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Could you‌
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From the managing partner‌ Roger Parker Managing Partner, Europe and the Middle East rogerforgrads@reedsmith.com
This is a challenging time for law firms. But the diversity of our practices, industry sectors and geographies has served Reed Smith well, and we are doing amazing work in Europe and the Middle East. We provide top quality legal services and continue to maintain strong client relationships. As we grow, we need outstanding new people to join us. Could you be one of them? Ours is a great place to work: a welcoming and stimulating atmosphere, with best-in-class salary, training and benefits for new joiners. With a strong, culturally-embedded focus on pro bono work, environmental commitments and our diversity programmes, we are set apart from other firms. Our new building in the City, with its pioneering green technology, is a reflection of the success of the business and our care for the comfort and happiness of those working here. (And the view is awesome.) The new CareeRS programme is a shining example of the firm’s desire to help its people achieve ever-higher levels of success and professional development. We are proud to be able to offer new joiners a truly exceptional career. If you feel you are a truly exceptional candidate, and are wondering if Reed Smith might suit you, please take a look at some of the fascinating work we have done recently. It should help you decide. If you would like to know more, do write to me personally. Good luck!
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…be a Reed Smith lawyer? 03 Welcome to our network 04 Could you? 16 The story so far 18 Get with the programme 20 A rewarding experience 22 Balance 25 Contacts and next steps
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Winner Reed Smith has been awarded Winner, Best Graduate Employer, LSR 2011, Legal Week
Welcome to our network Welcome to the law firm that puts relationships at the heart of its strategy. A firm focused on building a network of lawyers across the world that really connects. Our network now stretches across three continents, in 23 integrated offices that share work, resources and rewards. We have structured ourselves in a way that encourages teamwork across offices and international boundaries. It allows us to provide the best service for our clients – who often need advice that spans more than one jurisdiction – and to provide our lawyers with a stimulating and rewarding environment. For trainees, Reed Smith offers extraordinary opportunities to interact with some of the best lawyers in each field on an international platform. The connections our trainees make during their training contract place them in an enviable position, and give them the foundations for an exceptional career. As a top international law firm we are able to offer the best quality work and opportunities for career development. Like relationships, those opportunities demand commitment to make them succeed. 03
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Could you spot the next Spotify Reed Smith lawyers are involved at the forefront of the technology scene, advising on all legal aspects that matter in this fast-paced, exciting industry. Our team advises established media companies, young and fast-growing technology companies, venture capitalists, business angels, investors and digital start-ups looking to make it big. Our advertising, media and technology practice Our lawyers are consistently rated by independent directories as market leaders in providing legal advice to the broadcasting, film, television, music and technology sectors. Your work in this team could involve anything from advising banks and finance houses on film and television financing to working with major broadcasters and film production companies on the contracts relating to the production of films and television programmes to advising digital music companies on their global licensing arrangements.
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Could you play Monopoly for real If you like the thrill of buying up land in Monopoly then you should try it for real. Our London real estate team was instructed by the Reuben Brothers in relation to the acquisition of the much sought after Piccadilly Estate, Mayfair for £130 million – and before you ask, no, there wasn’t any Monopoly money involved. Our real estate practice The real estate group advises on high-value acquisitions and disposals of property across all our key client sectors including retail, leisure and hotel, media, financial services and manufacturing. In addition to buying and selling, you may find yourself negotiating and drafting commercial lease agreements, renewals and surrenders. You could also be advising a bank or investors on their property portfolio or be in charge of drafting the financial documents to fund a project. You could be advising a developer on a project that starts as a piece of waste land and ends up being a huge shopping centre with a cinema, a casino, a hotel and luxury apartments! You could also specialise in construction work or, if you prefer the courtroom and enjoy negotiation, then real estate litigation might be for you.
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Could you help harness the power of the wind? We’re not talking about kite surfing or wind surfing here. We’re talking about using the power of the wind to generate clean energy, helping the environment and providing a sustainable source of energy. We’re advising a consortium of European utilities and Middle East investors in relation to the procurement, construction and operation of the world’s largest (1GW) offshore wind farm in the Thames estuary. Our energy and natural resources practice Our energy and natural resources practice is recognised as being at the very top of its industry sector. A seat in this department will involve advising clients on all aspects of the trading, financing and transporting of commodities – anything from sugar and coffee to metals, petroleum products and biofuels. It involves both litigation and non-contentious work.
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Could you pick up the phone to a FTSE CEO We work for 32% of the FTSE, 43% of the DAX and 45% of the CAC, so Reed Smith lawyers are used to working with the biggest of companies on some of the most complex transactions and legal issues. That means a good deal of time on the phone with some important people. Our corporate practice Our corporate group handles a wide variety of corporate and commercial transactions. A seat in this group could involve you advising businesses on mergers & acquisitions, management buy-outs or listing on Capital Markets such as the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Alternatively, you might take a seat in Corporate Tax or Competition & EU.
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Could you protect James Bond ‘The name’s Smith, Reed Smith.’ That saying may not be quite as familiar as the James Bond equivalent but when it comes to defending our clients, our lawyers are as determined as 007 himself. Just one example in this area is our work defending and winning substantial libel damages for the producer of the Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli, over false claims made in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Or, if Bond isn’t for you, then how about Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood or Kim Basinger – we’ve successfully protected them all. Our commercial disputes practice We have one of the largest dispute resolution practices in Europe with a particularly strong track record in multi-party, international disputes. Working in the group you would be exposed to high-profile litigation, learning from some of the leading lawyers in their fields. Our specialist areas include: banking and financial services; insurance and reinsurance; professional negligence; global regulatory; intellectual property; media and technology disputes; and international arbitration.
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Could you abseil home from work? A 540ft abseil down The Broadgate Tower, Reed Smith’s London office might not seem the most sensible of ways to leave the office, or a reasonable way to treat employees but don’t worry, our employment lawyers wouldn’t allow that. Some Reed Smith employees undertook the daring feat to raise money for the British Red Cross, the rest just used the lifts as usual. Our employment practice Our employment team advise corporate clients on all aspects of employment law, from advising companies on the issues surrounding employment contracts during mergers, acquisitions and downsizing, to giving best practice advice to HR professionals on employee management. Obviously they also assist employers defending claims when they are accused of unfair or inappropriate treatment by employees.
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Could you take on pirates We may not be going sword-to-sword against the wooden-legged, eye-patch wearing pirates of the big screen, but we do advise international owners and charterers on the effects that attacks by pirates can have on their commercial relationships and, importantly, on vessels, crew and cargo. Advice is also given on how best to avoid and deter attacks by pirates, including the deployment of armed security guards on board vessels. Our shipping practice We are widely acknowledged as being one of the market leaders in the shipping industry. The vast majority of the work has an international flavour and involves working on disputes arising from collisions, casualties and contracts for the transport of goods. With a worldwide client base, if you want to utilise your language skills, this is one of the best places to be.
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Could you help launch a social media-based #hedgefund “Social media is not just changing the way we live, it is now also changing the way we invest,� said Dale Gabbert, Reed Smith funds partner, after helping Derwent Capital Markets Ltd set up the ground-breaking hedge fund which will be Europe’s first to utilise sentiment derived from real-time social media data analysis. And you thought Twitter was just about celebrity gossip and super-injunctions! Our banking & financial services practice We handle a wide variety of financial services work, including advising on commercial finance transactions (such as venture finance and ship and other asset finance deals), assisting with corporate restructurings and insolvency, advising on consumer financial services products and managing financial regulatory work. We are also developing our capabilities in funds and leverage finance.
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Could you help Haiti? The earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 left more than 250,000 people dead and 1.3 million displaced in tent camps. Shortly after the disaster, we sent a delegation of doctors and lawyers to Port au Prince to help. The primary focus was to identify Haitians who may qualify for evacuation to the United States based on critical medical needs. Since the first trip, our teams have returned to Haiti several times and have conducted extensive human rights assessments to determine whether UN Conventions governing the protection of internally displaced persons were being upheld. Our pro bono activities Reed Smith is a proud charter signatory to the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, devoting more than three percent of our billable time to pro bono work. We are also a founding member of Advocates for International Development and a signatory to the United Kingdom Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Work.
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❝❞ The combined strength of Reed Smith and Richards Butler gave us greater critical mass post merger, improving the strength and breadth of our expertise. As a direct result we have been able to attract even better work both from our existing clients and from new clients. From a training and career perspective, this produces more interesting work, greater variety and a wider group of experts to learn from. Thomas Ince, partner
The story so far The Reed Smith story is one of connections. The firm is the successful product of a number of mergers of law firms in the UK, US, Continental Europe and Asia. Connecting these firms produced a single firm with over 1500 lawyers, making us one of the largest law firms in the world. In the US, the ‘original’ Reed Smith firm began in 1877 and soon began acting for businesses which are still some of our most important clients today. From a single office in Pittsburgh, we have grown in the US to a 15 office presence including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. In the UK, we can trace our history through two firms: Warner Cranston and Richards Butler (which began in 1972 and 1926 respectively). We also have offices in Paris, Munich, Piraeus, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Beijing and Shanghai. In addition we have recently merged with Richards Butler Hong Kong. 16
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Get with the programme www.reedsmith.com Where you’ll be based: Our London office is now the largest in the firm, and in April 2009 we moved into The Broadgate Tower. This state-of-theart building (with its pioneering ‘green’ technology) provides an exceptional work space – and 360˚ views across London from our cafeteria on the 31st floor. Your two-week induction: We know you’ll be itching to get your hands on some client work, but first we make sure you are fully equipped for the task. Our training programme starts with a detailed induction course, and we were winners of the Lawcareers.net Best Trainer – Large City Firm Award 2010, which demonstrates the importance we place on your progress. During the first couple of weeks, you’ll find out how the firm works, build some vital practical skills and begin some core modules of your Professional Skills Course.
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Your peers: The first relationships you’ll form at Reed Smith will be with your fellow trainees: they will help you develop and prosper throughout your training contract. As part of the process, you’ll also link up with a ‘buddy’ – a more experienced trainee solicitor who’ll provide guidance and support to help you through your first six months (and often beyond). More training if you are hungry for it: In addition to training to introduce you to our practice areas, you’ll attend ongoing training on updates and developments with the partners and associates. You’ll still have some further PSC courses to attend, but if you are hungry for more training, you’ll find a wealth of courses on offer through our corporate university. And then you move into your first seat: While ‘classroom’ training is very important, your practical legal training and experience is where you really learn how to be a lawyer. We want you to get involved in client work, and make a real contribution to the service we offer our clients. You’ll get plenty of access to files and clients and as much responsibility as you can handle in a supportive and encouraging environment. During each seat you’ll get regular feedback from your supervisor to help you gauge your progress, including a mid-seat and end-of-seat appraisal. Still wanting more? Much of our work is cross-border and, in many seats, you’ll have contact with lawyers and clients based overseas. If you have foreign language skills, we’ll try to give you an opportunity to use them. If you are keen to build your international relationships even further, we offer a number of secondments to overseas offices. Many of our trainees also take advantage of the client secondments on offer, which really build their client management skills and commercial understanding.
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A rewarding experience In addition to a competitive salary (for 2014 not less than ÂŁ37,000 pa in London), our trainee solicitor benefits package includes:
25 days’ annual holiday
Permanent health insurance Life assurance
Private healthcare (with associated discounts on gym membership and other benefits) Contributory pension scheme Season ticket loan
Subsidised cafeteria
Cycle to work bicycle purchase scheme 20
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Balance As we said, we want you to have good relationships not just in your work life, but also in your home life. We are so committed to helping our lawyers achieve a work/life balance that we even provide training for them to achieve it. Our working hours targets are much lower than those often associated with US law firms. But we are not a typical US firm: we’re an extraordinary international law firm. Among our awards and accolades, in the US we were nominated as one of the top law firms for working mothers (by Working Mother Magazine) – based on a range of criteria – based on our approach to flexible working.
❝❞ At Reed Smith, trainees are given a lot of responsibility in order to develop and sometimes that means the working days can be long. However, having a life out of work is encouraged and I am always asked not to stay later than is absolutely necessary. Trainees are given autonomy to manage their own workloads. Milan Joshi, 4th seat trainee
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❝❞ When I decided to end years at sea to study law and pursue a career with a city law firm I knew I wanted a training contract in a challenging and dynamic firm offering a wide variety of opportunities and all coupled with a friendly, motivated and engaging team. Reed Smith is all these things and more. Additionally, following a six month secondment to Greece I can say that this is true of whichever of the Firm’s offices the training contract may take you to. Mark Johnson, newly-qualified lawyer
❝❞ Pro bono and community work are integral to the experience of being a lawyer at Reed Smith. RS encourages all trainees to spend 30 hours a year on these areas. We also offer trainees the chance to volunteer in a number of legal clinics as well as the possibility of going on secondment to Liberty. Sarah Ramwell, pro bono manager
And while we’re on the subject – our approach to having a balanced working life goes hand in hand with our commitment to the way we treat people generally. We are recognised as one of the leading firms in the US and the UK for our diversity initiatives. This is borne out by our Top-10 rating in a recent Black Solicitors Network League Table. This is just an indication of a much wider diversity initiative to ensure inclusion for people whatever their background. Our only differentiators are skills, talent and commitment. In 2008 we were named Corporate Social Responsibility Firm of the Year at the Legal Business awards. Further recognition of our commitment to pro bono was received in the Vault Guide to the top 50 UK law firms which rates us in the top five firms for pro bono work. It’s part and parcel of the same cultural attitude – treating people with respect. We feel it is a privilege to be a leader within the legal profession, and we like to share the benefits with people who may not otherwise get the help they need. Whether it is assisting in a local community project or offering free legal advice to individuals in challenging circumstances, we try to get involved and to give something back. We encourage our trainees (and our other lawyers) to be part of those projects.
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If you think you could be a Reed Smith lawyer, talk to us Try us out: by joining us for a two-week summer vacation placement. It isn’t a prerequisite to applying for a training contract, but we guarantee you’ll find it a stimulating and valuable experience. Or apply directly for a training contract at www.reedsmith.com/ukgraduates and for further details, contact us on: graduate.recruitment@reedsmith.com www.facebook.com/reedsmithgraduatesuk
Reed Smith LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303620 and its registered office at The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS. Reed Smith LLP is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Any reference to the term ‘partner’ in connection to Reed Smith LLP is a reference to a member of it or an employee of equivalent status.
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