Lex 100 - Pinsent Masons LLP

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Pinsent Masons LLP

30 Aylesbury Street London EC1R 0ER

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Reputation for high-quality work'; 'clear plans to grow'; 'down-to-earth people'; 'I got a positive impression of the firm from the outset'; 'I liked the fact that the firm recruits across a broad spectrum (academic background, social background, age etc)'; 'good reputation for training and in the general legal marketplace';

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? Better-quality work than at other firms'; 'more supervision and feedback given about progress'; 'I have been given a much wider variety of work and much more responsibility than my peers'; 'the firm seems to have higher expectations of its trainees than other firms'; 'it offers more client contact and hands-on experience from an early stage'

Best thing about the firm? 'It's an open and friendly firm'; 'I have never felt I have not been able to ask someone a question or for their advice'; 'people always make time to listen'; 'Friday drinks'; 'the â€œOne Pinsent Masonsâ€ approach which involves all the offices working as one office'

Worst thing about the firm? 'Irritating IT problems'; 'lack of clarity and transparency in the seat allocation process'; 'poor client contact'; 'better social framework needed'; 'sometimes there is a lack of communication'; 'a feeling of â€œus and themâ€ between senior management and the rest of the staff'; 'lack of work/life balance';

Best moment? 'Completion of a major acquisition'; 'trainees spend a week in Bedford in the first year of the training contract for PSC training - excellent bonding opportunity'; 'having the opportunity to work on very high-value/multi-jurisdictional litigation in relation to the insolvency of Lehman Brothers'; 'spending time at the Home Office in a series of meetings and producing meeting notes'

Worst moment? 'Being called in at weekends and on my holiday'; 'the next seat selection process'; 'being allocated to dispute resolution, an area of law I'd wanted to try for years, only to be re-allocated to outsourcing within a week'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Pinsent Masons continues to make strides nationally and internationally. With offices in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol, it leads the field in the construction market. It also has impressive M&A, technology, employment, pensions and property litigation practices. The firm formed a strategic alliance with international law firm Salans, in a bid to strengthen its capacity to service large cross-border projects.

The star performers

Banking and finance; Commercial litigation; Construction; Corporate and commercial; Corporate tax; Education; Employment; Health and safety; Healthcare; Information technology; Intellectual property; Local government; Mergers and acquisitions; Pensions; Private Finance Initiative (PFI); Professional negligence; Property litigation; Public sector.

The deals

Advised longstanding client Pace on its complex, strategic acquisition of Latens Systems; acted for Misys on the share scheme implications of its disposal of interest in a US subsidiary company; defended a Lloyds Banking Group client in the £1m Constantine whistleblowing case; acts for the HCA in all aspects of social housing; advising Portsmouth City Council on regenerating three sites for extra care housing.

The clients

Accor UK; Allianz Insurance; Cotswold Geotech; Henderson Group; Kier; Mercer; Morgan Stanley; Nortel; Portmeirion Group; the Ericsson pension schemes; the trustees of Heinz; Wal-Mart; Whitbread.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £206m (-4% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £404,000 (+30%)

The Verdict

Those seeking a well-established firm with a strong national presence, 'down-to-earth' staff and a 'good reputation for training', need look no further than Pinsent Masons. With a great national reputation for its construction and property departments it has also just moved into a swanky new offices in the City. The firm recruits over a broad spectrum and candidates get a great impression after going on the vacation scheme which showcases the firm's 'excellent' quality of work and 'very friendly' staff. There is also a 'great focus' on training here and trainees are encouraged to take up as many training opportunities as possible. There is international work and plenty of client contact with the 'impressive' client list and expect to be running your own files very early on, although the atmosphere at the firm is 'very collegiate' and people will 'always make time to listen to your queries'. Complaints generally concern the 'irritating' IT problems that occasionally pop up and the lack of transparency over seat changes. There will also be occasional late nights and weekends in the office. However, training at Pinsent Masons is a great start to a legal career. It offers excellent prospects, quality clients and a great reputation as one of the top 15 firms in the UK.