Law has grown into a reputable profession. Our lives are all surrounded by areas that require expertise in law. These areas include taxation, business, litigation, finance, conflicts, corporate affairs, antitrust, patents, copyrights, labour, property, arbitration and other special and political matters. Law firms are ranked differently based on the services they offer, the number of lawyers they have, revenue per lawyer and year-over-year percentage growth. Some law firms will handle their employee’s better than others, so you must be careful when choosing a law firm to work for. Reading law firm reviews from online review sites such as UK.collected.reviews will help you seek employment from a reliable law firm. Only go for positively reviewed law firms. Below are some of the top law firms in the UK that you can seek employment at.
City law firms
Although this law firm is based in London has offices all through the UK and overseas. While working with this law firm, you can expect to have a promising career and work with high rating clients, including financial institutions and companies. City law firm staffs are known to work for extensive and unsocial hours. The law firm will reward your long working hours with impressive benefits and high salaries. City law firms comprise of
- CMS
- EPC
- Travers smith
- Simmons & Simmons
- Taylor Wessing
- Ashurst
- Eversheds Sutherland
- Dentons
- Herber Smith Freehills
- Hogan Lovells
- Latham & Watkins
- Norton Rose Fulbright
- Taylor Wessing
Magic circle Law firms
Magic circle Law firms is an informal name for five of the most prominent law firms with their headquarters in the UK. These five firms include:
- Linklaters
- Slaughter and May
- Allen & Overy
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Clifford Chance
Members of this law firm are highly rated and are ranked as one of the most earning lawyers in the UK. The law firm is known to prefer hiring lawyers that are specialised in specific areas. It is highly competitive to enter into this law firm. It is also known for its lawyers working for long hours and being highly supervised. There are four other commercial barristers based in London that are at times jointly referred to as the Bar’s Magic Circle, these are:
- Brick Court Chambers
- Blackstone Chambers
- Fountain Court Chambers
- Essex Court Chambers
High street law firms
These law firms are available in many forms and sizes, from sole practitioners to organisations established for long. Mainly, High street law firms work for private clients. Lawyers in the following areas of practice can work in these law firms’ real-estate/property, family, wills, crime, employment, probate, personal injury and immigration. You can always research your local area for High street law firms in your locality.
National law firms
These are the law firms to go for if you don’t prefer working in London. National law firms contain a network of offices in various cities and region all through the UK. It has firms in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Newcastle. National law firms include;
- Clyde & Co
- DLA Piper
- Womble Bond Dickinson
- Addleshaw Goddard
- Pinsent Masons
The kind of work in these law firms will range from general to commercial practice. A majority of its clients are private and public companies and local authorities. Salaries will vary with the location, but you can be assured of reasonable rates. One of the main benefits you’ll find by working at National law firms is good work and life balance.
Tips to help you choose a law firm
Size of the law firm: The size of the law firm you’ll be working with will determine the type of clients you will deal with, the number of lawyers you’ll work with and the kind of work you’ll work on. Typically bigger firms tend to offer legal services and advise to big organisations.
Practice area: There are various areas that you could work in, including shipping, personal injury and sports. Before selecting a law firm specialising in a particular area of expertise, ask yourself if these are your favourite areas. To narrow down to your favourite areas, consider the topics you find interesting at the university, consider your legal work experience. You can then choose a law firm that specialises in these areas you specialise in.
Location: A majority of firms have their offices all through the UK, and thus location happens not to be so big of an issue. However, location is still important; choose a law firm you won’t struggle travelling to and from.
In conclusion, this article has made the process of selecting the law firm to work for in the UK easy. It has listed some of the best law firms in the UK and how to select them.
