Top of the table for satisfaction with staff development (a combination of training and career progression) come Firm of the Year winner Ince & Co and 2011's champion Latham & Watkins.
Both scored an excellent 90%, with Latham receiving praise for "terrific" secondment opportunities, and for the quality of its training which seems to include "lots of away days and academies". Just behind the two leaders came Bird & Bird, where partners are always "willing to spare the time if you have a question", even if some feel there is a "lack of promotion opportunities".
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, in fifth place, was marked out for being "entrepreneurial" and tautologically rammed with "new innovations". The "ridiculously intelligent" partners at Jones Day are "more than happy to share their pearls" with their underlings, and the firm encourages "associates' efforts to develop new skills". In ninth place, Squire Sanders Hammonds allows "good client exposure from trainee level upward" and there's "lots of responsibility for junior lawyers".
To score highly in this category, it seems, firms need a combination of well-trained junior lawyers trusted to run their own workload and partners happy to lend a hand when the moment arises; feeling valued and developing strong legal skills are as important as the partnership carrot.
Further down the table, Macfarlanes comes in third from bottom, despite suggestions that the firm "has made efforts to improve solicitor development." At second-from-nowhere is Irwin Mitchell, where a senior lawyer claimed hitting challenging billing targets only gets lawyers a "satisfactory" performance rating, which he felt was "a bit of an insult."
But right at the bottom is Golden Turd winner Dickinson Dees, which was slammed by its lawyers for being "run like a 17th century firm". RollOnFriday historians aren't sure what that means, but guess it's related to the almost insurmountable partnership track. One associate claimed "my chances of ever getting to partnership are significantly lower than my chances of getting killed by an escaped walrus." And one very senior lawyer claimed the firm is "male dominated at partner level. Having a baby appears to be the end of your career."
When the survey results were announced, Dickie Dees staff were quick to comment, with one correspondent adding there's "very little career progression". Although a senior lawyer claimed the firm does "encourage development and reward performance" and a mid-level associate noted there had been "big improvements on two years ago". Which is something.
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Both scored an excellent 90%, with Latham receiving praise for "terrific" secondment opportunities, and for the quality of its training which seems to include "lots of away days and academies". Just behind the two leaders came Bird & Bird, where partners are always "willing to spare the time if you have a question", even if some feel there is a "lack of promotion opportunities".
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, in fifth place, was marked out for being "entrepreneurial" and tautologically rammed with "new innovations". The "ridiculously intelligent" partners at Jones Day are "more than happy to share their pearls" with their underlings, and the firm encourages "associates' efforts to develop new skills". In ninth place, Squire Sanders Hammonds allows "good client exposure from trainee level upward" and there's "lots of responsibility for junior lawyers".
To score highly in this category, it seems, firms need a combination of well-trained junior lawyers trusted to run their own workload and partners happy to lend a hand when the moment arises; feeling valued and developing strong legal skills are as important as the partnership carrot.
Further down the table, Macfarlanes comes in third from bottom, despite suggestions that the firm "has made efforts to improve solicitor development." At second-from-nowhere is Irwin Mitchell, where a senior lawyer claimed hitting challenging billing targets only gets lawyers a "satisfactory" performance rating, which he felt was "a bit of an insult."
But right at the bottom is Golden Turd winner Dickinson Dees, which was slammed by its lawyers for being "run like a 17th century firm". RollOnFriday historians aren't sure what that means, but guess it's related to the almost insurmountable partnership track. One associate claimed "my chances of ever getting to partnership are significantly lower than my chances of getting killed by an escaped walrus." And one very senior lawyer claimed the firm is "male dominated at partner level. Having a baby appears to be the end of your career."
When the survey results were announced, Dickie Dees staff were quick to comment, with one correspondent adding there's "very little career progression". Although a senior lawyer claimed the firm does "encourage development and reward performance" and a mid-level associate noted there had been "big improvements on two years ago". Which is something.
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