addleshaw goddard | training contract | vacation scheme |

• Addleshaw Goddard

  Addleshaw Goddard LLP is a law firm operating out of three locations in the UK—Leeds, London and Manchester. Based on income received from client billings, Addleshaw Goddard is ranked No. 19 among the UK’s largest law firms. The firm’s work is divided into four main areas of practice, employs over 700 legal professionals and more than 500 administrative and general support staff.

  Clients are spread over a variety of industry sectors and include government departments, public sector organisations, top corporate companies listed in the FTSE 350 and a significant portfolio of private capital clients.

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  Addleshaw Goddard aims to be among the top 15 law firms in the UK and over the last few years, has had a significant amount of success and recognition in attracting the ‘cream of the crop’, in terms of clients and human resources.

  Evidence of success in attaining the latter objective can be found in the fact that the firm achieved a ranking of No. 40 in the 2008 survey of “The Best Companies to Work For”, conducted by the Sunday Times, jumping a full 43 places over 2007; and equity partners earned a whopping £405k in shared profits for the financial year 2008-2009!

  The training contract, spread over a period of 24 months, provides trainee solicitors with ‘live’ work experience across each of the four main practice areas, while simultaneously offering myriad opportunities for training and professional development, throughout and beyond the contract period. Compensation and benefits offered are quite attractive and on par with other national firms.

  As mentioned above, the firm’s work can be classified into four main areas of practice: (a) Commercial and Litigation; (b) Corporate; (c) Real Estate; and (d) Finance and Projects. Each of these areas is further classified depending upon the type of activities and industry segments covered. A brief description is provided below:

  Commercial Law & Litigation:

  The Commercial Law unit covers all aspects of contractual and commercial law pertaining to employment across industries; outsourcing, procurements and day-to-day operations; sales, advertising and marketing strategies; all intellectual property matters; systems and technology transfers; and any other related matters.

  The Litigation unit provides advice on all contentious issues, including case assistance on activities listed above, product liabilities, insurance matters, arbitration services and alternative methods for resolving disputes, in the banking, infrastructure, corporate finance and related industry sectors.

  Corporate Law:

  This practice focuses on all matters relating to mergers and acquisitions; public listings of companies on prominent stock exchanges, company restructuring, financial and tax-related advice, etc.

  Real Estate:

  This is one of the major revenue-generating practices for Addleshaw Goddard, given that the client base is selected from the private equity market, covering individuals and institutions with a high net worth or capital base, such as trusts and charities, construction and property development companies, venture capitalists, etc.

  Finance & Projects:

  This unit provides legal advice on all kinds of financing methods, generating monetary assistance on a project basis and related matters to entities in the banking and corporate financial segments.

  Among the various areas listed above, the Employment and Employee Benefits and the Private Capital practices are the best money-spinners for the firm, enjoying a great market reputation.

  The Training Contract is open to graduates from law and non-law educational backgrounds; the latter must attain the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) prior to the commencement of the training contract, as well as the Legal Practice Course (LPC). Law graduates only need to fulfil the LPC requirements.

  Eligibility criteria to apply for a training contract include:

  - At least three or more ‘B’ grades at A-levels, not counting grades in General Studies;

  - A 2:1 degree or higher in any subject;

  - Law students should be in their second/penultimate year of degree study and non-law students in their final year.

  International students must have a valid work permit to work in the UK and educational qualifications which are considered similar/equivalent to the A-levels and degree requirements above.

  Other desirable, qualitative characteristics include a highly-developed sense of commercial awareness, proven history of academic and extracurricular performance, communication and teamwork skills, aptitude to apply legal concepts in a business scenario and vice versa; and a clear interest in taking up a trainee solicitor position at Addleshaw Goddard.

  The training contract runs for a period of 24 months, during which trainees spend six months in each of the four main seats, in the following order: one seat in litigation, as mandated by the Solicitors regulation Authority (SRA); one compulsory seat in corporate law or banking, mandated by the firm; and one compulsory seat in real estate. The remaining two seats are assigned based on trainee choice and availability of positions in the chosen practice area(s).

  Before the start of the training contract, trainee solicitors have the option of attending a one week community service project at an overseas location in partnership with Habitat for Humanity; all expenses are borne by the firm.

  Trainees will also attend a two day annual residential programme open to trainees from all offices, positioned as a formal induction and opportunity to interact with fellow trainees, lawyers and senior personnel in the firm.

  During the seat rotation, all trainees are assigned a mentor and will receive constant feedback—formal and informal—from the immediate supervisor and/or mentor, and the Graduate Recruitment team. Apart from regular work, trainees can also expect secondment at other branches, client offices and partner law firms, in the UK or overseas.

  For more information on the Addleshaw Goddard Graduate Scheme, you can view further details via the link.

  Addleshaw Goddard conducts two vacation placement schemes each year, in addition to several Open Days. The internship programmes are held over the summer and Easter holidays in all three locations—Leeds, London and Manchester—as per the following schedule:

  Easter vacation programme:

  One week-long session at each of the three offices.

  Summer vacation programmes:

  Two sessions each at London, Leeds and Manchester, totalling six programmes for the year, conducted between June and July.

  The vacation schemes involve working with and under the close supervision of qualified solicitors in two of the 4 practice areas. Interns will work on carrying out research, drafting basic legal documentation, attending court and meeting clients, in addition to formal training sessions involving seminars, case studies and group exercises.

  Open Days:

  These are conducted throughout the year for students who miss out on the vacation programmes and others interested in learning more about careers at Addleshaw Goddard. Students interested in attending these Open Days need to complete the online application form.

  Open Days are comprised of lectures/presentations by existing employees from different divisions, interaction with the current group of trainee solicitors, working on case studies and group exercises.

  The firm pays full fees for the GDL and LPC courses, in addition to a living allowance of £7,000 per course for trainees based in London and £4,500 per course for trainees based in other UK locations. The firm has a tie-up with BPP Law School and prefers trainees to complete their GDL and LPC at the nearest branch, in case they’re not already enrolled elsewhere.

  Training Contract:

  Trainee solicitors receive a first-year salary of £35,000 and a second year salary of £36,000, if they are based in London. Trainees in Leeds and Manchester receive £24,500 and £25,000 respectively.

  Post Qualification:

  Newly qualified solicitors can earn a salary of £64,000, those with one year of post-qualification experience (PQE) earn £73,500, two years PQE receive £78,000 and three years PQE solicitors earn £83,250.

  Benefits & Incentives:

  These are available from the start of the training contract itself, and include:

  - Annual gym membership at a subsidised rate for employees in London and Manchester; access to the in-house gym in Leeds;

  - Contributory pension scheme;

  - Insurance: life, health and private medical insurance; insurance cover for critical illness;

  - Childcare vouchers and employee assistance facilities;

  - Flexible working arrangements and short sabbaticals, post qualification;

  - 25 day annual vacation and an option to buy or sell accrued leave; extend annual vacation to 30 days post qualification;

   -Annual Bonus: Calculated based on overall achievement of annual revenue targets, trainee/solicitor performance and performance against quantified targets (billing hours, etc).

  Interested candidates are required to complete a detailed online application form as the first step towards receiving a training contract. The application forms are available from November each year with 31 July being the closing date (http://www.addleshawgoddard.gtios.com/graduates).

  Selected candidates are required to attend a one day assessment centre and interview, held over August and September. A first interview is conducted by a member of the Graduate Recruitment team, followed by the assessment centre, comprised of: (a) group exercise to ascertain people and team management skills; (b) completion of a simulated legal case to judge the candidate’s thought process, communication and problem resolution abilities; and (c) a second interview with two partners of the firm.

  Application forms for vacation placements must be submitted by 31 January, following which shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a short assessment centre. All queries related to graduate and vacation placements can be directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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