Lex 100 - Forsters LLP

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Forsters LLP

31 Hill Street London W1J 5LS

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Reputation'; 'the ambition and drive the firm has to grow'; 'a good work/life balance'; 'friendliness'; 'I did the vac scheme and knew that it was the right place for me'; 'excellent reputation of the private client and property departments'; 'small trainee intake'; 'six-seat system'; 'interesting work'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'We have a better relationship with our supervisors and partners'; 'more contact with clients'; 'hours are also more favourable'; 'much more responsibility'; 'better quality of work'; 'more effort made to integrate us into the firm's community through social events'

Best thing about the firm? 'The people'; 'friendly and supportive nature of the whole firm'; 'excellent work'; ' the location'; 'the team spirit'; 'really appreciate the open-door policy'

Worst thing about the firm? 'The kitchen is not big enough'; 'temperamental computer system'; 'workload is very different from seat to seat'; 'it's probably too specialist'; 'no guarantee that there will be a job in the department you want to qualify into'; 'learning curve can sometimes be rather steep'

Best moment? 'Completing the purchase of a flat for an overseas client'; 'doing my own advocacy in my first seat'; 'attending a client meeting at Lord's Cricket Ground'; 'client meetings'

Worst moment? 'Spending a night paginating documents'; 'missing the departmental Christmas lunch due to a looming court deadline'; 'occasional boredom in a previous seat'; 'financial modules of the PSC'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Forsters continues to go from strength to strength. Property is at the core of the practice, as is private client, and thanks to some good lateral hires it has increased strength in agriculture and estates and heritage property work. Entrepreneurs, hotel and real estate sector clients are key sources of work for the M&A team, with most deals falling within the £1m-£12m range.

The star performers

Agriculture and estates; Charities and not-for-profit; Commercial property; Construction; Contentious trusts; Development; Heritage property; Investment; Leasehold enfranchisement; Leisure; Personal tax, trusts and probate; Planning; Property finance; Property litigation.

The deals

Advised Invista on selling Exchequer Court, 33 St Mary Axe; acted for Warner Bros on a £100m plus investment in the Leavesden Studio site; advised Oxford Brookes University in winning dismissal of a challenge to its proposed campus building; advised Colebourne Asset Management on refinancing a commercial property portfolio; advising on the 'Chance to Shine' appeal.

The clients

Center Parcs; Colonnade; Fujitsu Services; high-net-worth individuals: Invista Real Estate; LK Harley; Menta Developments; Northacre; Rocco Forte Collection; Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £22.4m (0% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £295,000 (+11%)

The Verdict

'I did the vac scheme at Forsters and knew that it was the right place for me' commented one satisfied trainee. The Mayfair-based firm has a 'great reputation' for its private client and property practices, and makes an excellent first impression as it is a Lex 100 Winner for its vacation scheme. The six-seat rotation as well as the 'friendliness of partners' are also highly attractive. Placing emphasis on the importance of creating a 'supportive environment', the firm is also a Lex 100 Winner for social life and friendliness as well as job satisfaction, work/life balance, living up to expectations and stress levels. Hours here are more reasonable than at City firms and current trainees feel that the work that they handle is 'more interesting'. Doing my own advocacy in my first seat' and 'being responsible for the purchase of a property from beginning to end' are current trainee highlights and demonstrate the likely level of responsibility. You should be prepared to handle your own files early on in your training but will have plenty of support from supervisors and direct access to partners ('even the busiest partner will make time to talk things through when you need it'). This responsibility does mean that some trainees feel that they experience a 'very steep' learning curve at the beginning of their training and the workload can vary significantly from seat to seat. That said, Forsters is a great choice if you are looking for a West End firm with an excellent reputation and plenty of ambition and drive.