Akin - True Picture

Akin training contract review 2025

The Firm

Imagine waking up, making your way to work, passing Spitalfields Market as you walk into the office, grabbing a coffee from the cart in the lobby, then heading up to the eighth-floor terrace to breathe in some morning air and sunshine before you start work. Sounds like you’re imagining life working at Akin – during the summer at least. We must remember that this is London we are talking about. As one trainee happily bragged: “Our eighth floor is our crown jewel, we’ve got a terrace that overlooks the city, it’s gorgeous.” Akin’s City office is its third largest and has exactly what you’d expect of an US firm in London – a small trainee cohort, an eye-watering NQ salary, and a network of international offices (17 to be exact). As such, it’s no shock that Akin has caught the attention of our colleagues over at Chambers Global. There, the firm collects top marks for its bankruptcy/restructuring work,as well as international trade/WTO and privacy and security. Locally, the London office receives praise for its restructuring/insolvency practice from Chambers UK, as well as nods to its investment funds work.

“Our eighth floor is our crown jewel, we’ve got a terrace that overlooks the city, it’s gorgeous.”

Like many US firms in the City, interviewees were drawn in by the small trainee intake, which they felt gave them access to “a higher quality of training, more exposure, more resources, and more time and attention.” Even from the get-go, sources had a good feeling at the interview stage, where partners “genuinely seemed interested in my potential and cared whether I was an intelligent and interesting person,” rather than relying on technical question-and-answer sessions. As for the sort of potential Akin is looking for? Vance Chapman, the firm’s training principal, tells us the kind of person who thrives at the firm is someone “who has a real passion for the subject, a real interest and a desire to learn.”

The Seats

Trainees’ first seats are assigned to them before they start, based on business need and the preferences they submit. Given the smaller cohort, the rest of the seat allocation process is simple, and the firm tries to be “as transparent as possible and give everyone what they want.” Though, second-years take priority as they come to the final seats of their training contract. We heard that there are a few opportunities for international and client secondments, including recent seats in Dubai and with a financial restructuring client, but that these are very much based on business need and are not available for every trainee.

Akin’s financial restructuring practice handles contentious and non-contentious matters, advising companies in financial distress, and handling issues that arise because of bankruptcies. If you haven’t heard of restructuring before, one trainee’s summary of the group’s main work might be helpful: “They represent the creditor when a company is going through financial difficulties; they’ll normally represent funds who have invested in that company and will try their best to help the company, but with the end goal of getting as much money back from the investment for investors as possible.” The team was recently engaged as special counsel to an ad hoc group of Cineworld’s secured lenders to advise on and progress with a restructuring support agreement. As another interviewee explained, trainees in the group get to work on “really, really exciting transactions – it was one of my favourite seats in terms of work, often on very novel points of law and stuff that hasn’t really been looked at before.” Describing their typical day, sources told us that work often focuses on process and project management, and can include “checklists, document tracking, lots of document lists, firing out emails to clients, and signing.” We also heard about juniors working on decks for companies that might face difficulties to help the firm win work, developing their own business development skills, although it’s worth noting that work in this group can be “fast-paced at times, and things need to be done pretty much as and when you’re asked to do them.”

Summarising the firm’s tax work, an interviewee told us that it was “quite an advisory practice. It could range from big, big fund clients and helping them structure their funds, and multi-jurisdictional laws and how they interact and where companies go within that structure.” They also provide “a support function to the transactional teams, like feeding in on the agreement in an M&A deal from a tax perspective.” Recently, the team worked alongside Akin’s US finance, corporate and restructuring teams to advise lenders during the restructuring of Genesis Care group’s existing debt, and the separation of its businesses in different worldwide locations. Work was described as “quite research-heavy, very academic, lots of general tax structuring and lots of keeping up with the law.” A typical day, as one source shared, began with “lots of monitoring updates in respect of where legislation’s going and how courts were interpreting tax matters,” as “within the last ten years, tax law has changed a lot and continues to change.”

Over in litigation, trainees told us that their work involved tasks like serving documents on other firms, drafting cover letters to go with documents, bundling, and “getting to grips with the contentious style of documents because the language is highly different.” When we asked about the types of matters trainees have been involved in, one source was pleased to say they’d seen “a good mix of the various contentious work the firm does – a restructuring plan challenge, judicial review, commercial litigation and arbitration.” We also heard that trainees were given great opportunities for client interaction and had “the opportunity to be part of some interesting discussions, making the first drafts on applications and communication with the other side.” A huge case for the financial litigation group recently was a judicial review against the London Metal Exchange. Akin represented Elliott Advisors, which had lost almost half a billion dollars due to a retrospective decision by the exchange to cancel nickel trades.

“As a trainee you’re looking at the opportunity to be part of some interesting discussions, making the first drafts on applications and communication with the other side.”

Interviewees in corporate, on the other hand, noted that their work was “mostly limited to deal flow, making sure everything’s running smoothly, replying to client emails about execution and how that works.” Trainees get the chance to do some drafting, and whilst it was acknowledged that “it’s not the one that will get sent out, you at least get experience, and I find associates don’t go out of their way to make changes for the sake of it.” Other tasks included working on due diligence reports, and those in the group saw some “pretty brutal timelines, but the work was interesting – there was more surrounding the due diligence process, looking at the group’s assets, the companies within that group and what the existing arrangements are.” Matters seen in the corporate group can regularly reach eye-watering sums in the billions or hundreds of millions of dollars. For example, the firm advised LetterOne on their agreement to transfer the majority of Wintershall Dea’s non-Russia-related upstream business to Harbour Energy plc, a UK oil and gas producer, a matter worth $11.2 billion. The team also advised Helios Investment Partners on the sale of Solevo, an African distributor of speciality chemicals; the matter value was over $216 million.

Trainee Life

Being right next to Spitalfields Market (arguably one of the cooler spots in town, if you’re after good food and shopping), trainees naturally raved about the office, which makes it “easy if you want to grab lunch or a coffee or something like that.” Everyone is expected to be in the office for a minimum of three days a week, with two team-set days for working from home. When we asked about working hours, interviewees generally told us that it was hard to estimate an average because “there’s no consistent number, but that’s law for you!” One source suggested that they’ve had weeks that were “40 hours on the dot, but I’ve also had weeks that were 60, 70, or 80 hours at most.” Trainees generally finished their workday around 6pm or 7pm, but there were mentions of a few late finishes when it reached crunch time on a deal: “I’ve had a few days where I was at the office until 1am or 2am consecutively.” All this hard work was worth it for the reward though, as trainee salaries are amongst some of the highest in the city. First-years earn a cool £60k, and unsurprisingly, many had their sights set on the sky-high NQ salary – $225k – which roughly works out to £172k.

“My supervisor was great in terms of workload and making sure I wasn’t put on too much – she was more inclined to say I had too much work to do than I was!”

Not only did sources feel well looked after financially, but they felt well supported emotionally too. One newbie shared that “people have respect for your personal life and work-life balance, something which is constantly stressed, and Akin really put a lot of time into these mental health events to really show that they do appreciate that.” In particular, supervisors received glowing reviews for the support they offered: “My supervisor was great in terms of workload and making sure I wasn’t put on too much – she was more inclined to say I had too much work to do than I was!” These relationships were long-lasting too, as trainees still had regular communication with previous supervisors who they shared offices with during their time in each seat. As one source surmised, “it’s great to have extra people to know and chat to.”On a wider scale, training was also received well by sources. Though most training happens on the job, there was a mix of general and seat-specific sessions. Some noted that the firm’s TED sessions – which stands for training, education and development – really helped them to grow as trainee solicitors.

Interviewees rated Akin’s efforts on diversityand inclusion highly. One trainee acknowledged that Akin “genuinely goes the extra mile, and genuinely does take diversity and inclusivity seriously. We’ve had a number of different celebrations, like a Lunar New Year and a Diwali celebration at the office.” The firm has a range of resource groups – known as FRGs – which trainees can get involved in the running of and help arrange events like panel discussions or host speakers.

“No one’s competitive or trying to make themselves better for the sake of someone else…”

The sense of collaboration is something our sources singled out as a driver of overall firm culture: “No one’s competitive or trying to make themselves better for the sake of someone else – everyone just wants the team to do well.” Another interviewee quipped that “it’s very, very nurturing.” While some did admit that the firm may not be the most social, we did hear that “roughly once a week or every two weeks there’s a firm-sponsored event which could vary from a guest speaker or a pro bono client to a training session, a lunch or a summer barbecue.” Outside of this, there was a bit of self-organised fun as well: “We tend to do our own socialising too – maybe meeting at the pub after work on a Thursday.”

Nearing the end of their TC, trainees naturally turned their thoughts to qualification. We heard that it’s a relatively transparent process where trainees need to submit a form with their preferences. One source shared some sage advice: “if you have good relationships with your team, you can be open about staying in contact. So, when the time comes for qualification, it’s not unexpected that you’ve put them down.” If a team has several people who want to join, one insider told us that “they hold open interviews for those teams, and based on the availability and business demand, you either get a place or not.” But given the smaller cohort, training principal Vance Chapman shares that this is partly intentional, to “ensure there’s more seats available than trainees, which means there’s choice for people as they’re learning, and it also means that the chances of being able to recruit on qualification are maximised.” It seems to be working, as in2024, Akin offered roles to all of its qualifiers.

How to secure a place on Akin’s two-year training programme

Vacation scheme deadline (2025): 5 January 2025

Law fairs and work placements  

Candidates can meet the firm at some of the autumn virtual law fairs. The firm’s preferred method of hiring is via the two-week spring vacation scheme, and as applications are screened on a rolling basis, it suggests candidates apply early in the autumn for this via the firm's careers website. Akin usually offers up to fifteen places. Vac schemers spend each week in a different department. Everybody's allocated dedicated scheme supervisors, while also working alongside trainees, associates and partners. “We ensure they get involved in real work from a mix of contentious and transactional cases, to experience first-hand how commercially focused our work is. We want the work to give them a genuine insight into what the working life of an Akin trainee is really like,” says Amy McCarthy, Graduate Recruitment Manager.

Applications

Trainee hopefuls at Akin need consistently strong academics. The firm does not have an A-Level minimum requirement but looks for a 2:1 degree.  “Legal work experience is great, but it’s not a necessity, nor a barrier to selection. Transferable skills are gained from multiple life experiences – whether that be formal law firm experience, part-time work, or extra-curricular activities. What’s important is candidates identify the skills they’ve developed that will help to make them a good lawyer,” says McCarthy.

Alongside questions about an applicant's commercial awareness and attraction to Akin, the firm also asks about challenging experiences they've tackled and what they hope to gain from their career. On that note, McCarthy has this to say: “We’re not looking for someone who wants to disappear into a big trainee cohort; we want people excited to hit the ground running from day one, who enjoy working collaboratively in small teams within a fast-paced business law environment. Applicants also need to show that they understand the excellence demands of our very commercially focused client base and give us a sense of how they genuinely see themselves working and thriving in Akin’s immersive learning environment.”

Interviews

Those who progress after the initial application stage will undertake an Akin bespoke strengths-based online assessment, a telephone interview with a member of the graduate recruitment team and attend an assessment centre in the London office.

Interviewees can expect to be asked about their application form and their reasons for pursuing a career at Akin during the telephone interview. Those who impress at telephone interview stage are invited to an assessment day in the London office, which includes a discussion about a topical commercial issue or current affairs article, with time to prepare beforehand. McCarthy tells us that the interviews “are very conversation-based – if a candidate can offer up potential for industry understanding and solid commercial awareness, and demonstrate an entrepreneurial and intellectually curious approach, then they tend to do well.”

Showing that you have a cool head and can not only handle but enjoy the pressure is key to securing a place on Akin’s two-year training programme. As McCarthy explains: “That's what our programme is all about – enjoying the early responsibility that being part of a small cohort brings, and thriving in the intellectual challenges that arise with this level of interesting and high-profile work.”