BEST TRAINER – US FIRM IN THE CITY
across MoFo when I was studying at King’s College,” she explains. “I researched them in advance of the law fair and liked that their tech sector and corporate law expertise aligned neatly with my master’s subjects and my dissertation. However, what truly set MoFo apart from other firms at the law fair was their diversity, both in terms of their trainee intake, with trainees recruited from different countries, backgrounds and age groups, and also in terms of work and clients – I spoke to one of their trainees about advising big corporations as well as small start- ups. Everything I’d read about them was confirmed when I spoke to them in person.” Eliska had the chance to gain an even deeper understanding while on MoFo’s two-week vacation scheme – a prerequisite for being awarded a trainee contract. “I spent my time in the employment and corporate departments, and was given a variety of real work to do, including drafting, research, analysis and taking part in business development events,” she recalls. “At the end, I had an informal feedback session about my experiences with one of the graduate recruitment representatives and Jeremy, the training principal. I found the entire process very transparent – we were told who would be giving feedback on us, the timeline and how we would be assessed, which was very refreshing. Overall, the firm left a very good impression on me; they were welcoming and supportive throughout, and there was an emphasis on it being a two-way process, in that both parties had to be confident that it was a good fit.” Jeremy explains why the vacation scheme plays such a central role in the recruitment process. “During that time, we’re not only assessing the candidates, but they’re assessing us
on whether this is a place that they can imagine working and fitting in,” he points out. “From our perspective, we’re that much more certain than we would be if it were based solely on a couple of interviews that the person will contribute to the culture that we have created. In terms of settling in as trainees, it helps that they have all come through the vacation scheme, so will have worked for us for a couple of weeks and know each other already.” This process is further eased by the efforts that MoFo takes to keep in touch with its future joiners between being hired and before joining. “We were invited to all the Christmas and summer parties,” Eliska recollects. “And the firm facilitated an in-house internship for me at one of their clients, before I started the Legal Practice Course (LPC). So they kept in touch both socially and professionally! They also managed to match my experience on the internship with my first seat in the technology and transactions group, which was a good transition.” Part of Lynnsey’s role over the last 18 months has involved revamping the training process, with a specific emphasis on induction training. “When I joined the firm, I worked closely with our professional support lawyer and the marketing and business development team, and solicited feedback from the partners and associates to look at what the trainees really needed for successful on-boarding,” she recalls. “We wanted to give them both the technical knowledge and practical skills to enable them to transition into their roles swiftly. As a result, we made some significant changes to our trainee orientation programme. We now work with some excellent external providers to deliver training on client care, time management
We regularly find that trainees and associates operate at a level well above
their peers at much larger firms
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