Culture

• "I would say that DWF is a very sociable firm. Obviously this depends upon which department you are in, but there are always plenty of team nights out in the diary. In addition, the sports and social committee is responsible for organising plenty of events – for example, parties at Christmas, Easter and Summer, as well as nights out to the Comedy Store in Manchester and Friday Fridge, in-house drinks for all DWF employees every last Friday of the month. It is a little more difficult to coordinate all of the trainees (due to different locations), however, we do try to do this as much as possible. For example, we recently arranged a meal and drinks night for all the future DWF trainees (courtesy of DWF, of course!). There is a very supportive atmosphere at the firm, although a certain level of competitiveness emerges around qualification time, when everyone starts thinking about NQ positions!" -- Trainee, Manchester
• "Trainees often socialise out of work together, including at weekends, and always support each other in work, for example the previous trainee in a seat will often help the current trainee in that seat." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "The trainees socialise together as a group, on average, once a month. There are also opportunities to get involved with various sports teams." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "DWF only take on a relatively small number of trainees each year so the year groups become quite close.In my intake there are 16 trainees spread across the offices and we meet up quite regularly, particularly when completing training courses together. I socialise with the trainees in my office, both in my intake and the year below, more regularly. The trainees have recently been out for dinner with the new trainee intake for next year, and even some from the year after that, which was fully supported and funded by the firm.The trainees at DWF all support one another, and there is usually another trainee stationed not too far away that you can go and ask a question of if needs be." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "There are always plenty of social activities going on. These are usually either office or departmental social activities, but the trainees do socialise a lot together too." -- Trainee, Preston
• "Trainees are very sociable, meeting for lunch, and outside of work. There’s definitely a supportive atmosphere as they tell each other what each seat experience is like. Second year gets a bit more competitive as people are choosing where they want to qualify." -- Trainee, Manchester

Hours

• "I usually work from 8.30am until 6.00pm with at least 30 minutes for lunch. However, trainees are not expected to work more than the usual 9.00am to 5.30pm and are able to take up to an hour for lunch if they wish. It all depends on workload in your current seat." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "I probably work around 9 to 10 hours a day, this is less than I expected." -- Trainee, Leeds
• "The number of hours worked per week differs significantly between seats. In my previous seat I was working approx. 9.5/10 hours a day, whereas in my current seat I am working approx. 7.5 hours a day." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "DWF does well to maintain a good work/life balance for all employees, from junior to a senior level. Obviously work hours are department dependent; however, I would say that my usual hours are 8.30am until 6.30pm. " -- Trainee, Manchester

Pay

• "The trainee salary is quite reasonable and trainees see a decent increase in salary after completion of the first year of the training contract." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "Trainees salary at DWF is comparable to those of similar firms in the area." -- Trainee, Manchester

Interviews & Assessments

• "DWF has a large and increasing number of applicants for both vacation schemes and training contracts every year. However, the firm only hires a relatively small number of trainees each year with the idea that all will be offered a job on qualification, so getting a training contract with the firm is quite tough. In terms of the interview process, when I applied in 2007 there were two stages. Firstly, there is an interview with one legal person and one person from HR. Then if you get put through, there is a half day assessment centre where you are interviewed by three senior partners and undertake the following assessments; presentation, negotiation and numerical reasoning. I understand that now an extra layer has been added and a number of applicants are to attend ‘PGP (Practice Group Partner) Friday’ where they are given the opportunity to meet and interact with the practice group partners before the final selection is made." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "I applied directly for a training contract. I had two interviews and an assessment day. My second interview was with a partner and HR. The assessment day was friendlier than others I had attended. There was a presentation, an aptitude test, an interview and a group discussion." -- Trainee, Leeds
• "Two rounds of interviews – firstly either the vacation scheme round/first round interview. Then there is the second round interview. There is also a ‘Super Friday’, at which all of the candidates who have made it to the final round meet and greet the practice group partners." -- Trainee, Manchester
• "There were two rounds to the interview process, with the second round lasting most of the day. The first round interviews were less formal, and are with an associate and a member of HR. Second round assessment centres involve an interview with two senior partners. There is now a further third round since I got my training contract, which takes place with partners." -- Trainee, Manchester