Lex 100 - Brabners Chaffe Street LLP

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Brabners Chaffe Street LLP

Horton House Exchange Flags Liverpool L2 2YL

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'It is friendly and sociable with an open-door policy, but is also highly respected and has a high level of expertise'; 'fantastic client base'; 'relaxed yet hardworking atmosphere'; 'competitive salary'; 'size'; 'location'; 'reputation of being professional yet approachable'; 'general feel of the firm'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'More support'; 'relaxed and friendly atmosphere'; 'high level of technical training'; 'lots of partner interaction'; 'work is generally given with reasonable deadlines'; 'good work/life balance'; 'everyone at Brabners is very approachable'; 'more sociable'; 'more contact with partners'; 'good-quality work'

Best thing about the firm? 'The atmosphere'; 'work/life balance is fantastic'; 'the people'; 'partner contact - nearly every piece of work is run by a partner'; 'the staff are not cookie-cut'; 'you get free fruit!'; 'great team work'; 'the variety of departments'

Worst thing about the firm? 'The firm has been a little slow in implementing suitable IT systems'; 'too many cakes and treats brought in by staff - not good for my waistline!'; 'the IT system'

Best moment? 'Winning a domain name complaint filed on behalf of a big-name US client (I assisted with drafting it)'; 'gaining valuable advocacy experience'; 'the successful charity night that myself and the other trainees arranged at St George's Hall'; 'seeing the documents I had created being signed and forming parts of a big deal was great'; 'the Christmas party was amazing'

Worst moment? 'An extremely large scheduling task involving hundreds of old deeds!'; 'trying to understand tax - so complicated!'; 'a really busy week before Christmas when I was assisting on several completions within a couple of days of each other'; 'a disclosure exercise that lasted three weeks and took place over the Christmas and New Year break'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Brabners Chaffe Street LLP has offices in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston. The firm merged with Bremners (May 2009) and David Bishop & Co (2010), considerably bolstering its private client and social housing practices. Providing a partner-led service and attracting excellent feedback across the board, it is one of the few firms in the region that excels in both corporate/commercial and private client work.

The star performers

Charities; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Corporate and commercial; Employment; Family; Media and entertainment; Personal tax, trusts and probate; Social housing; Sport.

The deals

Advised ASK Development Group on the disposal of residential development company Abito; acted for Daisy Group on its acquisition of Fone Logistics; advised Nationwide Autocentres on its £73.2m sale to Halfords; advised a major bank on the acquisition finance facilities provided to a healthcare provider; advised Westville Developments on the procurement of new student accommodation in Liverpool.

The clients

Ask Developments; AXA; Bauer Media; Blackpool Borough Council; Deloitte; Frontline Recruitment; Lloyds; Manchester United FC; Maple Grove Developments; McArthur Group; Nationwide Building Society; RBS; Santander; Seddon Development.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £31m (+7% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £250,000 (+9%)

The Verdict

Another year, another set of great scores for Brabners. This year the firm is a Lex 100 Winner for living up to expectations, manageable stress levels, work/life balance, friendliness, social life and its vacation scheme. Trainees say they are given 'valuable, experience-laden work, with reasonable deadlines', and they love that the emphasis is 'less on targets, more on getting good training'. There is a good range of seats, including the opportunity to sample the firm's market-leading sports law specialism and trainees feel their preferences are taken into account more than peers' at other firms. Responsibility is encouraged from the outset, with experiences ranging from being the first port of call for clients to document drafting and plenty of advocacy. The firm's 'hands-on' approach is complemented by an open-door policy, supportive supervisors and great levels of partner contact. It all makes for a positive, less stressful atmosphere, say trainees, who also love that a good work/life balance and socialising are encouraged. The firm 'has been a little slow in implementing suitable IT systems', say trainees, but there are very few other complaints. At Brabners, you'll get a high level of training, working closely with 'very professional' people who still, when work is done, aren't afraid to let their hair down ('some of the senior partners' dance moves at the Christmas party were epic!'). If you are looking to train in the North West, we think it sounds like a great place to start.