Trainee feedback gives thumbs up for Michelmores - Recruitment at Michelmores Solicitors

( Last Updated: 28-04-2008 )

Trainee feedback gives thumbs up for Michelmores in Chambers Student Guide

Chambers is renowned as one of the legal professions most respected guides. Slightly less well known but equally significant to its target audience is Chambers Student Guide where it is the trainees who are interviewed rather than partners and clients.

In the 2007 edition, Michelmores is portrayed in a highly favourable and often amusing light, this gives as much weight to its culture as to its quality of work, which the firm is very happy about.

On working at Michelmores, the Guide says:

"It's easy to fall for the charms of this regional dynamo", chirps the conclusion in Chambers, "and its current trainees clearly have done. One besotted source told us: "I can see myself working here my whole life." The firm is definitely going places, so if you fancy hopping on for the ride, get that vacation scheme application in gear."

On recruitment and growth

"Michelmores is going great guns with turnover up almost 20% in 2007 and a steady stream of partners recruited from City and large national firms.

"Despite acting as a magnet for City refugees, Michelmores insists on growing organically and we have it on good authority that no tongue-twisting mergers or new locations are on the horizon. Instead, the firm wants to keep things simple and expand its Exeter and London offerings, which sound as if they are working well together."

On Commercial Litigation

"The commercial litigation team - top-ranked by our parent guide Chambers UK - acts for an impressive range of companies, from locally based owner-managed businesses to companies in Europe and the Cayman Islands."

On Commercial Property

"Over in the commercial property department, Michelmores acts for loads of hush-hush government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison Service (ssshhh).

"The team "deals with government property all over the country" and trainees extolled the virtues of "really feeling like a part of a big project."

On Public Sector

"On the back of its existing public sector expertise, the firm recently won a position on the government's new Catalist scheme for buying legal services. Other big-ticket commercial property clients include the Bank of England, NatWest and the National Trust."

On the "powerhouse" Private Client department

"The private client team, recently boosted by partner recruits from Foot Anstey and Macfarlanes, dispenses high-value domestic and overseas tax planning advice, as well as working in charity law and on the administration of estates."

On Family

"The family department also has a spread of work, from high-value divorce cases to "quite traumatic" publicly funded child cases. In this "lovely team" trainees "learn a lot, both as a solicitor and as a person."

On working at the London office

"On a lot of the deals it was just the partner and me," enthused a source. "He was really good at letting me have a first go at things and always took time to explain stuff to me."

On Social and corporate events

"Michelmores' social calendar is bursting at the seams. On the sporting front, there's the Michelmores corporate yacht race, firm-sponsored charity runs, departmental golf days, cricket, football, surfing and blokarting, to name but a few activities."

On Michelmores Supervisors

"Our interviewees were quick to praise the "excellent" levels of feedback from supervisors in this seat (commercial property), recognising that positive interaction always encouraged them to work that bit harder."

"In other departments, the firm ............is actively trying to improve the entire training programme, not least by introducing grants to cover LPC fees. Also in the works are lunchtime training sessions on soft skills to complement the current programme of in-house legal training."

The supervisor in property litigation sounds like a real gem - "She's very, very supportive and protective of her trainees."

"On a lot of the deals it was just the partner and me," enthused a source. "He was really good at letting me have a first go at things and always took time to explain stuff to me." Indeed the trainee-partner relationship can be so close in London that you might often spy such a pair having a morning chat in Starbucks.

On advice to potential trainees

"Although in the past Michelmores has tended to recruit largely from certain universities in the South West, it is keen to emphasise that even if you have no connection to the area other than a desire to live by the sea (or a passion for blokarting), the firm wants to hear from you.

"Our interviewees displayed a well-developed sense of humour and an air of quiet self-assurance. They were "chatty, not cocky" and "very loyal to Michelmores."

"Such loyalty isn't just empty talk; in 2007, all four qualifiers stayed with the firm, taking up jobs in private client and property litigation in Exeter and corporate finance in London."

To review in full click here: Chambers & Partners

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