The RollOnFriday Firm of the Year survey results are in, revealing where lawyers, trainees and support staff are happiest, and where they dream of burning the office to the ground and lynching the managing partner.
Last week Burges Salmon and Shearman & Sterling were crowned the joint winners of Firm of the Year 2016, while the Golden Turd was shoved through the letterbox of Hill Dickinson. But with 62 firms qualifying for the survey, it reveals far more than just a winner and a loser.
RollOnFriday asked law firm staff to rate pay, career development, work/life balance, management and culture at their firm. They were also asked to score the social life, loos and meeting room biscuits. Over 4,700 lawyers, trainees and support staff answered the call and sat in judgment. So, where did your firm come?
The arrows denote a swing of five percentage points or more from a firm's 2015 score.

Ten firms are new joiners this year: Weil, Reed Smith, Wragge, Shakespeare Martineau, HFW, Kennedys, BLM and the turdy triumvirate of Sullivan & Cromwell, Slater & Gordon and Hill Dickinson.
Three firms saw big swings in their scores. Last year's Golden Turd Trowers & Hamlins generated many more responses and rose by 34 points. Many came to set the record straight, like the partner who said that the "bad press which this firm has had - including the Golden Turd" is "completely undeserved". The other big movers were in the opposite direction, with Ince & Co ("staff fall into two camps, egotistical sociopathic fuckheads and the clinically depressed") and Irwin Mitchell ("sweat shop") sinking like stones. Inmates marked them 20 and 31 points lower than last year, respectively. Ouch.
However, with a decent average score across the field of 69%, it is by no means a grim picture at UK law firms. Though only one staffer (at Bird & Bird) was happy enough to claim: "I wouldn't give up working if I won the lottery".
Tip Off ROF
Last week Burges Salmon and Shearman & Sterling were crowned the joint winners of Firm of the Year 2016, while the Golden Turd was shoved through the letterbox of Hill Dickinson. But with 62 firms qualifying for the survey, it reveals far more than just a winner and a loser.
RollOnFriday asked law firm staff to rate pay, career development, work/life balance, management and culture at their firm. They were also asked to score the social life, loos and meeting room biscuits. Over 4,700 lawyers, trainees and support staff answered the call and sat in judgment. So, where did your firm come?
The arrows denote a swing of five percentage points or more from a firm's 2015 score.

Ten firms are new joiners this year: Weil, Reed Smith, Wragge, Shakespeare Martineau, HFW, Kennedys, BLM and the turdy triumvirate of Sullivan & Cromwell, Slater & Gordon and Hill Dickinson.
Three firms saw big swings in their scores. Last year's Golden Turd Trowers & Hamlins generated many more responses and rose by 34 points. Many came to set the record straight, like the partner who said that the "bad press which this firm has had - including the Golden Turd" is "completely undeserved". The other big movers were in the opposite direction, with Ince & Co ("staff fall into two camps, egotistical sociopathic fuckheads and the clinically depressed") and Irwin Mitchell ("sweat shop") sinking like stones. Inmates marked them 20 and 31 points lower than last year, respectively. Ouch.
50% of Ince & Co, apparently |
However, with a decent average score across the field of 69%, it is by no means a grim picture at UK law firms. Though only one staffer (at Bird & Bird) was happy enough to claim: "I wouldn't give up working if I won the lottery".
Comments
29/01/2016 10:13
"No mention of Watson Burton" - no staff left to take part...