Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Payne Hicks Beach LLP
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Payne Hicks Beach LLP
Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘The type of work the firm does and the boutique feel’, ‘it has interesting specialisms’, ‘the departments on offer, quality of work, quality of clients, and the work/life balance’, ‘for the historic nature of the firm, its reputation for giving trainees lots of client contact, its stellar lawyers and the beautiful surroundings of the Inn’, ‘I chose Payne Hicks Beach for its outstanding reputation and unique client base. People only had good things to say about the firm, and the gorgeous office was a bonus!’
Best thing about the firm? ‘The friendly atmosphere, the varied work, the hands-on approach to training’, ‘excellent work and friendly colleagues’, ‘most other lawyers and very friendly and supportive’, ‘the location, and the kind and supportive people in my team’, ‘the interesting work and the collegiate, supportive environment. There is a keen focus on training us to be commercially-astute and solutions-driven lawyers’, ‘the work/life balance’
Worst thing about the firm? ‘There are frequent IT issues’, ‘the departments seem to exist separately and there seems to be little internal communication’, ‘negative feedback can sometimes be delivered insensitively’, ‘the remuneration could be better, as could the legal tech available’, ‘trainees are not allowed to work from home, which doesn’t make sense as other team members are often doing so, leaving trainees alone in the office’, ‘the lack of a ‘break-out’ room; there is nowhere to eat other than your desk’
Best moment? ‘Working on a pro bono case with a meaningful outcome’, ‘in my litigation seat, I was effectively given my own small case to run. It involved making a legal application of a type which is generally uniformly rejected. However, I spent a lot of time gathering evidence to support our application, and in the end we were successful. It was a wonderful surprise and everyone in the team was really pleased for and with me, as of course was the client. I felt proud to have achieved that on my own’, ‘being given a huge amount of responsibility to handle a matter which involved a great deal of outward, client-facing communication’
Worst moment? ‘Being unable to reach colleagues when requiring support’, ‘being in a seat I disliked and not getting enough work for weeks on end – the days were long and dull’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Payne Hicks Beach LLP
Payne Hicks Beach operates from ‘stunning offices’ in London’s magnificent Lincoln’s Inn, and boasts a ‘stellar reputation in private client and family law’. The historic London firm is also highly regarded in areas such as employment, media, landed estates, education and fertility. A ‘unique and interesting client base’ enhances an already compelling training package. Payne Hicks Beach has a reputation for ‘bringing trainees into the thick of things’ by offering ‘interesting work and lots of client contact’. ‘Running a divorce case almost singlehandedly (with partner supervision), as a trainee’ and ‘drafting a settlement agreement that was ultimately accepted by the other side’ were best moments. Recruits have a ‘direct impact on cases’, and supervisors place ‘a keen focus on training us to be commercially-astute and solutions-driven lawyers’. Payne Hicks Beach adopts a ‘hands-on approach’ to training, although some respondents feel that ‘the oversight of how much work we have isn’t always great’, which leads to ‘times when you are left with nothing to do’. A disconnect between departments also means that ‘internal communication can be poor’. On the bright side, Payne Hicks Beach trainees have a high degree of confidence that they’ll be kept on at the end of their training contracts, earning the firm a well-deserved Future Lawyers winner medal in this category. For a ‘rounded, comprehensive training contract’ in a firm which is a true specialist in its chosen fields, consider Payne Hicks Beach.
A day in the life of...
Matthew Franks, trainee, Payne Hicks Beach LLP
Departments to date: Property; Private client
8.45am: I arrive at work. Normally I aim to arrive at about 9.00am, but today a training breakfast is taking place. Trainees are encouraged to be in the office as much as possible across the firm.
While my computer loads, I make a coffee and burrow in my desk drawers for any light snacks which I might have been kind enough to leave there for myself. Sadly, today I find only a stapler and some sticky notes. I then review the emails I have received since yesterday evening, making a note of new tasks arising from them.
9.00am: At the training breakfast we are given a brief history of inheritance tax and also, much to my relief, croissants. Many senior members of the firm have an academic appreciation of their specialisms, which helps add colour to the work we do as trainees.
10.15am: As nothing very urgent has come to my attention yet, I consider the note I made of a meeting yesterday with a client who would like us to draft her will. I have been copied in to all the emails with this client, and was asked to attend the meeting by a senior associate, so I feel well-informed and confident enough to draft her will. However, were a complicated issue to come up, I would feel very comfortable asking the senior associate, or indeed any associate in the team, for guidance on that point.
11.30am: Having sent a further few doses of caffeine hurtling through my bloodstream, and with the will’s provisions fresh in my mind, I also draft a covering letter to the client explaining the functioning of her will. Although everything I do will be checked by the senior associate (and any amendments explained to me), it feels meaningful to lay the foundations of the work we are doing for this client.
12.00pm: I receive a visit in my room from a partner who specialises in art law. The department has a sociable feel to it, and almost everyone is happy for me to waltz into their room for a brief chat, or to visit me themselves.
The partner asks me to produce a first draft of an exhibition loan agreement for one his clients. This piece of work is good practice for my drafting skills and requires strong attention to detail, as it is quite different to the other documents I have been drafting in my seats so far, such as wills and leases.
12.45pm: Narrowly avoiding a Tupperware spillage down the carpeted office corridors, I head out to lunch with the other trainees. As it is summer, we sit in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Ever the conscientious trainee, I remember 8.45am with a shudder and replenish my stock of edible office supplies.
2.00pm: I print off and tab up for signature some lasting powers of attorney which I have drafted for a meeting with a client.
3.00pm: I attend the meeting, noting the senior associate’s client-friendly explanation of the documents. I have already mastered the art of waiting until the client has left in order to eat the biscuits in the conference rooms. Clients do not want crumbs in their wills.
4.00pm: Returning upstairs to my desk, I tidy up my attendance note and prepare to send the LPAs out to the attorneys for their signatures. I also have an informal chat with my supervisor, who takes an interest in the work I have been doing and offers thoughtful advice.
5.00pm: A partner in the family department asks me to conduct some research, as a party to a divorce in which he recently acted has died, and he wishes to understand the consequences of the financial settlement for that party’s estate. One of the advantages of training in a firm of this size is that it is easy in each seat to establish working relationships with people across departments.
6.30pm: I record my time and log off. Although I am sometimes required to stay late in order to work on urgent tasks or catch up with my to-do list, today I have important business to conduct at the pub just outside the office.
About the firm
The firm: Payne Hicks Beach is a Lincoln’s Inn firm established in 1730 providing a full range of legal services to domestic and international private and commercial clients.
Chairman of the management board: Robert Brodrick.
Who we are: Payne Hicks Beach is a medium-size London law firm with a global reach, a 300-year history at the same location in Lincoln’s Inn and a thoroughly 21st-century approach to client service. The firm provides solution-led advice and legal services to domestic and international private and commercial clients including individuals, families, businesses and trustees. Much of the firm’s work has an international element, building on strong links with the US, Canada, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Far East, the main offshore centres, Switzerland and other European countries. Work is regularly handled in French, Italian, Danish and Arabic. The firm consistently ‘punches above its weight’ in the complexity of the clients it serves and matters it handles, and specialist advisers work in close-knit teams to deliver a seamless service across all its practice areas. Trainees invariably feel part of the team from the moment they arrive.
What we do: The firm’s reputation has been built on family and private client work as one of the few UK firms that provides these services at the highest level. Its commanding position in these areas is complemented by an excellent reputation for contentious trusts, dispute resolution, privacy and media law, company and commercial law, employment, residential and commercial property, and citizenship and immigration work. Despite its position in the market, Payne Hicks Beach’s lawyers pride themselves on the confidentiality and discretion with which they conduct their work, not least because the firm’s clients include many household names, as a result of which the firm is one of London’s best kept secrets.
What we’re looking for: Applicants should have an excellent academic record (a 2(1) degree is a minimum), a high degree of drive and determination, and will need to demonstrate an ability to analyse problems accurately, to be creative in finding practical commercial solutions and communicating these clearly, as well as a flair for building relationships.
What you’ll do: Trainees spend time in each of four departments, with their preferences being taken into account in this rotation so far as possible. With only one trainee per department, they play an important role, with a high level of responsibility, real work and supervised client contact from the outset.
Trainees are subject to regular assessment, and engage in the required Professional Skills courses, as well as in-house training. However, with the firm’s team outlook and open-door policy they also have access to help and support from colleagues who are acknowledged experts in their fields.
Perks: Private medical insurance; permanent health insurance; dental cover; life assurance scheme; health assessment; contributory pension scheme; cycle to work scheme; season ticket loan; Gymflex; staff introduction bonus.
Sponsorship
Full GDL, LPC and SQE funding and a maintenance grant each year of study. BPP Law School is the firm’s preferred provider.
Seat options
Dispute resolution; family; employment; private client; property; citizenship and immigration; and corporate.
Tips from the recruiter
- Steer clear of the generic; keep your responses concise; and make sure that you proofread them.
- Take the time to research the firm: demonstrate that you understand its profile and ethos and why these appeal to you.
- If you are selected to come for an assessment day, please be yourself: authenticity is very important at PHB.
Diversity and inclusion
Please visit www.phb.co.uk/careers/diversity for information.