Lewis Silkin

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin has a strong ‘focus on the creative and technology sectors’. The national firm offers training contracts in London, Cardiff and Belfast, and boasts a ‘bespoke training programme, under which you’re able to choose all four of your seats’. This means that recruits can ‘complete four seats we’re actually interested in and have a chance of qualifying into our areas of preference’. An ‘almost guaranteed employment seat’ is also part of the package. ‘Interesting, high-quality work’ is the norm at Lewis Silkin, and this is ‘coupled with a supportive and friendly culture’. The environment is ‘less competitive’ than at some larger firms and ‘the hours are much more reasonable’. In fact, one trainee went as far as to say that ‘I am the only one of my friends that seems happy with their firm and their life’. The people at Lewis Silkin are great too: ‘for lawyers at the top of their fields, everyone is friendly, down to earth and approachable’. As is common in mid-sized firms, ‘there is quite a big emphasis on business development, even for junior solicitors and trainees’, which respondents feel ‘takes away from the time needed to focus on developing our legal skills and knowledge’. Some trainees also complained that the ‘remuneration isn’t that high’, although the trade-off of a better work/life balance was generally seen as a good thing. On the plus side, Lewis Silkin’s pro bono offering is impressive: ‘the firm has committed to pro bono work by assuring fee earners that their pro bono time will still be counted as billable time’. To work with ‘interesting media clients’, have access to ‘great client secondments’, and experience ‘genuine care for training’ in a firm where ‘news-worthy work’ is par for the course, consider Lewis Silkin.

A day in the life of... Giorgia Merighi , trainee, Lewis SIlkin

Departments to date: Employment

University: London School of Economics and Political Science

Degree: History

8.30am: I usually leave for work at around 8.15 am, aiming to be in the office for 8.50 am. I like to get in slightly earlier to grab a coffee from our barista (big perk!) and to set up for the day ahead. However, today is an exciting day because I am heading to London Central Employment Tribunal to attend a hearing. I am really enjoying how much early responsibility the firm is giving me – it is only the third week of my training contract, and I am attending the proceedings alone to take notes on behalf of a client.

9.15am: I arrive at London Central and go through the security checks. The hearing does not start until 10am but because it is an important case there are many people in the queue.

9.30am: Following the security checks, I sit in the lobby until the proceedings begin. This is because I am attending the hearing as an ‘observer’/member of the public rather than as part of the claimant or respondent’s team. I use this opportunity to catch up on work emails and to check Teams. I make sure to set my capacity tracker to reflect the fact that I am out of the office for the day so that no one contacts me for any urgent work.

10.00am: I am escorted into the room and the hearing begins. My instructions are not to take verbatim notes but rather to pick out key points. However, I find it difficult to figure out what is significant at the outset given my unfamiliarity with the case, so I listen closely and focus on getting down most of what I hear. I will then edit my notes later.

11.15am: We all get a ten-minute break. I grab water and reply to more work emails. I recently asked to join the firm’s sports sector-focus group and one of the co-heads has just confirmed that they have added me to the group.

11.25am: Back into the hearing – more furious typing.

1.00pm: The hearing breaks for lunch. Taking detailed notes requires intense concentration, which I find quite tiring, so this is a much-needed break. Time to refuel and grab another coffee! I had arranged in advance to meet one of my university friends in the nearby Lincoln’s Inn Fields for lunch. He is studying the SQE at BPP University this year, so we get some food and sit outside in the sun.

2.00pm: The hearing resumes for the afternoon session.

3.15pm: Another ten-minute break. I quickly reply to a Teams message that has just come in regarding another case I am involved with. I am taking part in a big disclosure exercise from the beginning of next week and I provide my availability for a briefing call to discuss what will happen. Disclosure is the part of the litigation process in which each party makes documents available to the other party. I am part of the first level review team, and my role will involve removing documents which are clearly irrelevant and identifying if there are any issues with the documents. There are several documents in Italian, and I have been enlisted to put my Italian language skills to beneficial use.

4.30pm: The hearing adjourns for the day. I message the Teams channel for the matter to update my colleagues on the status of the proceedings.

4.45pm: I use my alumni card to find a quiet space in one of the LSE buildings (conveniently close to London Central). I set about ‘polishing up’ my notes to then send on to the client. This process ends up taking a while because three different witnesses gave evidence today and there was a lot of repetition.

6.30pm: I finish editing my notes and email them over to the client’s chief legal officer. I value the fact that Lewis Silkin trusts the quality of my work and allows me to liaise directly with the client. I then hop on the bus and head to my weekly netball game. I play in a league with some old teammates from university close to the office.

8.00pm: I arranged to meet a friend for pizza in Waterloo after netball. On my way home, I double check my work phone to see whether the client wants me to attend the hearing again tomorrow. As there are no updates, I switch off for the day.

About the firm

The firm : Lewis Silkin works with leading businesses to protect and enhance their most important assets – their ideas, their people, their brand and their future. We call it: Ideas. People. Possibilities.

With offices in London, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Belfast, Dublin and Hong Kong, we are recognised by clients and industry alike as being distinct for our unique culture, market-leading practice areas, sector-focused approach and for providing solutions to complex, multijurisdictional business challenges, with a pragmatic and human touch. We have two things at our core: people – both ours and our clients’ – and a focus on creative, tech and innovative businesses.

Our culture is encapsulated by an ethos of bravery and kindness, guided by our values of integrity, clarity, unity and excellence (our ‘I-CUE’). We aim to provide a supportive environment for our people, clients and wider community and embrace diversity and inclusion, ensuring people are able to bring their full selves to work.

The clients: Deliveroo, Google, Hermès, Twitter, Peloton, Harvey Nichols, TikTok, London Fashion Week, Jellycat, Lush, Suzuki, British Fashion Council, B&Q, Sky, Airbnb, FuturLab, Superdry, Bacardi, Unilever, Uniqlo Europe, PPE Medpro, Accenture, Bolt, AstraZeneca, Arsenal, Rugby Football Union, Chelsea FC, Royal National Theatre, Marks & Spencer, Havas Media, Benevolent AI, Cineworld, Purplebricks, Hawksmoor Restaurants, Zizzi, PizzaExpress Restaurants, Ascot Racecourse, Britvic, Paramount, Daily Mail & General Trust (Associated Newspapers), Omnicom Group, Yahoo, John Lewis, Skyscanner, Trustpilot, Dr. Martens, Meta, Toshiba, NME Networks Media

The deals:  Successfully defending copyright claim for John Lewis and adam&eveDDB; successful in Deliveroo Court of Appeal rider status challenge; advising Three on groundbreaking commercial partnership with Chelsea FC; advised FuturLab on its sale to Miniclip; advised Havas on its acquisition of a majority stake (51%) in Uncommon Creative Studio, the most awarded and fastest growing independent creative company in the UK; secured injunction against former Nissan GC with High Court ruling.

Managing partners: Richard Miskella and Jo Farmer.

Other offices:   London, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Belfast, Dublin, Hong Kong.

Who we are: We are a leading Legal 500-ranked law firm that works with you to help you protect and enhance what really matters to you – your ideas, your people, your future – we call it: Ideas. People. Possibilities.

Your Ideas: Your ideas, and the people who generate them, are at the heart of your business, helping differentiate you in the market and giving you a competitive edge. We help bring your ideas and your business to life.

Your People: We are passionate about people – yours and ours. We can help you navigate all your strategic and operational HR and legal issues across the world of work, both nationally and internationally.

Your Possibilities: Ideas are developed by people; people are inspired by ideas; and together they create endless possibilities for future success. In a world where the only constant is change, we work side by side with you to help overcome challenges and seize opportunities to help grow and evolve your business.

What we do:  We are passionate about people. Whether you are a fast growth start-up or a large multinational business, we help you realise the potential in your people and navigate your strategic HR and legal issues, both nationally and internationally. Our award-winning employment team is one of the largest in the UK, with dedicated specialists in all areas of employment law and a track record of leading precedent-setting cases on issues of the day. The team’s breadth of expertise is unrivalled and includes HR consultants as well as experts across specialisms including employment, immigration, data, tax and reward, health and safety, reputation management, dispute resolution, corporate and workplace environment.

Creativity, technology and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. It is reflected in the way we work, as well as in the types of businesses we work with. We help bring your ideas to life by working alongside you as a trusted partner and bringing together leading commercial, corporate, data and privacy, dispute resolution, employment, immigration, intellectual property and real estate lawyers to help create, optimise, manage and protect your ideas and your business.

What we’re looking for: Those who share our sense of purpose to help others and show kindness, have a genuine interest in our firm and specialist sectors we work in, relevant work experience (legal and non-legal), and good commercial and business awareness.

What you’ll do: Our training programme offers you:

Experience – a four-seat training contract across a range of practice areas, sitting alongside experts in their field.

Support – dedicated support throughout your training contract, including a seat supervisor who will support your development through your seat, two buddies (trainee and senior) who will be able to answer any queries you have and a committed training principal who will monitor your progress throughout your training contract.

Culture – our small trainee intake allows us to action our ethos – to support and do the best for our employees as individuals. It also means you receive responsibility from the word ‘go’, being exposed to fast-paced challenging work within a supportive and friendly environment.

Perks: Bonus scheme for trainees; firmwide bonus scheme – shared success award; life assurance of 4 x salary; group income protection; employee assistance programme; private healthcare cover with BUPA; group personal pension scheme, matched contribution up to 5% of basic salary; wellness subsidy; subsidised conveyancing costs; interest-free season ticket loan (after three months’ service); workplace nursery provision scheme via salary sacrifice; cycle to work scheme via salary sacrifice; recruitment bounty; free eye tests.

Sponsorship

We provide full sponsorship for the LPC and SQE routes. We will also provide you with an £8,000 bursary payment for when you’re studying full time. (£8,000 will be split over two years if you study part time).

We will reimburse your LPC, SQE and GDL fees if already completed.

Tips from the recruiter

1. Be your authentic self and don’t tell us what you think we want to hear – highlight what genuinely interests you.
2. Do your research beyond our website and tailor your application to Lewis Silkin.
3. Showcase your strengths and transferable skills to demonstrate your understanding of what the role of a lawyer involves.

Diversity and inclusion