Culture

• "The firm is genuinely friendly and welcoming. There is a good firm-wide social life. I also feel that first year trainees get on particularly well together. There is no feeling of competition between us and we frequently spend time together outside work." -- First year trainee
• "There is a high level of camaraderie between the trainees – there are frequent emails going round asking for help and making useful suggestions. We do socialise together as well. One reason for the collaborative nature of the trainees is that the firm hires on merit and does not hire for specific positions in specific departments, so there is no immediate competition – the firm will find space for you if it wants to keep you." -- Second year trainee
• "The intake of trainees is relatively small and as such trainees tend to know each other and get on well. Trainees will help each other on a regular basis, whether it’s to do with law or, for instance, IT questions. Trainees (and qualified solicitors) often socialise together and can often be found going for lunch together, or grabbing a drink after work on a Friday night." -- Second year trainee
• "The firm is generally very friendly, people respond well if you ask them questions or ask their advice, especially if you can show that you've already considered the matter quite carefully yourself. Trainees often ask each other if someone has done something before or might know of a useful precedent to use. Quite a few of us socialise together, usually with a few NQs/1 or 2 PQEs. Having said that, it's not as though everyone does the same, some people do tend to dash off post-work." -- First year trainee
• "The culture is friendly but hard-working. Trainees are a good group and especially important in first year, and often eat lunch together in the break-out room. Socialising is organised by the firm – monthly firm-wide drinks, May Ball, Christmas Party, quiz night, and a few other events. Trainees sometimes organise drinks together on a Friday and have bi-annual social events (e.g. crazy golf)." -- Second year trainee
• "There is not as much hierarchy as you would expect. It isn't an intimidating environment. We sit with partners and are encouraged to ask questions and utilise their knowledge. I have gotten to know a few now and feel quite comfortable with them. All the trainees use each other as a source of information and we email round on an almost daily basis if someone needs help on something. It is great to have each other in that respect. I think it makes a big difference that Ince & Co aims for retention – there is less competitiveness between us and therefore we can help and support each other. We do socialise together too which is great!" -- First year trainee
• "Most of the partners were trainees at the firm, and the majority of the support staff have been at the firm for over ten years, so there is a family feel to the firm. There is a lot of knowledge sharing in the firm, usually by popping into partners'/assistants' offices and discussing an issue. The firm is very sociable." -- Junior solicitor
• "Great firm for social aspects. Lots of sporting activities and everyone gets involved. Ince drinks on a Thursday evening once every month is a great chance to mix with partners and support staff." -- First year trainee
• "It is important to get ‘in’ with partners early in your career, if you fail to socialise with them (for whatever reason) it may affect the work you get, the responsibility, the client interaction and, at the end of the day, your role. There are many opportunities to socialise but if you don't ‘fit’ you may end up questioning your position. It isn't always necessarily about a drink out, you have to look at the bigger picture, but this may not always suit responsibilities you have outside the office." -- Mid-level solicitor

Hours

• "I spend around nine hours a day in the office on a normal day; however it is not uncommon to spend many more hours than this. The firm has a 'don't be in the office when you're not busy' culture, so when things are quiet you can get out at 5.30 without feeling awkward." -- Junior solicitor
• "My hours are quite long at the moment – on average 12 hours a day (not all billable). I am certainly not expected to work more, unless a case becomes exceptionally busy. It is acceptable for me to work fewer hours, though it really depends on the amount of work required. I am not dissatisfied with these hours as the work is interesting, though I would like to be able to leave the office at 5.30 once in a while!" -- Second year trainee
• "I’m in the office approx. 9.25am – 6.15pm on a good day. Not uncommon to stay until about 7pm. Staying after 8pm is unusual. You get a free taxi home if you stay after 9pm. It’s rare to work at weekends – I've done so a few times but not all weekend." -- Second year trainee
• "I work on average 50 – 60 hours per week. Probably a bit more than I expected at times. Sometimes I have a good week though where I can get away by 7 most nights." -- Second year trainee
• "I'm happy to work 9 – 9, it's less than I expected – hardly ever stayed past midnight – twice only." -- First year trainee
• "I probably average about 55 hours a week, but that varies a lot depending on deadlines, etc. I probably expected to work a little more than that, hence my satisfaction." -- First year trainee
• "I am working more than I expected. However at Ince it is often the case that you will go from insanely busy to much more relaxed, that is life as a litigation lawyer." -- First year trainee
• "I probably work around 55 – 60 hours per week. I work about the same hours as what I expected. In my experience however, I would say that my working hours at Ince & Co are very good compared to other firms. We get some work/life balance." -- Second year trainee
• "Hours vary hugely and it is impossible to generalise. Although we all accept that at times we will be very busy, and be in the office late as a result of our deadlines and hearings, there is some frustration resulting from the fact that some trainees appear to work much longer hours than others. However, generally hours are reasonable and I would say I am usually able to leave the office by around 7.30 and often earlier." -- First year trainee
• "It is a wonderful place to work if you have external responsibilities. I billed 120 hours last month. I spend 40 hours in the office a week. Holiday can be bought and sold and tied over into next year." -- Mid-level solicitor
• "I record seven hours a day, of which 2/3 on average is billable. As I work a four-day week, that comes to around 20 hours of billable work per week. I am in the office roughly from 9.30 to 6pm four days per week. While work load is of course up and down, overall my hours are perfectly reasonable and easy to combine with family life." -- Mid-level solicitor
• "I bill about 150ish hours per month. I would prefer a better work/life balance and would love to work four days per week, but suspect I would not be allowed as I do not have a child. In terms of hours per week in the office, it’s generally 40 – 50." -- Mid-level solicitor

Pay

• "£67,000" -- Mid-level solicitor
• "£69,000" -- Mid-level solicitor
• "£76,125" -- Mid-level solicitor
• "£85,000" -- Mid-level solicitor
• "£88,000" -- Mid-level solicitor
• "£94,000" -- Senior solicitor
• "Salary has not gone up much in the past two years. Bonus scheme kicks in when you’re above 1,500 hours billable per year." -- Mid-level solicitor
• "Bonus is great if you do lots of hours, not so great if you just make the threshold." -- Mid-level solicitor
• "It’s great the firm wants to look after you, which is nice! Pension scheme is favourable and the new ‘flexible’ benefits mean you can buy or sell holiday depending on your plans that year!" -- First year trainee
• "It is competitive with other top 50 firms (including the Magic Circle). I am certainly happy with it." -- Second year trainee
• "Our pay is less, but not much less, than trainees at the very large and transaction-focused firms. The fact that these firms are much more profitable and expect much longer hours means that our compensation is very good indeed." -- First year trainee
• "It seems to be pitched at the same level as similar firms – not a bad deal when you consider the hours and the quality of the training." -- First year trainee

Interviews & Assessments

• "Training contract interviews can last about four to five hours and consist of two interviews, the final one with two partners who will go through the in-tray exercise with you. The in-tray exercise is tough!" -- Second year trainee
• "I did a vac scheme at the firm. Therefore I had one initial interview with HR and a partner. This was very general and I was also required to do a written test. A few weeks after my vac scheme I had an (automatic) interview for a training contract. This was with two partners who tested me on an in-tray exercise. I was also required to do a drafting test and a spelling/grammar test. The interview is known for being quite tricky." -- Second year trainee
• "I had an HR interview with a test, then an interview with two partners. Interview is very focused on an in-tray exercise. The partners want to test how you think, and how you react to different situations. They put you under pressure." -- Second year trainee
• "I had one round of interviews with two interviews within it. My first interview was with the HR department who asked me general questions. Then I had to do three written tasks, the last of which was an in-tray exercise which was then discussed in my partner interview. I was interviewed by two partners for over an hour. The questions asked in this interview were more difficult and probing." -- Second year trainee
• "Ince is a hard place to get hired at. There are a large number of applications and the firm is very selective. There is only one interview round but it involves a number of elements, and is a long and gruelling process." -- First year trainee
• "I completed the vacation scheme, for which there was a single interview. All vac scheme participants automatically get a single further interview for a training contract. The final interview was robust: four hours in total, building to a tough interview with two partners." -- First year trainee
• "You send in the application, and then it's all done in a single afternoon, which includes several exercises and interviews. There's an interview with someone from HR, and then one with two partners. The latter is obviously more challenging, and important to your success in the process. It starts with fairly usual questions, but then there's an in-tray exercise, in which you have to prioritise a series of tasks. The partners then develop the scenario in unhelpful ways and challenge the decisions you've made. There's no right answer (though there are some wrong ones), it's more about being able to think quickly and defend your decision." -- First year trainee
• "Fairly low stress experience. One interview only." -- Mid-level solicitor
• "I sent in a CV and covering letter application. Interview with HR, then an 'inbox' exercise, which formed the basis of a difficult hour long grilling by two partners." -- Junior solicitor
• "I had one round – an interview with HR and then two partners. There was an in-tray exercise and then general questions about my ability/experience. I got grilled but it did not feel like pointless grilling!" -- Mid-level solicitor