Shoosmiths
Shoosmiths’ wide national network and unique practice mix set it apart from its rivals. Noted for its property work, the firm's best known clients rank amongst the biggest names in retail, automotive and finance, and include major players such as McDonald's, Volkswagen and Zurich.
Pros
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Cons
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Employee Reviews
Life on the Job
Culture
- "The office is open plan which ensures that everyone is approachable. You will often be assisting partners and it is good to know that, if necessary, they are happy to explain situations or areas you don't understand. Shoosmiths has been successful in obtaining similar individuals that are both commercially and technically very good at their area of law and these individuals are a good source of development. As there are only between 5-7 trainees in most offices across both years, the trainees form close bonds and look to help each other out when possible. Trainees will relay their experiences in a given department to the next trainee moving into that department. Socially, each office is responsible for organising their own events. The trainees often go for drinks or larger planned events that others from the office are also invited to, and are also responsible for organising networking events in the local area on behalf of Shoosmiths." -- Trainee, Southampton
"The culture is the best thing about the firm. The offices are all open plan so there is a very friendly feel to working at Shoosmiths. Everyone is treated the same, whether you are a partner, solicitor, PA or trainee. The trainees have a good social life and support network, usually involving spontaneous drinks out after work, especially on a Friday!" -- Trainee, Nottingham
Hours, Pay & Perks
Hours
- "The culture varies between departments, but on average 8:45am to 6:45pm." -- Trainee, Reading
"On average trainees work approximately 50 hour weeks, rising when transactions are on-going and assistance is needed. Unlike the City, long hours are only expected when deadlines require them and it is considered late to be working past 8pm. However, this is countered by the lower remuneration and therefore lower hours to the City should be expected." -- Trainee, Southampton
"In my current department I probably work just over 40 hours a week. This is what I expected on my training contract, although hours vary between departments and depending on how busy the department is." -- Trainee, Nottingham
Pay
- "The overall salary has decreased in recent years, but this is not just limited to this firm, and I think that compared to other firms of the same size it is not dissimilar. I know that I'm lucky to have a training contract in the current market so I can't really complain too much about the salary." -- Trainee, Nottingham
"In comparison to other firms of Shoosmiths’ size, trainees’ salaries are considerably lower. Although less hours ensures that comparisons with City firms is impossible, salaries should have risen faster." -- Trainee, Southampton
Interviews
Interviews & Assessments
- "I attended a vacation scheme and then a national assessment day, which consisted of a group discussion, role play activity, interview and written exercise. My interview was with the Nottingham training principal and a member of the HR team. The interview was quite relaxed. I was asked a lot of competency-based questions in comparison to other interviews, in addition to the usual questions about why I wanted to work in law, and why I had chosen the firm." -- Trainee, Nottingham
"Vacation schemes provide for potentially easier access to a training contract. Aside from vacation schemes, assessment days are held where students are expected to spend the day undertaking standard tasks, including group tasks and interviews with HR/partners. My interview was with a partner during my vacation scheme and involved a small presentation and questions with the partner. Questions included the challenges facing law firms, why law, current affairs that interested me, etc." -- Trainee, Southampton
"There were three stages: Telephone interview, group assessment day and formal interview. I did a vac scheme which helped." -- Trainee, Reading
The Inside Buzz View
Training Contracts at Shoosmiths
Shoosmiths may not be a large international law firm, but it certainly is a big national player. With nine offices scattered across the country, Shoosmiths has over 100 partners on board and can boast an overall personnel of more than 1,400. If you fancy becoming part of the Shoosmiths family, you can expect a relatively small intake of up to 22 trainees – which of course means it won’t be easy to land a training contract unless you fulfil some of the basics.
Like most law firms, Shoosmiths is after candidates with good communications skills on both a written and verbal level. ‘The firm doesn't really look for a type of candidate’ says one trainee, but applicants should ‘be keen to learn, reliable and hardworking’. A 2:1 is a definite must and although Shoosmiths doesn't recruit from specific universities, the firm is eager to hire ‘people with local connections’ – so if you’ve gone to a uni in the area, make it work to your advantage. Also remember to show off your organisational qualities as Shoosmiths wants candidates who can work independently and under minimal supervision.
Trainees do four six-month seats in various departments. There’s a standard of five departments available ‘in most of the offices’, including property, commercial, litigation, employment and corporate. However, you can also pick some niche areas such as ‘marine litigation, lender services, regulation and IP’. International opportunities don’t currently exist, but we’re told ‘there are always client secondments on offer for trainees’. Although there are no compulsory seats, trainees will have to sit in three separate areas, which include contentious and non-contentious work.
If this sounds good to you, then begin by completing the firm’s online application form. If you make the cut you can look forward to a telephone interview before being invited to the national assessment day – which usually consists of a group discussion, role play activities, a written exercise, and a further interview with up to two people. One successful applicant described the interview as ‘quite relaxed’ with ‘a lot of competency-based questions, in addition to the usual questions about why law, and why Shoosmiths in particular’. So ensure you come armed with a host of answers to the typical competency questions. You’ll probably be pleased to hear there won’t be any psychometric tests to take, which means you can concentrate on all the other areas of the assessment. For the group exercise in particular, it’s important to be seen – so don’t be shy and speak up. If you’re successful with your application, you might also be invited back for an informal ‘meet the team’ event, which should put you at ease before you embark on your training contract.
Vacation Schemes
If you’re after a career with Shoosmiths, keep in mind that ‘vacation schemes provide for potentially easier access to a training contract’. The firm offers two-week vacation schemes, which run during the summer from June to August. It’s definitely a good way to get your foot in the door so don’t miss the opportunity. Law students in their penultimate year and non-law students in their final year can apply for the summer scheme. You are likely to spend your time in one or two of Shoosmiths’ departments working next to partners, lawyers and current trainees who are said to ‘really make the effort to get you involved’ during your time there.
Shoosmiths Graduate Recruitment Info
Contact:
Samantha Hope, Graduate Recruitment Officer
Application Deadlines:
Vacation Scheme: 28th February 2012
Training Contracts: 31st July 2012
How to apply: www.shoosmiths.co.uk/graduates
Shoosmiths Profile & Stats
Shoosmiths is the original national UK law firm. And though it had a nationwide network and successful lines in debt recovery and personal injury by the beginning of the 21st century, Shoosmiths’ real steps into the big league came with the opening of a new site in the primary business centre of Birmingham, in 2003. Outposts followed in Nottingham in 2007 and Manchester and London in 2008, adding to its offices in Milton Keynes, Basingstoke, Reading, Solent and Northampton HQ.
Shoosmiths has since grown steadily, building on a fairly unique practice mix that sets it apart from its rivals. The increase in personnel provides a solid indication of Shoosmiths’ growth since the turn of the millennium, with the number of partners almost doubling to over 100 and the staff swelling to more than 1,400.
In 2002, Shoosmiths started bagging contracts with blue-chip companies. Despite being relatively unglamorous work, these deals demonstrated to the industry Shoosmiths’ proficiency in dealing with complex legal matters. Building on this reputation, Shoosmiths has since become known for property work, dealing with PI for clients of insurance companies and, most recently, its corporate deals – where it boasts successful mid-market M&A and AIM practices.
There are a number of factors that set Shoosmiths apart from other leading law firms. As well as opening its partnership ranks to non-lawyers, Shoosmiths has an unusual practice mix. Today, Shoosmiths’ operations are broken into five ostensibly standard legal areas: commercial property, residential property, corporate/commercial, employment, and dispute resolution. However, few firms have such sizeable commercial teams, property expertise and practices in debt recovery, marine law, personal injury, private client and mortgages. As such, the majority of Shoosmiths’ clients use the firm for specific areas rather than as a one-stop legal shop. The firm’s client roster includes a broad range of household names, such as McDonalds, Next, Volkswagen, Nissan, HBOS, ING Direct, Zurich and the Open University.
Shoosmiths devotes considerable resources to making sure there is diversity within its workforce, and was subsequently ranked in the top 10 of the Diversity League Table compiled by the Black Solicitors’ Network. Ethnic minority and gender diversity are considered across partners, trainees and paralegals. The recruitment of women especially has improved, as one trainee notes that ‘every year of trainees has a larger number of females’.
