Trainee Solicitor, Law at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

The following is a Graduate Review for Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner scores 3.9/5 based on 96 reviews.

All reviews are based exclusively on results of feedback from employees from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Employees are asked to rate Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner on a wide range of work place topics, which is broken down through star ratings on the right hand side.

To find out how your Graduates can leave reviews of your company, please contact our Brand Manager Grant on 01825 725291.

What are the Best and Worst things about your job?

Best

As a trainee the firm gives you all the opportunity to learn and grow. Everyone at the firm are genuinely interested in your development and if you prove yourself with the minor/easy tasks, they quickly give you more responsibility and let you run your own matters.

All you need is to have a good attitude, do the basics right (e.g., communicate, take notes, organise yourself) and the technical skills are things you will naturally pick up.

The culture at the firm is very nurturing, supportive, and it is genuinely a great place to work.

Worst

BCLP retention rates have been poor last round but this is down to the market and it is predicted to get back to normal. The job security at the moment is not great but this is seen as a hiccup and not the norm.

The firm is very real estate heavy so a lot of the best work revolves around real estate. This means that other areas of the firm are not as strong. The firm plans on changing this but if you see the Band 1 practice areas of the firm, you can easily see that it is Real Estate focused. Other areas such as corporate and finance have room for improvements and if they also start reaching the higher Band Ratings, the firm will be able to offer a truly exceptional full service practice.

What is the annual salary for this role?

Starting salary: £51,000 - £53,000

Current salary: £51,000 - £53,000

What hours do you actually work, on average?

Start: 09:15

Finish: 18:00

What advice would you give to someone applying to this role?

Keep in mind that the HR team reads over 2,000 applications. Make sure that your application is easy to follow, clear, and to the point.

I used bullet points throughout my application so I can keep it focused and answer the question directly. I think this helped me get through the application stage but someone else may give you some other advice.

Getting through the application stage is the toughest simply because of the number of applicants. There is a lot of luck involved but don't lose hope. You just got to keep at it and try your best to make life easy for the person reading your application.

Answer the question directly, get to the point, and market yourself. It is basically selling yourself and anything counts. For example, I said that I went to an international school and developed the skill to build relationships + interact with people from different backgrounds (which would help me build relationships with clients). Leverage all your experiences and have a clear purpose for the information you are sharing - the "so what" of it all.

Do you have any interview tips?

The interview is where I feel luck plays less of a role. In the application stage luck plays a significant role but during the assessment centre etc. it is more based on merits. That is not to say that if you don't pass the assessment centre/interview, you will never be a lawyer. It took me about 3-4 attempts to get passed the assessment centre/interview stage at different firms. You got to persevere and be confident.

The biggest issue in an interview is when people get nervous and lose their trail of thought. Its easier said than done, but don't put so much pressure/stress on yourself. The interview is not the be all or end all. The interviewers are really interested in getting to know you as a person and the interview at BCLP is more about strength-based. They will ask questions like "how do you deal with stress/failure" which are not really questions you can prepare for. Make sure to prepare for the "Why BCLP " and "Why Law" questions but then the rest of the interview should be more of a conversation.

Practice your interview with friends or family and again make sure to stick to the question, don't ramble, and make it more of a conversation. For example, if the interviewer asks you to list 2 strengths, just list it and ask "do you want me to expand on these?" to make the interview more like a conversation.

The interview is your place to shine and show your personality. Practice and don't try to be nervous and you will do alright. The firm is looking for human beings who will be a joy to work with. Be yourself and don't put too much pressure on yourself. Everything eventually works out.