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10 Upper Bank Street Canary Wharf London E14 5JJ 
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The lowdown (in their own words...)Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Prestige, international reach and reputation, excellent facilities, quality of work and deals'; 'banking specialisation'; 'very international'; 'best in the world'; 'secondment opportunities'; 'constant focus on being up-to-date'; 'good on CV, platform for future'; '30%+ of trainees from ethnic minorities'; 'biggest and best' How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'Very structured and very thorough'; 'significantly higher levels of client contact and responsibility'; 'higher quality of work, less social life'; 'academy and group training sessions have been invaluable in building up legal and business knowledge'; 'similar to other Magic Circle firms but with a slightly more relaxed atmosphere'; 'CC is number one for training. Period' Best thing about the firm? 'Professionalism and people. It's also tried to be transparent regarding the reduction in headcount'; 'pro bono leadership'; 'international opportunities'; 'the people. The on-site gym and the pool a close second!'; 'hard work is appreciated'; 'the games room. Seriously' Worst thing about the firm? 'Not always the best work/life balance'; 'ongoing views in industry that the firm is slightly more 'blue collar' than Magic Circle peers'; 'location'; 'expected to drop everything in your life for clients'; 'hours (though not at the moment!)'; 'overly finance-oriented'; 'seat allocation process - not transparent at all' Best moment? 'Listening to David Adams actually make the finance and capital markets induction interesting'; 'department retreats to Prague and Beijing'; 'six-month secondment to Airbus in Toulouse'; 'Hong Kong/Paris/Singapore/Dubai secondments'; 'finishing a long and eventful Slovenian IPO'; 'Dragon boat racing!'; 'having a partner who yelled at me recommend me for a job on qualification' Worst moment? 'Being out of my depth and alone'; 'working until 4.50am, coming back at 9am'; 'having my Christmas holiday cancelled'; 'stressful closings'; 'being pummelled work-wise and nobody caring'; 'being told by my supervisor that I was 'eating too loud''' The firmGlobal financial powerhouse Clifford Chance provides high-quality advice in a variety of areas, including bank lending, tax and the full range of financing. The firm has 50 M&A partners in London but clients typically instruct the firm because they can 'use them on deals around the world and be sure of the quality'. Best known for the unrivalled strength of its private equity practice, on the disputes side Clifford Chance fields elite practices in banking and commercial litigation, as well as international arbitration. The star performersAcquisition finance; Administrative and public law; Arbitration; Asset finance and leasing; Bank lending; Banking litigation; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Commodities and futures; Construction; Corporate restructuring and insolvency; Corporate tax; Debt capital markets; Derivatives; Electricity, nuclear and renewables; Employee share schemes; Environment; Equity capital markets; EU and competition; Financial services; Insurance (corporate and regulatory); Investment funds; Islamic finance; M&A: Upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+; Pensions; Planning; Private equity; Private Finance Initiative; Project finance; Property finance; Public affairs; Public international law; Rail; Securitisation; Social housing finance; VAT and indirect tax. The dealsActed for Citi and RBS on £13.6bn refinancing of BAA; achieved High Court victory for JPMorgan Chase against a billion-dollar mis-selling claim; acted for British Energy in its £12.5bn takeover by EDF; representing Aluminum Corporation of China on £7bn acquisition of an equity stake in Rio Tinto Zinc; advised Co-operative Group's acquisition of Somerfield. The clients3i; Barclays Capital; Bridgepoint; Candover; Goldman Sachs; KKR; JPMorgan; Macquarie Bank; RBS; Société Générale; UBS. The money(from Legal Business magazine) Turnover in 2008: £1,329m (+11% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £1,151,000 (+13%) Winner of Private Equity Team of the Year. Highly Commended for Banking and CSR Programme of the Year. The Lex 100 verdictClifford Chance is one of the best known global legal brands. This 'fiercely ambitious' firm has a client portfolio to die for, and one of the largest trainee intakes. If you want front-page, high-end transactional work, it's the firm for you. The quality of the recruitment programme, the unsurpassed international seat opportunities, the cultural diversity and pro bono leadership are all highly praised. For one trainee there was 'no stuffiness and the resources and facilities were a step above the rest of the pack'. Few firms can even come close on this front and trainees love the on-site gym and pool, the games room and even the osteopath ('you feel like an important valued member of a great institution'). There are high expectations and a 'steep learning curve' but 'the firm's academy and group training sessions have been invaluable in building up legal and business knowledge'. Many commented on the emphasis placed on learning with a 'culture that encourages training attendance unless you are apocalyptically busy'. And apocalyptically busy you may well be - 'we work longer hours and there's more emphasis on chargeable work' - so unless you can accept that 'client work comes first, over anything else in your life, including sleep', look elsewhere. Some mentioned the 'current negative atmosphere hanging over redundancies' and resultant low morale, but most agree that Clifford Chance is a meritocratic environment in which you are 'judged on what you do, not on your background'. A day in the life of..... David D'Souza first-year trainee solicitor, Clifford Chance University: Durham Departments to date: Capital markets (trusts group), corporate finance (private equity group) Degree and class: Law, First Class 8.00am: Normally I get to work at 9.30 but this morning I challenged a fellow trainee to a game of squash at the firm's gym, followed by breakfast at the staff restaurant. 9.30am: While digesting breakfast I check my emails and plan for the day. I respond to some requests from a client in Japan who urgently requires a set of documents. While this represents one of the less cerebral tasks of the day, much of my job relates to transaction management, which is essential in getting a deal done and is valued by the team.10.00am: I attend an update conference call with our client, a leading international private equity house in the process of negotiating the sale of a portfolio company. On the call, my role is to take a detailed note of the proceedings so that I can circulate an agenda to keep all parties informed of progress on the transaction. The deal is fast-paced and our client is very demanding, which makes it all the more rewarding when we can exceed their expectations. Client contact is great experience, and for my next seat I am fortunate enough to be going on secondment to the general counsel's office of one of our largest clients.10.45am: The client requires a confidentiality agreement and I have been asked to draft the first cut. The confidentiality agreement will prevent the potential buyer from misusing any information we give them during the transaction. At Clifford Chance there is very much an open door policy and, as this is my first confidentiality agreement, I ask my colleagues if anyone has drafted a similar document. After getting their input, I begin drafting. 12.00pm: I attend the private equity group monthly meeting. Some of our banking colleagues provide training on debt buy-backs and current market trends. This is very useful because it allows you to keep your knowledge and legal skills up to date. The meeting means I will have a shorter lunch but I still manage to grab some sun and a sandwich outside with a couple of other trainees. All the trainees are very friendly as we all studied together on the Clifford Chance LPC.3.00pm: I get back to my desk to find an urgent email from our Paris office requiring research on a piece of litigation that might prevent a deal from closing. The deals I have worked on have all had an international angle to them and, having lived all over the world, this is important to me. I liaise with our litigation department and begin researching the key issues. This is one of the more engaging items of work I've done and the deadline is tight so the confidentiality agreement will have to wait until tomorrow.6-8.30pm: Having just made my deadline, and with my memo now in the hands of our team in Paris, I head off to Stratford to take part in our Free Law programme. Free Law is a walk-in pro bono legal advice service which I take part in for my contentious seat training. This means I do not have to take a litigation seat, while giving back to the community at the same time. It gives me a great opportunity to develop my interviewing skills and I provide advice on consumer, housing and employment issues. About the firm Address: 10 Upper Bank Street, Canary Wharf London E14 5JJ Telephone: 020 7006 3003 Fax: 020 7006 3563 Email:
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Senior partner: Stuart Popham, Managing partner: Jeremy Sandelson (London)
Total partners: 220
Other fee-earners: 705
Total trainees :210
Other offices: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Kyiv, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Prague, Riyadh (cooperative office), Rome, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Warsaw, Washington DC. Who we are: Clifford Chance is a leading international law firm delivering innovative and practical legal solutions to corporate, institutional and government clients around the world. What we do: Clifford Chance lawyers are engaged in all aspects of transactional, advisory and contentious law for clients around the world. Our work spans six sector-leading practices: corporate; capital markets; banking and finance; real estate; litigation and dispute resolution; and tax, pensions and employment. What we are looking for: At Clifford Chance we are interested in your potential to become a first-class business lawyer. Intellectual curiosity and communication, analytical and team-working skills are all valuable attributes that we look for during our selection process. However, we're also interested in what motivates you and the personal qualities, insights and experiences you can bring to the firm. What you will do: The Clifford Chance training programme has been devised to provide you with the professional skills and experience you need to lay the foundations for a long-term, rewarding legal career. You will gain experience in at least three different practice areas and can expect to work on a variety of deals and projects in each seat. Perks: As well as a competitive salary and 25 days holiday, you'll enjoy: a subsidised restaurant; free use of fitness centre, swimming pool, squash courts and wellness centre; up to six weeks' leave on qualification; and a pension. Sponsorship: Fees for GDL and LPC are covered. Maintenance is also provided. Please refer to the website for details. Application processApply to: Graduate Recruitment London How to apply: Apply online at www.cliffordchance.com/gradsuk. When to Apply: Law 31 July 2010; non-law 31 January 2010 What is involved: A series of verbal reasoning tests, as well as an assessment day with an interview and group exercise. Facts and figuresTrainee places available for 2012 Around 100. Applications received pa 2,000 Percentage interviewed 33% SalaryFirst year £37,400 Second year £42,200 Newly qualified £59,000 Placement schemesSpring: Please see website for details. Summer: Please see website for details. |
