Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Howard Kennedy LLP
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Howard Kennedy LLP
Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘The workplace culture and quality of work’, ‘the friendly and inclusive culture, breadth of practice areas and sectors’, ‘I was a paralegal at the firm for many years and felt like it was the right fit for me – the people are friendly, the work is interesting and the firm places value on ‘being yourself’, ‘access to well-rounded training and working directly with partners’, ‘culture, work/life balance, highly rated offerings in niche areas (media disputes, IP)’, ‘the training contract structure’
Best thing about the firm? ‘I certainly think the firm provides greater work/life balance than other firms. I have not felt ‘burnt out’ at all compared to what I hear about trainees at other firms’, ‘great people, the work/life balance is good, and there is free food most days’, ‘the people! There is no strict hierarchy; everyone is so approachable’, ‘the approachability at all levels’, ‘the people’, ‘the work/life balance and more opportunities for exposure’
Worst thing about the firm? ‘IT support is good – but because much of the software is grinding and outdated’, ‘the technology could improve’, ‘the only thing that springs to mind is the relatively low retention rate of trainees (unless you want to qualify into real estate)’, ‘the sudden realisation that you might not be kept on’, ‘the technology and IT’, ‘the lack of clarity around qualification’
Best moment? ‘There have been lots!’, ‘having the opportunity to attend court on multiple occasions in my last seat’, representing a client faced with a planning contravention notice for taking on a government contract to house asylum seekers in a hotel – a brilliant fusion of topical, political and creative legal thinking’, ‘working on an asset sale of an international hotel’, ‘attending interesting business development events’, ‘attending client meetings’
Worst moment? ‘An off-day on which I was not given much latitude’, ‘saying the wrong thing in a client meeting’, ‘replacing a paralegal’s work halfway through a transaction with strict deadlines’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Howard Kennedy LLP
Howard Kennedy is renowned for its strengths in real estate, retail, leisure and private wealth. The firm’s more niche specialisms in media disputes and IP enticed applicants, as did the ‘quality of the corporate work’ and the general ‘breadth of practice areas and sectors’. The London Bridge-based firm offers ‘amazing views over the Thames’, which ‘makes coming to work infinitely more enjoyable’. The culture at Howard Kennedy is ‘friendly and inclusive’; everyone is ‘so approachable’, and there’s certainly ‘no strict hierarchy’. Better still, the firm places a lot of ‘value on being yourself’. Technology is an area in which Howard Kennedy sometimes falls short: ‘the IT support is good, but this is because a lot of the software isn’t!’, said one respondent. The uncertainty around qualification was lamented, especially by trainees who really wanted to stay on at the firm but were still unsure at the time of the survey whether there would be a vacancy for them. Howard Kennedy ‘provides a greater work/life balance than other firms’ and recruits are glad that they ‘haven’t felt ‘burnt out’ at all compared with what we’ve heard about trainees at other firms’. The agile working policy is said to be ‘great’ too. The best thing is that this people-centric culture doesn’t come at the expense of ‘retaining amazing client exposure and quality of work’. Trainees are always given the opportunity to ‘add real value to ongoing matters’. For ‘well-rounded training’ in a friendly firm with an ‘abundance of highly-rated practice areas’, consider Howard Kennedy.
A day in the life of...
Georgia Learoyd, trainee, Howard Kennedy
Departments to date: Capital markets; Business crime
University: University of Law
Degree: 1st class LLB
Departments to date: Capital markets; Business crime
University: University of Law
Degree: 1st class LLB
6.30am: I had my morning coffee and hit the mat for an early Pilates class to start my day.
9.30am: Today was a little different than usual as rather than heading straight to the office, I attended a conference with counsel at Doughty Street Chambers in relation to an extradition case that I am working on.
11.30am: I headed back to the office with my supervisor and, after a quick Pret run, continued making some agreed amendments to a medical expert report to submit as part of our defence evidence.
12.30pm: After grabbing lunch, I went for a walk along the river before a busy afternoon.
1.30pm: I was tasked with reviewing a bundle of WhatsApp transcripts to assist us in making representations to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on a conduct investigation.
3.30pm: I attended a team meeting to run through our task list on a private prosecution matter and allocate workstreams, catching up with a few colleagues on the way back to my desk as I can’t help but stop off for a chat!
4.30pm: I called a client to update them on the progress of their case, before picking back up on drafting a witness statement to serve on the Court and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) later in the week.
6.00pm: I caught up on final emails of the day and updated my to-do list for tomorrow.
6.30pm: I headed downstairs as I had the pleasure of attending the Female Fraud Forum wine tasting event hosted at Howard Kennedy’s office – the perfect way to end the day!
About the firm
Managing partner: Craig Emden
Who we are: We are a London based, full-service law firm, specialising in providing straightforward advice to entrepreneurial businesses and individuals on domestic and international matters.
We have grown substantially in recent years, including two mergers and an office move. We’ve also matured in terms of our approach to providing advice to our clients, seeking to simplify and improve the experience of working with a modern, independent law firm.
We’re proud of our journey. Without losing sight of where we’ve come from, we are focused on where we’re going. We are evolving and growing every day. And just like our clients, we are ambitious and moving forward. Many of our clients are entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises who are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. We are one of the few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering alongside significant business law capability.
The firm also advises major corporates on particular specialist legal matters who find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.
What we’re looking for: We believe that the more diverse our people are, the more successful we’ll be as a business. This starts with our future lawyers – our trainees.
We know that there isn’t just one path into the law. This is why we consider applications from those with previous experience, both in and out of the legal world. We strive to hire people from a diversity of backgrounds based on merit and attitude.
We believe the potential to become an excellent lawyer is about much more than the school you attended or university you studied at. This is why throughout the process, from application form to assessment centre, you are encouraged to be yourself. Our assessment process is designed to allow you to highlight your strengths, while finding out more about what you can expect from a training contract with us.
In order to eliminate bias and allow for an objective recruitment process we use ‘blind screening’ for all applications. This means any personal information, such as your name and information relating to your schooling including which university you attended, is anonymised. At the video interview and assessment centre stages of the process the assessors receive no information about you or your application other than your name.
What you’ll do: At Howard Kennedy we simplify what others complicate, giving useful advice in language our clients understand. All our clients share something important – ambition. Whatever their aim we’re here to help them achieve it. We are organised around a number of industry sectors and legal specialisms, with particular strengths in real estate, retail and leisure, and private wealth.
Our clients are typically growing entrepreneurial businesses, and often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. We also advise major corporates who find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms. Much of our work has an international component and we work alongside a network of international firms to enable a strong international offering. This breadth of expertise means that the work you will be involved in as a trainee is wide-ranging, engaging and provides lots of variety.
No two days are the same and there is the opportunity to have client contact from the start. As well as being driven to deliver the very best client experience, you’ll also need to be someone who lives our values. We want you to help us shape our future.
We offer four seats, each six months long, in different departments. We try to match individuals’ interests to the seats that they complete, while knowing from experience that a variety of opportunities makes for an interesting training contract and a well-rounded lawyer.
We offer a range of different support and development opportunities during the two years, including providing a junior and senior mentor, legal training sessions, and skills development sessions such as networking and giving presentations.
You’ll be encouraged to be yourself. We know that people perform better if they feel welcomed, included and valued. Coupled with a supportive culture, we’ll help you grow through development and skills building so you can become the lawyer you want to be.
You’ll also have access to interesting work, impressive clients, the opportunity to work directly and collaboratively with people at all levels, and you’ll play an active part in the social impact committees from charity and pro bono, to sport and social.
Perks: Competitive salary; 25 days’ annual holiday; permanent health insurance; life assurance; interest-free season ticket loan; private healthcare; pension scheme; staff introductory scheme; employee assistance programme.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship of SQE exams and prep courses in addition to a £10,000 maintenance grant.