User Login

asb law 
Innovis House 108 High Street Crawley RH10 1AS
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 1 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

image


The lowdown (in their own words...)


Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'I'd already worked for the firm and knew they gave trainees good quality work'; 'wanted to stay in South East and train with one of the leading firms'; 'friendly reputation'; 'good quality of work, early responsibility'; 'work/life balance and no hierarchy'; 'because of its specialism in the aviation and travel industries'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'I get a far greater range of work and a better work/life balance'; 'similar to those training with regional firms, although I think the pay/benefits are less'; 'my hours are a lot shorter, I have good client contact and am responsible for my own files, and have been from the beginning'; 'less stress, less hierarchy, less photocopying!'

Best thing about the firm? 'The amount of freedom and responsibility it gives trainees'; 'the amount of involvement trainees have in matters and the client contact. If you prove yourself, you are generally trusted to play a large part in matters'; 'staff are super-friendly'; 'breadth and quality of work' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'Moving between the two offices (Maidstone and Crawley)'; 'pay, facilities (trainees aren't allowed a car park space - harsh!)'; 'geographically distant offices'; 'no social life'; 'recently morale has dipped with the closure of offices'

Best moment? 'In the line of fire in a client meeting and able to impress'; 'active involvement in high-value cases and being the main contact on smaller matters'; 'preparing for a hearing by myself in my second month of training. Terrifying but satisfying when I realised I could do it'; 'involved in six figure settlements for clients with serious injuries €“ very satisfying'

Worst moment? 'Sorting out some really old files'; 'times where I haven't had much work or been chained to the photocopier'; 'wielding suitcases of files on trains to get to London. Nobody ever helps!'; 'very bad result for a client in the County Court which reflected badly on the firm, but primarily on herself'; 'credit crunch-related issues damaging the mood of the firm'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

One of the largest firms in the region (offices in Maidstone and Crawley), asb law advises both corporate and private clients in the South East and far beyond. The firm has an interesting niche as one of the leading providers of legal services to the travel industry, as witnessed by the aviation team advising on complex, cross-border matters involving Russia, India and the Middle East. Clients say the firm exhibits 'good industry knowledge, particularly in travel and insurance'.


The star performers

Aviation; Banking and finance; Charities; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Corporate and commercial; Crime; Employment; Family; Insolvency and corporate recovery; Intellectual property; Local government; Personal Injury; Personal tax, trusts and probate.

The deals

Acted for TUI Travel on £120m acquisition of LateRooms.com; acted for management team of DVC Sales Ltd in £30m secondary MBO to ISIS Equity Partners; instructed regarding detention and repossession of a Boeing 747; continues to act for London Borough of Wandsworth on a major redevelopment matter; provides employment, property and pensions advice to the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust and Prospect Housing.

The clients

Allianz Cornhill; Clydesdale; Cobra Holdings plc; CBI; easyJet; HBOS; HSBC; James Villa Holidays; Lloyds TSB; Mott Macdonald; Smith & Williamson; Svenska Handelsbanken; TUI Travel plc.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2008: £17.9m (+5% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £253,000 (+5%)


The Lex 100 verdict

asb law continues to be a popular choice with those wanting to avoid the London rat race but not at the cost of quality work. The philosophy here seems to be that if you prove yourself, you'll be trusted with your own workload, whether it be 'preparing for a hearing by myself in my second month' or negotiating settlements for clients with serious injuries. Plus the early responsibility doesn't equal staying in the office till all hours - for the third year running the firm is a Lex 100 Winner for manageable stress levels, as well as scoring well in the work/life balance category. As one current trainee comments 'I was at Allen & Overy for two years and I know my hours are a lot shorter and I have good client contact and am responsible for my own files and workload, and have been from the beginning'. Trainees report that morale has dipped somewhat with the closure of the Brighton and Horsham offices and, as last year, moving between the two remaining Maidstone and Crawley offices isn't to all tastes. The main bone of contention seems to be the lack of car parking spaces for trainees, whilst others would like more of a social life, hence the poor score in this category. However, if you can put up with public transport or parking elsewhere, asb has much to commend it. A great choice for those seeking a breadth of commercial and private client work (not forgetting its specialism in the aviation and travel industries), with plenty of responsibility and client contact.

A day in the life of.....

Sorry, this firm has not supplied this information.




About the firm

Sorry, this firm has not supplied this information.