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Contents The Baker McKenzie journey 3 Get more from Law 4 Our clients 5 The kind of lawyers we are 8 We are inclusive and diverse 9 Routes to a Training Contract 11 Getting to know each other 12 Vacation Schemes 14 International Vacation Scheme 15 Training Contract 17 Fast Track LPC 22 The benefits of a Training Contract with us 23 How to apply 25 Hints and tips 26 Vacation Scheme profile 27 Training Contract profile 29 Our most recent awards 32 Notes 33
“If you’re reading this, the chances are you’re about to embark on your career in law. Where you begin that journey matters. There’ll be law firms queuing up to tell you that they’re global in their reach and reputation. Others will be keen to push their dazzling list of FTSE100 clients. Some will major on the complex caseload they can offer. A select few will be able to lay claim to serving up all of the above. And we’re one of them.” Alex Chadwick London Managing Partner bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 2
Get more out of your Baker McKenzie journey We are The New Lawyers. Lawyers who collaborate across borders, markets and industries around the globe to solve our clients' most complex problems. Today’s ever-changing geopolitical Our roots can be traced back to a landscape means it’s never been more shared taxi ride home for two successful important for us to enable our clients lawyers in 1948. In that cab, Russell to successfully navigate through Baker and John McKenzie discovered change and complexity. It’s why we they had a shared vision – the desire look for graduates who can think to create a global law firm of talented, differently, share new ideas and harness local lawyers. the latest technologies to give our Fast-forward 70 years and that clients confidence against a backdrop firm now has offices in almost 80 of uncertainty. worldwide locations. Our London office A career with us means being part of is the largest, with over 400 legal a diverse, friendly and inclusive team professionals serving our vast portfolio – after all, the best ideas come when of clients, usually in collaboration with different perspectives come together. teams in our international offices. What’s more, our clients are based all And it’s in London that your exciting over the world and it’s important for us career in law with Baker McKenzie to reflect their diversity. You can expect could soon begin. to deliver high profile, quality work with all the responsibility you need to learn and progress quickly. 3 Baker McKenzie
Explore a future with more possibilities Get more from Law. Get excited by the huge potential of a career with Baker McKenzie. You’ll find the work here is as interesting as it is impactful. We have a wide variety of practice areas, an impressive range of international opportunities and training that’s proven to turn talented graduates into leading lawyers. At Baker McKenzie, we foster an environment that’s genuinely collegiate, collaborative and supportive. Our annual graduate intake is 33, which means more visibility from day one, more early responsibility and more opportunity to thrive in our key practice areas: • Banking • IT/Commercial • Corporate • Pensions • Dispute Resolution • Real Estate • Employment • Structured Capital Markets • EU, Competition & Trade • Tax • Intellectual Property Over the course of your training, you’ll have the opportunity to experience up to four of these practice areas, one of which must be transactional, given the strategic importance this type of work has to our firm. bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 4
Our clients You’ll want to assess the strength and diversity of a law firm’s client list before taking your application further. Ours bears all the hallmarks of a premier law firm to deliver local insights and a global reach. at the top of its game and includes: We collaborate with our clients to provide them with strategic commercial legal advice • Household consumer brands and help them grow. • Household names As part of our firm, you could find yourself • Investment banks executing cross-border transactions, securing financing for major projects, and advising • Multinational technology companies clients on the many other multi-jurisdictional • Private equity houses challenges they face. • Tech powerhouses Our work encompasses some of the biggest deals • Venture capital funds in the UK and globally, including Bain Capital’s £2.2 billion sale of the Brake’s Group, the £11.5 • World-leading automotive companies billion merger of Towers Watson and Willis Group, and the Gherkin receivership, one of London’s That combination should give you an insight largest real estate restructurings. Meanwhile, into the complexity and variety of the our Environmental Practice has a long-standing opportunities we offer. commitment to helping companies respond to We see ourselves as indispensable business the risks and opportunities of environmental law partners for each of our clients, with the ability and regulation. 5 Baker McKenzie
“At Baker McKenzie, Trainees are expected to interface with clients pretty much from the start. So when training, I spent time on secondment in Hong Kong and that meant going and working with one of my clients on a listing there.” James Heller, Associate bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 6
“Baker McKenzie’s working culture is incredibly diverse. In terms of the type of work you do, the type of clients you work with, and the various offices you work with.” Sunny Mann, Partner 7 Baker McKenzie
We’ve got more in the mix Baker McKenzie is all about enabling our lawyers to be the best they can be. Yes, we are a big firm, but not so big that we don’t recognise the importance of new talent. We never forget that we were all We’re proud to be the first truly global trainees once. Recent graduates law firm, a status achieved by our belief excited about entering the world that a diverse workforce is stronger and of work and a little awestruck by best placed to serve our clients. Our the potential and opportunities approach is certainly attracting its fair a career in law could give us. share of admirers – we've featured in the 2018 Sunday Times 'Best Companies Join us, and you’ll be part of a firm To Work For' most years since 2011. that will support you every step And we’ve been in The Times ‘Top 100 of the way, starting from day one. Graduate Employers’ every year since We’re determined to stand out 2013, having first featured in 2010. from the rest. Not just through the quality of the support we provide Apply for one of our Vacation and the work we do, but also by the Schemes or a Training Contract and importance we place on promoting you’ll soon find out why. an inclusive and diverse culture. bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 8
We are inclusive and diverse We believe that the more inclusive and diverse we are, the more successful we can be. Diversity creates a positive working environment, encourages a greater range of viewpoints, boosts our creativity and helps us respond more effectively to client needs. You’ll enjoy the freedom to be yourself at Baker Corporate Social Responsibility McKenzie, regardless of age, gender, race, disability, We take CSR seriously, evidenced by our formal religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity programme that covers: and expression, marital status, HIV status and socio-economic background. Charity – We support two different charities every year and run a Volunteer Day Scheme, giving staff We’re one of just a handful of law firms with a the opportunity to take paid time off to work with dedicated Diversity Partner, and one of just eleven charities during office hours. Social Mobility Business Compact Champions in the UK (we’ve even received an award for our approach). Pro Bono – Our major pro bono clients include We were also one of the first two organisations in any NSPCC, Save the Children and Cancer Research UK. industry to become Contextual Recruitment Pioneers Sustainability – We have implemented a number and to introduce name-blind recruitment. of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint, including To prove our commitment to inclusion and diversity, establishing a green roof at our London office. we have a number of internal networks which you will be encouraged to join. These include: • BAKERWELLBEING • BAKERWOMEN • BAKERLGBT+ALLIES • BAKERETHNICITY • BAKEROPPORTUNITY • BAKERCARERS 9 Baker McKenzie
“I think the most striking thing about working at Baker McKenzie is their commitment to diversity. It’s something people here are truly passionate about. It’s not just a tick-box exercise.” Bobby Sarkodee-Adoo, Associate bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 10
Routes to a Training Contract Whether your degree is in law or another discipline, there are many ways to become a commercial lawyer. This illustration shows you the different paths you can take to secure a Training Contract offer: LAW DEGREE LPC TRAINING OPTIONAL CONTRACT VACATION SCHEME NON-LAW GDL DEGREE 11 Baker McKenzie
Getting to know each other Open Days As you’d expect, to join us on this scheme, you’ll need to be in the first year of your university degree. Our open days give you the perfect opportunity We’ll also want to see a minimum of 340 UCAS points to get a taster of life with Baker McKenzie – and (or equivalent). We use a contextualised recruitment get more of a feel for what a career in the field system, so we will consider those with real potential of law is like more generally. You’ll meet with our who fall slightly short of our criteria. current trainees as well as with some of the most senior people in the firm, including our partners. And you’ll be able to ask them more about their "I had such an incredible time at Baker McKenzie experiences with us over lunch. for their two-day First Year Insight Scheme. Both days were packed full of networking We want you to get a lot out of the day – opportunities and commercial insights and I including some new skills. It means you can got a true feel for the friendly culture the firm expect to undertake some interactive workshops on everything from negotiation through to embodies." application skills. There are four open days to Emma Bayley-Melendez, First Year Insight choose from, so if you’d like to experience one, Scheme Student 2018 there should be a date to suit you. To apply, please visit: bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates Open Days Application deadline First Year Insight Scheme 25th October 2018 19th October 2018 6th December 2018 25th November 2018 Run over two days, the scheme gives you a 10th December 2018 25th November 2018 9th January 2019 31st December 2018 broad insight into how a big, global law firm like ours operates and the sort of projects we work on. First Year Insight Scheme Application deadline It involves a series of interactive workshops, 17th-18th April 2019 31st January 2019 networking opportunities, lawyer shadowing and one-to-one sessions with our Graduate Recruitment & Development team. All applications open 1st October 2018 bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 12
“The highlight of the Vacation Scheme was just feeling like you were important and that you were adding value. I did get given lots of pieces of work from lots of different people, so that did make me feel like I was able to work here and gave me confidence.” Abigail Saffron, Vacation Scheme Student 13 Baker McKenzie
Vacation Schemes Our Vacation Schemes give you the chance to experience life with us over either two or three weeks. It’s the perfect opportunity to decide whether you think your future could be in law – and in particular, with Baker McKenzie. Spring Vacation Scheme 2 weeks We’ll involve you in live transactions, deals and cases and, where possible, we’ll encourage For law and non-law undergraduates in their you to attend internal, departmental and final year and graduates. client meetings as well as court hearings. Scheme runs: 1st – 12th April 2019 The opportunity to socialise with trainees and other vacation schemers is important to us so When to apply: We’re open for applications we will host a number of events for you to between 1st October 2018 and 30th attend. Recent socials have included rounders November 2018 in the park, ping pong, pizza making, mini golf Summer Vacation Scheme 3 weeks and afternoon tea on the Thames. For law and non-law undergraduates in their Because transactional work is at the heart of penultimate year of study (or the second or what we do, we’ll encourage you to spend third year of a four-year course) and graduates. one of your two seats in our Corporate or Banking teams. We won’t expect you to know Scheme runs: 1st: 17th June – 5th July 2019 everything, so we’ll provide training sessions 2nd: 15th July – 2nd August 2019 to help familiarise you with some of our When to apply: Open for applications typical transactions, and to help you develop between 1st October 2018 and 15th a range of key skills that you’ll need if you January 2019 go on to join us as a Trainee. You’ll also take part in a client pitch exercise which is a great Whichever scheme you choose, you’ll opportunity to work closely with other people experience two of our main practice areas. on the Vacation Scheme. We think that it’s really important that your experience with us mirrors the reality of the role of a Trainee and life at the firm. bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 14
International Vacation Scheme Enjoy more international exposure. Lasting for eight to 12 weeks between June and September, our International Vacation Scheme will see you spending time in our London office and in one of our many international offices, such as New York, Sydney, Budapest, Johannesburg or Hong Kong. You’ll get to experience life across several practice This scheme is open to students who accept a areas, getting involved in live transactions, deals and Training Contract offer with us. cases, and as many meetings and hearings as possible. When to apply: We’ll discuss how you can apply To ensure you get the most out of your international for this scheme once you’ve accepted your experience, we’ll make all flight, transfer and Training Contract offer. If your initial application accommodation arrangements on your behalf, doing is successful, you’ll be invited to meet with our our best to ensure that where you stay overseas is Graduate Recruitment Partner to discuss your within walking distance of the office. It’s the perfect motivation for taking part in the Scheme. way to experience living and working in another jurisdiction and culture. 15 Baker McKenzie
"In 2017, I was fortunate enough to visit the Firm’s Johannesburg office before starting my training contract. Not only was this an incredible learning experience, but it also made me appreciate just how connected all the Baker McKenzie offices are." Lewis Malkin, Trainee Solicitor bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 16
Training Contract Each year, we recruit 33 of the best and brightest Trainees. Individuals who we believe will make well-rounded lawyers and help our firm continue to stand out from the rest. As a Baker McKenzie Trainee, you’ll gain real exposure quickly. a one-to-one meeting with the Training Principal who will We’ll give you the very best technical and skills training, discuss your preferences and provide guidance. Our current delivered by our own lawyers, often Partners. We’re big believers Newly Qualified starting salary is £77,000. that the more we support you, the more you can shape us. To join us, you’ll need at least a 2:1 degree along with a Our Training Contracts last for two years and give you the minimum of 340 UCAS points (or equivalent). We use a opportunity to experience four of our key practice areas (known contextualised recruitment system, so if you show real as seats), for six months each. Our seat rotation ensures you potential but fall slightly short of our criteria, we'll still experience different areas of law, including contentious law. consider you. Corporate work is at the heart of our firm, so all Trainees are We’re determined to recruit the best people from a variety required to complete six months in a Corporate or Banking seat. of backgrounds – and that’s exactly why we look at your Throughout your Training Contract, you’ll be able to call on achievements in the context in which they were gained. the personal and professional support of both our Graduate We’ll also take into consideration any mitigating Recruitment & Development and Learning & Development circumstances related to a disability or long-term teams. During each seat, you’ll get department-specific health condition. training and be assigned a supervisor who’ll mentor you We encourage applications from law and non-law and provide you with work. Every department has a undergraduates, recent graduates or career changers. Trainee Partner who will be responsible for overseeing your We’re looking for those who have achieved a consistently progress and ensuring you continuously develop appropriate high level of performance and have an international focus, skills and experience. strong leadership skills, as well as intellect and initiative. All Trainees have the opportunity to apply for a three-month secondment to one of our international offices, or to one of When to apply for Training Contracts starting in 2021: our clients’ in-house legal teams for six months. Final year students and graduates: Open for applications At the start of your final seat, there will be a briefing between 1st October 2018 and 31st March 2019 session with the Graduate Recruitment & Development team Penultimate year students, final year students and which will outline the qualification process. It’s followed by graduates: Open for applications between 1st June 2019 and 1st July 2019 17 Baker McKenzie
“It’s amazing to do work for some of the big-name clients that you always come across in everyday life. You undertake some work for them and then later read about them in the paper. There’s a great culture here with lots of things going on outside of work – you can get involved in sports teams and charitable activities, for example. We’re encouraged to undertake pro bono work too.” Isabelle Forrest, Trainee Solicitor bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 18
“You definitely feel valued here. You’re trusted to do stimulating, complex work, coming up with your own solutions, but the firm also respects that you have a life outside of work too. There’s also a great balance in that you join as part of a small intake, yet you get to work on big transactions.” Niraj Visani, Trainee Solicitor 19 Baker McKenzie
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Fast Track LPC Before you start your Training Contract, you’ll need to complete our specifically tailored Fast Track Legal Practice Course (LPC) alongside your future trainees at the BPP University, Holborn, London. The course covers all the key skills you’ll need and the core practice areas – plus, it offers you three specialised electives: Debt Finance, Equity Finance and Private Acquisitions. These electives are aligned with our global transactional focus. Our September intake of graduates start their LPC in January, with our March intake beginning their LPC in July. All non-law graduates and those without a qualifying law degree will need to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) before commencing this Fast Track LPC. Throughout the LPC, you’ll take part in practice group overviews and practical workshops with our lawyers. The purpose of these is to increase your understanding of our practices and develop your commercial awareness and client relationship skills. It will also help you to get to know your peers before you start. You’ll have the opportunity to convert your LPC to a Master of Laws (LLM). bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 22
The benefits of a Training Contract with us We’ll give you more responsibility – and more rewards. We believe in looking after all our people right from the start of their careers with us. With this in mind, we offer Trainees a starting salary of £45,000, rising to £49,000 in year two. That’s in the upper quartile of City law firms. This comes with a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Gym Dining Discounts – Tastecard Cycle To Subsidy and Gourmet Card Work Scheme Gadget Insurance Concierge and Foreign Currency Discounts Service Exchange and Travel Insurance 23 Baker McKenzie
Independent Group Personal Life Assurance & Financial Advice Pension Plan Income Protection Employee Assistance Private Medical Dental Programme Insurance Insurance Season Give As You Mortgage Ticket Loans Earn Scheme Advice Childcare Vouchers, Employee Healthcare GDL and Fast Track Emergency Childcare, Programmes including health LPC students: We’ll pay your Dependent Care and screening, onsite GP, onsite course fees and a maintenance Home Care physiotherapy, private A&E, grant towards living expenses at flu jabs and eye care £6,000 for the GDL and £8,000 for the Fast Track LPC bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 24
How to apply for our Training Contracts and Vacation Schemes 1 Online application 5 Offer Tell us about your academic record, work If you receive an offer of a Vacation Scheme or experience, extra-curricular activities and Training Contract, a member of the Graduate positions of responsibility using our online Recruitment & Development team will talk you form, and include a covering letter. through the details and answer any questions you may have. Following the call, the offer letter 2 Online testing and onboarding process will be emailed to you If you meet our criteria, we’ll send you links for your convenience. to an online test. Applicants with disabilities 3 Video interview If you consider yourself to have a disability The next stage of the process is a video or a health condition, any information you interview that will invite you to respond to share with us will be treated in the strictest pre-recorded questions. confidence. Our aim is to provide you with as much help, support and reassurance as possible. 4 Assessment centre If your disability or health condition makes Our assessment centre consists of a group it difficult to apply for any of our vacancies exercise, a Partner interview based on a case via our website, please contact the Graduate study, an Associate interview and an informal Recruitment & Development team on lunch with our Trainees. 0044 20 7919 1000 or email londongraduates@bakermckenzie.com 25 Baker McKenzie
Hints and tips We want every applicant to be at their best during the Summary of key selection process, so here are a few tips to help: application dates First Year Insight Scheme: Training Contract 2021 Be detailed – making your application Open for applications between 1st October 2018 and Finalists & Graduates: Make sure you provide enough information so 31st January 2019 Open for applications between we can make a well-informed decision about 1st October 2018 and 31st March 2019 your potential. And double check everything Open Days: Assessment centres to be held in for accuracy. Open for applications between 1st May 2019 October 2018 and 19th October or Be prepared – the online testing 31st December 2018, depending Penultimate Year Students: which day you apply for Open for applications between Ensure you understand what is required of 1st June 2019 and 1st July 2019 you and undertake practice tests. Spring Vacation Scheme 2019: Open for applications between Assessment centres to be held in August 2019 Be yourself – your video interview 1st October 2018 and 30th November 2018 Talking to a camera can be daunting but it is Assessment centres to be held an opportunity for you to verbally showcase in January 2019 your skills and research. Ensure that you take advantage of the practice questions to Summer Vacation Scheme 2019: familiarise yourself with the process and don't Open for applications between 1st October 2018 and 15th January 2019 forget to smile! Assessment centres to be held in March 2019 Be confident – the assessment centre Show us you’ve got what it takes to succeed here. Make sure your passion and enthusiasm come across, and always remember that the Partner interview is a two-way process, giving you a chance to assess us as much as we’ll assess you. bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 26
Natalie Haydon Vacation Scheme Student "There were a number of things that I sat in the corporate and employment appealed to me about working for Baker departments over my three weeks. This gave McKenzie. The global nature of the firm. Its me a really nice balance of transactional, tier one strength across a breadth of practice contentious and advisory work. Some of my areas. And its reputation for being a friendly highlights were researching international and approachable place to work. All of this laws on equal pay for a global tech company, was confirmed after I spent a week of work assisting on a carve-out deal involving experience with them after my first year at over 77 jurisdictions and researching university, and that’s why I decided to apply child protection laws for a client. You’re for the Vacation Scheme. encouraged to voice your ideas and everyone was always happy to help and answer any I had a brilliant experience on the scheme questions I had. – I met some lovely people and got a great snapshot of life at the firm. There was a Would I recommend the scheme? Definitely! good balance between work and getting to Not only is it a great opportunity to find out know people through networking events, more about working at a global law firm, volunteering and workshops. It made me you also get to find out if it’s the right realise how much I wanted to work there. cultural fit for you. I was very happy to be offered a training contract at the end." 27 Baker McKenzie
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Fionnuala Savage Trainee Solicitor I hadn't really singled out which firm I nerve-wracking – but I was confident wanted to work for, but when I started to enough to agree to run the project. attend interviews, I saw a distinction across It involved carrying out a corporate review, the firms I'd applied for. I really enjoyed my getting involved in conference calls and interview with Baker McKenzie. There were highlighting where we were at before only five of us there on the day and I was chasing up any missing information. made to feel really relaxed, whereas at other You quickly get used to things like firms there had been a far more aggressive project management in this environment. and competitive atmosphere. There’s a lot of flexibility here – I’m able to Now I’m in my third seat and taking on more work from the Belfast office when I want and more responsibility. I love the fact that to go back home. The firm goes above and you always get acknowledged for what you beyond to make things work for its Trainees. do here – Partners or Associates will take As well as that, there’s a very friendly and the time to feed back to your supervisor or sociable culture – I’ve noticed that even Training Partner that they’re pleased with more when I talk to friends in other firms. your work. For me, the biggest challenge so far was when I was working in tax. My supervisor was on leave, so I was given the project to run by myself. At first, this all felt a bit 29 Baker McKenzie
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Our awards We think this is a great place to work – and it’s fantastic to have been recognised both for how we operate as an employer and how we are as a law firm. Our quality is recognised across the legal world and beyond. These are a selection of our most recent accolades: • The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018 • Sunday Times Best Company To Work For 2017 • Best Job Satisfaction – Training Contract – AllAboutLaw Awards 2017 • Best for Diversity & Inclusion – AllAboutLaw Awards 2017 • Strongest Law Firm Brand – Acritas • “One of the most innovative law firms in Europe” – Financial Times • Ranked 1st – Acritas’ Sharplegal Global Elite Brand Index, 2010-17 • Ranked in the top 5 law firms – Guardian UK 300 2017 • Ranked in the top 100 employers – Guardian UK 300 2017 • Best Recruiter – Large City firm – LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards 2016 • Commendation for Diversity – LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards 2017 • We've been ranked 10th in the government's top 50 UK employers for social mobility, as published in the Social Mobility Employers Index • We ranked 6th in the Stonewall LGBT Top 100 Employers in 2018 bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates 32
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bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates facebook.com/BakerMcKenzieGraduates Baker & McKenzie LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC311297. A list of members’ names is open to inspection at its registered office and principal place of business, 100 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6JA. Baker & McKenzie LLP is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein with member law firms around the world. In accordance with the terminology commonly used in professional service organisations, reference to a “partner” means a person who is a member, partner, or equivalent, in such a law firm. Similarly, reference to an “office” means an office of any such law firm. Baker & McKenzie LLP is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales. Further information regarding the regulatory position is available at http://www.bakermckenzie.com/london/regulatoryinformation/. This may qualify as “Attorney Advertising” requiring notice in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. © 2018 Baker & McKenzie. All rights reserved.
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