Clifford Chance U-turn: NQs to find out next week if they will be kept on
14 December 2012
Clifford Chance has performed a U-turn and announced that its final seat trainees will after all find out next week whether they will be retained on qualification.

CC had originally intended to tell trainees of their fate by 14 December. But this announcement was deferred until mid to late January, which would have left March qualifiers who didn't scoop an NQ position with just a few weeks to secure a job somewhere else. Cue a crisis meeting between the trainees and the firm's management, which claimed that the decision had in part been delayed because of "unusual" work patterns due to the Olympics.

One trainee pointed out that other Magic Circle firms also had to put up with unusual work patterns but they had all still managed to announce their jobs. In fact Freshfields, which actually worked on the Olympics, was apparently the first to confirm NQ jobs. Under pressure, CC management caved in and said that the announcement could come "before New Year", then "before Christmas", then "by 21st December". The Lawyer reports that the decision will now be made next Friday.

CC yesterday

So the trainees will be able to go on their Christmas breaks knowing whether they will have a job in the new year. And while some are gloomily predicting a bloodbath, other insiders at the firm reckon the retention rate will be comparable to last year's reasonably respectable level of 76%.

CC wouldn't comment.