How would you rate the work/life balance at your firm?

Training contracts are incredibly hard work and there is no getting around that fact. However, some firms prioritise trainee work/life balance better than others and keep this emphasis throughout the contract and into working life at the firm. At the Crown Prosecution Service trainees highlight that ‘the CPS has an excellent work/life balance. I find that my peers sometimes work very long hours, whereas we operate on a flexi scheme so on the occasions I have to work late – I get these hours back’. A Forsters LLP trainee highlights that she ‘liked the fact that Forsters deliberately distinguished itself from its City peers in terms of culture and attitude to work/life balance’. At Hill Dickinson a trainee adds that she ‘thinks life balance is better – there are no late nights, however, it does depend on the seat you are in’. Work socials and other downtime spent with colleagues can benefit a trainee’s sense of work/life balance. For trainees at Howes Percival ‘the work/life balance is really good and the teams are really hardworking but also know when to relax and have a laugh’. Firms that focus on their trainees’ wellbeing are well regarded. Trainees at Leigh Day reported that ‘the work/life balance is a lot more reasonable and there is a genuine feeling that the wellbeing of all staff is taken seriously and not disregarded’.