Clyde & Co

Back in the day, Clydes, along with Holman Fenwick & Willan and Ince & Co, was traditionally one of the three great shipping firms in the City. This wasn't necessarily a good thing: collision work was declining thanks to better maritime regulation and training, and protection and indemnity clubs were, well, clubbing together to drive their lawyers' rates down as well as bringing more work in-house. As European expertise in the field increased, more work was also going to Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, whose rates are generally cheaper than in the UK.

So Clydes decided to diversify and expand. And a while on from Clyde & Co's merger with troubled Barlow Lyde & Gilbert ('takeover' might be more accurate) the dust has well and truly settled. As the name suggests, Clydes was very much in the driving seat when it subsumed merged with BLG in 2011 - and when it swallowed BLM more recently.

Clydes currently has offices in over 50 cities worldwide and it makes a big play of its international presence, which is perhaps unsurprising given its growth rate. A good spread of international offices means that there are opportunities for trainees to spend a seat overseas - in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore or, err, Piraeus. We know where we'd rather go. Back in the UK, aside from London, the firm also has offices in Oxford, Manchester and Guildford. The latter famously pays London rates. Rather less famously it also expects its lawyers to work London hours, but given the lower living costs which normally come with provincial offices this still sounds like a pretty good deal.

Shipping is still important, but insurance & reinsurance, and aviation, are also very strong sectors. As far as service areas go, although corporate and commercial is growing, the majority of Clydes' work is still litigation-based rather than corporate. Inevitably disputes work doesn't require the level of all-nighters you'll experience at more transaction-led firms.

Whilst Clydes is now a proper full service firm, it's possibly not the first choice if you want to specialise in M&A. There is "lots of client contact due to the nature of the insurance industry", said a solicitor. "Anywhere else would be a step down in terms of client base", another Clyde & Co lawyer claimed. But, said another, career development is less hot "if you're not an insurance litigator". One suggested, "If you work hard, and for the right Partner, they look after you very well."

Associates, on the whole, praise the good work life balance, saying that the firm has "no face time culture". It also seems to be a friendly place with "very sociable" partners. "We are generally a sound bunch", agreed a junior solicitor.

"Regionally", said a lawyer, there is "decent pay, nice office, good work/life balance, non-dickhead partners". And staff are happy with the swanky London office, commending the "cracking view from the canteen" (which "conveniently distracts from the food").

Pay seems to be the biggest gripe, with one lawyer suggesting that "the senior equity partners suck the marrow out of the profits while the middle ranks scamper for greener pastures in the hope of earning more". And while expansion has brought revenue and a buzz, a couple of lawyers worried that "multiple mergers and aggressive expansion - over 5 years it has almost tripled in size and has opened more than 20 new offices" have caused some "deterioration" in the Clydes culture. Management, they said,  "seems more focused on world domination".

Grumbles aside, many still praised the working environment, with one lawyer saying there is a "very supportive management" that doesn't heap on the pressure "in terms of billing".  Allied with an expanding overseas network, rapidly rising profits and reasonably civilised hours, it's a solid choice. And Club biscuits are available in meeting rooms.

(NB - salaries and LPC/GDL grants stated are for London. In the UK regions they are less: a student gets a grant of £7k for the GDL and LPC. Trainees in Newcastle get a salary of £22,500 in the first year, and £24,500 in the second year. Trainees in Manchester get a salary of £26,500 in the first year and £28,500 in the second year.)

 

Offices

HQ
London
UK Offices
Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guildford, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford
Non-UK Offices
Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Beijing, Brisbane, Cape Town, Caracas, Chicago, Dar es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Miami, Montréal, Nantes, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Paris, Perth, Riyadh, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Washington DC

Salary

1st Year Trainee
£42,000
2nd Year Trainee
£44,500
NQ
£80,000
1 PQE
-
2 PQE
-
3 PQE
-
Profit Per Equity Partner
-

Benefits

Target Hours
1450
Allowance
25
Bonus
-
Gender Pay Gap
-
Health Care
Yes
Flexible Working
-
Maternity & Paternity Policy
Enhanced. Full pay for 13 weeks, £200 a week for another 13 weeks.

Trainees

Latest Trainee Retention Rate
79%
Training contracts per year
45

RollOnFriday Best Law Firms to Work At: Clyde & Co’s scores

Overall
55%
Pay
43%
Career Development
55%
Management
55%
Culture
58%
Work/Life Balance
64%

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