SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP
LCN AWARD WINNER 2016 BEST TRAINING PRINCIPAL – BEN PERRY
W hen Sullivan & Cromwell – founded in New York in 1879, with a London office since 1972 and its own home-grown English lawyers since 1999 – first won this coveted award two years ago, its newly minted UK trainee programme was in its very first year. It has bedded in now, but retains that feeling of freshness. Ben Perry, partner, training principal and worthy recipient of the Best Training Principal award, explains: “Our process hasn’t changed much, but one key difference is that when the students come to interview or are on the vacation scheme, they can now chat to former trainees who have qualified as associates. It’s nice to develop things in that way; everybody who has trained here has stayed on.” Kirsten Davies, trainee solicitor recruitment manager, agrees that there is no room for complacency: “We are constantly reviewing our processes, including how the trainees have found everything from induction to seat changes. We haven’t made massive changes, but we also ask the vac schemers for ways that we can improve and how we compare to other firms.” Something that is unlikely to change dramatically going forward is the size of the trainee intake – it has increased from four to six this year, but everyone involved feels that there is virtue in keeping it relatively small. Trainee Abby McIntosh saw this as a real bonus: “At the law fair, I had a chat with Kirsten and an associate, and they were both very friendly and approachable; but what really hooked me in was the small intake – I felt that personally, it would suit me better. You still get high-quality, impressive deals and clients, working at the forefront of the market, but without having to be one of 90-odd trainees.” Victor Siek, a first-year associate and one of the original cohort, agrees: “Although the intake is about to get slightly bigger, it still means that there are only ever one or two trainees in any one practice area, and each is assigned a different mentor. You have
2016
38
Best in Law 2016
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