Another First on the Blocks

Acculaw……….not sure about the name, but what a great idea, especially when the estimated cost for recruiting and training one graduate is £175,000.  Like QualitySolicitors, you may be able to pick a few holes in the concept and the strategy, but you have to applaud Susan Cooper for being a first-mover and taking the bull by the horns.

There is no doubt that many firms wrestle with what is the best and most cost-effective way to go about trainee recruitment and the vagaries of the market make this a moving target.  The benefits that Acculaw aim to provide then, in terms of flexibility and lower cost, are evidently going to appeal to many firms. 

Any extra vehicle through which the overly numerous budding lawyers can ensure qualification and justify the huge expense of their degree and post-graduate studies has to be a positive step for them as well. 

However, I must confess to being surprised at Acculaw’s assertion that they are in advanced discussions with several City law firms and suspect that any involvement from such firms would be fairly one-sided in favour of the firm rather than the trainee.  My experience of these types of law firms (and I trained and qualified at one myself) is that they aim to produce ‘branded’ lawyers at the end of the training process.  By this I mean individuals who are fully steeped in the practices, processes and culture of the firm. Such individuals are also given the benefit of a full in-house training programme during their training contracts, spread over the two-year period.  Surely having trainees ‘dipping in and out’ would hinder this process. My suspicion is that whilst the big firms might look at this type of arrangement as expedient in terms of cost and flexibility (and indeed Tony Angel, former Linklaters senior partner has welcomed the initiative), they would be unlikely to take such a trainee on at qualification.