Lex 100 - DMH Stallard

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DMH Stallard

98 Queens Road Brighton BN1 3YB

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Had done previous work with the firm and liked the working environment'; 'one of the best South East firms with a London presence'; 'great work'; 'a good work/life balance'; 'I liked the ethos'; 'its ambition'; 'it's a modern firm with the desire and potential for growth'; 'values applicants with all-round ability'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'More client contact'; 'more responsibility'; 'lots of internal awareness sessions are run'; 'never left feeling over exposed'; 'the partners are very happy to explain things'; 'good-quality work'; 'better working hours, and nicer supervisors!'

Best thing about the firm? 'The great work and friendly and approachable colleagues.'; 'everyone is willing to pull together'; 'the variety of work'; 'opportunities you're given'; 'the way the firm is run'; 'the inclusiveness'; 'interesting mix of both public sector and private clients using our services'

Worst thing about the firm? 'Working in Crawley'; 'we find out very late about seat moves'; 'gap in pay levels in different offices'; 'Crawley open-plan office'; 'not enough support'; 'no TV in the kitchens!'

Best moment? 'A client taking me on a flight in his private helicopter as a thank you for selling a property for him'; 'representing client at a mediation'; 'negotiating a settlement, which exceeded the client's expectations'; 'visits to the Court of Appeal'; 'completion of a corporate deal'; 'being taken out for a long lunch'

Worst moment? 'Working 25 hours straight on a corporate deal'; 'trying to get masses of bundles photocopied and sent out before the deadline'; 'having to paginate and copy a trial bundle at speed on a Friday and messing up the pagination!'; 'train journeys to Crawley in the snow!'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

DMH Stallard is a leading South East practice with offices in Gatwick and London. The firm is a major player in the TMT and property development markets, as well as having a strong public sector offering. It also has a leading planning and environment team and a highly rated corporate team.

The star performers

Charities; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate and commercial; Crime; Licensing; Education; Employment; Environment; Health; IP/IT; Local government; Media and entertainment; Personal injury: claimant; Planning; Property litigation.

The deals

Brought a claim on behalf of the family of a deceased man involved in a road traffic accident; advised the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on a number of judicial reviews; continued to advise Park Holidays UK on planning and site licence matters; advised BSkyB in a breach of copyright case in the High Court against TVCatchUP.

The clients

Aviva; BDO; Brighton University; CityWest Homes; Crawley Borough Council; Friday Media Group; Lancing College; Liverpool Victoria; Lloyds TSB; London Borough of Croydon; Office Shoes; Tesco; The Performing Rights Society; the University of Sussex; Travelers; Westminster City Council

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £20.7m (-10% from 2009). Profits per equity partner: £182,000 (-14%)

The Verdict

Quietly ambitious DMH Stallard impresses trainees with its 'ethos and aspirations'. This South East firm has a reputation for being one of the best in the area and has a further trump card in its London office. Offering a range of different seat choices, the training is described as 'excellent'. Trainees are also given more responsibility than some peers at other firms and have decent amounts of client contact, all of which comes with generous support from 'brilliant and approachable' supervisors. The quality of the work at the firm is also commented on by trainees: 'attending disability discrimination claims' and 'writing bulletins for clients on proposals for employment law reform' are two examples. And you will be kept on your toes, as one current trainee recalls 'attending a final hearing at court with a supervisor and barrister - within the first two weeks'. The fact that one of the offices is in Crawley is a fairly consistent moan and having a little more notice about seat changes would also be appreciated, there are also calls for some improvements to be made to the vacation scheme. On the flip side, the firm does score well in our social life category. 'Friendly and approachable colleagues', 'great' work and flights in private helicopters as thanks from happy clients all make this a real front runner if you want to train in a top-flight South East firm.