Devonshires LLP - True Picture

Devonshires training contract review 2025

The Firm

Brutalist flats, modernist apartments, suburban estates and quintessential terraced housing – whichever architectural style floats your boat, you can bet your bottom dollar Devonshires will have you covered. For those in the know, historical figures like Hungarian Ernő Goldfinger and English duo Frederick Gibberd and Denys Lasdun are pretty well known for their architectural contributions to the social housing scene, but right up there with them is London-based Devonshires. With a proud history representing landlords and tenants, social housing is without question the core of the firm’s identity. Of course, that’s not the only string to Devonshires’ bow: “People just see Devonshires as a social housing firm, but it’s much more than that,” one source told us, “we have a much broader client base, which I didn’t realise when I originally applied!” As training principal Chris Drabble confirms: “About 70% of our work has a social housing focus. But we’ve got a great corporate offering, and in commercial litigation too.”

“People just see Devonshires as a social housing firm, but it’s much more than that.”

If purple moors, Wensleydale cheese or other Northern culinary delicacies are more of a draw than the corporate tumult of London Town, Devonshires’ Yorkshire base in Leeds offers something distinct from other firms based in the capital. That’s on top of offices in Birmingham and Colchester (though the latter isn’t client-facing) and it’s the regional offices, according to Drabble, that remain a priority for growth. The vast majority of trainees are based in London, with a couple based in Leeds. Unsurprisingly, Devonshires’ headline practice bags top-tier rankings in both London and nationwide in Chambers UK.

The Seats

The life cycle for around half of Devonshires newbies begins as a paralegal, with plenty of our sources having transferred from paralegal to first seat trainee in the department they had initially worked in. While those new to the firm generally don’t have much of a say over their first seat, all trainees are subsequently invited to rank their top three preferences about a month before each seat rotation. Conversations with HR and supervisors alike seemed the modus operandi here, with the firm prioritising those nearing qualification whilst trying to accommodate everyone where possible. On occasion, client secondments are available, but this is largely dependent on business need.

One of the more common destinations for trainees was Devonshires’ housing management and property litigation group, which we heard tends to revolve around social landlord work. This means managing relationships with tenants, dealing with service charge disputes, and looking at ASBs, disreputes and disrepairs. A number of sources mentioned being brought onto matters relating to the Defected Premises and Building Safety Acts, as the team focuses on “standard work whereby clients are having issues with anti-social behaviour on an estate or tenants who aren’t paying the rent,” in addition to “rent regulation and coroner inquest work.” The sensitivity of these kinds of cases makes an empathetic approach essential: “The cases are on a very personable level, which I think tends to create a more interesting case file.” Of course, that does also mean that work in the group “had its challenges,” as “you’re often dealing with death and family-related matters.” Despite a social housing focus, one trainee explained that there are “somany interesting clients that come into play outside of social housing.” Case in point, the group represented the former CEO of Anglo-Austrian AAB Bank over allegations of fraud and money laundering, which resulted in President Lula of Brazil receiving a 12-year prison sentence for bribery. We heard a trainees’ day to day in the seat revolves around the likes of injunctions, keeping on top of court deadlines, reporting and advising clients on leases, and human rights work: “What I liked most about this was that it was very hands-on as a trainee,” one source commented, “there’s lots of exposure very quickly to the litigation process.”

“...a good balance between giving you responsibility but providing the support to maintain it.”

As the name suggests, corporate, banking, & governancespans your typical M&A and loan and security agreements, whilst the major clients here were – yep, you guessed it! – social housing providers. Described as a “very small team,” trainee tasks consisted of “amending, reviewing and drafting shareholder agreements,” within the context of “looking to get loans out for commercial purposes, developing new land, and reviewing commercial funds.” Of course, trainees came across their fair share of admin-heavy work like DocuSign and KYC too. “I predominantly helped out with legal formalities and looked at some corporate-type documents, just to make sure things are passed through each process correctly,” one told us. Across the board, the firm manages “a good balance between giving you responsibility but providing the support to maintain it.” For instance, “I got to lead on a few transactions,” noted one trainee, whilst a colleague explained that “the transactions are quite big.” The group recently represented social enterprise organisation Better Leisure in its acquisition of York Stadium Management Company, the company responsible for managing the stadium in York which has in recent years played host to the Rugby League World Cup in addition to matches involving football clubs such as Leeds and Sheffield United.

Real estate at Devonshires is split into commercial and residential. Thecommercial real estate offering is focused on commercial leasehold transactions for commercial clients, with residential real estate instead specialising in residential developments where clients acquire sites to build social housing. Depending on their supervisor, trainees will cover either one area or both. We heard the groups engage in a “broad range of real estate matters,” with trainees brought in for “lots of doc review, contract reviews, reviewing transfers, deed variation, and raising enquiries.” As one source explained: “Every client I worked with was a social housing client.” The team has represented the likes of Sage Homes and Leaf Living, the Peabody Group and Stonewater Limited. Described as “quite a good seat if you’re interested in transactional work,” matters also spanned Section 38 and 106 local planning agreements, and trainees noted a high degree of autonomy. In one recent deal, the group recently acted for the Newlon Housing Trust over its £500 million regeneration of the Barnsbury Estate in Islington.

Devonshires’construction practiceis built (excuse the pun) around mostly non-contentious matters. Work in the department included “the engrossment of contracts, professional appointments and JCT/construction contracts,” with trainee tasks consisting of “shadowing lots of client meetings and drafting collateral warranties.” One source mentioned how “I did almost exclusively fire-related work” amidst “some arbitration, adjudications, court proceedings and dispute resolution.” Described as “quite an academic area of law,” it’s important to note that the “team does a whole host of things – not just fire safety.” While the latter does indeed form the bread and butter of the team’s primary focus, one interviewee added: “I’ve also been involved in a dispute with architects!” This breadth can be seen in the fact that the group’s client list includes the lines of Notting Hill Genesis and the London & Quadrant Housing Trust, and the group also recently represented an unnamed high net worth individual over their luxury Belgravia property developments.

Trainee Life

The trainees we spoke to were quick to highlight the benefits of Devonshires’ culture: “People here are very receptive to helping you out,” noted one trainee, before adding that “even people you have no association with are still willing to come and talk to you over a coffee.” The general consensus too was that this made for a non-hierarchical atmosphere: “You don’t have to think twice about approaching equity partners, even about things in my personal life.” Due to the “unique positioning” of the firm within the legal market, “we retain a culture of being a nicer firm.” This, we heard, translated to a healthy budget for trainee socials alongside Christmas and summer parties and a Friday pizza day. Past socials included the likes of clay pigeon shooting, shuffleboard, bingo, quizzes, ping pong and darts! If you thought that wasn’t quite enough, one trainee spoke of a murder mystery day, with this year’s Leeds social a day out at the Great Yorkshire Show. Ey up!

“…an open-door, chatty and comfortable environment to work and train in.”

In Leeds specifically, newbies noted the “tight-knit” sense of community, as the office only consists of about 35 people. Trainees felt the firm’s open-plan structure facilitated this ease of communication, with the atmosphere in the Leeds office described as “very conversational.” We heard partners sit amongst trainees, which cultivates “an open-door, chatty and comfortable environment to work and train in.” Trainees pointed out an aesthetic blend of “lots of plants” and a “calming energy” as part of the draw. A few sources spoke of coming into the office two or three days per week, though with the policy entirely team-dependent, four or five was also the norm for some. Scoring top marks for location too, Londoners reside in the vicinity of Liverpool Street and Moorgate tube stations.

When it came to hours, we heard there was no real expectation to stay late aside from the odd matter. Devonshires tends to follow a standard 9-5.30pm work pattern, which afforded newbies the work/life balance they desired. Consequently: “I don’t think I’ve ever been explicitly asked to stay late,” explained one trainee, “I’ve only ever done that through choice.” While some had been required in the office later into the evening, trainees assured us that such nights were few and far between: “You can essentially work as long as you want” and “you have the freedom to manage your own caseload. It’s not a Mexican standoff as to who leaves their desk!” Most considered the trainee salary fair, despite it being “lower than what people might expect for a City salary,” but the reality is, “we don’t have those hours, the demand or the expectation” of a magic circle firm. Some in London did feel trainee pay could be improved, whilst those in Leeds felt it was a “competitive rate.” 

“Nobody cares where you went to school!”

Sources highlighted the importance of diversity & inclusion at Devonshires, particularly around ethnic representation and gender equality, on top of mental health and wellbeing practices. With “lots of women at the firm,” we also heard that HR “oversees a lot of initiatives for mental health.” For instance, the firm organises events for Pride and Black History Month and “in my experience, they will always check in on wellbeing.” Trainees were also quick to point out a good mix of school backgrounds: “It’s not just an Oxbridge or Russell Group kind of firm.” In fact, “nobody cares where you went to school!”Supervisors were on hand too for any personal or professional queries, on top of the standard mid-seat and end-of-seat appraisals to provide concrete feedback, and regular training events held internally within teams. “There’s a lot of cross-department training” one told us, with “no embargo” as to who can join. Come qualification time, HR will release a list of NQ jobs inviting trainee applications. Described as a little “cloak and dagger,” most trainees will know before through conversations with partners whether or not a job at the end of it all is waiting for them. In 2024, the firm retained six of seven qualifiers.

How to get a Devonshires training contract

Training contract deadline: 30 June 2025

Applications

Devonshires receives around 117 applications a year for its training contracts in London, Leeds and Birmingham, each submitted via the firm’s online application form. The folks at Devonshires are open-minded when it comes to past work experience (although work with local authorities and registered providers is a good place to start), looking for candidates with a broad skill set who have done their homework on the firm.

Assessment & Interviews

The firm whittles its 117 applicants down to around 35, who are then invited to an assessment day. Prior to the assessment day, all applicants take a Watson-Glaser assessment (a critical thinking test if you weren’t already familiar). Come the big day, candidates will take on two written exercises and a group exercise, which may or may not be law-related, but the aim is to create an opportunity for candidates to learn a bit more about the experience they’re likely to have at Devonshires. At the end of the day, the firm then hosts a networking event for the candidates to meet the current crop of trainees.

The assessment day also features an interview with a panel of two (usually a partner and a solicitor), which is structured and scored. Those who emerge from the assessment day unscathed will face a final interview with a panel of three equity or fixed-share equity partners. This interview is less structured and is focused on the candidates’ application form answers, experience and aspirations.