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McGrigors LLP 
5 Old Bailey London EC4M 7BA
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 2 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? 'I like the ethos of the firm. Very much about doing good work for the client but still having a good time while doing it'; 'medium-size firm with FTSE 250 clients. Combining the 'family' feel of the office, with high-profile work'; 'thoroughly enjoyed the vac scheme'; 'opportunity to work in offices across all three UK jurisdictions'; 'unpretentious but hard working'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'Probably one of the best training packages on offer in any firm in Scotland'; 'supervisors are quite hands-on, and the ability to do the PSC in-house is a massive advantage'; 'stronger focus on trainees, and a greater willingness to give them a good quality of work and actually train them'; 'supervisors are harder on us than at other firms'

Best thing about the firm? 'Plenty of encouragement from supervisors who are all focused on helping trainees learn and develop'; 'the fact we can choose to work in any of the seven offices'; 'plenty of activities outside of the office - football every week and firm socials quite regularly for such events as Burns night or Halloween'; 'everyone knows each other' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'Depending on department, the hours can be long and inconsistent'; 'Glasgow office is a bit dated in comparison to the others, but we're moving soon'; 'the title deeds cupboard in the real estate department!'

Best moment? 'The Scottish induction is really good and helps the trainees really get to know each other'; 'working on High Court appeal case and seeing it through trial'; 'going on secondment and being given the chance to get so much responsibility which you don't often get in a large corporate firm'; 'getting left with my own transactions/files to carry out'

Worst moment? 'Photocopying and spending 13 hours in one day doing trial bundles'; 'getting told off for making silly mistakes'; 'a bad review early on, when I didn't know what to expect and couldn't defend myself'; 'late stressful nights'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

One of Scotland's 'Big Four' firms, McGrigors has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Its London office continues to grow, gaining increased traction through its recent merger with West End boutique Reid Minty, and in 2008 it opened in Manchester (there's also an office in Belfast). Strong in corporate and real estate, the firm is also known for its prowess in oil and gas. CSR is well supported and staff get half a day every month to spend on volunteering in their local communities.


The star performers

Banking and finance; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate and commercial; Corporate tax; Employment; Energy; IT and IP; Insolvency and corporate recovery; Licensing; Parliamentary; Pensions; Planning; Private finance initiative; Property litigation; Tax litigation.

The deals

Advised BDL Select Hotels on £45m acquisition; advised Seawell on $35m acquisition of the UK North Sea platform drilling business of Noble Drilling; advised ARE-Europco on proposed development at Edinburgh BioQuarter; acted for Gala Casinos in obtaining a 24-hour gambling licence for its Dundee casino; acting for Clydeport Properties in multimillion-pound dispute with Shell UK.

The clients

Asda; Bank of Ireland; BAA; Celtic FC; Deloitte; HBOS; Taylor Wimpey; Thresher Group; Tote Bookmakers; University of Aberdeeen; West Coast Capital.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2008: £64.5m (+8% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £324,000 (+4%)


The Lex 100 verdict

There aren't many firms which can offer the 'opportunity to work in offices across all three UK jurisdictions' plus 'a wide range of seats, allowing you to experience work across four completely different sectors if you wish'. All of which makes McGrigors a great choice for those wanting one of the broadest training packages available (and, says one, 'one of the best packages on offer in any firm in Scotland'). Trainee induction week continues to be popular ('superb: great initiative to help all the trainees get to know each other'), and several trainees mentioned the down-to-earth atmosphere ('very unpretentious for such a successful firm') and the warm welcome ('generally the people are lovely and social and will chat to anyone'). On the work front there's plenty of good experiences, ranging from working on a major transaction 'from the first week' to 'completing a £2.8m residential purchase, having worked on it from inception'. There are some complaints about varying levels of client contact, but also an acceptance that this varies from department to department, and some unhappiness over the seat allocation process, particularly the fact that first year trainees seem to get priority over second years. Generally, however, trainees here appreciate the firm's strengths, thus the best moment for one extends to 'any day when I have good, interesting work to do that I feel is achieving something and I get to leave in time to relax and see friends in the evening. Which is most days'. Which sums up exactly the appeal of this broad-based, growing firm.

A day in the life of.....

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About the firm

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