Every trainee hopes to hit the ground running with interesting and challenging work when they begin their training contract. However, someone has to do the routine tasks of printing, scanning, indexing and bundling too. Trainees at these Lex 100 Winner firms were pleased to find that their experience involved exciting high-quality work amid the occasional unglamorous task. Recruits at Kirkland & Ellis enjoyed ‘high-level work way above the usual trainee tasks’, such as ‘being able to run a deal with just a partner overseeing it’. Newbies at Osborne Clarke relished the responsibility of ‘leading a completion’ whilst those at Milbank received ‘really rewarding and exciting real work’ and felt they were ‘truly adding value’ to the team. Howes Percival trainees get ‘great exposure and high levels of client contact’ and are able to ‘run files and take on large transactions’. Sidley Austin inspired confidence in newbies as they were exposed to such ‘high levels of responsibility’. The work on offer at Goodwin Procter is ‘technically advanced’, with plenty of opportunity to ‘get involved with the type of real-life tasks you will be doing once qualified’. Some Fladgate trainees claim they have been given ‘more opportunity in the first six months than some of my peers at other firms have received in two years of training’ and ‘feel much more involved in fee-earning tasks as I do minimal admin work’. Macfarlanes offers recruits ‘great exposure to meaningful work, direct client contact and ability to take on responsibility’.