FARRER & CO LLP
with the firm. “Each week they are in a different department and are expected to muck in and take on the work – where possible – that would be given to them as a trainee,” explains Anthony. “They have an overall supervisor who looks after them during their time with us, and then in each team they will have someone who looks out for them and ensures that they’re happy with the work given them. We try to vary the work depending on the level of knowledge – some will have law degrees, others won’t, for example.” During Rebecca’s placement she was given work that she found both fascinating and inspiring. “My first week was spent in the private client team and I recognised the name of the ultimate owner of a trust that I was working on, which was really interesting to me,” she recalls. “In the second week I was working in the charities department and did some research on the Human Rights Act and equality – it was fascinating.” To her surprise and delight she was also introduced to clients and invited to attend meetings. The respect afforded its vac schemers is indicative of Farrer’s egalitarian ethos and was further reflected during Rebecca’s placement by the amount of encouragement students were given to interact with the firm’s most senior lawyers. “We
were encouraged by our supervisors and trainee-minders to seek out work from partners,” she recalls. “There are no separate offices here, it’s an open-plan pod system, so a vac schemer could be sat in the same pod as a partner – and, in fact, on my placement I was. Not only does this mean that there is no obvious hierarchical structure that prevents you from speaking with a partner, but in fact you wouldn’t necessarily know who was a partner and who wasn’t!” As well as this friendly, inclusive attitude, the firm’s commitment to offering a good work-life balance became evident to Rebecca during her placement – for her, this was the final piece of the puzzle when it came to deciding where she wanted to train. “There is such a great respect here for the work-life balance, and I really notice that this isn’t the same for trainees at other firms,” she enthuses. “Although I’ve had some very busy times, it is encouraged that if you can get off in the evening, you really should.”
When it comes to selecting its trainees, Anthony explains that the key attributes Farrer searches for won’t only be found in exam results. “Confidence, proactivity and practicality are really the three things that I look for in candidates,” he reveals. “What I mean by the latter is that everyone who attends an interview will be intelligent, but what you want them to be able to do is apply that intelligence to the work they’ll be undertaking. A client will call you up with a problem and will want practical solutions, not reams of law. So if a trainee can have a bit of interest in understanding a client’s business needs, that’s certainly impressive.” The firm acknowledges that the jump from studying to embarking on a training contract is a big one and it does what it can to ease its trainees in by providing a comprehensive induction programme and including them in firm life from the moment they accept their position. “Before our trainees start there are Christmas drinks and opportunities to meet trainees in the year above,” explains Anthony. “Each trainee has a minder and a principal who is responsible for them throughout their training. If they have any issues then they can speak to the principal in confidence – it’s not linked to a specific seat, but rather offers a higher-level eye over them,” he continues. “They also have a supervisor in each seat, and then Paul and I are the training principals who have overall responsibility for the trainees. There is a lot of continuity and support throughout the two years and a net is there to deal with difficult issues, even if they tend not to arise.”
Confidence, proactivity and practicality are really the three things that I look for in candidates
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