Russell-Cooke

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Russell-Cooke

Russell-Cooke ‘offers a wide range of seats, including family law and private client, while still being a top 100 law firm with central London offices’. Russell-Cooke is not your average law firm; it’s ‘committed to being socially conscious and responsible’ and some trainees even report ‘working on both legal aid and high-net-worth matters within the same seat’. The full-service firm is a Future Lawyers winner for work/life balance, vacation scheme and supervisor approachability. Respondents were won over by the ‘friendliness of everyone I met during the application process’, which convinced them that the London and southeast firm would be a great place to train. Russell-Cooke recruits love the ‘combination of high-quality work, high-profile clients, a relaxed atmosphere and a good work/life balance’. Trainees are also grateful for ‘hours that are nothing like those of friends at other firms’. They also feel ‘more friendly and comfortable with supervisors’ than what they hear from their law school peers. When asked what the worst thing about Russell-Cooke is, respondents talked about ‘dated offices’, ‘outdated IT systems’, ‘low pay’ and a policy which dictates that trainees have to be in the office four days a week. But on a brighter note, trainees regularly ‘attend trials and hearings’ and are generally ‘highly-involved in matters from the get-go, which is great for professional development. For a well-rounded firm where ‘you’ll be treated like an associate from day one, as long as you show willing’, consider Russell-Cooke.

A day in the life of... James Underwood, trainee, Russell-Cooke

Departments to date: Property and housing litigation; Family

University: Durham University University of Hull

Degree: English Literature (BA, MA, PhD)

Morning: It’s 8.30am, and I’m walking across Waterloo Bridge. Russell-Cooke has three London offices – Bedford Row (in Holborn), Putney and Kingston – each with its own quirks and characteristics. The family team sits across all three, but I’m based in Bedford Row, an 18th-century, Grade II listed townhouse. Which is why, as I do every morning, I’m enjoying the views from Waterloo Bridge: Westminster to my left, St Paul’s and the City to my right. I don’t know it yet, but this will be the calmest part of my day.

Settled at my desk with a cup of coffee, I check my emails and start to work out a plan for the day ahead. That soon becomes pointless when an urgent email comes in. A KC has referred a case to one of the partners, and it requires immediate action. Our soon-to-be client has just learned that his estranged wife is relocating with their two young children from Kent to Yorkshire. This is happening as I read the email, and not only has the father not been consulted, he doesn’t even know where in Yorkshire they’re headed.

This will require three of us – partner, associate and trainee – to make an urgent, same-day application to the court to prevent the relocation. There are a few things I need to do, and I need to think carefully about the order in which I do them, but the clock is ticking.

First I call the father’s nearest court to find out the quickest way to get an urgent application to them. I then start calling around barristers’ chambers, as finding someone who can get from London to Kent instantly won’t be easy. As I wait for the clerks to get back to me, I draft a notice of acting (the court won’t let us do anything until we’ve formally confirmed we’re acting for the father).

Then I call a process server, which sounds like something to do with computers, but is actually the person you see on American legal dramas who dramatically springs court papers on unsuspecting recipients (it’s generally less dramatic in real life). The circumstances mean that the urgent hearing will be without notice (the mother will not be told about it in advance), but if we get the court order we’re looking for then we’ll need to make sure the mother sees it one way or another. However, as we don’t actually know where the mother is going, the process server is a bit baffled as to what I’m asking him to do. I persist, and he eventually agrees to have one of his Yorkshire agents on standby for the day.

By now I’ve managed to find a barrister willing to jump on the next train to Kent. I’ve done as much as I can at this stage – the application is with the associate and partner – so I go back to my inbox, which is feeling neglected.

Afternoon: After lunch with the other trainees – there are 12 of us in my cohort, so there’s always a decent number around for lunch/a chat/a drink – I turn my attention to another matter which is not quite so urgent but nonetheless requires swift progress. One of the partners and I have met with a man whose elderly mother lacks capacity due to dementia. A decade ago she married a man from a Caribbean island, but they’ve never lived together and haven’t had contact for a few years now. For various reasons it makes sense for them to divorce, and her son wishes to be appointed as her ‘litigation friend’ so that he can act on her behalf. With capacity and jurisdiction issues involved, this is not a straightforward divorce. I research the process for appointing a litigation friend, and draft a detailed letter of advice dealing with this point as well as the complexities of jurisdiction and international service (my exasperated process server might get a trip to the Caribbean).

Evening: After work, I join colleagues at a Bloomsbury bowling alley for a social with a set of family law barristers. I’ll go on to work with some of them in the coming weeks, so I hope they’ll remember the first game (which I win) but not the second (not my finest).

I could say this hasn’t been a typical day, but it hasn’t been atypical either. Family law is fast-moving, unpredictable and highly varied, and it’s not uncommon for your plans to be waylaid by events. A busy but very fulfilling day draws to a close as I re-cross the Thames, now reflecting the lights of the South Bank.

About the firm

The firm: Russell-Cooke is the London law firm with a more thoughtful approach. Clients range from individuals desperate for a legal remedy where the result could be life-changing to royal families, celebrities and other high-net-worth individuals, as well as businesses ranging from tech start-ups to household-name retail outlets and charities.

The clients: Pret a Manger; Sky; Chelsea Football Club; The Law Society; British Heart Foundation; Lendlease; Matalan; Unicef; Lidl; World Wildlife Fund; part of the consortium representing victims and families of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The deals: Successfully representing a father on his application under the 1980 Hague Convention for the summary return of his child to Ukraine (children law); advising TMB Group on the sale of Best IT Limited and its subsidiary Technology Means Business Limited (corporate and commercial); advising iconic Brick Lane Beigel Shop on a new lease, saving the family business (real estate and property litigation); successful appeal against a local authority for not deciding within the prescribed period an application for a certificate of proposed lawful use to a home for young care-leavers (planning); representing TransActual and a young person in a judicial review challenging legislation on the restriction of puberty blockers (regulatory); obtaining a rare Welfare Deputyship on behalf of the family of a young adult with special educational needs (SEN) (private client); continuing to represent victims and families of the Grenfell Tower fire at the inquiry (social housing).

Partner in charge: James Carroll

Senior partner: Jonathan Thornton

Other offices: Putney, Kingston

Who we are: We’re not driven by profit alone and we’re proud to offer a better work/life balance alongside high-level legal work.

What we do: We offer the most broad-based training contract in London, with seats ranging from charity and family to real estate and corporate.

What we’re looking for: A quick learner with strong academic results (AAB at A level and a 2(1)). You’re used to working – and thinking – independently.

What you’ll do: Four seats across at least two of our offices with two formal reviews during each seat and ongoing mentoring and supervision from dedicated supervisors and the graduate recruitment partner.

Perks: Benefits include generous bonus scheme, pension, childcare vouchers, private medical insurance and cycle-to-work scheme, plus free lunchtime yoga in Putney.

Sponsorship

Up to £10,000 to cover SQE/LPC costs.

Seat options

Charity; children law; construction; corporate and commercial; crime; dispute resolution; employment and immigration; enfranchisement; family; insolvency; personal injury/clinical negligence; private client; professional regulation; property litigation; real estate; residential property; trust and estate disputes (some seats are subject to availability at the time).

Tips from the recruiter

1. Be yourself on the form and at interview! Don’t second guess what you think we are looking for. We don’t recruit a ‘type’ of trainee; we need a wide range of personalities and backgrounds.
2. Previous work experience may not seem relevant but is always worth including and being ready to discuss it as so many transferable and relevant skills are obtained from the most unlikely roles.
3. Second career applicants are very welcome and we have a strong track record of offering training contracts to those who have come via a non-traditional route – whether that is a non-law degree or many years working in another career before coming to law.

Diversity and inclusion