OSBORNE CLARKE LLP
LCN AWARD WINNER 2017 BEST RECRUITER – NATIONAL/LARGE REGIONAL FIRM
‘ Going into battle’, ‘coming under fire’ – descriptions of legal life may be riddled with martial metaphors but few would go so far as to draw real parallels between the life of a lawyer and that of a soldier. Yet for trainee William Pullan – formerly of 4th Battalion, the Rifles – there are several significant crossovers. “My working environment here is dry and warm,” he jokes. “Quite different to the Brecon Beacons in January! But it’s good to know that you can take the skills and communications you have learnt in a previous career and apply them here.” ‘Here’ is Osborne Clarke, which has just snagged its second consecutive LCN Award for Best Recruiter – National/Large Regional Firm. And while William’s CV might make him stand out at some firms, he is by no means unusual at Osborne Clarke for having enjoyed a previous career. Training principal Catherine Wolfenden explains that the firm actively seeks out candidates who have thought hard about why commercial law is for them and are not simply following the well-trodden path of: law at A-level, law degree, straight onto an LPC. “Obviously, we do find exceptional candidates who have taken this route,” she says. “But it’s actually quite unusual to have thought hard about what it is you want to do and to be that certain from such an early age. While we’re looking for evidence that candidates will have the intellectual agility and capability to be a lawyer – the law is after all an academic profession – we don’t find it by looking at what university or LPC provider a candidate went to. We’re looking for proof that they’ve challenged themselves intellectually; that they have the ability to think in a way that is more than just providing legal advice – the opportunity to explore commercial experience including through work placements.” Zoe Reid, senior recruitment advisor, backs this up: “Osborne Clarke is very open, very collegiate, a high-support culture – this makes us attractive to people from non-
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Best in Law 2017
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