Lex 100 - Burges Salmon

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Burges Salmon

One Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0ZX

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'London-quality work with Bristol lifestyle'; 'fantastic vac scheme'; 'modern and dynamic firm'; 'the six-seat training contract'; 'the professional image and high-quality work'; 'very competitive salary for a non-City firm'; 'good salary but reasonable hours'; 'top-class clients'; 'first-rate training'; 'the firm offered more choice to undertake bespoke work'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'Much better work/life balance'; 'less glamour'; 'good pay'; 'lots of events outside work'; 'so far almost no clerical tasks'; 'much more hands-on training combined with fantastic support'; 'shorter seats give more variety'; 'you really get to know people as it is a single site'

Best thing about the firm? 'The people'; 'the atmosphere'; 'the mix and type of work'; 'the culture'; 'the canteen food is glorious'; 'the new office'; 'the flexibility that we have when it comes to seat choices'; 'Glassworks Cafe'; 'being able to work in Bristol'; 'virtually everyone is approachable and willing to help'

Worst thing about the firm? 'The sandwiches offered during training lunches'; 'lack of transparency in its decision making'; 'some senior staff are not very approachable but it gets better with time'; 'perhaps a little conservative'; 'it is a long way from the gym or any sports facilities'; 'the cakes in the coffee shop - they are delicious, but not helping the waistline'

Best moment? 'Client meetings'; 'completion dinner at a London 5* hotel'; 'being involved in the completion of the sale of Snow + Rock'; 'feeling like a part of a team'; 'attending a three-day trial in London and seeing nail-biting negotiations taking place in front of me'; 'running a completion single handedly quite early in my training contract'; 'the seven Christmas parties I attended'

Worst moment? 'Getting stuck in my wellies on a trip to a client's farm'; 'late-night completions'; 'being given a Blackberry'; 'having a half-day training session on how to dress'; 'working solidly in one room from 9am until 1am the next morning'; 'embarrassing award at the trainee Christmas party'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Burges Salmon continues to be one of the biggest names in the Bristol market and prides itself on providing its trainees with a 'real alternative to City firms'. The firm offers a broad range of commercial and private client work, with interesting specialisms in energy projects, IT/IP and environmental law. Clients like the fact that the firm provides an 'excellent service' with 'thorough' lawyers who are 'focused on driving deals to conclusion'.

The star performers

Agriculture and estates; Banking and finance; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate and commercial; Corporate tax; EU and competition; Employment; Energy; Environment; Family; Health and safety; IT/IP; Insolvency and corporate recovery; PFI; Pensions; Personal tax, trusts and probate; Planning; Property litigation; Sport; Rail.

The deals

Advised Mapfre on the £18.6m acquisition of InsureandGo; acted for the shareholders of Snow + Rock on the company's sale; acted for Cardiff Bus regarding the OFT's Competition Act investigation; advised new client Julian Hodge Bank on its £69m mortgage portfolio sale; advised the Ministry of Defence on its £6bn Search and Rescue Helicopter Services PFI.

The clients

Ascot Racecourse; Bristol City FC; ECI Partners; Eurostar; FirstGroup; Hargreaves Lansdown; Lloyds Banking Group; National Trust; RBS; The Crown Estate; the Discovery Channel; the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; Virgin Management Group.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £60.7m (-5% from 2009). Profits per equity partner: £409,000 (+1%)

The winners

Legal Business Awards 2011

Highly commended Real Estate team of the year.

The Verdict

If you want the opportunity to train outside of London, 'but not miss out on a high-quality training contract', consider Bristol-based Burges Salmon. One trainee comments that the firm offers 'London-quality work with a Bristol lifestyle'. With the vacation scheme giving an 'extremely positive impression', and the two-week induction led by 'interesting and experienced trainers', you'll be well prepared to start your 'hands-on' training, where you will be exposed to a broad range of work, thanks to the 'flexible' six-seat system. With trainees feeling that the firm offers 'greater levels of responsibility, far more reasonable hours, lower stress, more friendly atmosphere' than City counterparts it is no surprise that it is a Lex 100 Winner for friendliness, social life and manageable stress levels. It also ranks in the top 25 firms for work/life balance. Trainees here feel well looked-after and one noted the 'recognition and thanks received from a client after completing a transaction', whilst another commented on 'receiving positive feedback from partners after completing tasks for them'. There is also a strong sense of feeling 'part of a team'. There are no serious complaints, but the sandwiches at lunchtime presentations send shudders through almost all trainees ('I'd rather eat grass') and the 'embarrassing awards at the Christmas party' also make them cringe. The niggles are worth tolerating in exchange for training with such a widely admired firm. It is also a Lex 100 Winner for quality of work, job satisfaction, firm living up to expectations, vacation scheme and confidence in being kept on. An excellent round of scores for this 'modern, dynamic' firm, where you'll be immersed into a 'professional, inclusive and supportive' culture from day one.

A day in the life of.....

Rhian Major, first-year trainee solicitor, Burges Salmon
Departments to date: Environment, agricultural and property disputes, pensions
University: Brasenose College, Oxford
Degree: Law, 2(1)

8.30am: I leave for work (although I have to leave an hour earlier on Thursday to get into the office in time for Pilates). We recently moved offices into a brand new, contemporary, purpose-built building based in Temple Quay, the business hub of Bristol. I walk to work along the river and often bump into other trainees on the way as lots of us live in Clifton.

9.00am: When I get into work I turn my computer on and check my emails. I look through my list of tasks and decide what I need to get done today. I also check my calendar to see if I have any appointments. One of the partners has asked me to attend a client meeting with her this morning, so I plan my tasks around that. I'm currently in environment, which is a contentious seat, so lots of my tasks involve getting documents ready for court. I start the morning by filling in a claim form and application notice for a claim we are filing at court today. When I'm finished I hand them to my supervisor to check.

10.25am: I have the client meeting at 10.30am so I go to the partner's office, notepad and pen in hand. The partner tells me the client has just arrived and we go up to the client floor at the top of the building to meet the client. We are discussing amendments to a report the partner is drafting and I take notes on the changes that need to be made. When the meeting is over I dictate my note.

1.00pm: Usually we give in earlier, but today the trainees from my floor hold out until 1.00pm to go to lunch. We meet up with the other trainees in the canteen downstairs. A few of us bring our own lunch, but the food is really good so we usually end up buying something. It's a really sunny day so once we finish eating we go for a quick walk along the river.

2.00pm: Back at my desk my secretary brings in my dictation. I know the partner needs my note as soon as possible to help her amend the report so I check it, make some amendments and take it over to her. My supervisor has checked the court documents I drafted this morning and they're ready to file at court. The courts are only minutes away so I make sure I have all the documents I need and walk over. When I get back I have an email from one of the solicitors asking me to do some research. I grab a pen and notepad and head over to his office to get more details about what he wants me to do. Several of the research tasks I have done have been for publications, so it's really nice to know that my work will (once thoroughly checked) be published.

4.00pm: I've been helping my supervisor prepare a disclosure bundle for a case we're working on. I had to go through lots of old files, decide which documents we had a duty to disclose, get them photocopied and then put the documents in files ready to be sent to the claimants. The court deadline for serving on the claimants is getting close so we really want to send it today. My supervisor checks the bundles and I rush them down to legal support in time for the last post.

6.30pm: I'm playing hockey with the Burges Salmon team in the corporate league tonight, so I try and leave with enough time to grab some dinner before we play. Lots of the trainees get involved in the Burges Salmon sport clubs, and if it's a Friday we always go for Frinks (Friday drinks) after work.

About the firm

Address: One Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0ZX

Telephone: 0117 902 7771

Fax: 0117 902 4400

Website: www.burges-salmon.com

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Senior partner: Alan Barr

Managing partner: Peter Morris

Total partners: 65

Other fee-earners: 350

Total trainees: 46

Other offices:

Who we are: Based in Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP is one of the UK's leading commercial law firms. Our clients include Virgin, the Ministry of Defence and Coca Cola HBC.

What we do: The firm provides national and international clients with a full commercial sevice through five broadly based, interacting departments: corporate and financial institutions; commercial; real estate; private client and wealth structuring; and disputes, environment and planning.

What we are looking for: Hard-working, motivated individuals with a strong academic background and enthusiasm for a career in law. Candidates must be commercially aware and have excellent communication skills.

What you'll do: Trainees play a vital role in shaping the future of our firm and we invest a great deal of time and resources into training and development. Training is personalised to suit each individual, and our six-seat structure allows trainees to experience a wider range of practice areas before making a decision on qualification.

Perks: Annually reviewed competitive salary, 24 days' paid annual leave, bonus scheme, pension scheme, private health care membership, life assurance, mobile phone, Christmas gift, corporate gym membership, sports and social club.

Sponsorship: The firm pays GDL and LPC fees as well as maintenance grants of £7,000 to LPC students, and £14,000 to students studying for both the GDL and LPC (£7,000 pa).

Application process

Apply to: Natalie Colton, recruitment officer.

How: Online application form available via our website (www.burges-salmon.com)

When to Apply: Deadline for open days and vacation placements: 31 January 2012; deadline for training contracts: 31 July 2012.

What is involved: Interview; psychometric test; written exercise. During the interview candidates will also have the opportunity to talk to current trainees and take a tour of the firm.

Facts and figures

Trainee places available for 2014: 25

Applications received pa: 1,500

Percentage interviewed: Approximately 10%

Salary

First year: £30,000 (2010)

Second year: £31,000 (2010)

Newly qualified: £40,000 (2010)

Vacation schemes

Summer: 18-29 June 2012; 2-13 July 2012; 16-27 July 2012; 30 July-10 August 2012.