Survey Results - Trainee feedback on TLT

The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on TLT

Why did you choose this firm over any others? ‘Due to its reputation and it was recommended to me by someone working at the firm’, ‘its involvement in clean energy work’, ‘the culture is good and the partners are approachable’, ‘national firm with large UK clients based in Belfast’, ‘the work this firm offers matches my career aspirations’, ‘there is a gender equality and diversity drive in the firm’, ‘I liked the people and the environment’, ‘the quality of the training’, ‘the ambition for growth and the firm’s place in the market’

Best thing about the firm? ‘The firm culture and camaraderie’, ‘the hybrid-working policy’, ‘work/life balance’, ‘the attitude towards working from home’, ‘open, welcoming, friendly, non-hierarchical culture’, ‘TLT World and the friendliness’, ‘the work-from-home policy and approachability of senior lawyers’, ‘the culture of investing in its people, fair standards with equal opportunity for people to grow and develop’

Worst thing about the firm? ‘The pay/ benefits- although good it could always be better!’, ‘the IT systems’, ‘the remuneration could definitely be higher’, ‘trainee pay in Belfast’, ‘the pay could be better’, ‘the Manchester office is out of date but we’re soon moving’, ‘the lack of corporate team in Belfast’, ‘I feel that the trainee cohorts could be more ethnically and socially-economically diverse’, ‘the pay’

Best moment? Taking part in a mediation and being hands on with the client for a number of days’, ‘attending client and business development events in London’, ‘having such a good experience in every team I have worked’, ‘attending the trainee and apprentice AGM, as it was great to interact and socialise with all the other trainees and apprentices across the different offices’, ‘running a matter successfully on my own and getting good feedback from my supervisor and the client’, ‘being asked to review a software escrow agreement on my own and set out advice’

Worst moment? ‘Making a mistake in my work and having to deal with the consequences of that’, ‘lulls in work’, ‘some partners not living up to the firm’s friendly culture, and this impacting confidence’, ‘working till 3am’, ‘times when I’ve had a really quiet work period’, ‘the seat selection and rotation process’, ‘a difficult first six months’, ‘working with an associate in another team who wasn’t very approachable’, ‘when the work got a little too much which was causing sleepless nights, however this was resolved’

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on TLT

‘Rapidly growing’ TLT boasts ‘an expertise in clean energy’ and an ‘impressive variety of public sector clients’. The national firm is headquartered in Bristol and offers training contracts in cities across the UK, including Belfast, which appealed to many a Northern Irish trainee looking for a well-rounded training experience nearer home. TLT has a ‘reputation for exposing trainees to clients early’: ‘we are trusted with complex work and encouraged to have a go’, said one respondent. There is an ‘open and friendly culture’ where recruits ‘feel like we can be ourselves’. Trainees also find it encouraging that TLT has a ‘culture of investing in its people and provides equal opportunities for everyone to grow and develop’. A tough moment for one recruit was ‘starting my training contract and feeling completely overwhelmed by a new job and people’ but thankfully ‘TLT were amazing with me during this time’! Trainees think that ‘the pay could be better’, as could the ‘IT systems’, and ‘the organisation of the incoming trainee process’. On a brighter note, trainee highlights included ‘getting involved in high-quality, client-facing work’, ‘seeing the real-world impact of my work in client calls’ and a ‘client secondment to a well-known digital bank where I was given a lot of responsibility’. To top it off, the firm has a generous hybrid-working policy, which makes working at TLT an even more enjoyable experience.  For a firm where ‘flexibility, sustainability and future-focused’ are more than just buzzwords, and where the ‘culture, variety of work and ambition’ are unrivalled, consider TLT.

About the firm

The firm: Going beyond expectations, challenging conventions and creating lasting value for clients. This is what we are known for. It’s what you could be known for too. Operating in all UK jurisdictions and across seven sectors, it combines traditional legal practices with a commercially agile mindset to create successful solutions for clients.

The clients: Innova, Santander, WHSmith, Sainsburys, Barclays, Town & Country Housing, EDF, Boohoo, Savills, Aardman Animations.

Managing partner: John Wood

Senior partner: Sasha Butterworth

Other offices:    Bristol, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Belfast, Piraeus.

Who we are: Going beyond expectations, challenging conventions and creating lasting value for clients. This is what we are known for. It’s what you could be known for too.

TLT is a place where ambition and drive really matter. We want lawyers that push boundaries, ask questions and can solve complex problems.

But what matters to you? Train with us and you can voice your ideas, get stuck into client work and have input on where and how you work. You’ll join an open and collaborative culture where you can approach anyone for a conversation and get involved in causes that you care about.

Our training programme gives you the opportunity to grow your legal knowledge and business development experience. It puts you right at the heart of the action and is all about giving you real work, creating real results and getting real recognition for your achievements.

What we do:  TLT is a full-service commercial law firm with proven and award-winning expertise working in the future energy; financial services; retail and consumer goods; digital; leisure, food and drink; public sector; and real estate sectors for a range of start-ups through to high-profile clients.

What we’re looking for: We look for applicants that are commercially aware and business-savvy as well as academically bright. Our trainee solicitors are free-thinkers, not just process-drivers. Applicants should have a minimum 2(1) degree.

What you’ll do: We combine expertise with open-mindedness and an entrepreneurial culture to deliver the best training contract for our future talent. You will get responsibility and be able to challenge yourself, with the support to help you develop. You will have a tailored training programme incorporating technical legal aspects and business development skills, giving you the best start in your legal career.

Perks: Private health and medical schemes, healthcare cashback scheme, retail vouchers, 25 days’ holiday with the option to buy or sell more, reduced-rate gym membership, season ticket loan, TLT pension plan, life assurance and the opportunity to do community support work, pro bono legal advice, environmental initiatives and fundraising – a full, flexible benefits scheme.

Sponsorship

We sponsor PGDL, SQE and Scottish Diploma of Legal Practice, and pay a £12,000 (£10,000 outside of London) maintenance grant per year for PGDL, SQE and Scottish Diploma as well.

Tips from the recruiter

  1. Make it specific – do your research about TLT and tell us why you want to work here, is it our people, our culture, recent deals etc? A top tip is that if you removed the name TLT from your answer, would we still know which firm you were referencing? If not, add some more detail specific to the firm.
  2. Your authentic voice – we want to hear your true voice in your application. We understand you may use AI tools for research, but make sure you don’t use it to write your whole answer. Take the opportunity to include information that is personal to you, talk about your experiences and your skills rather than talking in more general terms. Let us hear who you are.
  3. Check for errors – it feels obvious but spelling errors or typos can detract from a great application so spell check your answers and then ask someone you trust to review it; a pair of fresh eyes will spot errors you may have missed.

Diversity and inclusion

At TLT we know that the key to our success is our people and being at TLT involves being client-centred, it involves being outstanding and future ready. Finally, being part of TLT means being progressive and a large part of this is our proactive approach to creating an inclusive environment for all; we strive to create diversity of experience, diversity of background and diversity of thought in all of our teams. We work collectively to ensure that TLT is a place where our people can truly be themselves, where they are at their best; at TLT we work to create a space where each individual is treated with dignity and respect. We promote this by taking every opportunity to celebrate difference and diversity, we empower our people to be active allies, to challenge behaviours which are at odds with our culture of inclusivity.

We truly value diversity and actively seek to promote it at all levels of the organisation. We seek to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to succeed irrespective of any differing or defining characteristic.

We work continually to ensure we are meeting the needs of our employees and have committed substantial resources to ensure we are driving the agenda forward across multiple diversity strands, including sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, neuro-diversity, social mobility, disability and religion. Our efforts are reflected in the ongoing success of our employee inclusion networks, which we continue to grow and build. These networks are a critical part of our firm, supporting across LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and minority ethnic inclusion, as well as gender equality, social mobility and neuro-diversity; our networks are helping to ensure that our employees have a voice, but also work to connect people. Supported by leaders across the organisation their mission is to partner with our dedicated ED&I function and the wider organisation, to instill the sense of belonging for everyone who works at TLT. Our networks are partners in supporting the development of our progressive plans for the future.

Furthermore, as an organisation, we work with a range of external partners and as part of wide-reaching initiatives across the UK. To ensure that we attract the best, most diverse talent possible we have continued to be involved in a variety of attraction initiatives which are focused on improving diversity and inclusion in professional service. This includes our work alongside the Social Mobility Business Project (SMBP) – a multi-award-winning social mobility scheme, as well as our longstanding partnership with Aspiring Solicitors, which has continued to strengthen over the years.

While we are always proud of what we have achieved, we continue to strive to be better, to push further and to evolve for the benefit of our employees, the firm, our clients and the wider legal sector.

Percentage of female associates: 67.2%

Percentage of female partners: 36%

Percentage of BAME associates:  14.7%

Percentage of BAME partners: 5.6%