Mishcon de Reya LLP - True Picture - Chambers Student Guide

Mishcon de Reya LLP

Africa House,
70 Kingsway,
London,
WC2B 6AH
Website www.mishcon.com

Africa House,
70 Kingsway,
London,
WC2B 6AH

Firm profile

Mishcon de Reya is an independent law firm, which now employs more than 1,300 people with over 600 lawyers offering a wide range of legal services to companies and individuals. We have grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.

Based in London, Oxford, Cambridge and Singapore, with an association with Karas LLP in Hong Kong, the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work we undertake is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Innovation; Private; and Real Estate.

Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We take pride in the diverse range of people who make up the firm and are proactive in driving change and continuous improvement across the spectrum of equality, diversity and inclusion. Mishcon Academy, our in-house place of learning, development and new thinking for our people, clients and contacts and our innovative impact strategy, including a commitment to be a net zero carbon business, also play a central strategic role in the direction of the firm. In 2020 we launched Mishcon Purpose, a first-of-its-kind sustainability practice providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to clients.

In times of such far-reaching and profound change we want to be the law firm that enables our clients - and our own people - to shape the world's possibilities. We are here to help our clients benefit from new economies, new geographic centres of wealth, the new global movement of people and capital, and the impact of new technologies and new knowledge.

Main areas of work

We are organised internally into six different departments: Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Innovation; Private; and Real Estate. The firm also has a growing number of specialist groups which include: art; betting and gaming; finance and banking; fraud; immigration; and insolvency.

Training opportunities

Our trainees are typically high-achieving and intelligent individuals with good interpersonal skills and out-going personalities. Strength of character and the ability to think laterally are also important. Trainees have the opportunity to gain experience, skills and knowledge from across the firm in four six-month seats involving contentious and non-contentious work. Because of the wide range of areas the firm operates in, trainees are exposed to high-quality work with lots of responsibility early on. Trainees are supported with a wide ranging training and development programme in addition to the Professional Skills Course. Trainee performance is monitored closely and trainees can expect to receive regular feedback in addition to mid-seat and end-of-seat appraisals.

Vacation scheme

We run three vacation schemes, one in Spring and two in Summer. As well as being paid for the vacation scheme, those not living within commuting distance of London will be provided with free accommodation. Our vacation schemes have been designed to provide students with an opportunity to gain an insight into the role of a trainee, our culture and our people. We run a fun and informative workshop programme covering all practice areas of the firm, combined with individual and group work sessions.

Other benefits

Whilst on the training contract there are core benefits including: 25 days holiday, income protection and life assurance. Other optional benefits include: health screening, dental insurance, private medical insurance, travel insurance, critical illness cover, gym membership, season ticket loan, group pension scheme, yoga classes, childcare vouchers, cycle scheme, in-house doctor, bonus scheme and give-as-you earn schemes.

Open days and first-year opportunities

The firm run several bespoke days taking place throughout the year in collaboration with our Social Mobility and Race Equity Strands, as well as a virtual open day and an open day specific to those in their first year of undergraduate study. They are a great opportunity for you to get a deeper insight into life as a Mishcon de Reya lawyer and how to stand out in your application. Applications will open on 05 September for our Social Mobility, Race Equity and Virtual open days, and on 10 January 2024 for our first year open day.

04 October 2023 – Social Mobility open day – Penultimate year of undergraduate study onwards

18 October 2023 – Virtual open day – Penultimate year of undergraduate study onwards

25 October 2023 – Race Equity open day – Penultimate year of undergraduate study onwards

21 February 2024 – First Year open day (applications will open on 10 January 2024) – First year of undergraduate study onwards (or those in the second year of a four-year course)