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Stephenson Harwood 
One St Paul's Churchyard London EC4M 8SH
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 4 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 liked the people I met when I came in for my assessment day'; 'they were offering training contracts in less than one year's time'; 'ethos and reputation of the firm'; 'I am a mature trainee (42) and the firm is very strong in the area in which I have an interest (financial services litigation)'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'I have slightly more responsibility, my hours are slightly better but the pay is slightly less'; 'just as good or better than most others I hear from'; 'I think it is less stressful but maybe not as well supervised'; 'very good. Lots of responsibility and client contact'; 'lots of training internally and externally'

Best thing about the firm? 'The people - friendly and approachable'; 'international secondment opportunity, quality of work given'; 'the location'; 'we receive a high level of responsibility and get involved in real work from day one'; 'not having to work the really long hours of Magic Circle firms!'; 'collegiate atmosphere' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'The office is starting to look slightly dated'; 'it is a very good firm with good lawyers but this is not marketed well enough'; 'no canteen'; 'lack of social life and a few difficult people to work with'; 'not enough social events arranged for trainees, no canteen, doesn't promote itself as much as it should'

Best moment? 'Secondment to Hong Kong office'; 'attending trials during my litigation seat, including a hearing at the Privy Council'; 'going to the Court of Appeal and travelling to Nigeria to take witness statements in my first seat'; 'running a ship delivery single-handedly'; 'six-day trip to Sri Lanka'

Worst moment? 'Putting an important file in the DX without a DX address on it and it getting lost'; 'having a call from a client on a Sunday and not being able to access my work email from home'; 'having to work a 60-hour week in the run up to Christmas... although it made the Christmas break that much sweeter!'; 'accidentally shredding signed originals'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Stephenson Harwood's practice covers corporate finance, real estate and commercial litigation, with banks and financial institutions accounting for nearly half of the client portfolio. The firm is also especially well-known for shipping, rail and aviation finance and has a niche practice bringing Asian companies to the AIM market. Strength in international arbitration and civil and criminal fraud are evidence of this firm's broad spread of expertise.


The star performers

Aviation; Banking litigation; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Employment; Financial services; Flotations (small and mid-cap); Fraud (commercial and regulatory investigations); Investment funds; Islamic finance; Planning; Shipping; VAT and indirect tax.

The deals

Acted on the completion of the £103.5m sale of GB Airways to easyJet; acting for Landsbanki Islands hf on the recovery and repossession of four aircraft in arrestment proceedings in France, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan following the collapse of Ocean Airlines; advised in connection with the hijacking of the vessel Lehmann Timber off the coast of Somalia; advised St Martins Property Investments on the £400m acquisition of the Willis Building.

The clients

Al Tayer; BTMU Capital Corporation; Credit Suisse; Fawaz Al Hokair; Lovefilm; MMA Insurance; Seera Investment Bank; Standard Life.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2008: £85.3m (+19% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £620,00 (+17%)

Highly commended Law firm of the year for steadily improving its financial performance and undergoing a renaissance as an international player, particularly for disputes work.


The Lex 100 verdict

Stephenson Harwood offers trainees 'good levels of responsibility, very interesting work and a wide range of seats'. The firm is a Lex 100 Winner in the vacation scheme category and candidates were attracted here for a variety of reasons. Some liked the open-minded approach to recruitment and the opportunity to specialise - 'I am a mature trainee and the firm is strong in my area of interest - financial services litigation'; while others like the size, the location or the international scope of the work. Trainees feel they have a good work/life balance and less stress than peers in larger City firms. They also get more responsibility, with good 'front-end client contact'. The training is thorough and 'a lot of the training is given on the job and explained as you work your way through deals to aid understanding'. On the downside, there are several comments about the office - 'starting to look a bit dated' and while the advice is to 'avoid the sandwiches', trainees would like to see a canteen. They would also like more organised social events and wish their firm had a higher profile - 'it doesn't promote itself as much as it should'. The training is broad and thorough though, and it should particularly appeal to those interested in some of the firm's specialist areas, such as shipping and general litigation work. If you're interested in a seat abroad, there are opportunities for this too. So for varied, thorough training in an increasingly international, yet still friendly and 'collegiate' atmosphere, take a look at Stephenson Harwood.

A day in the life of.....

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About the firm

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