Survey Results - Trainee feedback on White & Case LLP
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on White & Case LLP
Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘I wanted to start my career at one of the best (and highest-paying) firms in the City’, ‘White & Case has a great market reputation’, ‘excellent training, guaranteed international secondment, size of trainee intake, strength of brand, commitment to growth in London through expansion and strong lateral hires’, ‘the firm’s diversity’, ‘culture, compensation, international secondment, global outlook and international work, high quality of work across different areas’, ‘the guaranteed international secondment’
Best thing about the firm? ‘Fantastic pay for interesting work’, ‘excellent training, outstanding provision of free (and plentiful!) food and drink. Opportunities to travel, liaise with colleagues around the world and work on market-leading transactions/cases’, ‘the firm-sponsored global events – like the W&C World Cup (in Madrid this year!), taxis home past 9pm, and excellent support from PAs and business admin teams’, ‘the people are supportive, friendly and passionate about their careers’, ‘the variety of international work on offer’, ‘benefits, exposure to big clients and deals, excellent offerings’
Worst thing about the firm? ‘The late hours’, ‘the hours and expectation/normalisation that work takes priority over anything else’, ‘the hours in certain departments can be very long and unpredictable, as is expected’, ‘some of the office space is rather tired (thankfully in the process of being renovated)’,‘some (though very few!) partners can be demanding but then not appreciate the good work done by a trainee’, ‘competition for seat choices’, ‘the lack of transparency around the qualification process’
Best moment? ‘International secondment to Singapore’, ‘being part of a small team working to prepare for a hotly-contested BVI insolvency hearing (whilst in my litigation seat) – I really enjoyed the responsibility placed on me to do my job well’, ‘the first BSK (in-house restaurant) meal with the whole trainee cohort’, ‘getting good feedback on a complex and technical assignment’, ‘participating in a landmark case’, ‘working one-on-one with a partner to understand the hidden tax assets of a company’, ‘signing my first deal’
Worst moment? ‘In the first months of my first seat, the markets were quiet and I spent weeks/months with very little to do – I was quite bored’, ‘waking up to start work at 3am (admittedly highly unusual)’, ‘panicking after sending out a key email with a typo, several late nights with no thanks, feeling overwhelmed with a new transaction – which I handed well, thankfully!’, ‘spending a long time on a task that ended up not being needed’, ‘pulling all-nighters’, ‘times when I had more responsibility than I felt capable of taking on’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on White & Case LLP
Global firm White & Case drew applicants in their droves thanks to the ‘exciting nature of the work, particularly in relation to sovereign debt and infrastructure financing’. The ‘guaranteed overseas seat’ is a star attraction, as is the salary, thanks to White & Case being ‘one of the highest-paying firms in the City’. The vacation scheme was applauded, and participants ‘liked the people [we] met at the firm’ so much that their decision was made early on. An impressive six Future Lawyers Winner medals have been awarded to White & Case this year. When it comes to internationality, the secondments aren’t the only thing that makes the firm stand out (though the offering is no doubt impressive); the ‘large variety of international work’ and the ‘international reach and network’ are also unrivalled. In fact, ‘there is a global element to everything’ at White & Case’. Excellent perks, including ‘three free gourmet buffet meals a day!’ are the cherry on top of the cake. Training at White & Case is ‘engaging, robust and sufficiently challenging’, and includes ‘exposure to meaningful work, interaction with senior partners and plenty of opportunities to get involved with BD’. Respondents assured us that ‘if you are capable, you can take on a lot of responsibility and will be given the opportunity to run your own workstreams at a very early stage’. The atmosphere is ‘collegiate’, with colleagues described as ‘warm and approachable’. Fellow trainees quickly become ‘genuine friends’ and provide a very supportive network from day one’. It’s not all sunshine and roses at the US-headquartered firm however: ‘there can be long hours’ at White & Case, with some trainees ‘working really grim hours for weeks and months at a time’. But, generally, teams are ‘usually very supportive and grateful for the time and effort spent’. For a firm which is ‘international in all respects’, has an ‘entrepreneurial spirit and a lack of hierarchy’ and an ‘inclusive and diverse culture’, research White & Case.
About the firm
The firm: White & Case is a global law firm of more than 2,500 lawyers worldwide. We’ve built an unrivalled network of 44 offices in 30 countries. That investment is the foundation for our client work in over 200 countries today. Complex client projects, nuanced local market knowledge and global capabilities define who we are. Many White & Case clients are multinational organisations with complex needs that require the involvement of multiple offices. As part of our training contract, we offer every trainee a guaranteed six-month overseas seat.
The clients: Nestle, Rio Tinto, Barclays Bank, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Toshiba, Klarna, Bud Financial, Energean Oil & Gas, GSO Partners, Goldman Sachs.
The deals: Represented Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy on the c€15bn financing of its acquisition of Tiffany & Co, the global luxury jeweller; represented the lenders on the €1.1bn syndicated Green Loan provided to .italo NTV, Europe’s leading highspeed rail operator; represented GSO Capital Partners and its affiliates on a three tier financing package to support Advent International’s £4bn acquisition of leading global technology and services innovator Cobham plc; representation of the financiers on a landmark US$20bn project financing of Mozambique’s first onshore LNG development, Mozambique LNG, one of the largest project financings to go to market in Africa; represented Avast, the leading global cybersecurity provider, in connection with its £602m IPO on the London Stock Exchange; representation of US satellite group EchoStar on its attempted US$3.2bn takeover of Inmarsat, the UK-based, FTSE 250 satellite operator; representing a leading global financial institution in investigations by the European Commission, the US Department of Justice, the US CFTC, the UK FCA and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on the setting of LIBOR, EURIBOR and SIBOR; representing the contractors in a multibillion-dollar dispute with the Panama Canal Authority relating to the US$5.5bn Panama Canal expansion project.
London office executive partner: Inigo Esteve
UK offices: London
Other offices: 43
Who we are: White & Case celebrates and welcomes difference. We strive to create an environment where everyone can bring their authentic, full selves to work and thrive. Our culture promotes a respectful, supportive workplace environment, where all people feel accepted for who they are, experience a sense of belonging and are empowered to unite across differences.
What we do: As a White & Case lawyer, you’ll work on fast-paced cutting-edge cross-border projects from the outset of your career. In London, our key areas of work include: debt finance (including regulatory compliance); financial restructuring and insolvency; capital markets (high yield and securitisation); dispute resolution (including antitrust, commercial litigation, intellectual property, international arbitration, trade, white collar, and construction and engineering); energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance (EIPAF); and corporate (including M&A, private equity, employment, compensation and benefits, investment funds, real estate and tax).
What we’re looking for: White & Case is looking to recruit ambitious trainees who have a desire to gain hands-on practical experience from day one and a willingness to take charge of their own career. We value globally minded citizens of the world who are eager to work across borders and cultures, and who are intrigued by solving problems within multiple legal systems. They should have an understanding of international commercial issues and an interest in working on big-ticket, cross-border work. We recruit both law and non-law students and owing to the nature of our work, language skills are of interest. Applicants will be welcomed for their individuality, their ability to contribute to the cutting-edge work we do and the energy with which they approach the job at hand. They should have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a solid 2(1), have a positive and friendly attitude, be enthusiastic and work well in teams.
What you’ll do: The training contract consists of four six-month seats, one of which is guaranteed to be spent in one of our overseas offices, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, Helsinki, Houston, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo. The remaining three seats can be spent in any one of the firm’s practice groups in London. Receiving a high level of partner and associate contact from day one, our trainees can be confident that they will receive high-quality, stimulating and rewarding work. Trainees work in small, focused teams, so their colleagues trust them to perform tasks accurately and efficiently. White & Case is a ‘high-stretch, high-support’ workplace that celebrates individual excellence and team success. We actively encourage our trainees to take early responsibility, and there is a strong emphasis on practical training, with plenty of support and feedback. Alongside the training contract, our trainees are encouraged to get involved in all aspects of our globally renowned pro bono programme, often working directly with clients and even managing small matters. White & Case recruits and develops trainee solicitors with the aim of retaining them on qualification.
Discover White & Case through the eyes of our people. Read more about our work, our people and our offer.
Sponsorship
We will cover your PGDL and SQE fees.
Seat options
Debt finance, capital markets, competition, construction, corporate M&A, corporate PE, energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance (EIPAF), employment, compensation and benefits, financial restructuring and insolvency (FRI), intellectual property, litigation and arbitration, real estate, tax, white collar, environmental social governance (ESG). Guaranteed overseas seat – locations include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, Helsinki, Houston, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo.