2nd March 2010
I went to visit one of the hottest tickets in insurance law the other week – Kennedys. Spirits were high on the morning of my visit as the firm had just the night before won ‘Insurance Team of the Year’ and ‘Law Firm of the Year’ awards from Legal Business magazine.
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Insurance is a big deal at Kennedys, and a high proportion of its lawyers work in this field, not that this means they all do the same thing. Insurance sector clients are just like any other client in many ways – they need corporate, employment, regulatory and many other strands of commercial advice as well as representation in disputes. Actually, the insurance sector isn’t the only industry the firm is working in. It also targets clients in construction and engineering, healthcare, local government, rail, maritime and international trade.
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Kennedys has changed quite a bit over the past decade and it now sits in the top 50 in the UK. The firm has eight domestic offices, six more in overseas locations (Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, UAE), plus affiliations with independent law firms in several other countries. Growth is partly attributed to a merger in 2008 with a specialist insurance firm called Davies Lavery, but there have also been quite a few important senior-level hires. If you thought all insurance lawyers worked on was road traffic accident litigation then think again.
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Teams from Kennedys have been involved with the many claims over the Buncefield oil depot explosion; litigation over a fire in the Channel Tunnel in 2008; heavy industry problems in Mexico and Venezuela; the sinking of a dredger in Sierra Leone; a business interruption claim arising from the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance and the missing billions that disappeared courtesy of super fraudster Bernie Madoff.
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My visit to Kennedys reminded me of how much law firms are shaped by their core clients. Kennedy’s HQ on Fenchurch Avenue is right on the doorstep of the London insurance market. On the ninth (and top) floor of the firm’s office building is a roof terrace looking over the insurance quarter. Lloyd’s of London is almost next door, as is The Gherkin. I also caught a glimpse of Tower 42, The London Eye, Tower Bridge and the fiery top of Monument, which commemorates the Great fire of London in 1666 and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Check out Monument’s website for the full skinny. I was surprised to learn that it is the tallest isolated stone column in the world. If you want to climb its 311 spiral steps your reward will be a fantastic view. Last time I did it I also got a very nice certificate.
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If you’re hoping to find a training contract for September 2011 then I’ve some excellent news. Kennedys is presently recruiting one year in advance (although this could change for future years) and the firm will be accepting applications from September 2010 until the end of November 2010. Successful applicants will be interviewed in January/February 2011. More details here.
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Between 15 and 20 recruits are taken on each year, most of them for the main London HQ. A smaller number join Kennedy’s regional offices here in the UK, namely Chelmsford, Cambridge, Manchester and Birmingham. I heard a whisper that the firm might offer a Hong Kong secondment in the future, so I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for news on that. If you want to find out more about Kennedys then I’d recommend its Grad Recruitment website as a first step. You’ll find of useful info about the training scheme and the firm itself. You’ll also be able to read about how Kennedys’ trainees are helping to deliver the Citizenship aspects of the national curriculum to teenagers at the local Mulberry School in Tower Hamlets.
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Here at Chambers and Partners HQ things are moving at a cracking pace. The research team is coming to the end of its examination of the US legal market. Junior associates across the States have shared their experiences of working in the profession and, most crucially, they’ve given a very clear picture of what’s needed to break into the law. As in so many areas, what happens in America usually then rears its head here in the UK. Getting the right grades from the right universities and law schools is fundamental to a student’s chances of success over the pond, and there’s every indication that academic success will become even more important here.
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As the squeeze on undergraduate places tightens yet further, and the economic constraints on graduate recruiting in the UK legal profession continue into 2010, getting good grades all the way through school and uni is increasingly vital. Frankly, there’s no sign of a let up in this trend. Law firms are telling us that the standard of applications received has risen this past year, so the market should certainly be viewed as tough as we go into the 2010 recruiting round. More details will emerge as our UK research progresses, and I have no doubt that we’ll have plenty of news to pass on to all our readers. In practice, anyone wanting a legal career can expect a lot of hard work, both academically and in terms of doing research on potential employers. Making high-grade training applications is going to be a time consuming business so I’d recommend you start preparing now, if you haven’t already.
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Coming soon to the Student Guide website will be a handy feature on how best to research law firms. It’s what Chambers and Partners exists for and I hope we can pass on some valuable tips to you. If you have friends who will benefit from this type of advice then get them to register on our Student site.
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The next thing on the agenda for the team is our office move. For many years, we’ve worked in the Barbican area of London, opposite Smithfield meat market. It’s a wonderful area, despite chicken giblets in the gutters early in the mornings. Next week we’re moving to a smarter office in the West End, close to Covent Garden. Naturally we’re all very excited!
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Anna Williams, Editor