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Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP 
Adelaide House London Bridge London EC4R 9HA
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 5 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

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The lowdown (in their own words...)


Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Friendliness and atmosphere within the firm on the assessment days and interview'; 'the initiatives to improve every area of the firm'; 'I'd heard good things about the managing partner and his strategy'; 'I met some of the trainees who I found truly enjoyed their jobs and I was impressed at their quality of work'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'BLP is exceptionally focused on its trainees - I've para-legaled in a few firms and seen how trainees are treated and this place is really dedicated and hands-on'; 'they take real care in placing you in seats you've chosen'; 'demanding work, fantastic client contact and friendly atmosphere'

Best thing about the firm? 'Incentives such as £500 to the winning suggestion in a staff-related/client-related question of the month'; 'an authorised day off for charitable/pro bono activity'; 'the BLP London to Paris Bike Ride'; 'various department ski-trips and the great location on the river'; 'the quality of people and the ambition shown by all staff' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'Lack of overseas secondments'; 'sometimes a bit hierarchical'; 'being in two buildings (although next door to each other)'; 'hours can be comparable to the Magic Circle'; 'when qualification time rolls around there's a lack of organisation and empathy for candidates'; 'the logo!'; 'St Magnus House is not as fancy as Adelaide House'

Best moment? 'Finding the original docs I thought I'd lost!'; 'running the last week of a deal and the whole completion process with a senior partner'; 'helping out on the largest ever cartel damages case'; 'client meetings by myself'; 'being given tickets for a client's box at the Emirates'; 'completion celebration â - racing cars in Spain'; 'closing £60m deal on my own'

Worst moment? 'Sending an email in error to a client'; 'swamped with work and associates lacking understanding of other deadlines, but supervisors are usually pretty helpful at sorting things out'; 'barely leaving the office in the weeks around Christmas'; 'getting grilled by one of the firm's big hitters'; 'stressful deal involving a lot of paper shuffling'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Berwin Leighton Paisner sits at the vanguard of the property market and few would dispute its pre-eminence. The practice boasts a comprehensive real estate offering, including expertise in corporate and finance issues. The firm is also well established at the head of the small and mid-cap flotations market as well as being recommended in the £250m+ M&A bracket.


The star performers

Acquisition finance; Asset finance; Bank lending; Brand management; Charities; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate restructuring and insolvency; Corporate tax; Development; Derivatives; Employment; Environment; EU and competition; Flotations: small and mid-cap; Futures; Health and safety; Hotels; IT and telecoms; IP; Investment; Investment funds; Leisure; Licensing; Local government; M&A Upper mid-market and Premium deals, £250m+; Personal tax, trusts and probate; Planning; Private Finance Initiative; Property finance; Property litigation; Securitisation; Venture capital.

The deals

Represented Canary Wharf in forward sale to JP Morgan of its new headquarters; advising Tesco on its ongoing £5bn programme of releasing value from its UK property portfolio; advised Playtech on its £112m placing; advising Propinvest on the finance for the €1.9bn acquisition of Banco Santander's HQ in Madrid.

The clients

Arup; Close Ventures; Endemol; Guardian News and Media; National Grid; Olympic Delivery Authority; Thames Water; Veolia.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2008: £182m (+9% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £620,000 (-6%)

Highly Commended for Most Enterprising law firm of the year and Real Estate team of the year.


The Lex 100 verdict

A high number of current trainees at Berwin Leighton say they found the firm's ambitious strategy and 'dedication to its vision' the deciding factors in coming here; 'the upward curve the firm is on sets it apart' says one. Word-of-mouth recommendation is always influential ('friends had a great time here'), with one trainee concluding 'I've para-legaled in a few firms and seen how trainees are treated and this place is really dedicated and hands-on'. A Lex 100 Winner for living up to expectations and confident of being kept on, the firm is 'exceptionally focused on its trainees' and offers a good range of seats ('not just corporate/financial'). Trainees think the firm 'seems to take real care in placing you in seats you have chosen' and is 'more committed to the depth of training given, actively seeking feedback on any ways it could be improved'. The buddy and mentor scheme and the open-door policy are also praised. Work-wise, there's a wide range of experiences, including 'closing a £60m deal all on my own' and 'attending a mediation between our client (a major plc) and a large utilities company.' Several mention 'demanding work' such as drafting of major documents, 'fantastic' client contact and responsibility ('allowed to make decisions with supervision'). Client secondments are available but trainees would like to see the range of international seats expanded. Other moans mainly relate to being spread between two buildings, particularly because 'St Magnus House is not as fancy as Adelaide House.' That said, Berwin Leighton manages to inspire great loyalty and pride in its employees ('shown by all members of the legal and non-legal staff'). Ambition is clearly infectious.

A day in the life of.....

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About the firm

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