Working with top Russell Group unis
Freshfields has rolled out a series of “resilience” workshops for UK university students aimed at preparing aspiring lawyers for the pressures of working at a City law firm, from handling partner feedback to dealing with late night requests.
The Magic Circle firm, one of the City’s largest recruiters of trainee solicitors with around 85 training contracts each year, has reportedly been delivering the sessions at unis across the UK in recent weeks. These include Russell Group members such as the University of Manchester, the University of Exeter, the University of Warwick and University College London.
According to training materials seen by Financial News (£), the workshops, branded “Resilience in Action”, are designed to help future trainees manage stress and “stay composed” in situations that will be familiar to many junior lawyers.
These include receiving challenging feedback from supervisors, being questioned by clients on legal advice, and responding calmly when urgent work lands late in the evening.
One scenario encourages Gen Zers to remain level headed during partner feedback, while another suggests reframing a supervisor’s request for substantial revisions ahead of a next day deadline as an opportunity to focus on “what I can learn” rather than “I got it wrong”.
Students are also advised to use a “centering technique” if an urgent request arrives at 8pm, even if they had planned to leave the office, a detail likely to raise eyebrows among those already wary of City law’s long hours culture.
Freshfields was approached for comment.
Data from Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List on start and finish times shows that lawyers at the City’s elite firms, where NQ salaries can comfortably exceed £170,000, often work long hours. These demanding schedules can contribute to stress, with some trainees and junior lawyers reporting average working days of 11 hours or more.
Freshfields is far from the only firm investing in Gen Z’s workplace readiness.
According to the report, Addleshaw Goddard will roll out a series of in-person sessions next month aimed at building resilience and wellbeing, sharpening business communication, and helping trainees and apprentices navigate working across generations.
Clyde & Co, meanwhile, is gearing up for an overhaul of its resilience training programme. Already covering areas such as confident conversation and telephone skills, the refreshed offering is expected to launch in the coming months after a firm-wide review.