UK 300: top law firms

…as voted for by students and graduates

The UK 300 features the most comprehensive annual survey of student opinion on graduate careers, employers and their own job hunts; more than 71,000 students and graduates took part. The survey determines not only the most popular 300 graduate employers in the UK overall, but also the most popular graduate employers in a range of career sectors, including in law.

The top law firms for training contracts are listed in the table below. The ‘magic circle’ law firms – the five most dominant City players: Allen & Overy LLP, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Slaughter and May – feature prominently in the top ten. Clifford Chance takes the top spot for the second year in a row.

Students interested in becoming solicitors…

• are unlikely to have undertaken a vacation scheme (the main form of work experience offered by law firms), despite their importance to gaining a training contract (only 14% of finalists in our survey had completed one) – but are more likely to have taken part in an insight day/week (34% of finalists had undertaken one)
• will probably look at the firm’s retention rates after training contracts: aspiring solicitors were the most likely of students across all sectors to rate ‘job security’ as ‘very important’ when choosing an employer (60% did) and they placed more importance on ‘good career prospects’ than average
• are most likely of all students to think their career choices are determined by their social background: 49% agreed they were, the highest to do so across all sectors.

NB: Percentages have been rounded.

1

Clifford Chance

Last year: 1

Law solicitors, Banking, Capital markets, Corporate, Insolvency, Private equity, Real estate, Tax

same

2

Allen & Overy LLP

Last year: 2

Law solicitors

same

3

Linklaters LLP

Last year: 4

Law solicitors

up

4

Slaughter and May

Last year: 3

Law solicitors

down

5

Baker McKenzie LLP

Last year: 5

Law solicitors

same

6

Irwin Mitchell

Last year: 6

Law solicitors, Banking, Capital markets, Commercial, Construction, Corporate, Criminal, Dispute resolution, Employment, Environmental, European & competition, Family, Human rights, IT & communications, Insolvency, Insurance, Intellectual property, Personal injury, Private client, Private equity, Real estate, Tax

same

7

Herbert Smith Freehills

Law solicitors

8

DLA Piper UK LLP

Last year: 7

Law solicitors

down

9

White & Case LLP

Last year: 9

Law solicitors

same

10

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Last year: 8

Law solicitors

down

View the full UK 300 list of top employers

View related sector lists: Top barristers chambers