Clyde & Co
While historically entrenched in shipping, Clyde & Co also provides reputable services in aviation, insurance, reinsurance and international trade.
Traditionally one of the three great shipping firms in the City, Clyde & Co was founded in 1933, by Scottish lawyer Richard Arthur Clyde. He had left a firm of City marine lawyers to start up on his own, and the firm immediately began to attract instructions from insurance companies. Befitting a onetime shipping firm, the areas of maritime and aviation remain big business for Clyde & Co, as are insurance and reinsurance and international trade.
There was a time when Clyde & Co was known as little more than a first-rate insurance firm, but since 1981 it has been on a growth curve, expanding internationally and diversifying its practice. It’s now a mid-tier player that punches above its weight in the areas of aviation, transport, insurance and international trade. However, its commercial litigation practice is one of the best in the City and it is fast-developing a technology practice.
Clyde touts that it has over 23 offices worldwide – covering the majority of the world’s financial centres – and its lawyers are qualified in 17 jurisdictions, able to speak 37 languages.
Clyde & Co is one of the few firms with two offices in the South East. In 1969, the firm moved the ‘back office’ functions and two partners out of the City, into cheaper digs in Guildford. Since this re-housing, the office has grown to become a significant outfit in its own right.
With a long tradition of providing legal advice on a pro bono basis, Clyde & Co is one City firm truly committed to its community and giving something back. Solicitors use their skills in a wide variety of settings, from free legal advice clinics to radio phone ins. In fact, the firm was a founding member of the Solicitors’ Pro Bono Group – an independent charity formed to support, promote and encourage a commitment to pro bono by UK law firms.
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As well as academic results and a strong commercial acumen, Clyde & Co looks for those with a practical approach to problem solving and an international outlook. Applicants need to have excellent interpersonal skills to enable them to communicate effectively with clients, and Clyde & Co most certainly recruits to retain.
The process begins with the increasingly industry-standard online application, followed by an assessment session with graduate recruitment, culminating with an interview with two partners.
Clyde & Co Graduate Recruitment Info
Contact:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7648 1809
Email: theanswers@clydeco.com
Application Deadlines:
Training Contracts: 31st July 2013
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Stats
No. of lawyers firm-wide: 747
Total Partners: 180
Trainee intake: 26
Trainees retained: 79% (2011)
CLYDE & CO: 2013 LAW RANKINGS
# 22 (Tie) Most Reputable Law Firm (6.24/10)
Salary
London 2012
1st year trainee: £35,000
2nd year trainee: £38,000
Newly qualified: £58,000
1 year PQE: £64,000
2 year PQE: £66,000
3 year PQE: £72,000
Compare all Salaries for London Law Firms
Departments
Aviation & Aerospace
Corporate
Corporate & Commercial
Dispute Resolution
EC, Competition & Trade Regulation
Employment
Energy, Trade & Commodities
Insurance & Reinsurance
Litigation
Real Estate & Construction
Shipping
Transport & Logistics
The working environment is as easy and as relaxed as you would expect a City law firm to be. There is a clear hierarchy of case handlers in the normal way, but all colleagues are supportive and helpful. Trainees stick together and help each other out as much as possible, and we often socialise together as an intake.
Trainee, LondonHelpful?
IT has a specific helpdesk number to ring, if your query relates more to IT training than to an IT problem. In addition, the library staff, the Company Secretarial team, the practice support lawyers, the post room, the reprographics department, the Accounts Payable team, and the billing team are all available and willing to help with queries at any time during working hours. Secretaries can also be quite useful for finding out where to start looking for information. Solicitors and partners are generally friendly and approachable and able to provide useful information and feedback on skills subject to how busy they are. However, my advice would be to start by asking the more junior associates who to ask before approaching the more senior associate and/or partners.
Trainee, LondonHelpful?
There are recycling bins in all the kitchens and paper waste bins by all the printers. There is currently a push towards going paperless as far as practicable due to the London office move later this year.
Trainee, LondonHelpful?
Trainees do four six month seats. You can sit in most departments across the firm; only the small departments tend not to take trainees (though even they make exceptions occasionally). There is a reasonable amount of choice but some seats are very competitive (e.g. Shipping). You can do a seat abroad, generally in the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) and most of those who request an overseas secondment get to go.
Trainee, LondonHelpful?
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Locations
London Office:
St Botolph Building
138 Houndsditch,
London EC3A 7AR
Tel: 020 7876 5000
www.clydeco.com
No. of worldwide offices: 23
Abu Dhabi
Bangalore*
Belgrade*
Caracas
Dar es Salaam
Doha
Dubai
Guildford
Hong Kong
London
Moscow
Mumbai*
Nantes
New Jersey
New York
Paris
Piraeus
Rio de Janeiro
Riyadh*
San Francisco
Shanghai
Singapore
St Petersburg*
*Associate Office