Law firm gets trainee seal of approval

A law firm in Exeter has been rated by its trainees as one of the friendliest in the whole country as well as offering excellent work/life balance and high overall job satisfaction, according to an influential national student guide.

The Lex 100 guide for 2014/15 is based on responses from over 3,000 trainee solicitors at 165 of the UK’s largest law firms.  Based solely on their responses, it allows trainees to give candid comments about their firms.

Stephens Scown LLP was ranked second in the country for friendliness and came in the top ten in a further five categories: work/life balance, overall job satisfaction, low stress, amount of client contact, and trainee confidence that they would be kept on after qualifying

The firm, which has offices in Exeter received a total of eight ‘Lex medals’ – up from six last year.  In addition to the six areas where the firm obtained a top ten ranking, it also achieved medals for quality of work and social life.

The Lex 100 guide for 2014/15 recognises Stephens Scown for its “excellent reputation” along with its “high quality work and drive to be the best”.  It reports that trainees are able to undertake “a great variety of work” in which hands-on experience is common.  Describing the firm as having a “friendly, down-to-earth and supportive environment”, it says that trainees feel the firm makes “an investment in you as an individual”.

Stephens Scown’s Liz Allen, the partner with responsibility for graduate recruitment in Exeter, said: “We are delighted to have received such a strong thumbs up from our trainees.  This is a survey where they can really say what they think, so to have such positive feedback is very encouraging.

“We invest significant time and effort to make sure that our trainees’ work is rewarding and full of development opportunities.  We want to give them plenty of real responsibility in a supportive environment.  It’s great news to be ranked second in the country for friendliness, and to rank so highly across other key areas such as overall job satisfaction and work/life balance.”

Stephens Scown has over 270 staff, including more than 50 partners, across its offices in Exeter, Truro and St Austell. For more information visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk