Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Bevan Brittan

The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Bevan Brittan

Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘It was important to me to work for a firm that had long appreciated the importance of public sector work’, ‘it has extensive experience in commercial property and infrastructure transactions’, ‘the public sector work and clients’, ‘I wanted to be able to give back to the local community in the area where I work’, ‘the strong links to the NHS’, ‘the clients and the work carried out, as well as the culture’, ‘practice area expertise’

Best thing about the firm? ‘The public sector work, which gives a good insight into how local authorities, NHS trusts, and central government bodies are run’, ‘the approachability of colleagues, from junior lawyers to partners’, ‘it sounds cliché, but the best thing really is the people. I feel privileged to have worked with supervisors and colleagues throughout my four seats who truly inspire me’, ‘the work/life balance’, ‘the people’

Worst thing about the firm? ‘There aren’t many people who go into the office, so face-to-face interaction, especially with those higher up in the firm, is limited’, ‘the pay is a bit low considering the expectations’, ‘the pressure to meet billing targets’, ‘the lack of pay transparency – we didn’t find out our final salary in the first year until we’d started the job, and didn’t have much indication of what to expect in terms of raises and NQ salaries’, ‘the pay is lower than competitors in the market and is not reflective of the number of hours worked’

Best moment? ‘Moving from smaller, easier tasks at the beginning of the seat to more substantial and legally challenging tasks – it confirms the firm has faith in your ability’, ‘attending a mediation’, ‘the first-year trainees ran an event for our local office charity; this was a great opportunity to get to know other trainees’, ‘my third-seat review; I received a lot of positive feedback, perhaps even better than I’d imagined, and I felt really valued by my team’

Worst moment? ‘Some exceptionally busy periods in my first seats with a lot of early starts and late nights’, ‘starting off in a quieter seat in a quiet month, with very few people in the team based in London’, ‘I felt unsupported in one of my seats where the partner was not very approachable or available’, ‘my seat in commercial law – long meetings and late nights with little legal work’, ‘being stuck on a two-hour contract mark-up call’

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Bevan Brittan

An ‘impressive mix of public and private sector work’ attracted trainees to Bevan Brittan. The London, Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds-based firm is well known for its ‘strong links to the NHS’, as well as, for its ‘people-centric approach’. Trainees are ‘given responsibility very early on’ at Bevan Brittan, and relish being given ‘real opportunities to take ownership of our work’. ‘Very approachable and understanding supervisors’ are on hand, who are ‘receptive to requests to work on specific matters or with particular clients’. Respondents described all teams as ‘very knowledgeable’, which makes the firm an ‘excellent place to learn the craft’. In general, Bevan Brittan recruits enjoy ‘much better hours’ than trainees at some larger firms, which goes a long way in explaining their high levels of job satisfaction. Although the firm has a generous hybrid-working policy, the downside is that ‘people don’t come into the office that much’. Some trainees also felt frustrated at being ‘allocated to teams and locations they didn’t choose, which can have a detrimental impact on training and the enjoyment of a seat’. Others complained that Bevan Brittan ‘does not publicly disclose trainee salaries’ which ‘makes it difficult to plan living arrangements and the like’. Nevertheless, trainees enjoyed fulfilling experiences such as ‘attending the Royal Courts of Justice’, ‘drafting an advice note that was shared with the department and the client with only minor tweaks’, and ‘receiving very positive feedback from my team and wider colleagues’ which more than made up for any shortcomings. For a firm which ‘specialises in the public sector’, which cares about its people, from their professional development to their work/life balance, research Bevan Brittan.

About the firm

The firm: Bevan Brittan is a leading commercial law firm. Alongside our recognised expertise in housing, local government, and health and social care, we are specialists in the construction, energy and resource management, higher education and financial services sectors.

Our award-winning and growing legal teams are led by 100 partners. With vital backing provided by our valued business services professionals and support teams, we work together to support almost 2,000 organisations with commercial, corporate, property, finance, regulatory, employment and litigation (commercial and clinical negligence) legal and advisory services.

Managing partner: Duncan Weir

Senior partner: Jodie Sinclair

Other offices:    Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, London.

Who we are: As a responsible business, we embrace four values: Relationships, Reputation, Responsible and Results. These give us a sense of purpose. They influence the decisions we make and how we work with each other. Importantly, they motivate us to deliver meaningful outcomes for our clients and the communities that we’re part of.

Consistently recognised as one of The Times Best Law Firms and highly ranked across the legal directories, we are proud of our hard-earned reputation, which helps us to attract and retain the best talent. Our 2023/24 financial results confirmed both revenue and profit growth for an eleventh consecutive year, ensuring our ability to continue investing in our people.

Looking to the future, we’re targeting ambitious growth and success. And we’re looking for the best people to be part of it.

What we do:  Our award-winning teams provide commercial, corporate, property, finance, regulatory, employment and litigation (commercial and clinical negligence) legal advice.

What we’re looking for:  We are looking for individuals with enthusiasm, especially for the sectors and areas of law in which we specialise. Individuals who are happy to work in a team, with a good understanding of commerciality.

What you’ll do: At Bevan Brittan we provide aspiring lawyers with the skills and support to set them up for a successful career. Our trainee solicitors get a tailored training and development programme that gives them early exposure to real work for real clients, and this careful management of the learning process allows confidence to grow alongside experience.

Perks: Life insurance, private healthcare insurance, pension, group income protection, health assessments, cycle scheme.

Sponsorship

We sponsor fees for you if you have not yet completed the PGDL/SQE. We will also pay you a £5,000 bursary while you study.

Seat options

  • Health and care
  • employment
  • pensions and immigration
  • construction; banking
  • energy and resource management
  • corporate
  • ICT
  • commercial and public law – health
  • commercial and public law – local authority
  • litigation
  • advisory and regulatory
  • housing
  • housing management
  • social housing
  • property – independent health
  • regeneration
  • commercial property
  • property litigation.

Diversity and inclusion

Percentage of female associates: 70.1%

Percentage of female partners: 52.5%

Percentage of BAME associates:  12.2%

Percentage of BAME partners: 9.2%