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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Trainees and NQs rank Slaughter and May as the #1 Law Firm in Inside Buzz’s Top 50 Law Firms Rankings

For the second year running, Slaughter and May has been ranked as the most reputable law firm in the UK by trainees and solicitors surveyed by career information publisher Inside Buzz

For the second year running, Slaughter and May has been ranked as the most reputable law firm in the UK by trainees and solicitors surveyed by career information publisher Inside Buzz.

The rankings were revealed earlier this month both online and in the 2014 edition of the Inside Buzz guide An Inside Look at Top Law Firms.

In total, over 1,100 practicing trainees and NQ solicitors from across the UK were asked to rate peer law firms (excluding their own) on a scale of one to ten, based on how prestigious they perceive the firms to be.

The Inside Buzz Top 50 Law Firms are as follows:

Rank

Firm Name

Score

 

 

 

1

Slaughter and May

8.79

2

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

8.68

3

Linklaters

8.61

4

Allen & Overy

8.59

5

Clifford Chance

8.51

6

Herbert Smith Freehills

7.81

7

White & Case

7.45

8

Hogan Lovells

7.38

9

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

7.32

10

Skadden Arps

7.3

 

 

 


Employees have their say - Law Firms Rankings by Category

In addition to rating peer firms, trainees and NQs were also asked to rate their own firms on a scale of 1 to 10 in 16 different categories including: overall satisfaction, satisfaction with work, culture, hours, salary, offices & dress, career prospects, diversity, green initiatives and pro bono.

In this section, the highly-coveted top spot in the Overall Satisfaction category went to shipping law firm Ince & Co, who also topped the charts in the Partners and Solicitor Relations category.

Top performer, however, was almost certainly Penningtons Manches which topped four separate categories (Formal Training, Hours, Informal Training & Mentoring and Satisfaction with Work) as well as scoring highly in several others. One Penningtons Manches trainee told Inside Buzz that they were especially pleased with the quality of the work that they have been assigned, commenting: “I’ve been given plenty of responsibility, lots and lots of client contact and a real variety of work. No two days are the same!”

Elsewhere, trainees at Sidley Austin recognised their firm’s commitments to Diversity and the generous Salaries they receive as the firm went on to top both of these categories. 

Finally, Hogan Lovells led the way in corporate social responsibility topping the charts in Pro Bono efforts, with one trainee commenting: “the firm really pushes pro bono and all trainees are encouraged to get involved.” 

The full list of Inside Buzz’s Top 50 Law Firms and Top Law Firms by Category is available here: http://www.insidebuzz.co.uk/reviews/law_firm_rankings_2014