Lex 100 - Bryan Cave LLP

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Bryan Cave LLP

88 Wood Street London EC2V 7AJ

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'I enjoyed the vacation scheme and liked what I saw of the firm'; 'small office but global firm'; 'quality of work is very high'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'The quality of work is very good'; 'more individual treatment'; 'some aspects not well organised'; ' wider variety of tasks'; 'more responsibility'; 'training is more flexible'; 'better exposure to work for trainees'

Best thing about the firm? 'The friendly and helpful nature of the people that you work with'; 'small-office culture in a global law firm'; 'great lawyers and staff'; 'good rapport between departments'; 'strong connection with other overseas offices'

Worst thing about the firm? 'Long hours'; 'social life isn't great'; 'you often find yourself pulled in different directions from all the different departments'; 'lack of transparency and communication'

Best moment? 'Being praised and given greater responsibility on a project by a senior partner'; 'completing a corporate deal that I had seen through from start to finish'; 'attending court hearings'

Worst moment? 'Can suffer small-office mentality and can be political'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Founded in 1873, Bryan Cave is an international law firm with multiple US offices and 13 other offices around the world. The London office comprises both US and UK lawyers, and serves an expanding base of both corporate and private clients in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. In London, the firm acts for a variety of public and private companies, businesses and financial institutions, on a range of corporate, commercial and financial matters, and advises a large American private client base. It has also been instructed in several high-profile libel cases.

The star performers

EU and competition; Finance: asset finance and leasing; M&A: smaller deals.

The deals

Acted for Monsanto Company in connection with various strategic investments; counsel on the $600m sale of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers to Barnes & Noble; assisted in the $700m acquisition by GameStop of French retailer Micromania; acted for Monsanto Company in connection with various strategic investments.

The clients

American Italian Pasta; Berkadia Commercial Mortgages; Evenflo; Guam Airport; LNR Partners; Mercedes-Benz; Michelin; Rusal; Teledyne Continental Motors; Volvo.

The Verdict

If the idea of working in a small office that offers flexible training, a great starting salary and international opportunities appeals, then US firm Bryan Cave is certainly worth a look. Trainees think that by virtue of the small intake, there is 'less need to have extreme organised efficiency' with the training programme, and so, although the training may not be as structured as at some other firms, they feel they get 'more individual treatment' here. The work has a corporate/finance bias with a strong international dimension, including public international law, but there is also a significant private client practice so there is the opportunity to get involved in a variety of work. Be aware that there will be 'long hours', 'the social life isn't great', and sometimes the firm 'can suffer small office mentality and be quite political'. However, satisfaction is derived from the 'top-quality work', which includes a good level of exposure and involvement in deals, and trainees feel buoyed by the 'friendly and helpful nature of the people that you work with' and 'good rapport between the departments'. One thing that might make the training feel more complete would be more client contact, but generally trainees feel happy with their levels of responsibility and the variety of the work. If you like the idea of fairly informal, autonomous training in a US firm with strong overseas connections, yet that maintains a fairly low profile in London, Bryan Cave is worth exploring.