Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Morrison Foerster

The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Morrison Foerster

Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘Its focus on clients working in the technology and life sciences industry’, ‘the small trainee intake and the good salary’, ‘quality of work, and money’, ‘the small trainee cohort, and the focus on pro bono work’, ‘I was intrigued by its experience in the tech space and I appreciated the small trainee intake’, ‘the staff I met on the vacation scheme’, the type of clients’, ‘the lean teams and the friendly culture’, ‘the commitment to diversity and inclusion’

Best thing about the firm? ‘The financial remuneration’, ‘very nice people, inclusive environment, good pro bono initiatives, decent pay’, ‘the culture and lack of hierarchy, as well as the focus on pro bono’, ‘the exposure to high-profile work’, ‘MoFo trainees get to work on very exciting matters with a range of interesting clients’, ‘approachability: people of all levels are highly approachable and willing to give you their time’, ‘pro bono opportunities and the friendly people and atmosphere in the London office’

Worst thing about the firm? ‘Trainees can often be pulled into matters when sitting in other departments, which can be frustrating at times’, ‘it can be long hours, and there isn’t necessarily lots of client work in some departments due to high fees’, ‘the hours’, ‘the lack of speed and transparency in some training contract decisions (e.g. seat rotation, qualification options etc)’, ‘the work/life balance can be very hard to maintain in certain seats’

Best moment? ‘Closing several corporate deals. Attending court for pro bono. Client secondment. Office-wide trip to Dubrovnik’, ‘successful hearing in a pro bono case which as a trainee I got to take the lead on’, ‘speaking directly with clients, including pro bono clients, and clients expressing their gratitude directly to me’, ‘client contact’, ‘regularly being given a great deal of responsibility on important deals/matters and being able to work one-on-one with partners’

Worst moment? ‘Getting less interesting litigation experience than my friends at other firms – mostly document review on a current high-profile case – but no tangible experience from this’, ‘certain periods where work/life balance has seriously deteriorated’, ‘having to pull an all-nighter’, ‘probably the first mistake I made. I was so hard on myself. Over time, I learnt to be more vigilant and careful with tasks’, ‘working very late to meet a tight deadline’

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Morrison Foerster

MoFo has ‘many exciting tech clients’, is ‘very strong in both corporate and litigation (which is rather unique for a US-headquartered law firm)’, and puts ‘an emphasis on diversity and inclusion’. This covetable combination goes some way in explaining why trainees consider the firm a ‘secret gem’. The people at MoFo are friendly, ‘partners and senior lawyers are not intimidating’ and even ‘regularly meet one-on-one with trainees because they are invested in our development’. Training is made up of a nice balance of ‘on the job’ – trainees are sometimes the only one in their department’ – and ‘dedicated inductions at the beginning of the training contract’. Recruits feel as though they have ‘more opportunities to lead on matters’ and find the training ‘more bespoke than at other firms’. The pay is ‘very good’ too. ‘Depending on the team, the hours can be very long’, with one respondent finding ‘working until the very early hours of the morning only to have to come in and work late again the next day’ particularly challenging. But ‘people are generally very good at checking in and making sure this doesn’t happen repeatedly’. Another annoyance is that ‘a lot of the teams which offer seats to trainees don’t regularly have qualification spots available’. Best moments include ‘being the trainee lead on a $1.05 billion dollar investment during my corporate seat’ and ‘attending court on a high-profile pro bono matter that made headlines’.  For a collegiate firm with a ‘tech focus, international strength, a small intake, lots of responsibility and impressive pro bono opportunities’, consider MoFo.

A day in the life of... Angela Utubor, trainee, Morrison Foerster

Departments to date: Capital markets; Tax; Litigation

University: University of Warwick University of Law

Degree: Law LLB

8.15am: This morning, I went to the gym for a workout and had a breakfast of porridge, berries and nuts. I like to start my days like this often as it sets me up and puts me in the right headspace. I listen to one of my favourite podcasts, currently Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett, on the London Underground during my commute and exit at Liverpool Street Station.

9.15am: Today is one of our core days, which means the team is in the office together. I arrive in our office, within The Scalpel building, pour myself a glass of sparkling water and grab a variety of fruit from the kitchen. My colleagues in the litigation team are also arriving around now so I say hello and catch up before heading to my desk.

9.30am: At my desk, I catch up on new emails to ensure I am updated on the progression of matters and respond to some emails. I review my to-do list, which I prepared the evening before, update with new tasks I have been assigned this morning and decide what tasks will be prioritised for the day. I then time block these on my Outlook calendar, which I have found helpful for my time management.

9.45am: I catch up with my supervisor once he arrives and settles in. At MoFo, trainees share an office with their supervisor, which I have found helpful for my development. I also inform him about the tasks and matters that I am working on for the day.

10.00am: I join a team call on one of the matters I am working on, which involves advising a core participant in an ongoing inquiry. On the call, we work through the agenda and update the team on how the matter is progressing. I share my progress and highlight new points I have come across that are noteworthy for the matter. These calls keep me updated on the different workstreams available, which allows me to jump in and assist associates with matters when I have capacity. This has enabled me to be proactive and take ownership of my work as a trainee.

10.30am: I begin one of the tasks discussed on the call, which is completing a review for our client’s closing submissions. This requires me to read through several documents and select the points I believe will support our strongest arguments. A few questions arise while I am completing the task, so I reach out to one of the associates I am working with to clarify these points. I also share a high-level overview of important points that I believe should be flagged to assist with strategy going forward.

11.30am: Yesterday, I was briefed on a separate matter where I am the only trainee working with one partner and one associate. I now start to draft a letter on behalf of our client to an institution. I enjoy drafting letters as it allows me to be creative while also keeping the brief in mind. It has also been beneficial to my development to work with senior lawyers.

12.30pm: I walk up to our client floor for our ‘Commercial Litigation Masterclass’ training session. Like our working offices, our client floor also has great skyline views of the Gherkin, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Walkie Talkie building and more. Lunch is provided during training sessions; today’s selection is a delicious Lebanese spread. The training session is on interlocutory hearings and trial preparation, led by two associates and one partner, with the aim of developing our technical knowledge and understanding on this subject.

1.30pm: The training has ended and it’s a sunny afternoon, so I decide to make the most of it by going for a brisk walk to Tower Bridge with a few of the other trainees. Our office is in a prime location, with Tower Bridge being only a 5 to 10-minute walk.

2.00pm: I pour myself another glass of sparkling water and return to my desk in time for a scheduled call with one of our pro bono clients. This call aimed to build rapport with the client and gain a better understanding of the client’s circumstances. Prior to this, I had already read information in the over 300-page bundle and had prepared questions and points I intended to clarify in advance of the call. The call begins and I lead the conversation with the client. The call lasts 30 minutes and I then have a 15-minute debrief with the of counsel I am working with. We discuss next steps to progress this case going forwards and I receive feedback on how I led the call.

2.45pm: My team have received an email that a new witness statement has been made available and it is 97 pages long. I offer to summarise the document and prepare a high-level overview of key points to note for our client, and my help is gladly accepted.

5.00pm: I catch up on news articles related to litigation and one of the matters I am working on. I notice an interesting development in the arbitration space and have a discussion with my supervisor on the implications. I suggest preparing a note on this topic to be shared with our clients.

5.30pm: For a separate matter, I proofread and finalise a bundle index I prepared yesterday. It includes a brief description of each of the documents included in the bundle. I prepare the bundle spine and cover page and arrange for this to be printed for the associates and partner in the team. This is in preparation for a meeting that I will be attending next week.

6.00pm: I attend an online webinar regarding white-collar crime and fraud in the UK. I dial in and take call notes. I then produce an executive summary of the notes and forward both the call notes and the summary onto the associate and of counsel in our team.

6.45pm: I check in with my team to see if there is anything else I can assist with, and I am told to enjoy my evening. So I tidy up my to-do list for tomorrow and close down for the day. I head out to a trainee social this evening, where we play games at Electric Shuffle and socialise over food and drinks.

About the firm

The firm: Morrison Foerster is a leading global firm with over 1,000 lawyers in key technology and finance centres in the US, Europe and Asia. In Europe, the firm has a team of elite lawyers in its strategic hubs of London, Berlin and Brussels.

The clients: SoftBank Group Corp.; Ares Management; Tate & Lyle PLC; Cambridge Quantum; BlackRock; Patron Capital Partners; MARK; Starwood Capital; Wirex

The deals: Continuing to represent Fujitsu Services Limited (FSL) in relation to all aspects of an extremely high-profile and significant matter concerning the Horizon IT System provided by FSL to the UK Post Office from 1999 to date; advising Arm Holdings plc (Arm) in connection with its IPO on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, with a total deal value of approximately $5.22bn, the largest US-based IPO to date in 2023; advising Alpargatas, the owner of the world famous Havaianas flip-flop brand, in relation to UK IP matters; advising eBay, one of the world’s largest e-commerce marketplaces, in relation to the corporate, tax and data privacy elements of its acquisition of KnownOrigin, a leading non-fungible token marketplace; advising Betty Buzz, a premium non-alcoholic mixer brand owned by the actress Blake Lively, on strategic trade mark advice in respect of their global IP portfolio; advised Tate & Lyle PLC, a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, in connection with its acquisition of Quantum Hi-Tech (Guangdong) Biological Co., Ltd, a leading prebiotic dietary fibre business in China, from ChemPartner PharmaTech Co., Ltd; advising SoftBank Group Corp., on its $1.05bn investment in UK-based autonomous driving unicorn Wayve, the largest ever investment in a UK AI company; acting for Wirex, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency platforms, in a long-running dispute against Cryptocarbon Global Ltd, its director and related group companies, in respect of their unauthorised use of Wirex’s registered trade mark, CRYPTOBACK; acting in Commercial Court proceedings for Al Othman, a prominent family-owned investment company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which manages a diverse portfolio of leading brands, employing 5,000 employees and operating in 27 jurisdictions; advised Starwood Capital Europe Advisers LLP, a private investment firm with a core focus on global real estate and renewable energy infrastructure, on its investment in Concrete VC I LP, a proptech-focused venture capital fund launched by investment platform Concrete Ventures; advised Imerys, the French-listed world leader in mineral-based speciality solutions, on its joint venture with British Lithium to accelerate development of the UK’s largest lithium deposit – Imerys acquired an 80% stake in the joint venture, with British Lithium holding the remaining 20% stake (the joint venture will result in the UK’s first integrated producer of battery-grade lithium carbonate, with production targets that could supply 500,000 electric cars per year and fulfil two-thirds of Britain’s anticipated battery demand by 2030); advising SoftBank Group Corp. on its acquisition of Graphcore, a UK-based semiconductor and microprocessor developer that develops processors specifically designed for AI and machine learning applications; advising DCC plc, a leading international sales, marketing and support services group and constituent of the FTSE 100, on its private placement of fixed and floating rate senior notes equivalent to $725m; advised on a US$300m financing round by existing investors in Quantinuum, which is the combined business of Honeywell Quantum and Cambridge Quantum, and the world’s leading integrated quantum computing company (Morrison Foerster also advised on the original combination of Honeywell Quantum and Cambridge Quantum in 2021); represented Yara International ASA, a global leader in the production, distribution and sale of nitrogen-based fertilisers and related industrial products, in connection with its successful debut green bond offering of US$600m 7.378% Green Notes due in 2032; successfully advising one of the holding companies in the Louwman Group on a claim brought by claimant Maranello Rosso, which was seeking approximately £70m in damages; advising Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of Orchard Therapeutics plc (Orchard), a global gene therapy leader listed on NASDAQ.

London co-managing partners: Andrew Boyd and Annabel Gillham

Other offices: Austin, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Denver, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Washington DC.

Who we are: Morrison Foerster (MoFo) is a leading global firm, with over 1,000 lawyers in key technology and finance centres in the US, Europe and Asia. In Europe we have a team of elite lawyers in our strategic hubs of London, Berlin and Brussels. We work alongside our colleagues in the US and Asia, drawing on cultural, jurisdictional and market knowledge to deliver the best advice and client service.

Dynamic technology and life sciences companies, some of the largest financial investors and financial institutions, leading consumer product companies, and other market leaders come to MoFo for our expertise, knowledge, advice and individually tailored client service. We handle some of the world’s largest cross-border transactions and resolve some of the biggest disputes across multiple jurisdictions.

Our firm was built on, and continues to succeed, because of the talent of our lawyers and their innovative approach in the practice of law. We practise in a collegial environment where we value teamwork, diverse perspectives and employee wellbeing. As our nickname MoFo suggests, we take our work seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

What we do: Capital markets, competition/antitrust and national security, corporate/M&A, data privacy, employment, financial transactions, intellectual property, investigations, disputes, arbitration, real estate finance, outsourcing, tax and technology transactions.

What we’re looking for: MoFo realises that delivering results for our clients requires the best legal talent. We have long thought that our greatest asset is the last person hired.

We are looking for talented, ambitious individuals who value collaboration, teamwork and commitment to excellence, and display a genuine enthusiasm for a career in law and interest in our core London practices. At MoFo, we couldn’t write our own success story without yours. We collaborate as one firm, across borders, practice areas and business functions, and value fresh ideas and innovation over conformity and competition.

What you’ll do: Our approach at Morrison Foerster enables trainees to start strong in their legal careers, with an induction that is carefully crafted to enhance professional and practical skills developed during formal education. This equips trainees with the essential tools to meet the needs of our colleagues across the firm and clients.

Trainees have access to a variety of mentors and a network of support and resources to guide them through new experiences and the ongoing learning and development opportunities required to underpin their legal skills.

This varies from initial core trainee orientation sessions, regular training via our regional and global attorney learning and development offering, practice group sessions, relevant industry associations, significant daily responsibility and autonomy, and contributions to our culture and future of the firm. This combined approach stretches trainees to develop their core skills and behaviours and understand the business of law to deliver exceptional client service on complex global matters.

The training period consists of four six-month seats, with the potential to complete overseas secondments in our offices or with our clients. Seat options are subject to business and client needs.

During your training, you’ll have the opportunity to work in at least three distinct areas of law and typically spend six months in four different departments. Corporate M&A and litigation and dispute resolution are two of our core areas of practice in London, but there’s also a wide range of specialised practice areas to get involved in across transactional and contentious work, such as finance and banking, capital markets, antitrust/competition, data privacy, employment, intellectual property, private equity real estate, real estate finance, tax and technology transactions. Trainees have numerous opportunities to work with colleagues across the firm on both matters and pro bono projects.

Partners, associates and business professionals at the firm are committed to supporting trainees to succeed, so you will receive plenty of formal and informal support, including a trainee buddy (a second-year trainee), trainee supervisor (for each of the four seats) and trainee liaison. Your liaison will be an associate who will act as your mentor throughout your training, helping you to identify strengths, areas for development and stretch opportunities, and offering personalised career insights.

There is an active mentoring programme, a formal evaluation and feedback process every quarter and career development workshops tailored to individual needs and interests. Trainees also have access to our health and wellbeing resources, such as free subscriptions to the Calm app, the Walking on Earth (WONE) app and Talkspace, subsidised gym membership, lifestyle coaching, and a wealth of online information on our portal. In addition to the above, the attorney talent and graduate and trainee leadership team is a constant source of guidance and stewardship.

Perks: 25 days’ holiday; pension; private medical insurance; dental plan; group life assurance; group income protection; employee assistance programme; free Calm app subscription; WONE app subscription; Talkspace access; WorkLife Central access; subsidised gym membership; back-up dependants care; season ticket loan; cycle scheme; lifestyle coaching.

Sponsorship

Morrison Foerster is partnered with the University of Law to deliver the SQE preparation programmes.

We will sponsor future MoFo trainees who are completing non-law subjects through the PgDL with the University of Law and offer the SQE+ programme (in addition to SQE 1 and 2 preparation programmes) for all future MoFo trainees completing the SQE route.

Intentionally chosen for the breadth and depth of teaching expertise, understanding of our key practice areas and wider industry and sector developments, the collaboration ensures that all future trainees have the essential knowledge and commercial awareness for the next steps of their legal career with the firm and provides our future trainees with a well-rounded introduction to the practice and business of law. For future trainees being sponsored through the PgDL or SQE by MoFo, full course and exam fees will be covered by the firm, in addition to a £15,000 maintenance grant for the PgDL and £17,000 maintenance grant for the SQE to assist with living costs during study.

Seat options

Corporate M&A, litigation and dispute resolution, finance and banking, capital markets, competition and national security, data privacy, employment, intellectual property, real estate, tax and technology transactions.

Tips from the recruiter

  1. Showcase relevant experience: Highlight experiences and transferable skills in your application materials that align directly with our vacation scheme and trainee programme.
  2. Reflect firm values: Research MoFo’s core values and incorporate them into your application to show you’re a great addition.
  3. Demonstrate firm knowledge: Understand MoFo London’s key practice areas, notable cases and recent news to effectively convey why you want to join and how you can contribute.

Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing

Morrison Foerster is a place where you can be your personal and professional best; belonging and inclusion is in our DNA. It’s at the heart of everything we do, a core value of our culture and our ethos. We are an international firm with a global diversity and inclusion strategy that is tailored to regional and local needs, while maintaining a one-firm approach, reflective of our people and the communities we serve.

Diversity in action: For over 40 years, MoFo has been committed to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment where everyone’s contributions are valued. It is essential to who we are as a firm. By each bringing our diverse experiences to work, we strengthen the quality of the service that we provide to our clients, the legal profession and our communities.

We’ve been a long-time champion for diversity within the legal profession and take pride in our diverse workplace. We believe that lawyers with different backgrounds, interests and experiences work together to create better solutions and offer innovative perspectives for our clients. We continuously work to attract, develop and retain talented lawyers from all backgrounds.

Our London attorneys Trevor James and Charlotte Walker-Osbourn (partners) are co-chairs on the European firmwide Diversity Strategy Committee, reporting to the firmwide Diversity Strategy Committee, founded in 2003. The primary mission of the committee is to recommend major diversity goals and objectives to our board of directors. We also have a number of active London affinity groups that collaborate with regional and global colleagues to deliver initiatives that are important to us.

London Diversity Initiatives

Globally, MoFo has over 35 affinity groups that provide support networks and programming for various employee groups. In the London office specifically, we have affinity groups for members and allies of LGBTQ+, for women, and MoFo Together, which focuses on raising awareness and addressing some of the barriers facing underrepresented communities in the legal profession and beyond. Our senior women lawyers in London also play a role in the firm’s global women’s strategy committee, which works closely with firm leadership, including the firm’s chair, firmwide managing partners and board of directors, to ensure that the advancement of women is a constant strategic priority.

  • MoFo Together

MoFo Together aims to address the barriers facing underrepresented communities (including ethnic minorities) by raising awareness and providing dedicated support to help every individual at Morrison Foerster live their potential. Valuing, respecting and celebrating cultural differences are fundamental to growing and sustaining a diverse workforce, improving the experience of underrepresented groups and looking at the role that each MoFo colleague has as allies to support. MoFo Together seeks to do this, and more, by spearheading initiatives to create an inclusive workplace for all through four pillars of inclusion, education, empowerment and representation.

  • Women’s Strategy Committee

MoFo Women holds regular events addressing global topics and regional ones, with a packed agenda of programmes for women and allies. Based on the four pillars, their strategic approach ensures that topics facing women in the profession now and in the future are explored and openly discussed to enhance the support needed and available. Our senior female lawyers in London also play a role in the firm’s global Women’s Strategy Committee, which works closely with firm leadership, including the firm’s chair, firmwide managing partners and the board of directors to ensure that the advancement of women is a constant strategic priority.

  • LGBTQ+ Affinity Group

MoFo London’s active LGBTQ+ affinity group brings together members of that community as well as its supporters. The LGBTQ+ affinity group provides a forum to discuss issues of concern to the LGBTQ+ community and works to advance networking opportunities within the London office and the broader firm, with clients and across the broader London business community. We’re proud that our chair emeritus was the first openly gay managing partner of an international law firm.

  • Healthy Minds Focus Group

Healthy MoFo is our global firm initiative dedicated to creating awareness, promoting healthy habits and providing tools to support overall physical and mental workplace wellbeing. Our London Healthy MoFo group has developed an active programme, partnering with neuroscientists, psychologists, nutritionists and financial experts to provide information, resources and opportunities for discussion about topics that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Percentage of female associates: 49%

Percentage of female partners: 23%

Percentage of BAME associates: 21%

Percentage of BAME partners: 22%

Pro bono at Mofo

MoFo attorneys are deeply committed to pro bono work: 

At Morrison Foerster, pro bono work is part of our DNA. Our dedicated pro bono team and our London Pro Bono Committee provide frequent opportunities for London trainees and associates to work on both domestic and international matters, ranging from providing direct services to low-income individuals, to counselling nonprofit organisations, to advising at law clinics. During 2023, MoFo lawyers devoted 74,363 hours to representing pro bono clients.

Attorneys in our London office partner with a variety of organisations on pro bono projects, such as Advocates for International Development, TrustLaw, JUSTICE, PILnet, Asylum Aid, Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K), The Chancery Lane Project, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Nature Conservancy, Prime Advocates, and the Public International Law & Policy Group.

The London office is a member of the Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono in the UK, a law firm-led initiative to promote pro bono work, in which members commit to strive for an average of 25 pro bono hours per attorney, per year in their UK offices. Last year, our lawyers from London averaged 77 pro bono hours per attorney. Examples of work our London-based lawyers have undertaken include:

  • Collaborating on disability benefit appeals with Z2K, a London-wide charity working to combat poverty. Since the partnership began in early 2018, numerous members of the London office — including partners, associates, trainees and paralegals — have worked on cases for low-income, disabled clients who were receiving disability benefits that were inadequate to cover their needs. To date, we have taken on over 100 individual cases, with a success rate of over 90% for those cases that have gone to hearing.
  • Working with Not Beyond Redemption to help mothers who are in prison, or who have left prison, and need legal assistance to maintain their relationships with their children.
    Assisting APPEAL, a charity and law practice that fights miscarriages of justice and advocates for reform of the criminal justice system, in overturning the life sentence of an individual who was wrongfully convicted.
  • Advising Social Finance, a not-for profit organisation that partners with the government, the social sector and the financial community to find better ways to tackle social problems. MoFo has worked with Social Finance on various projects, including structuring a development impact bond focused on decreasing infant mortality in Cameroon.
  • Supporting the Kenya office of the Center for Reproductive Rights in a variety of ways to assist it in its mission of advancing reproductive rights and maternal health in Kenya.

Trainee welfare

MoFo seeks to be a workplace that supports mental health and wellbeing. Over the last few years, we have taken steps to integrate mental health as a firmwide priority. MoFo has invested in training, resources, professional development and benefits to support workplace mental health but recognises that this is a journey that will need continued focus and action. As we look ahead to the future, we are committed to promoting a culture across MoFo that fosters everyone’s inclusion and wellbeing; we know this is imperative to a successful career in the profession.

The firm’s mental health steering committee and regional taskforce provides resources, sponsors training and develops communications designed to encourage adoption of best practices for a mentally healthy workplace across the firm.

In addition, we have a partnership with Marquee Health, which provides all MoFo employees with access to a health coach and reflects our firm’s belief that health needs to be based on a balance of physical, financial and mental wellbeing. We’ve partnered with Marquee Health and Virgin Pulse to run inter-office challenges which encourage and promote wellbeing, including exercise, nutrition and mindfulness. Colleagues, including trainees, also have access to Talkspace and online counselling at the touch of a button.

We are also partnered with award-winning digital platform resource WorkLife Central, which provides support to employees though all strands of life, including the four pillars; careers, family, inclusion and wellbeing. The platform includes a wide variety of live talks, networking events, on-demand content and a library of blogs and podcasts.

We also have benefits such as our employee assistance programme, which provides confidential emotional support, legal guidance, financial information and support (which includes virtual and on-demand). We have dedicated wellness spaces in our office, which colleagues can utilise whenever they need them, as well as access to our wellness portal and Calm app. Colleagues can also access the Walking on Earth (WONE) app which tailors recommendations to meet individual needs across mental fitness, physical activity and nutritional health.

Trainees also have the direct support of their assigned supervisor, liaison (who supports them for the full two years of their training) and second-year trainee buddy. As well as this, trainees have regular catch-ups with members of the attorney talent team and trainee leadership team to discuss any concerns, both professional and personal, or simply for exploratory conversations through coaching.

At MoFo, we recognise that each individual approaches mental health and wellbeing in different ways. In addition to our firmwide and regional offerings, all trainees attend core programmes throughout their onboarding and two-year period that cover a range of topics through the lens of working in private practice.

We aim to reduce the stigma associated with mental health status and share tools to enable everyone at the firm to support themselves and their colleagues. And we seek to cultivate a workplace culture where everyone can thrive.