Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘The level of responsibility; the small intake; friendly people’, ‘the breadth of work at S&C is much broader than other firms as we work as generalists, in small teams. The level of responsibility here is also much higher, which is great for personal development’, ‘the generalist approach’, ‘I wanted to have high levels of responsibility from early on’
Best thing about the firm? ‘The breadth of work’, ‘the people. The firm has a non-competitive culture (i.e no hour targets, no performance bonus, 100% retention, etc.), which brings out the best in people, and encourages cooperation and friendship’, ‘most people are very supportive, which makes a stressful job a lot more pleasant and allows you to feel comfortable asking questions and taking risks’, ‘the generalist approach is the best thing about S&C’
Worst thing about the firm? ‘There is no formal infrastructure or even regular opportunity to bring comments, complaints or suggestions. It would be really great to have an internal mechanism whereby people could bring regular feedback on an anonymous basis’, ‘we don’t have access to Westlaw’, ‘the lack of a full litigation seat’
Best moment? ‘All the team being in during a busy closing. We were exhausted, but the team spirit was great’, ‘my secondment to the Sydney office, ‘the best moment was when I helped with the acquisition of a multi-billion-pound company’, ‘my secondment’
Worst moment? ‘DocuSign technical errors’, ‘the treatment by a few of the more senior associates. While some are great lawyers, there is a lack of focus on training people to be good managers, which can make some of them difficult to work for’, ‘the worst moment for me was not being fully competent with the firm’s IT systems’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Respondents chose Sullivan & Cromwell for its ‘generalist approach’, which means that ‘as a junior lawyer, you work across a broad range of practices and sectors, enabling you to become a well-rounded lawyer and able to tailor advice for clients on all aspects of their unique situations’. Sullivan & Cromwell trainees also appreciate the ‘small intake, reputation for excellence, international secondment opportunities and high salaries’. Many recruits had also had an ‘excellent experience on the vacation scheme’. When it comes to training, although the ‘formal side could be improved’, the ‘informal training is very good – we get far more responsibility and hands-on experience than trainees at other firms’. This can be ‘really intense; it’s a steep learning curve and we’re expected to take initiative, work independently and pick things up quickly’, but it also means that ‘we feel far more confident going into qualification’, respondents elaborated. One of the downsides of the generalist approach is that trainees ‘sometimes have to juggle multiple deals at once’, which can be stressful. The ‘lack of a full litigation seat’ also frustrates some recruits. But there’s a ‘great support system’ at Sullivan & Cromwell, with ‘most junior associates happy to take the time to guide you when you need it’. Senior lawyers and supervisors are supportive too; ‘there is no micro-managing; the partners really care about your development as a lawyer and carefully consider which seats and secondments would benefit you’. For ‘high-quality training; prestige; and a unique generalist approach’ research Sullivan & Cromwell.
Why I chose Sullivan & Cromwell
Vanessa Chia, associate, Sullivan & Cromwell
Departments to date: Capital markets; Mergers and acquisitions; Finance and restructuring; Client secondment; Overseas secondment (S&C’s New York office). Qualified September 2023.
University: University of Oxford
Degree: Law
My decision to train at S&C was driven by my experience of the firm’s work and culture during my summer vacation scheme. Working in a smaller office with a world‐class international practice is a unique and incredible experience. It allows you to not only be involved in exciting deal work, but also to undertake significant responsibility in your deal teams very early on. These are unwavering characteristics of the S&C London office and, a year into my training contract, I remain impressed by the quality of work and the collaborative culture of the firm.
The deals: The work at S&C is varied. The firm’s generalist focus has been greatly beneficial to my professional development as a trainee. I have had the opportunity to work on a diverse portfolio of deals with broad‐ranging clients, and it has taught me to be adaptable and quick on the uptake. I have found that critical problem‐solving is key to being a good lawyer, and this should not be limited to specific practice areas or industry‐specific deals.
S&C has an exceedingly international practice. In my first year at the firm, not a single one of the deals I worked on had only English law aspects or involved only English companies. This means that you quickly learn to work well in unfamiliar territory and gain confidence coordinating with people working across multiple jurisdictions. My experience on international deals has ranged from reviewing and marking up Hungarian security documents to researching New York law. What sets S&C apart from other firms in the City is that it can be said with confidence that every day is different.
The people: At S&C, particularly as a smaller office, there is a culture of trust and mutual respect in the firm. Socially, this makes for a warm and welcoming work environment among the lawyers and the support staff, but as trainees, this culture also seeps into our work and the level of responsibility entrusted to us. The associates and partners value trainees’ insights and opinions, and we are entrusted with high‐level and client‐facing work at an early stage ‐ opportunities which are not naturally available to trainees at bigger City firms.
We have lean deal teams (often with only one or two trainees) no matter the size or complexity of the deal, and this is only possible with a high level of trust and accountability among people at the firm. In my first year, I found myself running work streams independently, reviewing and drafting transaction documents, and engaging with clients and other advisers. In fact, on most transactions as an S&C trainee, you will find yourself working at the same level as associates in other City firms, which is an invaluable experience early on in your career.
While this may seem daunting as a trainee, there is also a genuine open‐door policy at S&C where people are always happy to take questions or explain a deal to you. People at S&C are friendly and social, and it is often the case that your colleagues quickly become good friends to you outside work. In my experience, there is significant camaraderie and solidarity at the firm, which becomes particularly comforting when deal work becomes demanding. At S&C, the people truly make the place.
About the firm
Administrative partner: Craig Jones
Managing partner: Richard Pollack
Other offices: Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, DC.
Who we are: Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world. The results the firm achieves have set it apart for more than 140 years and have become a model for the modern practice of law. Today, S&C is a leader in each of its core practice areas and in each of its geographic markets, illustrated by our regular top rankings in independent surveys.
With more than 900 lawyers across an international network of 13 offices on four continents, S&C has maintained an international reach by developing offices to serve client needs and staffing them primarily with lawyers who have been with S&C for their entire careers.
Sullivan & Cromwell’s London office, established in 1972, is the second-largest office of the firm. It serves as a natural focal point for English law advice, as well as for cross-border European and cross-continental transactions.
There are approximately 90 lawyers and trainees working in the office across a number of practice areas, including M&A and private equity, capital markets, finance and restructuring including project development and finance, competition law and tax.
What we do: S&C provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world.
The London office serves major corporate, financial institution, investment banking, private equity, government, sovereign wealth, individual and family clients throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Gulf regions and Central Asia, as well as our clients from outside these regions with interests there. S&C London is unique in the scale, complexity and significance of the work carried out in an office of its size.
S&C’s position in the market means that the firm gives cutting‐edge advice on the issues of the future. The firm is keenly engaged in environment and social governance (ESG) matters, including green and sustainability‐linked financings and in transactions involving clean technology and renewable energy.
What we’re looking for: S&C’s goal is to employ the brightest minds, regardless of subject studied at university. The firm seeks trainees who have strong academic credentials and an excellent prior academic record. Most important, however, candidates should also have intellectual curiosity, integrity, common sense, commercial awareness and an ambition to succeed as a lawyer at one of the world’s leading law firms. Strong interpersonal skills will also be important: S&C is looking for team players.
While S&C expects most of its applicants to be penultimate‐year law students and final‐year non‐law students, graduates and postgraduates are also eligible.
What you’ll do: Training contracts with S&C are divided into two six‐month seats during your first year of training, and three four-month seats during your second year of training, covering at least three practice areas. The firm distinguishes its trainee programme by offering genuine mentoring from partners and senior lawyers who take a keen interest in their trainees’ career development. Trainees are, in each seat, supervised by a partner who is a leader in their field and by other senior lawyers, who guide the trainees through their work and help ensure that they are engaged and challenged. These partners and senior lawyers ensure that the trainees see a range of outstanding work and receive guidance to help make the transition from academic study to legal practice.
The trainee solicitor programme is overseen by S&C London partners Ben Perry and Craig Jones and is part of the firm’s integrated, global approach to recruiting, associate development and client service. In this regard, S&C differs from many of its competitors in that it is truly one law firm and one partnership worldwide, fostering a strong culture of teamwork and collaboration between offices.
Perks: Private health insurance; dental insurance; life insurance; a group personal pension scheme with the option to contribute via salary sacrifice; paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave plans; a subsidised gym membership; a concierge service.
Sponsorship
We cover SQE course fees in full for prospective trainees who accept our offer of a training contract. We also pay a maintenance grant, which is currently £20,000, payable in two equal instalments.