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Boyes Turner 
Abbots House Abbey Street Reading RG1 3BD
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 2 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? 'Excellent work/life balance, good working ethos'; 'interesting fields of practice'; 'I wanted to be in this area of the country and the firm is one of the biggest here. 'came for a vacation placement and liked it'; 'friendly and sociable ethos'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'It appears that I have the best deal! Training in how to be a solicitor as opposed to an expert in photocopier maintenance'; 'I seem to get a lot more day-to-day contact with the partners'; 'less stressful, more laid-back approach, wider variety of seat choices, more nurturing of younger members of the firm'

Best thing about the firm? 'A serious law firm with serious clients but employees and partners that don't take themselves too seriously. It is a firm that is confident without being arrogant'; 'everyone is friendly, sociable and enjoys working here. Every friday there are free drinks which brings everyone together'; 'you get a lot of support in your work from all levels' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'The coffee machines make terrible coffee'; 'if I were to indulge myself in the free cakes and biscuits my health would almost certainly take a downward turn! That and having to perform a 'trainee sketch' at the Christmas party'; 'as a trainee, the politics and secrecy around seat changes and jobs on qualification is probably the hardest thing to deal with'

Best moment? 'Knowing that I have drafted advice which has gone out almost unedited to a household name client'; 'going to a contempt hearing at the High Court and seeing top quality barristers in action and helping them through the hearing'; 'the feeling of elation and achievement when one of the deals I had been assisting on finally completed'

Worst moment? 'The nervousness just prior to performing our trainee sketch!'; 'having to deal with rude and difficult clients, however this is all part of the experience'; 'doing a hearing on only one day's notice and not being able to answer all of the Judge's questions adequately'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Described by clients as 'thoroughly professional with a rapid response approach', Boyes Turner is one of the leading single-office commercial law firms in the Thames Valley. The firm has a well-earned reputation in the business services sector, particularly in relation to employment and it recently lured away a partner from Osborne Clarke to head up the banking practice. The corporate team has a loyal client following, media and IT are strong and the private client department offers a wide range of services. The chief executive has an impressive three year strategy for Boyes Turner to become the Thames Valley's premier law firm by 2010.


The star performers

Clinical negligence (claimant); Insolvency and corporate recovery;Commercial litigation; Intellectual property;Commercial property; Personal injury (claimant);Corporate and commercial; Property litigation.Employment;

The deals

Advised on competition clearance matters relating to Grasso Holdings Limited's acquisition of International Cooling Group; successfully defending a £6m claim on behalf of EDS in an IT dispute; recently won the tender to advise Reading Borough Council on equal pay claims; advised Guardian Media Group on its acquisition of software solutions provider CFP Software Limited.

The clients

Allied Irish; Baker Tilly; Barclays; Barratt Homes; Biffa Waste Management; HSBC; Trader Media; Persimmon; RBS.

The money

Highly commended National/regional firm of the year.


The Lex 100 verdict

Boyes Turner has had a great year as far as its trainees are concerned. They have given their firm high praise and high scores resulting in the practice becoming a Lex 100 Winner in no less than seven categories: job satisfaction, firm living up to expectations, quality of work, stress levels, friendliness, social life and work/life balance. In this latter category Boyes Turner achieves the highest score in the book with trainees praising the 'sensible attitude to hours' and the 'less stressful, more laid-back approach'. As one trainee comments: 'I've never regretted choosing Boyes Turner and horror stories from friends prove I was right'. There is also a 'more nurturing attitude' here and 'you get a lot of support in your work from all levels'. Last year there were some complaints about the lack of social life but this year grumbles are reserved mainly for the 'terrible coffee from the coffee machines'. There are a couple of moans about pay too - but nothing too terrible - and it seems that most trainees here would rather have a greater work/life than bank balance. In addition the social life appears to have picked up (aided by the 'close-knit community amongst all staff which it seems is rarely replicated elsewhere') and trainees especially like the free drinks from 5pm on Fridays. For thorough training in a variety of practice areas, with understanding partners who value a life outside the office, this successful Reading firm looks like a very good option.

A day in the life of.....

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About the firm

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