Survey Results - Trainee feedback on RPC

The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on RPC

Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘I was attracted to the focus on litigation and the reputation for friendly, approachable people’, ‘the culture seemed friendly and work and clients interesting, plus I heard there was a high degree of partner approachability’, ‘I was a paralegal for two years prior and had developed an interest in insurance work. I was also attracted to the international secondment opportunities’, ‘for a firm based in Bristol, it offers high-quality work in the insurance sector with the benefit of a good work/life balance’

Best thing about the firm? ‘My fellow trainees’, ‘the work/life balance’, ‘the breadth of litigation work’, ‘the best thing about the firm is definitely the people’, ‘the partners are very approachable and invest time in your development’, ‘the support and training available’, ‘probably the people’, ‘the approach to working from home/flexible working’, ‘the trainee cohort is ‘supportive and social’

Worst thing about the firm? ‘The financial remuneration and benefits; RPC advertises as a firm that pays less but has a better work/life balance than many competitors. Unfortunately, this is not accurate in practice, with our hours consistently similar to those of larger firms in most teams’, ‘there aren’t enough NQ jobs’, ‘the qualification process’, ‘NQ pay is lagging behind the market’, ‘the pay and benefits are frequently frozen due to cost cuts’

Best moment? ‘Attending trial on a matter I’d had close involvement with for six months’, ‘doing meaningful/substantive legal work for big-name clients’, ‘going to court for a high-profile client’, ‘going to Singapore on secondment’, ‘attending a mediation involving several parties. It was great to have that client contact with both the insured and the insurers, and even the co-defendants on the day’, ‘being ‘Star of the Month’’, ‘attending a case management conference’

Worst moment? ‘All-nighters working on a busy matter. You expect them going into the industry, but no one enjoys it!’, ‘the qualification process’, ‘getting an uber home from the office at 1am after being the last member of my team working on a witness statement’, ‘quieter periods’, ‘being overwhelmed with bundling late at night’, ‘the first couple weeks where you have no work to do and are only just settling in’, ‘undertaking a significant document review task which took over a week to complete’

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on RPC

RPC is known for its insurance focus and for its strength in disputes work. The international firm has offices in London, Bristol, Singapore and Hong Kong, and boasts an ‘interesting range of practice areas’, including a commercial arm which particularly appealed to the current cohort. There is a ‘big focus on supervision’ at RPC, and trainees benefit from having ‘partners as seat supervisors’. Senior lawyers ‘genuinely support your development, train you, and ensure that you receive a broad range of work’, which trainees perceive to be one of the perks of ‘being part of a medium-sized intake’. A ‘good work/life balance’ is the cherry on the cake. RPC ‘broadly hires well’ and is ‘largely populated by nice, approachable people’. ‘I genuinely feel like I could approach any member of my team with a query, and they would help me or guide me in the direction of somebody who could’ said one respondent. Flexible working is done very well at RPC; the firm ‘trusts you to manage your time well, get the work done and come into the office as needed’, which ‘actually really helps with job satisfaction’. Recruits complained about the pay, which they consider to be ‘below market’, particularly in Bristol. That the ‘hours are longer than advertised’ is a related annoyance; trainees ‘regularly work opposite other firms which pay their juniors more than us’, which can be frustrating. On a brighter note, respondents relished ‘being trusted to lead on matters, including taking instructions from the client and then giving these to external counsel’ and ‘going on client secondment’. To work with ‘nice people who are also very competent’ in a firm which boasts an ‘ideal combination of great work and a friendly but driven culture’, research RPC.

A day in the life of... Lydia Robinson, trainee solicitor, RPC

Departments to date: Professional and financial risks (insurance); Media

University: York

Degree: Law

As a trainee in the media team at RPC, no two days are the same. The below is a sneak peek of a typical Tuesday, the team’s ‘anchor’ day in the office. It highlights some typical trainee tasks, but each day has varied significantly over my six-month seat.

7.00am: I usually wake up around 7am on an office day. I’ve (thankfully) sorted my lunch the night before, giving me enough time to be out the door by 8am to avoid the rush on the Northern Line. I quickly check my emails before getting on the tube to see if anything has come in that needs to be dealt with in the morning and book my desk for the day (picking a window seat overlooking the Tower of London).

8.45am: I get to the office, grab a coffee and chat to people in my team as they come in for the day. I like to get in earlier so I’m ready to start working by 9am, but the working day ‘officially starts’ at 9.30am at RPC.

9.00am: I make a start on my first task for the day, which is researching case law on disclosure orders for some training the team are delivering to a client (particularly on ways in which a third party might be compelled by the court to provide documents they have that are relevant to an ongoing dispute). I feel confident on the points of law I need to pull out after a catch up I had with an associate in my team last week.

9.30am: The media team has its weekly capacity meeting on Tuesdays. We spend half an hour running through what we’re each up to and any developments on our matters. We spend the second half of the meeting discussing the items for this fortnight’s edition of Take 10, our fortnightly bulletin of recent media law updates, which I put together yesterday with the help of the team’s paralegal. I take notes of the wider team’s thoughts on the recent developments in media law ahead of drafting the stories later this afternoon. The team meetings are a great way to maintain awareness of developments in the law from people who have worked on the cases we’re discussing.

10.30am: After the capacity meeting ends, I get back to my research on disclosure orders. I summarise my findings and send it over to an associate for review.

11.00am: I join a client call where the partner is discussing the merits and next steps in a claim that’s recently been issued against our client. In the call, we go through a chronology of the case, ask questions to fill in any knowledge gaps and advise the client on next steps. I take a full note of what we discuss and am on hand in the call with any relevant documents. As a trainee you’re often asked to attend client calls to take a detailed note, meaning you get good exposure to clients and understand their key concerns. In a disputes team such as media, this helps you learn about different litigation strategies; for example cases are likely to differ hugely from pushing for a quick settlement or fighting them to trial.

11.30am: I take a quick break to chat to one of the associates in my team in the kitchen.

11.40am: I come back to my desk to make a start on my next task: creating a chronology of the underlying events of a matter I’m working on. We’re looking to understand the factual background of an article published by our client that’s subject to a pre-action complaint (this means that the complaint has not been formally issued as a claim in court and so the focus is often on understanding whether this is something that can be resolved before proceedings are formally issued). I start by reviewing other news reporting and social media posts from the relevant time to add to the chronology. Reviewing news reporting and social media posts can be a lengthy task but I’ve been given a helpful time indicator by the matter team to only spend an hour on this initially. Conversations like that are a helpful way of learning how to manage your workload as a trainee.

12.30pm: I head down to the Dockside Lounge, RPC’s multi-purpose event space, to meet the trainees for lunch. I can normally expect to find a group of the trainees there at lunch and chat about our weekends and our plans for the week.

1.30pm: I come back from lunch and make a start on drafting the articles for Take 10. I review my notes from our discussion this morning and make a start reading the first judgment for inclusion and writing a draft that picks out the key points.

3.00pm: A senior associate in my team asks for some help pulling together an exhibit for an application we’re making for a trial of preliminary issues on meaning. We have a quick chat about the background, and I collate the relevant documents before creating a bundle, a common trainee task which involves preparing documents for court.

5.00pm: The associate has reviewed my research on disclosure orders from this morning. We chat about next steps for creating client training slides.

5.15pm: I start my draft of the second article for Take 10. It’s a consultation Ofcom has released under its obligations under the Online Safety Act. I review the c50-page document and start summarising it into a client-friendly format. Take 10 becomes a great way of staying up-to-date with recent developments and after having read widely around key legal developments, you become a great source of information for the rest of your team.

6.30pm: I finish my work and prepare my to-do list for tomorrow. This helps me work out what my day might be like and means I have a better understanding of what my capacity might look like in case I get any last-minute work requests in the morning. I submit my time to our time recording system, pack up for the day and leave the office.

7.15pm: I meet some friends from university for a catch-up on my way back home. We chat about our days and share what we’ve all been up to. I head home shortly after before another day in the office on Wednesday.

I’ve really enjoyed my time in media due to the varied workload, the degree of responsibility given to trainees, a small and friendly team, but mostly the interesting cases that come in everyday and the legal context they’re set in. Media is a disputes seat, meaning most of my time is spent working towards a court deadline, but I’ve also enjoyed working on a range of pre-action complaints and advisory matters. My six months in the team has set me up well in the long term for a varied legal career, but also in the short term for my next seat in commercial and banking litigation, another of the RPC key disputes teams.

About the firm

The clients: Associated Newspapers Limited; Aviva; Charlotte Tilbury; England Lacrosse; Federal Republic of Nigeria; Frasers Group; Google; Heathrow; Howden Group; LINK; Meta; McArthurGlen Group; QBE; Saracens; Shepherd Neame; Sony; Steam/Valve.

The deals: Advising Google in respect of its defence of the highly publicised claim brought by Epic Games – the proceedings concern the Google Play Store and Epic’s well-known battle royale game ‘Fortnite’; advising Aviva on its acquisition of Lloyd’s underwriting syndicate Probitas, marking Aviva’s return to Lloyd’s of London after 24 years; successfully defended a libel action brought by the Duke of Sussex against Associated Newspapers Limited over an article in February 2022 which reported on the Duke’s judicial review proceedings against the Home Office concerning his security arrangements when visiting the UK, and the nature of public statements issued by him about those proceedings; advised Japanese-owned and Singapore registered LEVELUP Climate Tech Pte. Ltd. on its acquisition of UK-based Zevero Ltd; advising all nine participating clubs in relation to the groundbreaking formation of Premiership Women’s Rugby; advised the founder of Tropic Skincare, Susie Ma, on her buy-out of investor Lord Sugar and return of sole ownership to her; instructed to represent Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I (Budweiser) (part of the AB InBev group) in Commercial Court litigation which has commenced between Budweiser and Wetherspoons, relating to bar share obligations under the agreement and the requirements of Wetherspoons to ensure that a specific ratio of Budweiser brands is present across the estate of over 800 outlets; representing Fidelis in respect of claims brought by the world’s largest aircraft leasing company, whose aircrafts have not been returned by Russian airlines after it sought to terminate leases following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; acting for Newcastle United Football Club in relation to a multi-faceted dispute with HMRC stemming from an enquiry into agents’ fees that started with a dawn raid – this matter has included advice on the dawn raid and criminal investigation (which HMRC later dropped), a judicial review of the legality of search warrants, substantive appeals in relation to VAT, NICs and PAYE liability and litigation related to the ability of HMRC to retain and use seized documents from a criminal raid for other purposes, which is currently before the Supreme Court; designed and implemented an end-to-end third-party risk management process for NEOM, covering financial crime, worker welfare, health and safety and sustainability – this included developing and implementing a specialised technology platform, ultimately overseeing the risk assessment of almost all third parties associated with NEOM.

Other offices: Bristol, Hong Kong, Singapore.

Who we are: At RPC, you can be you. In an environment that’s real. Strikingly real.

Do you want a career in a firm that values personality as much as professionalism? For us, business success comes from building personal relationships and thinking creatively to achieve the best solutions.

So, if you value character over conformity, the unique over the uniform, and ambition over apathy, let’s talk.

What we do: Our lawyers are market leaders. Our clients are often household names. And together we achieve award-winning results. Results that have seen RPC regularly voted among the best for commercial advice across our sectors of specialism.

Our business is built on mutual respect and trust. That’s where you come in. From day one, you’ll collaborate with our partners; you’ll have contact with clients; and you’ll be given real responsibility. As a trainee, you could be assisting with large-scale global disputes or offering business-critical commercial advice.

What we’re looking for: Although proven academic ability is important (we require a 2(1) degree or above, not necessarily in law) we value diversity, flexibility, commitment, energy, collaboration and commerciality just as highly.

What you’ll do: As a trainee, we believe you’ll deliver your best if you’re free to be you. And that means being able to ask questions openly, being supported to develop your strengths, and having the right opportunities to grow. Our offices are non-hierarchical and open plan which means you’ll be sitting close to our partners and associates. What’s more, our dynamic working principles empower everyone at RPC to shape how they split their time working in and out of the office: balancing their own preferences, supporting each other and delivering exceptional client service. Whether you’re handling complex insurance claims, resolving large-scale global disputes, or providing commercial advice and transactional support, your opinions will be listened to and respected.

Perks: Along with a competitive annual salary, you’ll be offered a creative and comprehensive package of benefits.

We’re all unique. And that’s why RPC’s benefits package is too. We respect we’re all real people with passions, families and lives away from our desks. So, we offer you the chance to tailor your benefits, offering choice and flexibility to everyone who works here.

Our benefits package covers almost everything, from wellness festivals and social events, to extra annual leave, and family and wealth-related rewards.

Sponsorship

Postgraduate Diploma in Law (only if you are a non-law graduate): fees and SQE paid, plus up to £12,000 maintenance.

Masters in Legal Practice at the University of Law: fees and SQE paid, plus up to £12,000 maintenance.

Seat options

Construction; professional and financial risks; property and casualty international; property and casualty; medical and life sciences; general liability; cyber; commercial, banking and litigation; media; IP and technology; commercial technology and outsourcing; corporate; employment; tax; restructuring and insolvency; white-collar crime

Tips from the recruiter

  1. Be authentic in your application; we want to see the real you.
  2. Thoroughly research the firm to tailor your application – specific, well-informed applications stand out far more than generic ones.
  3. Carefully proofread your application multiple times; attention to detail is crucial for an aspiring lawyer.

Diversity and inclusion

Rachel Pears, Head of Responsible Business/Internal Employment Counsel

Why is having a diverse workforce important?
In a nutshell: diversity of thought. Who wants their lawyer to think inside the same box as everyone else? All of our experiences inform our perspectives, judgements, relationships. And we want those elements to be as creative, different and reflective of society as possible.

What initiatives does the firm have in place to ensure it recruits a diverse workforce?
We have used Rare’s contextualised recruitment tool since 2015, which enables us to consider a more diverse range of candidates for our apprentice and training contract opportunities using social mobility metrics. We are able to understand the context within which a candidate has achieved what they have.

We also entered a partnership with Aspiring Solicitors in 2018. AS works to increase diversity in the legal profession through a series of programmes aimed at underrepresented groups.

RPC is a corporate sponsor of SEO, an organisation dedicated to helping talented students, primarily from ethnic minority and/or low socioeconomic backgrounds, secure graduate positions and internships.

The firm offers legal and business apprenticeships (including solicitor, paralegal and finance apprenticeships) across our UK offices.

We also participate in a number of additional diversity initiatives at the early talent stage including:

  • Black Excellence in Law with Target Jobs
  • Partner Sponsor Firm of The British & Irish Commercial Awareness Competition (BIUCAC)
  • AS Elevate with Aspiring Solicitors
  • Bright Network Diverse Legal Leaders annual event

How has the firm been working to improve diversity in senior/leadership positions?
It’s a complex issue that doesn’t, unfortunately, have an easy quick fix. But we are committed to improving the make-up of our senior positions and believe we are on the right track.

We are invested in a number of different initiatives to drive further diversity at the top. A few examples of this:

  • We have signed up to the Law Society’s Women in Law Pledge pursuant to which we pledged to reach 30% women in our partnership, and in 2022 we reached this goal. As part of this commitment the firm implemented a tailored and specific 15-point Gender Balance Plan to identify the areas where barriers to gender balance may occur.
  • We run a number of programmes through our learning and development team to support our lawyers from training to partnership.
  • We have recently signed Rare’s Race Fairness Commitment which requires a number of actions to support the recruitment, progression and promotion of Black and all ethnic minority people.
  • We believe that data tells a compelling story and so we analyse our demographics information to look at promotion and attrition figures for certain groups – for example from an ethnicity or gender perspective.
  • We are very supportive of flexible and agile working at all levels. We offer enhanced pay and benefits for anyone taking certain forms of parental leave (maternity, paternity, shared, adoption, etc) and we offer a maternity leave returners programme to support our female talent to transition back to work.

How do you avoid diversity becoming a box-ticking exercise?
You have to go about it meaningfully and authentically. Don’t sign a charter or a pledge and then move on to the next. Create accountability. Consider how you can create tailored action plans for your organisation.

Have passionate and engaged people driving it forward. Don’t try to tackle every challenge at the same time. Listen to your people. We all have something to learn.

What assurances would you give to individuals who want to apply for a training contract but feel hesitant to do so because of their gender/sexual orientation/ethnicity/background/disability/any other diversity-related reason?
While the legal sector (like most sectors) has a way to go in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, we are certainly moving in the right direction. Most firms (RPC included) have made huge strides forward with a multitude of programmes, networks and initiatives to support people from minority or underrepresented groups. There are also plenty of people like me to challenge the norm. I am a great believer that most skills are transferrable and people who have overcome difficult hurdles in their life are some of the most resilient people you’ll ever meet. Be confident in who you are and how much you have to offer.