getlink SE, the parent company of Eurotunnel, on its acquisition of ChannelPorts Limited, one of the leading British customs intermediaries with a revenue of around £10m – including its digital platform CustomsPro. This pivotal acquisition is key to simplifying post-Brexit cross-channel trade and will make border crossings easier for transport and logistics customers. We also advised long-standing client Holiday Extras on their acquisition of Future Generation Services (FGS), a company transforming airport efficiency with cutting-edge, queue-busting kiosks and key lockers that make travel seamless. Finally, we supported Manutan, a powerhouse in the education sector operating in 17 European countries with nearly €1bn in turnover, in their strategic acquisition of Findel, the UK’s market leader in educational resources.

Senior partner: Mike Scott

Managing partner: James Beatton

Other offices: London and Horsham.

Who we are: At Cripps, we are lawyers for business and life. Solving problems, championing ambitions to make a positive and lasting difference.

As a purpose-driven firm, we’re committed to doing things the right way to make a lasting difference for our clients, people, communities and planet. We are B Corp™ certified and part of a global community of businesses aligning profit and purpose to create a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

What we do: We provide a fully integrated offering for HNW individuals and families, national and international privately owned businesses, non-profit organisations and institutional investors. We have one of the UK’s largest private client teams helping individuals and families to maximise their assets, making their lives easier by taking the burden out of managing their personal affairs. Our multi-award-winning corporate team supports many of the UK’s most exciting businesses from innovative start-ups to global brands, fulfilling all the legal service needs a business has during its life cycle. We have one of the largest commercial real estate teams in the UK covering every aspect of the property life cycle, working with private and institutional owners/investors, developers, lenders, private equity, landed estates and major occupiers.

What we’re looking for: Those who share our sense of purpose to help others, have a genuine interest in our firm, relevant work experience, and good commercial and business awareness.

What you’ll do: We offer a comprehensive induction programme and ongoing training throughout the two-year contract. Support is provided regularly through structured reviews and on-the-job coaching. Our professional support lawyers provide first-class technical training. Our trainees also join our Future Lawyers Programme, which provides all the soft skills and legal tech knowledge needed to be a well rounded and successful lawyer. We offer a four-seat training contract providing genuine hands-on experience. Levels of responsibility are high, with many trainees managing their own files under supervision.

Perks: Benefits include 25 days’ holiday, pension scheme and season ticket loans. You will also receive an uplift in salary while undertaking a London-based seat as well as the associated travel costs between our Kent, Sussex and London offices.

Sponsorship

Cripps will pay 100% of your course costs if you study BPP’s SQE preparation courses (including the Essentials for Practice course). We will also pay the SRA candidate fee for one attempt at SQE1 and SQE2. Where needed we will also pay 100% of the course costs of BPP’s Law Foundations Course (PGDL).

Seat options

Residential conveyancing; commercial real estate; commercial; corporate transactions; banking; commercial dispute resolution; property dispute resolution; employment; specialist dispute resolution; and family.

Diversity and inclusion