How it regarded.
Bird & Bird gave victorious Burges Salmon a correct run for its money this yr, with workers handing it very good scores in RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms to Work At 2024.
The survey noticed greater than 8,000 individuals working in UK non-public observe fee their satisfaction with their pay, work/life stability, profession growth, administration, and the tradition at their agency.
2Birds landed with a mighty chirrup in second place, and because the top-performing City agency.
Pay “is not the highest in the market”, nevertheless for many “work life balance and firm culture make up for it”. “It’s a trade-off I’m willing to make to work sane(ish) hours for normal people”, stated a junior solicitor.
2Birds would have topped the desk however for a considerably decrease mark within the pay satisfaction class than the remainder, which it stormed. “I trained at a top-3 international firm. The services are more efficient here, hierarchy is clearer, working conditions are impeccable and the quality of work is world-class”, stated a junior solicitor.
On management, the consensus is that “Communication has improved with new management team”, and there was a way that the agency “seems to be heading in a positive direction”.
There’s an “’If you’re good enough you’re old enough’ attitude throughout the firm”, stated a 2Birds solicitor addressing profession development, a sentiment echoed by colleagues: “Good people get recognition”. And as for the workplace, “We’ve got the best fucking amenities in London. Have you been to our upstairs coffee bar and restaurant? Next question, baby please”.
Hours are “generally 9:30am-7pm” which one solicitor stated they “can’t really complain about in this industry”, albeit with the caveat that it varies by division, whereas the tradition is helped by the fats that “99.9999999% of people very nice and generally ‘normal’”. 2Birds has expanded internationally a great deal, and importantly, “the connectedness across the international network is second to none”, stated one lawyer.
Phil Sherrell, accomplice and Head of Bird & Bird’s London workplace, informed ROF, “We’ve worked hard for a long time on creating a firm with a great culture and that people enjoy working for. We have lots of colleagues who have been with us for 30+ years and it’s no secret why. Whether it’s because of the cutting-edge work, the friendly colleagues or the (free) coffee, this really is a great place to work and I’m proud that has been recognised”.
Mills & Reeve took bronze with a superlative set of evaluations from its individuals. The agency received outright in 2020 and placed extremely within the interim. Maintaining such ranges of satisfaction all through the pandemic, and out the opposite aspect, signifies that it has been run very nicely certainly.
“The firm has done well to keep up with the sharp rise in regional salaries”, stated certainly one of its senior solicitor. “Yes, you could earn more at other firms, and flog yourself to death, and those sociopaths are better off going to those firms!”
“I could get more pay for not dissimilar total hours elsewhere (and did until relatively recently) – but the real difference is that I have much more control over when I do the hours. My work can flex more at M&R, and there aren’t that many last minute scrambles for evening calls (and barely any necessary weekend work)”, stated a colleague.
Many agreed the administration is “excellent”. As with Burges Salmon, workers stated it’s “open and transparent” and the highest stage “genuinely take on board the opinions of their employees”.
M&R is unfold throughout the nation, however most places bought a thumbs up. The Cambridge workplace “is great”, they’re leaving the drained Birmingham web site this yr, and the brand new Manchester one “is lovely and in a great area for food. The only downside is that it doesn’t get much daylight. But that might just be Manchester”.
All tends to observe tradition, and “It’s still our strength”, even when ”it is laborious to distil precisely what it’s. Just being respectable, regular, hard-working individuals I suppose”, stated a senior solicitor. In truth, “The only issue is that everyone is sometimes too polite”.
Claire Clarke, Mills & Reeve managing accomplice, stated, “Fantastic news! It’s great to be recognised yet again as one of RollonFriday’s Best Firms to Work At and the result reflects our great culture and that people really enjoy working here”.
“We’ve been in the top eight firms consistently since 2016 and won Firm of the Year three years running from 2018-2020. Being ranked 3rd this time around is a real achievement, however, we’re a competitive lot so have our sights set on reclaiming the top spot again next year!”
Well achieved to each. Find the complete outcomes right here.
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