Charles Russell Speechlys - True Picture

Charles Russell Speechlys training contract review 2024

The Firm 

If we were going off first impressions, we would say CRS makes a pretty strong one. When clicking on the firm’s homepage for the first time, sliding tiles of a family happily strolling through a field greet you, as well as an ornate chandelier, along with the words: “knowing what matters.” And that would be the private client work the firm is known for. Trainees clearly got the memo too, as one told us that: “I knew the firm did good quality private client work, and the work is impressive given it’s a relatively small firm.” Chambers High Net Worth  confirms this, as CRS dominates the rankings for private wealth law and private wealth disputes in both the UK and internationally. The firm also gets top marks for ultra-high net worth family work, high value real estate and immigration matters.

“It is full-service firm, so although I had an idea what I would like to do, there is an opportunity to do other things as well that wouldn’t limit my career too early on” 

But CRS is no one-trick pony. In fact, Chambers UK dishes out top billings to the firm for its corporate/M&A and real estate work in its London office. In the South West, CRS’s family, agriculture affairs, construction, employment, litigation(commercial and real estate) and restructuring & insolvency practices receive plenty of praise too. The range of work on offer was another point of note for interviewees: “It’s an all-service firm, so although I had an idea what I would like to do, there was an opportunity to do other things as well that wouldn’t limit my career too early on.”

The firm’s UK bases include London, Guildford and Cheltenham. Though there are also eight overseas offices across Europe and the Middle East, along with a base in Hong Kong. This international element clearly swayed some interviewees: “the international offices appealed to me. Firstly, for the chance of secondment, but also being able to collaborate with offices as there is a lot of multijurisdictional work,” confirmed one trainee. Secondments  are only on offer for London trainees and opportunities depend on business needs, though some places on offer include Geneva, Paris,  Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong. CRS also started taking training contract applications to its Hong Kong office for the first time this year. But for those who’d prefer to stay in the land of tea and crumpets, the firm takes on 26 trainees across its UK offices, and over half of them can be found in the London base. The remainder are equally spread between Guildford and Cheltenham.

The Seats 

When newbies first join, they listen to presentations on the teams and what work they can expect to do if they were to join them. Then, trainees rank their top three to four preferences. We heard that “second years tend to get priority,” but due to the smaller cohort, “everyone has open discussions about their preferences which gives everyone the best chance to get what they want.” There are no compulsory seats at CRS, expect for the standard requirement to sit in litigation. Overall, trainees were positive about seat allocation, as “people normally get their first and second choice.” 

Tax, trusts and succession (commonly known as TT&S) is a magnet to those eager to deal with the firm’s high net worth clients. Although the clients themselves are, unsurprisingly, confidential, we can confirm that they are very wealthy and based across the globe. One trainee described the matters as a "melting pot of different areas.” Though work typically ranged from “preparing wills, inheritance tax planning, probate and tax advice.” One interviewee told us that “there is generally a range of drafting, like preparing wills and trusts, and some estate admin.” They added that “the team is never not busy!” Another source mentioned that “it’s much more technical than other areas of law, so you’re encouraged to do as much technical research as you want.” Though the key aspect of this seat was the client contact: “I enjoyed building personal relationships and gaining their trust. Obviously, no one wants to think about when they die, but we are there to help them through the process of estate planning.” This group also does work in charity law work centred around “grant letters and agreements and preparations for board meetings.” Reflecting on their time in the team, one insider told us that, “you’re exposed to challenging and complex matters, not shut in a corner with basic work! You can navigate your own way.”

When life gives clients lemons, the private wealth disputes team help them make lemonade (hypothetically, of course). This team handles disputes over wills and trusts, creating “some real responsive litigation work.” Trainees mentioned working on a lot of contested probates - Which, in simple terms, is where two parties dispute how a person’s estate is distributed after they pass away. A key moment in this seat for one source was going to a trouble table meeting for a trust dispute “which shows the team is willing to get trainees involved when they can.”  

“The project management in real estate was valuable. I managed and ran matters on my own.” 

CRS’s real estate seat offers both contentious and non-contentious work. On the transactional side, clients are “primarily commercial.” The most recent include representing leisure giants David Lloyd, on their acquisition of a new club in London. The team also advised Biomed Realty on a joint venture agreement with Babraham Research Campus Limited, for the development of a 40,000 sq ft purpose-built life sciences building. Like many transactional seats, day-to-day trainee work involved a lot of case management: “The project management in real estate was valuable. I managed and ran matters on my own with appropriate support.” And it doesn’t stop there. Other sources spoke of “negotiating and agreeing terms of a lease, reviewing certificates of title and lots of ancillary drafting.” The team recently transitioned to London, and insiders were sure that “the team is bettering now more than ever.” 

On the flip side is the real estate disputes  team. One trainee admitted that “I didn’t want to do litigation, but the exposure to when things go wrong and learning how to manage clients in intense situations is great as emotions run quite high.” Top skills trainees developed in this seat were “managing communications with outside clients and external bodies, as well as learning how to reprioritise things as matters develop.” The work covers a “wide gamut” for both commercial and residential properties. Recent clients include the Church Commissioners for England, Eton College and Stonegate Pub Company. CRS also defended wagamama in a case brought against it by a subsidiary of Legal & General, connected to the Arndale Centre extension in Eastbourne.

Another contentious seat trainees could be found in was commercial disputes resolution. This team isn’t particularly focused on one area, but one source told us that “we can do anything from 100,000 pounds to multimillion pound national work. Any kind of dispute that comes across the desk is different.” Recently, CRS acted for Greggs in a £150 million insurance claim triggered by the Covid-19 crisis, before the High Court. Trainees in this team got tasked with “doing legal research across industries”, as well as “completing document reviews and preparing witnesses statements.” For some trainees, they even got to “have a go at running the smaller claims!” The team was also praised for its “cross-office model. As you are finding yourself working across England and Europe on cross-border matters”. 

Trainee Life 

“The culture is really good,” led one Guildford trainee. Adding that “there is a really strong focus on not just the work but building the team attitude too.” Those in Cheltenham praised the close-knit space: “it's a smaller office than the others and because of that, I know everyone. If I walk in the lift, I tend to know everyone in there.” Over in the London office, trainees commended partners for their approachability, “not only about work, but about the industry and their experiences which is useful.” Generally, folks in the regional offices seemed to be in the office more than those in London who were said to “have more of a home life.” The blanket policy is that everyone is expected to be in the office three days a week. But one source did concede that, “in some teams, the work is paper-heavy, so you might have to be in four to five days a week.” 

For those that were in the office often, they got us up to speed with all of the social events on the calendar. The social and sports committees got people involved in team-building activities. For example, one source told us that “I hadn’t been at the firm long, and I got involved in a tennis tournament where I networked internally and externally.” We heard of other ball games like softball and rounders events. But for the sports averse, the firm holds a Bake-Off event, where trainees can let out their inner Paul Hollywood.

CRS also do a good job with diversity on the recruitment front. “They don’t look at what school you went to, so everyone isn’t just from private schools and Russell Group unis,” mentioned one trainee. Other efforts noted by sources included “a huge amount of work with Career Start, to help people get into a corporate environment” and “diversity events like International Women's Day. They held those talks during work hours and encouraged everyone to listen to them. For the firm it was important enough to justify taking an hour out of the working day.”

“There is no expectation to stay late and if you have evening plans, it will be rare that I will have to cancel or postpone.” 

Trainees told us that hours are consistent, with 8.30am being a typical start, along with a 6.30pm finish. Naturally, this did shift around depending on which team trainees sat in. Though, one interviewee shared that “I would say over my whole training contract, my hours have been fair.” Another noted that “there is no expectation or culture of having to stay late, it will be rare that I will have to cancel or postpone evening plans.” Trainees kept this in mind when it came to talking about the salary.The amount was said to be “on market” overall, however, some interviewees felt that “the NQ salary could be better. We have lost a few people to Bristol firms, as there are just as accessible with the same hours and work.” But ultimately, the lower hours and work life balance meant that sources “can’t complain too much!” On top of this, the firm recently increased salaries in the Cheltenham office.

When qualification comes round, final seaters are kept in the know with all of the key dates and information about the process. Trainees are encouraged to reach out to their preferred teams and have conversations about their interests. One trainee suggested “asking recent NQs about their journeys to get insight qualifying into the team.” The technicalities of the process involve submitting a CV and cover letter for the role and there is usually an interview too. “It did feel formal leading up to it, but it's more like a discussion where they ask you more industry-wide questions,” noted one second-year trainee.

How to get a Charles Russell Speechlys training contract

• APPLY HERE
• Placement scheme deadline:  15 January 2024 (opens 2 October 2023)  
• Training contract deadline (2026): 15 January 2024 (opens 2 October 2023)   
• Open day deadline: 15 November 2023 (opens 15 September 2023) 

Recruitment scope 

Each year, the firm recruits around 25 trainees across its offices in London, Guildford, Cheltenham and Hong Kong. About half its future trainees are picked up from the placement scheme and half from the direct training contract route. The firm encourages you to “please apply for what suits you best rather than what you think we want! We also encourage candidates to come to either an in person or virtual open day to get to know us.” 

The application process 

All candidates – whether they're applying for the placement scheme or directly for a training contract – complete the same application form. When reviewing the forms, the firm are looking for “talented individuals who are aligned with our values of being Authentic, Collaborative, Committed and Forward Looking, along with a client centric approach and commitment to driving high standards.  Its also key to have a focus on your own personal development and champion an inclusive culture ,” says early talent manager, Joanna Stevens. 

How much work experience is necessary? “We appreciate it’s been harder to gain work experiences over the past few years, but it helps to have some legal experience whether in person or virtually.  There are lots of ways you can get this through joining virtual insight sessions or completing modular online programmes.  These can be used to showcase why law is the right career for you and give examples of the sorts of things you’ve enjoyed. Non-legal experiences are just as important to highlight the transferable skills you've learned and how they're useful – customer-service skills, for instance, help with developing client relationships.” 

Following the application form, candidates will be shortlisted to complete a video interview.  “Here we want to see more of your individual personality and why you’re keen to join us. We also want to understand your broader commercial acumen and international outlook as this is a big focus for us as an international firm,” explains Joanna.

For those that have applied for a placement scheme, successful candidates will then be offered a place. During the scheme candidates are required to take part in the assessment centre that ascertains their suitability for a training contract.  For those that have applied directly for a training contract, an invitation to attend an assessment centre is offered upon successful completion of the video interview. 

All candidates experience the same assessment centre, which is made up of a mix of group and individual tasks. The assessment centre includes a face-to-face interview and other exercises which are designed to assess potential and identified performance criteria. 

People come to us from a variety of backgrounds and degree disciplines, with a range of views that combine to give Charles Russell Speechlys its distinctive perspective on the law – the assessment centre is designed for candidates to showcase their best self and also to get to know the firm in return. Joanna explains “our aim is for candidates to come out the other side having enjoyed the day and feeling that they have showcased their best self.  Hopefully you’ll have got a real sense of our people and culture. We want to get the best out of you and are never there to catch you out.”

Joanna also highlights “We are able to make adjustments for those who require it so encourage you to get in touch with our Early Talent team if you think this might apply. It’s important to us that you have the right arrangements to perform at your best. So if you aren’t sure, it’s always best to ask and we are happy to help.”

The placement scheme 

Placement schemes take place in all UK offices across April, June and July and in Hong Kong over the summer. Those who make it through to the scheme spend time in either one or two practice areas. Candidates can list preferences on a form and the Early Talent Team will do its best to accommodate their choices. According to Joanna Stevens, Early Talent Manager, the scheme is like “a very mini-training contract. We try and give candidates as much exposure as possible: they'll attend client meetings and do real fee-earning work, like research on a case or checking through a document.” Candidates have a supervisor, though “they might not be the only person giving them work. They also have a trainee buddy for the whole period.” There are also social events to get a real insight into our people and culture.

At the end of the scheme all candidates receive detailed feedback on how they have performed both during scheme and on the assessment centre. “It’s a two-way process,” says Joanna; “we also like to receive feedback from the students so we can continually work to improve our schemes.” 

Key dates

Vacation schemes:

London:

• Spring 2024 – 2 – 12 April 2024
• Summer 2024 – 3 – 14 June 2024

Guildford:

• Spring 2024 – 15 – 19 April 2024
• Summer 2024 – 8 – 12 July 2024

Cheltenham:

• Summer (1) 2024 – 24 – 28 June 2024
• Summer (2) 2024 – 1 – 5 July 2024

Open days:

• 30 November 2023 – London In-Person Open Day
• 5 December 2023 – Virtual Open Day (to cover all offices)
• 6 December 2023 – Guildford In-Person Open Day
• 13 December 2023 – Cheltenham In-Person Open Day
• 9 January 2024 – London In-Person Open Day
• 10 January 2024 - Virtual Open Day (to cover all offices)