How approachable are your supervisors?

In some firms you will sit in a room with a partner or a senior associate; in others the office will be open plan and elsewhere you might have to knock on your supervisor’s door to get their attention. Either way, it helps if your supervisor is approachable. Of course you need to feel able to ask work-related questions, but you should also feel as though you can approach them with personal issues too. ‘The working environment and general approachability of fee earners’ attracted trainees to Fieldfisher, whilst at Forbes Solicitors ‘the support and guidance provided by the trainee supervisors’ are the best thing about the firm. CPS recruits ‘always feel fully supported and able to ask colleagues at any level for help’. At Steele Raymond the supervisors ‘ask whether you have capacity to take on work rather than dump it on you and explain everything in detail’. Bristows‘ staff are ‘approachable and helpful’, whilst at Marriott Harrison ‘everyone is willing to take time to explain work or even just talk about everyday topics’. ‘Nobody is off limits to ask questions of or check your understanding with’ at Goodwin Procter, whilst at Osborne Clarke ‘the partners are really approachable which makes asking for work and learning opportunities so much easier’. Mundays trainees have a partner as a supervisor in each department which is ‘very useful because this allows for a good amount of work to come directly to you’. Finally, at Foot Anstey, superiors are so approachable that recruits ‘regularly speak to the managing partner’!