Sounds a bit final doesn’t it? Well, in some ways it is the end ... the end of one part of your life. But it’s also the beginning. The beginning of a new and exciting career. So here’s where you start the next part of your journey and if you read on, we hope you’ll find you want to take that journey with us.
ons. i t n onve you c w ollo hem. If f o t t e l law e k u i g l f s n t on’ aks alle cce s e d h u r c e s b o W ith a nd, that where fe r t e w r p r e We m s, care s the tre r i a f here y w w c k a c d n l fa at bu itional hard, an d on. h t rea trad d play firm n f e o aw an .... th . r e t h e l k ha r d eth g r o o t w we in it l l a e we’r
So be prepared to take a look at things from a different angle, you never know what you might see.
It’s amazing what a little fresh and creative thinking can bring to our clients’ businesses. Don’t think you’ll be let off the hook being a trainee. We expect you to be pragmatic and use your imagination from day one. That’s because from day one you’ll be working on clients’ business and you’ll be expected to contribute views and ideas.
Look at things from a different angle.
Different backgrounds
Different degrees*
Different cultures
We will value everything On diversity, we don’t just ‘do’ * Your knowledge may come in handy
Different experiences
Different interests
you bring to the role. diversity. We celebrate diversity. for one of our industry sector teams.
Different ages
TAKE A MOMENT to celebrate the fact that you’re an individual. Another great thing about working at Wragge & Co is that we value we’ve already got one of him. We don’t want another Suzie from Pensions; The thing is, we’re a team at Wragge & Co; but that We’ve got the critical mass to generate a national
Congratulate yourself on all the qualities that make you unique. your individuality. We don’t want another Andy from Private Equity; she’s lovely, but it would be silly to have two of her. It’s you we’re after. team is made up of just over 1,000 individuals. reputation, but we’re small enough to know your name.
Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Work Sleep. That doesn’t sound like much of a life to us. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Doesn’t sound like much of a life to us. That’s why it’s important to us that you get to have a life outside of work. Don’t get us wrong. You will have to work hard here but we do believe you should have a life outside the office. A happy workforce is an effective one - and you doforce have todoes be very better effective to deliverthan the service our clients deserve Lets face it, a happy work work a miserable one,and expect. although you’ll& Co. findWenot would with us. Social life comes in bucket loads at Wragge told all you companies from the start - work hard,agree play hard. In fact, on the subject of work .....
Let’s get this straight. We’re an ambitious firm providing a full range of legal services so we want ambitious trainees prepared to take active roles in our five legal groups. You won’t be standing by the printer or making tea all day. You’ll be straight in at the deep end working with our list of top clients. That could be one of many FTSE clients - including more than 25 FTSE 100s - countless well-known private sector businesses, at least 100 local authorities and government departments as well as a selection of the world’s largest and most successful organisations. You’ll be learning from some of the UK’s best legal brains and you’ll need to think quickly just to keep up. Remember, we’re always on the look out for our next generation of experts. We haven’t got time to stand still and neither will you.
PAUL FEATHERS
EMMA PIOLI
BIJAN SEDGHI
NICOLA MUMFORD
PENSIONS PARTNER WANTED FOR MAKING PENSIONS LAW INTERESTING Coming off the fence to provide a commercial view, Paul helped a global electronics company complete a major overhaul of its pension schemes. Paul’s team started with a blank sheet of paper, creating a solution that merged eight schemes into one £12 billion scheme and delivered new benefits for 4,500 employees. Guilty of turning pensions law stereotypes upside down.
REAL ESTATE PARTNER WANTED FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH Emma, a one-time Wragge & Co trainee, stands guilty of writing legal documents in plain English. Her suite of letting documentation for Marston’s PLC was awarded the Crystal Mark by the Campaign for Plain English - a rare achievement in legal drafting.
CORPORATE PARTNER WANTED FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL DEAL INNOVATION AND ORIGINATION Bijan is no ordinary law firm partner; in fact, he doesn't even do any legal work. Having spent three decades on the frontline of global business, he is tuned into our clients' mindset because he is wired the same way. He identifies opportunities for clients or targets and proactively brokers commercial discussions, providing a significant competitive advantage in strengthening client relationships and securing legal instructions.
LONDON MANAGING PARTNER AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION PARTNER WANTED FOR VERY CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE Refusing to take controversial comments about her Saudi client lying down, Nicola went on the offensive. In a highly unusual move, her team secured the recusal of High Court judge (and source of the comments) Mr Justice Singer, removing him and his views from the case. Approach with caution – can cause serious harm to opponents’ legal arguments.
For more evidence go to www.wragge.com/graduate/creative_legal_solutions.asp
Law
ye r s
o t c o e s t v a t he h . t ’ .. n do
We minimise our carbon footprint through efficient use of electricity and water, recycling what we can (even our clothes are recycled for a homeless charity). We use recycled materials wherever we can. This brochure is printed on recycled paper (in fact, when and if you’ve finished with it, please return it to us and we’ll use it again). Everyone has a tree planted for them when they join and everyone can choose to use Fairtrade products in our kitchens. So there you have it. Being green is important to us (although judging by the state of a certain group leader’s bonsai tree, we don’t all have green fingers).
We don’t give away toasters or radio alarm clocks, we give away our staff. Our lawyers - trainees included - generously give more than6,000 community hours every year on a range of projects from providing legal advice for not-for-profit organisations to job coaching for homeless people.
YOU CAN ASK OUR SENIOR PARTNER ANYTHING. EVEN FOR MORE SUGAR .
Everyone’s an equal at Wragge & Co, so there are no rules about who makes the tea or coffee. We’re open plan, so everyone has the same space. Being open and honest is one of our most precious values. We even have a regular chatroom where you can ask the senior and managing partners anything you like (well, almost anything, the managing partner is a bit rubbish when it comes to questions about football).
Thinking differently has its rewards. It’s not like us to boast, but these are some of the achievements we’re most proud of… Named one of the top 50 employers in the UK's Best Workplaces survey 2009. This was our ninth appearance in the annual report by the Great Place to Work Institute and we’re still the only law firm to feature. We’re also one of the UK's top employers for working families as named by work-life balance charity Working Families. Employment Team of the Year at the Lawyer Awards 2009. European High-Tech Law Firm of the Year by Managing Intellectual Property 2009. We maintained our Big Tick status in Business in the Community's annual Awards for Excellence. We received our reaccreditation for taking a strategic, comprehensive and innovative approach to reducing natural resource and waste. Most Client-Focused Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Technology Awards 2009.
THE EVIDENCE BEYOND THE END Less than eight years from now you could be like Gus Wood, an associate in the Energy Infrastructure team, employment associate Charlotte White or Helen Davenport, an associate in the Dispute Resolution group. They are just three former trainees now enjoying an exciting career at Wragge & Co.
A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS We generated £105.8 million in turnover last year. In this year’s Legal 500 UK, Wragge & Co is ranked in 47 practice areas, including top-tier rankings for real estate, IP, IT and telecoms, energy, employment and pensions. Chambers UK rates 66 Wragge & Co experts as recommended.
LOOK AT THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE Solicitor Antony Craggs is looking at things from a different angle. Call him on 0800 096 9610 and ask him what that means to him. A former trainee who qualified in 2006, he is now client service manager for a major multi-national business and a key part of the Intellectual Property team.
He might also tell you about the support he’s had; from induction and supervision to outstanding technical training and guidance on IT, client care, finance and billing. If you ask nicely, he may also tell you about his
THE RIGHT MIX
YOU’LL BE CHALLENGED...
WANTED
YOU CAN ASK FOR ANYTHING
For 2010, deadlines are 31 January for the vacation schemes and 31 July for training contracts.
We have five legal groups – Real Estate, Corporate, Finance, Projects & Technology, Dispute Resolution and Human Resources. Your training contract is structured into four six-month seats.
Paul Feathers, Emma Pioli, Bijan Sedghi and Nicola Mumford are real people with real stories.
It’s true. We’re all open plan. And, in addition to the opportunity to ask anything, you will be told everything thanks to a comprehensive internal communications programme.
secondment with Unilever.
INDIVIDUALITY BE DIFFERENT Current and former trainees include pharmacist Navin Prabhakar, equities research analyst Hina Thakrar and ex-army officer Victoria Longmore. Industry experience finds a happy home in teams dedicated to the automotive, aerospace and defence, central government, energy, financial services, food and drink, healthcare, life sciences, local government, retail and travel sectors. We’ve got musicians, teachers, writers, “tough guys” and some seriously doolally types who jumped out of a plane for charity. Cultural festivals we celebrate include Chinese New Year, Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Diwali, Christmas and Easter. In the 2008 Race for Opportunity benchmarking report Wragge & Co achieved “silver standard”. The report is the only investigation of UK organisations’ attitudes towards ethnic diversity.
At the end of August 2009, we had 1,012 people made up of 575 fee earners and 437 support staff.
LIFE AT WRAGGE & CO At 1,480 hours a year, our chargeable targets for qualified solicitors are lower than many other law firms. On social life, think sport; think dinners – big and small; think nights out, all organised by the trainee committee and the local Law Society. The trainees also take a lead role in organising and hosting the annual ‘Legal Eagles’ summer school, where students from educational charity, The University of The First Age, attend our offices to experience life as a commercial lawyer. Every employee has a £90 allowance for team and social activities. Plus, there’s an annual party, group conferences, team away days and regular social evenings. We also have a social club offering special deals on concerts, festivals and international sporting events.
Our FTSE 100 clients include British Airways, BP, Cadbury plc, GlaxoSmithKline and Unilever. FTSE 250 clients include GKN and Marston’s PLC. Other UK and global businesses on our client list are Birds Eye, United Biscuits, ProLogis Developments, Steria, E.ON, CapGemini UK and McDonald’s. In the public sector, we work with a range of central and local government organisations including: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Ministry of Defence, Croydon Council, London Borough of Hackney, Sandwell MBC, Stoke on Trent City Council and Transport for London. You will receive only the very best support, supervision and training and are guaranteed a wide range of high-quality work. From day one you’ll live and breathe our high-performance culture.
NOT COSTING THE EARTH We use electricity from renewable or sustainable sources and energy-efficient lighting. We recycle paper, glass, cans, plastic, light bulbs, batteries, spectacles and clothes (tons of clothing has been donated to Fireside, a charity for homeless people). Meeting room water is bottled on the premises, while on the floors we have super-filtered tap water.
FREE GIFT Our community investment programme is driven by the desire of our people to use their vast range of skills and experience to benefit others. In short, we seek to make a difference. We’ve concentrated on building partnerships in four areas: free legal advice, inner city needs, homelessness, education and mentoring.
Senior partner is Quentin Poole and managing partner is Ian Metcalfe. Ask them whatever you like – they’re on extensions 1036 and 1822! It’s also true that Ian Metcalfe is rubbish on questions about football (but he does know a lot about rugby!).
THINKING DIFFERENTLY HAS ITS REWARDS
European High-Tech Law Firm of the Year 2009
CONTACT US Want to find out more? Contact the Wragge & Co graduate recruitment team on gradmail@wragge.com or 0800 096 9610.
Created by Rufus Leonard. Illustrations by Mr Bingo. Photography by Johanna Parkin, Jim Naughten and Jason Beddard. This book is printed on recovered or FSC certified paper.