Stephenson Harwood has always had a strong reputation for middle tier corporate work, shipping and litigation.
As far as shipping goes, it’s not all battling it out in the court, with a fair amount of transactional work too, poring over the details of contracts to make sure they are water tight. The firm also has carved out a good reputation in other Transport areas – with aviation being particularly strong as the firm has acted for clients such as AirAsia and Vietjet Air. SH also can boast substantial rail expertise with the firm working on major rolling stock transactions in the UK, including on Crossrail, Thameslink and Voyager fleets. One trainee summed up by saying “there are opportunities to get involved in some interesting work”.
There is a mixed response as to what it is like working at SH, with many positive comments on the friendly nature of the firm – one associate said “people you work with are generally friendly and get along well” and that “Work life balance is generally good”. However, there were some grumblings that “good people leave because there is no opportunity for advancement.” Another source commented that they felt amongst the partnership it was still very “hierarchical” with “lots of the old guard who think the firm is much bigger than it actually is”. The firm also doesn't traditionally do that well in RollOnFriday's Best Law Firms to Work At survey, usually finishing in the bottom section of the table.
Whilst the firm is not a major global player compared with the truly behemoth firms, SH still has a solid international network, and there are good opportunities for trainees to do a seat abroad. A particularly strong set of offices in Asia distinguishes the firm, with five out of its nine offices based in the region (Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore). The other offices are in London, Hong Kong, Paris and Piraeus (the latter particularly important for shipping work).
In essence, SH is a capable mid-sized firm, having decided to specialise in the areas in which its strengths lie (banking and asset finance, maritime services, litigation and property).
Here's the view from the firm's own lawyers, provided in RollOnFriday's Best Law Firms to Work At 2024:
Pay
“Good wedge. Latest pay increase (from £90K to £95K for NQ) could have been higher though”, said a lawyer. “It now sits level with for example HFW who we have historically always paid more than. My understanding is that managing associates and salaried partners are also not paid much more than NQ (in the region of £150K).”
Others griped that pay was “Not in line with competitor firms”, but then again lots of people at every firm say that. A trainee had a more positive take: “It’s on the money for a firm of our market position and profitability.”
Management
It’s “Almost non-existent”, complained a junior solicitor. “The will to modernise is there, but the messaging and collaboration - not so much” said a partner.
Career Development
“SH seems at least to be a good brand”, was a junior lawyer’s view. It’s “An excellent place for good practitioners to thrive”, said a partner.
Office & amenities
The office “is super cool and the canteen is really good”, said a junior solicitor, but the “IT is dreadful”, complained a trainee (again – not a complaint unique to SH by any means). “We have a lovely office building and the offices themselves are pretty decent”, said another trainee.
Work/life balance
“My supervising partner is a workaholic and expects me to sit at my desk even when there is no work to be done”, said a junior lawyer, who complained that there were “Lots of late evenings as well. Not really what I signed up for.” It’s “Very much dependant on your team”, said a trainee.
Culture
“It would be nice if for example my colleagues enjoyed going to the pub occasionally”, grumbled a junior solicitor, although others said that “Culture is team dependent. Some teams are good to work with, others are terrible” and that “On a smaller scale, individual teams have a good culture”.