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Linklaters LLP 
One Silk Street London EC2Y 8HQ
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 3 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

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The lowdown (in their own words...)


Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Major transactions with large clients'; 'global coverage, great people'; 'quality of training, ambition'; 'top international Magic Circle firm'; 'progressive attitude'; 'friendly people, had great time on vac scheme'; 'very forward looking and egalitarian'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'Fairly similar to other Magic Circle firms'; 'depends on your principal and business of the department, but generally it compares well'; 'training is comprehensive and structured'; 'possibly overall we work more hours'; 'similar hours and quality of training at all Magic Circle firms'

Best thing about the firm? 'Great colleagues, time dedicated to training'; 'international aspect and intelligent people'; 'approach to work - very friendly, but always providing the highest quality advice in the market'; 'the constant drive to become a better firm'; 'massive deals, good perks, international offices'; 'lots of engaged, energetic, intelligent people who take pride in what they do' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'The hours are irregular and can be very long'; 'the new streamlined aggressive approach to hiring and firing'; 'lack of transparency'; 'too focussed on the success of the firm, sometimes at the expense of the staff'; 'the marketing slogans in the new lifts - which read 'Rising above', 'Moving on up' etc. Shocking!'; 'some poor communication'

Best moment? 'Running a small M&A deal and successfully completing it'; 'nationalisation of Northern Rock and the sale of Lehman Brothers to Nomura'; 'completing a lease for a client from scratch'; 'secondment to Singapore'; 'sent to NY on a deal with a few hours' notice and put up in a decent hotel by Central Park for two months'

Worst moment? 'Getting screamed at for (apparently) going over an associate's head - I didn't and they eventually apologised'; 'three and a half straight days in the office without leaving in an attempt to meet a nearly impossible deadline'; 'missing the department Christmas party to do proof reading all night!'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Despite experiencing significant redundancies as the credit crisis started to bite, Linklaters posted a turnover of £1.298bn for 2008/09, making it the newly appointed biggest firm in the UK by revenue. A major contributing factor to these financial results are the fees generated through its representation of PwC, in the high-profile administration of Lehman Brothers. The firm remains pre-eminent for top-level M&A work


The star performers

Top-ranking departments according to The Legal 500* - Corporate restructuring and insolvency; Corporate tax; Employee share schemes; Environment; Financial services; International capital markets; Investment funds; M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+; Pensions; Pensions dispute resolution; Planning; Private finance initiative; Project finance; Rail.

The deals

Advised senior lenders on the MoD's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project; restructuring advice to Lehman Brothers; advised on the $5.3bn Sakhalin 11 phase 2 project; advised PwC on the technology and privacy aspects of the Lehman insolvency; advised Scottish & Newcastle on its hostile bid defence; active in the £1.7bn take-private of Biffa; acting for the Department of Transport in the £15.9bn development of Crossrail.

The clients

Citibank; Fresnillo; Lloyds TSB; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; RBS; Rio Tinto; Scottish & Newcastle; Türk Telekomünikasyon; Visa Europe.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2008: £1,290m (+15%) Profits per equity partner: £1,282,000 (+11%)

Winner for its corporate and banking/restructuring teams and in the lawyer of the year (Tony Bugg, global head of restructuring and insolvency) category. Highly commended for law firm of the year and its private equity, TMT, energy/natural resources and structured finance teams.


The Lex 100 verdict

'The combination of interesting work, international opportunities and the friendly atmosphere sold the firm to me - plus the excellent reputation as a leading Magic Circle practice'. This comment from a contented current trainee reflects many of the reasons given for choosing Linklaters. Other trainees like 'the firm's commitment to be the best' and 'the recognition given to you when you work hard'. What they didn't like so much was the ruthless cull of partners, lawyers and support staff earlier this year in a recession-induced move which showed the more cut-throat side of this commercial City firm. However, as one trainee comments 'Links is more demanding than most firms and expects very high standards, but as a consequence you are very well-trained and work with some of the brightest people around'. The people are considered one of the best things about the firm, 'lots of engaged, energetic, intelligent people who take pride in what they do'. There is less client contact here than at smaller firms and the hours can be 'terrible'. The offices could do with an update, the restaurant doesn't get a great press and the recent redundancies have caused complaints about mercenary management. These issues aside, Linklaters remains a great name to have on your CV 'the training is structured and thorough and you get to learn from some of the brightest names in the game'. For robust, hard-working, commercial candidates Linklaters is still right up there.

A day in the life of.....

A day in the life of.....

Anna Mitchell trainee, Linklaters
University: Nottingham
Departments to date: Litigation, corporate and competition/antitrust – currently on secondment in Hong Kong
Degree and class: Hispanic Studies and History

The start of something great I always knew that I wanted to work in a top City law firm. They have great clients and you know the quality and variety of work will be unrivalled. But it's vital to get a real feel for the firm you join and the best way to do that is to get on a vacation scheme. It gave me a great introduction to both the firm's work and people. The scheme was extremely well-organised and a lot of fun! In addition, everybody was so approachable and friendly that it really made me want to become a trainee at Linklaters.Becoming a traineeLife as a trainee began with a three-week induction course. It prepared me for what lay ahead and it took away all of the usual first-day nerves. I also got to know many other trainees. It's lovely to have so many people around you who are in the same situation. We often help each other out with work and we socialise together a lot too. This has continued in each and every one of my seats; it's a hugely important part of working life here.An extraordinary learning experience To date, the most high-profile transaction I've worked on has to be the sale of part of Lehman Brothers' business to Nomura. These kinds of deals normally take months to finalise but this one was completed in just over a week. I was working around the clock from the Lehman Brothers office in Canary Wharf, which at the time was surrounded by journalists. We were definitely at the heart of the action.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers was front-page news and it was surreal to read newspaper speculation about what might happen to the bank while we were inside negotiating the acquisition. There's no denying that it was an intense and tiring week - but it's one I'll never forget.Going placesEvery day I learn something new - something that gives me the skills to overcome the next challenge. Right now I'm drawing on all of the experiences from my previous seats during my first international secondment. I'd wanted to work in our Hong Kong office from the moment my training contract began. Now I'm here, it's everything I hoped it would be and more. It's a great experience to work in a different office as you get a real sense of the global nature of Linklaters. The whole office has been so welcoming and the trainee network here is outstanding. I'm also taking part in the annual dragon boat race as part of the Linklaters team, which is one of the social highlights in the Hong Kong calendar.The right combinationMy time as a trainee at Linklaters has been nothing other than exceptional. The variety of work, the exposure to talented colleagues and the international experiences all combine to create an incredible learning environment.



About the firm

About the firm

Address: One Silk Street EC2Y 8HQ
Telephone: 020 7456 2000
Website:  www.linklaters.com/ukgrads
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Managing partner: Simon Davies
Total partners: 500
Other fee-earners: 2, 200
Total trainees :260
Other offices: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Tokyo, Warsaw.

Who we are: Linklaters is a global law firm that advises the world's leading companies, financial institutions and governments on their most important and challenging transactions and assignments. As an ambitious and innovative firm, our aim is to become the leading premium global law firm.

What we do: Our firm is strong across the full range of corporate, financial and commercial law, making Linklaters a particularly stimulating place to train as a business lawyer.

What we are looking for: We recruit the very best graduates from both law and non-law disciplines, with a minimum 2(1).

What you will do: Our training contracts are built around four six-month seats or placements in a range of practice areas. The majority of our trainees have the opportunity to go on international and/or client secondments.

Perks: Profit and performance-related bonus; pension; private medical insurance; life assurance; income protection; in-house healthcare services; family-friendly benefits; cycle to work; give as you earn; in-house gym; subsidised staff restaurant; holiday travel insurance; time bank scheme and many more.

Sponsorship: The firm meets the costs of both the GDL and LPC and provides a maintenance grant to assist with living expenses.

Application process

Apply to: 

How to apply: Online at www.linklaters.com/ukgrads..

When to Apply: Varies - please see website for details.

What is involved: Critical reasoning test, one competency-based interview with a managing associate followed by an interview with a partner, which includes a case study. You will also have an office tour with a trainee solicitor.

Facts and figures

Trainee places available for 2012 110

Applications received pa 4,000

Percentage interviewed 10-15%

Salary

First year £37,400

Newly qualified £61,500

Placement schemes

Winter: 7-18 December 2009 (apply by 15 November 2009).

Summer: See website for dates (apply by 10 January 2010).