So, you’re just starting out on your legal career? Your first step is a critical one and there are many firms to choose from. So how do you decide which one would be the best fit for you? This section is your guide to what we look for when recruiting graduates and uncovers the future you could look forward to with us, during your training and beyond.
Each part of your training will be challenging, stimulating, often surprising, rewarding and frequently fun. From day one, you will be a valued member of our team working alongside experienced solicitors and partners. You will experience the responsibility and commitment that is an integral part of working in a busy and successful law firm, solving problems and seeing the results, while working alongside industry-leading professionals.
At Matthew Arnold & Baldwin, we encourage trainees to take responsibility early. They work on live cases and have exposure to some of our top clients, providing the best opportunity to learn and develop their legal skills. We fully appreciate that the individuals who train with us today are likely to be the people who will shape and steer our firm tomorrow: you just need to ask our existing partners, several of whom trained with the firm!
We attribute our success to the quality of our people and the variety of their strengths and skills. For a more detailed and personal insight, we have included interviews with some members of the firm who are either currently training or have already qualified and are now seeing the benefits of choosing Matthew Arnold & Baldwin.
What we look for
We welcome applications from intelligent, enthusiastic and ambitious candidates who are able to demonstrate an interest in business and a commitment to working in a commercial law firm. Not only will you need to be able to demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (minimum of 2:1, not necessarily in law), but you should also be an excellent communicator, strong team player and possess common sense and initiative. Matthew Arnold & Baldwin’s culture is collegiate and the ability of trainees to contribute positively to this working environment is very important.
Wide experience
Our training contracts usually consist of four six-monthly seats. Wherever possible we will try to accommodate our trainees’ preferences, however, all trainees are required to undertake both contentious and non-contentious seats. You may also have the opportunity to experience a secondment to one of our clients. Your individual training programme will of course ensure you receive sound training in the core disciplines and, if you haven’t already decided should help you choose which area of law you would like to specialise in after post qualification. All trainees gain on-the-job experience dealing directly with clients and assisting solicitors and Partners on complex matters very early on in their training.
Trainees are also encouraged to take part in marketing events and to volunteer for external work in the firm’s communities. The development of trainees is further enhanced by attendance at in-house and external training courses
Always ready to listen and help
Everyone here is approachable and friendly, so if you want to talk something over you will find plenty of people ready to help. You will be given every opportunity through our mentoring and formal supervisory systems to share your experiences with the training supervisor and other fee earners
You will work directly with a partner, who will be your Training Supervisor. You may also work with other fee earners from time to time, though it’s your Training Supervisor who will give you weekly, and often daily, feedback. There will also be your ‘trainee buddy’, who may be an existing trainee in their second year or a newly qualified lawyer. Because they are going through the process themselves or have recently experienced it, they can often be the most helpful person to talk to.
How to apply
We usually take up to four trainees each year, so we ensure we recruit only the very best. This means we can offer you the highest standard of training. After all we will be investing heavily in you, so we want to ensure you have the best possible career prospects and that once qualified, you will choose to stay with us. We find most of our trainees wouldn’t want to go anywhere else!
Our recruitment process for Training Contracts commencing in 2013 has now closed. We will be short listing candidates around spring next year for Trainee Contracts commencing in 2014, the deadline for these applications is 30th April 2013.
Importantly for you, we do not have an automatic sifting system. This means that if you take the time to submit an application to us, you can rest assured that it will be read and carefully considered.
Please send your CV with a covering letter to Danielle McKenna at trainee.recruitment@mablaw.com