You can wave goodbye to your free time.
We’ll be totally honest. Hard work is a reality at Linklaters. And with the level and intensity of the deals we’re involved in, unpredictable hours are often a way of life. But that certainly doesn’t mean they should ruin your life. That’s why we’ve made a few radical changes to our benefits. After four years’ service with us, you’ll be eligible for our time bank scheme. Through this, we will proactively monitor and review the time you spend at work, and make sure that associates whose free time is badly disrupted are rewarded and recompensed.
You can’t find a firm that’s strong in every area.
Convention says if you want to do corporate or finance work, work in the magic circle; and for everything else, go anywhere but. We say otherwise. We’ve worked hard to build strength and talent in every practice area – and even harder to foster a culture where each can benefit from the expertise of the others. We’re rather proud of the results.
I’m not good enough to get in.
While it’s absolutely, undeniably true that our standards are high; we also find that some of the people who utter the above phrase are (with apologies) mistaken. People join us from all sorts of backgrounds and places. And they’re often surprised that their [!!] experience can and does translate. The fact is, if you’ve got the drive, the talent and the willingness to learn, we can give you the training, exposure and experience to develop into one of the world’s leading lawyers.
We’re way too big.
A lot of people think moving to a large Magic Circle firm means you’ll become lost and quickly disappear. Not at Linklaters. Because of our size, we are able to give you more support than you might possibly imagine. You’ll work for a practice area that feels like a small firm in its own right, with HR, Marketing and other support professionals right there on your doorstep. You’ll find partners that are open and accessible – and prepared to get to know your strengths and ambitions. And you’ll find colleagues who support each other, often socialise together and always share their knowledge.
The only support you’ll get is from your chair.
You’re an exceptional lawyer. And you deserve exceptional support. Our philosophy at Linklaters is to take away all the peripheral admin and process, leaving you to focus on your work and your career.
I’ll never make partner.
Although partnership may feel a long way off or a big leap to make, we aim to make the transition as easy as possible. Our experienced and talented lawyers are promoted to a role called Managing Associate. It gives them the opportunity to get more involved in managing people and their practice areas. It’s a real chance to develop the skills needed to become a partner. Another thing – many people join us who don’t want to become a partner. And that’s absolutely fine too. Whatever your aim or ambition, we want to help you achieve it.
I’ll be stuck working with one partner.
Lawyers at Linklaters invariably work for more than one partner at a time, giving them the chance to experience different working styles and different work. In fact, we have a work allocation partner whose job it is to see that you get the variety and quality of work you deserve.
There’s no one to turn to.
When we say we operate an open door policy, we mean it. So much so that in our previous offices, we had the hinges on all the doors (yes, even partners’) fitted so that they opened automatically if you tried to close them. Fire and safety regulations meant we couldn’t do that in Silk Street but, still, the thought was there.
Time is money.
Quite. So there’s no way you’ll ever get the opportunity to work on non-fee-earning work, right? Wrong. Last year, our lawyers spent a grand total of 25,000 hours on pro-bono and voluntary work – including helping primary school children in one of the poorest areas in London.