The Magic Circle is an informal name for the five most prestigious law firms based in the UK. These London-based companies are: „The team was dedicated, responsive, always in every detail of a very complex joint venture (which had to work with many financial and real estate documents) and persevered in controversial negotiations. I also think the team worked efficiently and offered good value for money. » Read our True Picture report on 120 major law firms „I worked primarily with Emily Settle, who ran Freeths` management consulting practice. Although she was not directly involved in individual transactions, Emily`s role was to support us from a broader group perspective and enable this „big picture“ analysis. Emily is extremely efficient at providing this in high quality. Their advice is clear, concise and at the right level of business risk. „Jason Milkins – very knowledgeable, practical, very responsive. Laura Guest – very knowledgeable, thorough and responsive. It`s great to work with them.
„Simon Smith provided high-quality advice in connection with a recent corporate transaction and demonstrated exceptional client support and management skills during challenging periods of negotiation with stakeholders. He helped solve difficult technical problems and was always available throughout the company. You can certainly count on him to deliver when it comes time to grow. Ideal for those who do not wish to work in London, national law firms have a network of offices in a number of regions and cities across the UK. This type of company operates in places such as Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham. Businesses include: The business areas of these businesses include crime, family, property and real estate, wills and estates, employment, immigration and assault, to name a few. „It is a pleasure to work with Rupert Weston. Technical expert, experienced in design and negotiation. He is very good at highlighting critical issues as well as the options available to the client.
„The staff at Burges Salmon is excellent in terms of quality of thought, technical skills and service. This is rare in most law firms, where it can be a bit random in terms of staff quality. „Competition for training contracts in large urban companies is intense and employees have a reputation for having long anti-social working hours. However, their hard work is rewarded with high salaries and impressive benefits. Osborne Clarke LLP`s „professional but approachable“ team in Bristol regularly handles complex, high-quality transactions with companies across a wide range of industries. The team`s private equity experience continues to be an important strength. Alisdair Livingstone leads the firm`s national practice based in Bristol and maintains close relationships with a number of mid-market private equity firms. In addition to advising these clients on acquisitions, investments and sales, he also represents management teams. In public mergers and acquisitions, David Ferris focuses on the energy and utilities sector, while Conrad Davies continues to occupy a niche in real estate transactions.
Mark Wesker is another name on the team that manages a number of AIM`s IPOs in 2021. Chris Yeo was promoted to Partner in May 2021. Bristol has long been recognised as a major hub for legal services. There was a time when Bristol was exclusively home to strong local companies such as Burges Salmon and Osborne Clark. In recent years, however, large national and international companies have begun to recognise Bristol`s appeal. CMS was the first company to tap into the city`s potential, opening an office in 1990, but since 2010, Irwin Mitchell, RPC and Simmons & Simmons have also set up. Research conducted by property company CBRE in 2016 found that Bristol is the second largest city in England, covering 874,321 square feet. Leeds and Manchester are employing more and more people in the legal sector, which probably means Bristol lawyers only have larger offices.
Lucky! „I can only make my best recommendations to the team at Burges Salmon, one of the best teams I`ve ever worked with. Their legal and commercial approach to handling business is excellent. Our current charity is Duchenne UK. Duchenne UK is a lean, ambitious and highly focused charity with a clear vision: to fund and accelerate treatments and a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) within a decade. Magic Circle members are extremely prestigious and consistently rank among the highest incomes per partner and lawyer in the UK. In addition, these large law firms usually give their employees a narrower range of tasks – that is, they are suitable for those who are sure of their preferred specialization. In fact, the pressure is increasing as the stakes are higher and the city`s legal market has become more competitive as a result. In 2011, the Temple District near Temple Meads Station was declared Bristol`s Emerging Business Area, and many businesses – including Simmons & Simmons, Osborne Clark and Burges Salmon – have since moved to the area. As a result, many apprentices in Bristol today have a very different experience than they did a decade ago – one with more `urban` flair. As one Burges Salmon apprentice told us, „Temple Quarter is a much more corporate space than before, which changes the overall atmosphere in the company.“ This change has brought a wider range of local, national and international work for the aforementioned firms, as well as more client contact opportunities for their young lawyers, so we believe Bristol`s articling students feel they are doing very well. Salaries are reasonable, but depend on location.
A great advantage of domestic companies is that employees often enjoy a better work-life balance than their counterparts in urban companies. With so many law firms, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. Here, we break down businesses by type, highlight the top 50 companies in the UK, and provide advice on what to keep in mind when narrowing down your options. „They know what they`re talking about and won`t sit idly by. We like companies that like to come out and give feedback and deal with the challenges that may arise. What we always get from Foot Anstey Our sales teams work with SMEs in multiple markets. We have a team of specialists working with start-ups and high-growth companies, and we are one of the founding members of Bristol Fintech.