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AllAboutLaw
Forsters

Forsters

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In their own words

Closer Connections, Exceptional Results - supportive teams, great client exposure and interesting and varied work.

Snapshot

Firm type

Specialist / boutique

UK offices

London

International offices

Abu Dhabi

Training contract places

12

Vacation scheme places

33

First-year salary

£48,500

Second-year salary

£51,500

Newly qualified salary

£90,000

Trainee retention

73%

SQE support

Full SQE1, SQE2 and SQE Plus funding, plus maintenance grant

Visa sponsorship

Yes

International secondment

Not disclosed

Client secondment

Yes

Guaranteed secondment

Not disclosed

Recruitment route

Vacation scheme and direct training contract applications

Rolling recruitment?

No

Seat structure

6 seats of 4 months each

Can trainees repeat a seat?

Yes, final seat

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, taken into account

Trainee salaries review

Annually

Non-law applicants

Yes, actively welcomed

Career-changer applicants

Yes, actively welcomed

Remote working

Formal flexible working policy

Minimum academic requirements

AAB at A-level, 2:1 at University

Typical start time

9:15am

Typical finish time

6:00pm

Wellbeing support

Mental health first aiders, subsidised gym, private health insurance, wellbeing fund

Minimum holiday

27 days

% female trainees

70%

% female partners

51%

PGDL funding

Yes, full funding

Retrospective funding

No

Formal pro bono programme

Yes
Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Do you want to experience more practice areas in your training contract, or would you rather get deeper experience in fewer practices?

Are you engaged by working on primarily private client work, or would you prefer to work for larger entities?

Are you prepared to work in the office most days, with less opportunities to work from home?

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

“We invest in developing our people through highly regarded training and a strong emphasis on mentoring and career progression”

What this could mean for you
The small intake both allows you to be more proactive in finding opportunities to develop, but also means there is more of a focus on your development from the firm.

“Trainees are expected to be organised, proactive and commercially aware”

What this could mean for you
You will need to understand the specialist industries the firm works in, and learn the nuances of them to best service clients on non-legal solutions.

Practice area strengths

Private Client

Private client work at Forsters covers every element of the practice, including divorce, succession planning, and financial remedy, just to name a few. Outside of the personal, Forsters also supports private clients’ business needs, whether they are looking to start a business, or be supported in an ongoing business. Clients in this sector can come from all over the world, but are typically from the UK or the US. Chambers highlights the teams’ ‘empathetic’ approach to family matters and a ‘strong track record’ in working across jurisdictions.

Real Estate

Forsters work on a mix of contentious and non-contentious work. On the non-contentious side, Forsters work primarily with corporate tenants on property both in the UK and internationally. Outside of this, Forsters also work on contentious property matters, where they work with companies such as Schroders, The Crown Estate and BlackRock on both commercial and residential contentious real estate matters, often acting for the property-owners. The team works with a large variety of industries including: Film and TV studios, Hotels, Built-to-Rent, Student accom and Office spaces.

Corporate

The corporate team includes several sub-teams, including: banking and finance, corporate, employment and partnerships, immigration and tax teams. These teams work in tandem with their other practices to support the broader workings of the firm, and deliver clients a full-service experience and specialisms that help them in both their private client and real estate work

All practice areas

Real estateRural propertyPrivate clientBanking and financeConstructionContentious probateDispute resolutionEmploymentFamilyImmigrationLLPs and partnershipsPlanningProbate and estate administrationResidential propertyTaxWills, trusts and inheritance
Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself

  • Do you want to experience more practice areas in your training contract, or would you rather get deeper experience in fewer practices?
  • Are you engaged by working on primarily private client work, or would you prefer to work for larger entities?
  • Are you prepared to work in the office most days, with less opportunities to work from home?

This firm may suit candidates who…

  • Are unsure of which specific teams will suit them, and want to experience more in their training contract.
  • Are comfortable working with clients from a range of cultural and geographical backgrounds, and adapt to their specific requirements.
  • Want to work in a smaller trainee cohort, where you will have more exposure within your teams.

Things to consider

  • Your clients may be large companies or private individuals.
  • Trainees often work from the office, but can also work from home.
Application process

Online application form

(2-3 hours)

Video interview (Self-recorded)

(30 minutes)

Assessment Centre

(Full day)

What happens

Stages: 1. Group exercise 2. Individual written exercise 3. Senior fee-earner interview