Beachcroft

This firm needs a reality check. Not as good as it thinks it is.

Anonymous -29 Apr 2008 | 00:30

I agree with the comment about not a happy place to work. I'm thinking of jumping ship as are a number of my peers.

Anonymous -19 Jun 2008 | 16:27

Can someone confirm the salary figures. The figures on here cannot be correct - can they? I imagine they would appear to be out of date.

Anonymous -09 Jul 2008 | 11:11

my advice about this place - nay, nay and thrice nay...

Anonymous -25 Jul 2008 | 11:04

A friend of mine was left as a gibbering wreck after a couple of years working at their City office. The people make the hierarchy at my magic circle employer look 'cuddly'. I also have to buy her all her drinks because the pay is rubbish.

Anonymous -05 Aug 2008 | 13:36

Sounds like a mutiny is afoot!

Anonymous -06 Aug 2008 | 15:08

NQ lawyers in London are paid up to 60k, depending on department.

Beachcroft -08 Aug 2008 | 11:14

These comments do not represent the view of most employees and perhaps imply more about the people who posted them than the firm. Beachcroft is a good firm with a solid reputation and very friendly staff from partners to support staff. The work ethos is positive and the work/life balance exceedingly better than most city firms.

P McBride, Beachcroft -11 Aug 2008 | 17:43

The firm is a strange mix of old school and young blood and the balance isn't right - yet. A hell of a lot of talent has washed in and out in the past five years and the attitude of the top brass in the past was 'we can always find people to replace them'. This attitude is changing - but you could time it with a sun dial. Salaries are a problem, but then again, look at the work profile. It doesn't charge City rates so can't pay City salaries.

Anonymous -27 Aug 2008 | 02:09

The article is quite right to say the firm is far too hours-centric considering the benefits and quality of support it offers.

Anon -29 Aug 2008 | 11:50

I liked the comment about 'attitudes changing, but you could time it with a sundial'. But then I realised that a sundial is not any slower than a modern watch, it was just used a long time ago! A day is 24 hrs on a fancy watch or a sundial!

Pedant -09 Sep 2008 | 05:42

The Leeds office is not a happy place at the moment by all gossip in the pubs down Greek Street. Judging by the number of CVs I have seen recently from Beachcroft associates this is probably correct. Very low salaries paid, especially for senior aolicitors and junior partners doing personal injury work.

Leeds rival -19 Sep 2008 | 19:01

Just in support of the comment above, the same is seemingly true for the Manchester office too. Seeing new CVs weekly, if not more frequently at the moment.

recruiter -24 Sep 2008 | 13:28

It is all relative though. £150K+ is a lot of money to a lot of people - it is just partners in law firms who seem to think this is not a lot of money to be paid for doing a job.

to recruiter who is no doubt looking for commissions! -24 Sep 2008 | 18:23

£150k+ for a senior lawyer/junior partner at Beachcroft - try half that.

Anonymous -25 Sep 2008 | 10:42

Who is getting £150k? And if you can tell me, I'd like a transfer to their department. That figure doesn't ring true with what I understand the salary structure to be. Unless it's just me not getting it??? Is it??

Anonymous -25 Sep 2008 | 17:02

There are plenty of talented people at Beachcroft that I come across. They all work hard and run files very well from what I can tell as an opponent. Judging by some of the comments (above) made by insiders, it would seem to be the case that the people at the top who make decisions have lost sight of the market rate and are undervaluing their senior staff. Send me their CVs - at those prices I'd be recruiting!!

Rival Partner -25 Sep 2008 | 17:22

As an opponent, Rival Partner is likely to be a Claimant Lawyer. Much more likely to be on £150k+ than a Defendant Lawyer. Only Equity Partners earn that sort of money in Defendant firms. Claimant lawyers have it far easier. Roll on the reforms to end their gravy train! £150 per hour plus mark up of up to 100% for paralegals - they have been having a laugh for years.

Defendant Lawyer -25 Sep 2008 | 18:37

Does this firm actually do anything other than PI (not trying to be rude about PI lawyers obviously)? They don't seem to be noted for very much else? (that isn't bad staff morale).

Anonymous -26 Sep 2008 | 13:33

Not in my 15 years of experience. PI and that's it, pretty much.

Anonymous -30 Sep 2008 | 16:12

£75k for a Partnership role in a firm turning over £100,000,000.00+. You have got to be joking!!!!!!!!!! Why on earth did you all work so hard at Uni/Law School just to sit there are let the equity partners take the lot?

Amazed rival ! -01 Oct 2008 | 08:32

They do some public procurement as well.

Anonymous -06 Oct 2008 | 12:40

"Some" procurement. Hardly a ringing endorsement !

Anonymous -06 Oct 2008 | 16:32

Honest to goodness, having worked at Beachcroft for 3 years now all I can say is these people don't know they're born! Maybe you should all have a stint working in some of the firms I have before joining here!!! Pay is fair when compared to what is expected, training and supervision are good and the people in charge are generally fair and decent. If you want more money stop moaning and go somewhere else and earn it doing 15+ hour days! ps i am a mere underling here so no partner spin on this comment!

Beachcroft -07 Oct 2008 | 15:08

Beachcroft do a good range of commercial work with a growing corporate practice too. True to say that a large part of the business is PI and public sector but in the current market that's no bad thing and commercial lawyers take some comfort that money is coming in from other areas of the business. I would agree that training and level of responsibility at junior levels is very good. Pay/Benefits are lower than some but generally hours are good.

Anonymous -07 Oct 2008 | 18:43

Good for you. This does back up some of the things I have heard about Beachcroft being a laid back place to work. This is of course reflected in the profits made by the firm which are substantially less than other firms in the insurance market. That no doubt explains the low pay (compared to the market rate) for their senior lawyers and junior partners. Still, don't knock it if they are happy. It is all a trade off - 15 hours a day is not necessarily bad provided you get a few hundred grand a year from your early 30's and can retire 15 years earlier.

to Beachcroft underling... -07 Oct 2008 | 18:55

I work for Beachcroft, I work 15 hour days, or when I don't I get castigated for not working hard enough, I get paid a pittance.

Anonymous -09 Oct 2008 | 18:48

You are presumably intelligent and motivated. As such, you cannot complain if you are not happy with your lot. If you think you are better/worth more, get a new job. If not, why are you not content? PS - work/life balance sounds shocking with no £££ to make up for it.

re the above... -14 Oct 2008 | 13:03

You must work in the Leeds office! Leeds Legal has apparently had a boom time in recent years. Well it hasn't reached Park Square, as the salaries paid here are certainly less than the market. Staff generally did not mind a few years ago as the balance was right. That is all changing now and staff are in no mood to be taken for granted and worked harder and harder with no £ to show for it. If they can get it right this will be a great place to work. Get it wrong and the recruitment consultants will have a field day. Watch this space.

to pittance man/woman -14 Oct 2008 | 19:13

I'd back up the poster immediately above. The same is true for the Manchester office. When I started it was very much pitched that salaries would be good but they would not the same as the top tier firms in Manchester, but the pay-off is that we all have a life outside work. That just isn't the reality of the firm now. The pay is well below other firms in the Manchester and the pressure to bill and meet targets is absolutely massive, and delivered quite viciously too. It makes it a properly miserable place to work most of the time.

Anonymous -15 Oct 2008 | 11:03

I worked in the Bristol office and the pressure to work and bill was monumental. So much so, the team I worked in burnt through three different junior lawyers in 18 months. Not that high, until you consider the core of the team only consisted of a partner and a senior associate.

Anonymous -15 Oct 2008 | 18:10

One particular partner has an assistant a year basically. Each dogsbody lasts about 12 months until they can't take it anymore and they simply get another one in. Perhaps that's what he asks Father Christmas for?

Anonymous -15 Oct 2008 | 18:27

I worked there and jumped ship once I got sick of being trodden on. I too was promised a great work-life balance to make up for the pay. It changed a lot in the three years I worked for them. Now it is all bills, bills, bills, and distrust. I gave them my all and I got no recognition in return. Now I am somewhere where I work just as hard but at least it is recognised. Don't go there, and don't believe what they tell you.

Anonymous -16 Oct 2008 | 12:00

My goodness, this place sounds awful.

Anonymous -16 Oct 2008 | 15:24

Bunch of whingey-ass malcontents on this message board. Go back to mummy. Complaints about billing? Do your job you lazy nurks. One difficult partner or two in a big law firm? So the Pope's Catholic.Salary reflects its position as a national firm with a diversified practice, not a credit-boom fees factory. Beachcroft has a lot going for it and many friendly, able people working there.

Banjo -16 Oct 2008 | 19:18

If the posting from Banjo is a reflection of how the partners treat staff at Beachcroft I am not surprised by the comments above. Clearly the firm has a long way to go to get the very best out of staff. The firm sounds like it has a lot of problems.

to Banjo -17 Oct 2008 | 11:40

To to Banjo. I haven't made partner yet, and am not at Beachcroft, but you're fired.

Banjo -17 Oct 2008 | 12:38

I suggest this 'banjo' fellow is the type of person which gives our profession a bad name. Partnership is about rewarding staff (both financially and otherwise) as well as making fees. An attitude like that to staff welfare and morale issues from a partner in my practice would result in a very short tenure.Best of luck with your partnership interview dear boy. Your atttude far from reflects the requirements for a modern partner in a commercial legal practice. People make the practice, they are our best asset. You don't seem to appreciate it's an asset that will quickly depreciate.

a senior partner -17 Oct 2008 | 15:26

To "a senior partner". Interesting that you have the time to get involved on an internet message board about another firm - hope you firm is doing ok. In any event, surely a "senior partner", would realise Banjo's comments are understandable, if a bit eccentric. It's simple, if you're a good lawyer in Beachcroft and you hate it so much, MOVE. If you're not good enough to secure a job elsewhere then that's your 'underachievement' not anyone else's. Whingeing about the firm who pays your salary anonymously on an internet site to me seems like the kind of disloyalty a 'senior partner' would frown on.

guiter -17 Oct 2008 | 16:45

My partnership prospects are irrelevant. What is being given a bad name on here is this firm which is nowhere near as awful as some here are suggesting and I object to that as the overall picture presented. Repeating, it has very friendly and able people in it. Training and development are good. Work-life-salary balance is variable depending on the department, but a far cry from a "pittance" as one suggested. Senior Partner's practice may be rare in being free of difficult partners, discontented staff and worries about billing. If so, my congratulations.

Banjo -17 Oct 2008 | 18:12

No one person can comment for everyone at the firm. What is apparent is something is clearly wrong and management seems incapable of rectifying the situation. There are a number of partners I would like to see take the firm in a new direction.

Anonymous -19 Oct 2008 | 01:44

From my perspective, the firm wants to expand and improve but without employing any additional resource. An impossibility? I think so. Internally complaints are made about progress and the firm does not seem to want to reward the people they should be incentivising to make that progress - and just to clarify, that isn't the partners.

Anonymous -19 Oct 2008 | 01:47

Hello, me again - having made the above post that Beachcroft is much better than is being made out and and the moaners don't know they're born.....I have to say I'm confused.....maybe you all need to come and work in the Birmingham office?? Life is peaceful here, supervisors are decent, friendly, approachable, I am not expected to stay after 5pm, or come in before 9, as long as I do 7 chargeables a day all is well. People are friendly, no nastiness, no bullying, and what's more I have been given every opportunity to progress that I have asked for, pretty much as soon as I asked for it! I can only conclude that either you all enjoy a whinge or that my little corner of the Birmingham office is the only decent place in the entire firm (I find the second option unlikely!) I really feel this firm is getting an unfair press here. I know a lot of people who have been here a long time and are very happy!

Beachcroft -21 Oct 2008 | 17:19

My experience of the Birmingham office is that it only does PI and construction, it doesn't have the other departments that the other office seem to. I work in one of the other offices and, whilst i can only confirm my own experiences, just like everyone else on this thingy, they are less like yours and more like some of the negative ones.

to poster above -21 Oct 2008 | 18:23

Ah perhaps then that is where the difference lies! I apologise if I am incorrect then and others are suffering elsewhere in other departments! You are indeed right, only PI and construction here in Brum. All I can say then is that it is a shame other areas of the firm don't take a leaf out of this one's book!

Beachcroft underling -22 Oct 2008 | 09:54

To Beachcroft underling: I would suggest that you seem to be the sort of person who will push for for partnership in a few years. Good luck with that. I would suggest however, that you are a million miles away from understanding the pulse of the firm which, from the postings above, appears to be slow and weak! Also, do you know that when you get to be a senior lawyer/partner you can only expect to receive the £rewards NQ solicitors get elsewhere (see posting further up about the appalling rate of partnership pay unless you are one of the chosen few in the Equity.

to the B'ham spin merchant (codename underlying) -22 Oct 2008 | 13:32

Does the firm have enough work to sustain a Newcastle office? On another point, they seem like a good target for a merger, any truth in this?

Anonymous -26 Oct 2008 | 11:42

Not sure about the Newcastle office but on the merger point... Even before the credit crunch the firm was massively pushing reducing costs and increasing chargeable hours (to the point of fee earner exhaustion) in order to increase the woeful PEP figures. They are trying to make it look a lot prettier to a potential merger partner.

Anonymous -28 Oct 2008 | 10:03

My god - what sort of firm is this? If fee earners are being worked to the point of exhaustion the place should be subject to a visit from the HSE on safety grounds! Even if the 'exhaustion' comment is a bit OTT (maybe it is...maybe it isn't) the picture presented is one of a firm that is, frankly, not the sort of place I would work at. As mentioned in a posting some way above, the gossip down Greek Street (Leeds) is of Beachcroft people on the move for better pay and better conditions.

EXHAUSTION! -28 Oct 2008 | 11:38

To respond to the people above who say that the fee earners should vote with their feet - you should know that there has been a mass exodus from various offices recently. They haven't got the quality assistants to do the work they have got. The poster above who says they are making it prettier for a merger is bang on. They are sacrificing short term (and probably medium term) to feather the nest of the equity partners in the long run.

Ex Beachcroft -28 Oct 2008 | 11:51

Have to say i'm shocked at the discontent listed above, this does not reflect my experience at all. A friend of mine works at a rival firm, lets call them Severedheads, where they work City hours, on City work, with regional pay, that is far less than mine! And they are only over the bridge...! The trouble is the press seem to have favourites, and we are currently not one of them.

Young'un -30 Oct 2008 | 18:37

Beachcroft is a decent place to work. I'm based in one of the regional offices. The work I do is fascinating and often high-profile. The partners are supportive, the training top-draw, and there are good opportunities to progress. Pay is not stellar but is not bad, and in return you get a decent work/life balance, and a working environment which is not hellish. Re the comments about the Newcastle office, I would imagine that there will be ample work as the work will be following the large team that is moving there from another firm. If we were so bad, would a large team from the Shed have moved to us?To the haters: move on, find somewhere better (if you can).

Anonymous -31 Oct 2008 | 16:12

Re previous post, one would suspect in the current climate, people from the Shed where just happy to keep in a job. It will be interesting to see if they stay once the ecomony picks up.

Anonymous -31 Oct 2008 | 16:40

I was thinking about trying for a move to Beachcrofts as I had heard it was a good place to work.... that must be history judging by the comments above. Their loss - I will look elsewhere.

Not what I expected -10 Nov 2008 | 16:54

Ditto re the above comment. I guess I'm not the only one thinking this way.

Anonymous -10 Nov 2008 | 20:21

The firm has an image, and it seeks to perpetuate this image, that it has a good work/life balance. It even tries to perpetuate this myth amongst its employees. The reality is you will work as hard at this firm as many others, but you will not be rewarded as you would at other firms. I suspect that if the current market conditions were not as they are, there would be significant assistant attrition. Morale is low when compared to assistants in other firms.

Anonymous -15 Nov 2008 | 16:36

The firm can't hide from the amount of good talent that has left - even as the downturn came. If you can't keep your staff in bad times then you have played the game all wrong. Morale is very low.

Anonymous -17 Nov 2008 | 14:46

Has anyone else heard the rumours that they've started a redundancy consultation with the commercial property group?

Anonymous -03 Dec 2008 | 15:25

I was thinking of joining Beachcroft but won't be going back for a second interview. I genuinely felt people were miserable in their Leeds office.

still looking for a job.... -09 Dec 2008 | 22:34

I'd have to agree with McBride to some extent, if not all the comment posted. Just like everywhere I've been, it's been hard as I expected. We're paid to do a job, not to have fun, but even so, some of us (some of you are obviously finding this thing most of us call work too hard!) do have fun doing it. It's a mixture of hard work, social integration and close-nit environment (even for the amount of people in this location).I'd be happy to help those of you who are finding it too hard or are somewhat bored to clear your desk!

bristol -16 Dec 2008 | 12:34

I think "Bristol" misses the point. We do work hard but expect the rewards to equal the effort put in. Beachcroft, especially the Bristol office management, seems either to not care or fail to grasp the point.

Anonymous -17 Dec 2008 | 12:25

I agree. What "Bristol" seems to suggest is that people are unhappy in their work because they are unwilling to work hard or incapable of doing their job. I think what people actually want is a little bit of job satisfaction, recognition and perhaps not having to dread getting up in the morning. Being unhappy about a poor working environment doesn't make you weak, what makes you weak is not having the balls to identify there is a problem and find a better place to work.

Anonymous -17 Dec 2008 | 16:38

Bristol is certainly off the point. I can see that and I do not even work for Beachcroft. They certainly pay less than my insurance firm (Leeds-based) - about 15% down based on the CVs I have seen. That is undervaluing staff at its crudest. You can say "thanks" all day long and have a great office environment but cash is why people work. I see that a posting above suggest that partners get 75k - if that is right the decision-makers (equity partners) are taking the michael big time or they are not true partners, just assistants with a title and no responsibility and no authority. Either way it does not look great. Good firm but serious internal issues it seems.

Leeds Insurance Lawyer -18 Dec 2008 | 14:29

I worked at Beachcroft for more than 10 years and I can honestly say that the negative comments are entirely correct. There are some great people there but it's all about the partners making as much money as possible to the detriment of everyone else. Salaries are average, but to be honest it wasn't the money that made me leave- it was the way that management treated the staff and the lack of recognition or career development. I would never recommend for anyone to work there. Sorry! Its one thing for junior lawyers to say its ok (McBride) but let's see if she is still there when she is five years PQE plus.

Anonymous -15 Jan 2009 | 16:45

I was in a similar position to the above poster. I got out of Beachcrofts before I started blaming the law when it was the firm that ground me down. I am now somewhere where I feel appreciated (even though the honeymoon period is now long gone).

Anonymous -20 Jan 2009 | 14:14

It is true there is no support from partners, HR run the ship - it is an awful environment, no trust or confidence and rumour has it, if they want you out, they will get you out. I say its a big NO!! Don't look at the name, see what goes on in the inside.

Beachcroft LLP -02 Mar 2009 | 14:18

Beachcroft is a great place to work - very friendly people, interesting work, good hours and decent pay for the hours you do. The views expressed above certainly aren't representative of the mood in the firm as a whole.

Anonymous -22 Mar 2009 | 14:46

It all seems to depend on which office and which department you work in.

Anonymous -24 Mar 2009 | 09:58

All these comments have put me off applying here! Best to know the truth, mind!

Mash -25 Apr 2009 | 01:00

Don't let this stream of comments put you off applying to this firm- I find it a really friendly, down to earth but hard working firm. Apply, get to know what the firm is about and then decide whether or not it's for you- I'm sure you'll be surprised how great a place it is.

Anonymous -27 Apr 2009 | 18:54

I think you can only comment on the experience you have. You can't tell others their negative experiences are incorrect, like the poster above tries to do. I'm delighted they enjoy their job. I worked there (until fairly recently) and hated it by the end. If you do apply, I just hope you get a better experience than I did.

Anonymous -06 May 2009 | 10:26

I couldn't agree more with the comment of the 2nd of March. It is so true HR do run the ship and it is absolutely correct that if they want you out, you are out! I am much happier now.

In House -02 Jun 2009 | 15:00

Driven by an insurance mentality that is pervasive. Support functions are terrible - IT systems are a joke and good luck trying to get an IT query addressed after 5.30 - sometimes you wonder if HR are being ironic.

Unless you want to do insurance or health work in the regions don't bother. I work in London and this office has had years of under-investment.

The show is run from Bristol and while everybody else is being moved to nice new offices in readiness to pursue the "stack em high sell em cheap" dream, London is being left to rot.

Anonymous -18 Aug 2009 | 05:27

I worked there until fairly recently and I agree with the above comment. There was a general commoditisation (if that is a word) of the services provided. The bulk insurance work was being replicated in other contentious areas such as employment. There was also no IT support to assist when the new bulk employment case management system repeatedly ground to a halt. I don't actually recall there being any HR support so not not sure I agree with the suggestion that they run the show.

Anonymous -24 Aug 2009 | 17:11

Be warned!

Working in the Bristol office is a nightmare. No trust. You are constantly watching your back. I'm trying to leave and find another job. Btw, when this article was brought to the attention of partners they encouraged staff to make alternative nice comments.

Anon -18 May 2010 | 15:11

escape while you can

The Birmingham office is just as bad. I have been offered counselling by my GP recently I have been so down. They don't call it Bitchcroft for nothing.

anon -16 Jun 2010 | 15:21

Mystery man

How are Watmores doing these days - are they not rivals to Beachcroft in many areas? You work it out!!

Leeds Lawyer -06 Jul 2010 | 19:27

shut up

Everyone who has posted a nasty comment about Beachcroft, shut up. If you don't like the work environment then leave or try and change it you big babies! Life is tough and so is work, suck it up, you get paid fine, and if you don't think it's enough, work harder, the more money you make the more money you get, duh! It's not that hard to figure out, or do. Beachcroft is a brilliant place to work, Winchester is the best office, if don't like the others then transfer :)

anon -20 Jul 2010 | 19:12

@anon re: shut up

What a ridiculous comment to make - shut up - what age are you?! People like you, stifling any change, are the problem.

Anonymous -31 Jul 2010 | 14:10

Underhanded

I hated it in the Bristol office. The supervisors are constantly looking out for themselves without regard for the people they are supposed to be tutoring. Hell.

Anonymous -17 Sep 2010 | 10:16

Such a shame....

This used to be a great place to work, great people, great environment, great work/life balance. It has dramatically changed over the last few years (and not just due to the recession) - the partners are lazy and have no desire to market, it is expected that the junior members of the team go out and win the work, there is no innovation, no creativeness, nothing to aspire to...

It's still very much public schoolboy partners and until that changes the atmosphere will be stuffy and backward.

Anon -11 Oct 2010 | 22:20

Something big

Something big needs to happen to get things back on track. The partners need to be bold in this time of apparent consolidation between firms - hint, hint. What do I know?! But look what happens when it's left to the big boys...

Anon -19 Oct 2010 | 21:36

Not happy

Quite simply, Beachcroft is willing to let good members of staff go rather than offer a small pay rise. Staff are what makes a business, not investing in new projects/offices. Turnover at Beachcroft appears to be really high and reflects badly on a business. Pay is a big factor morale wise, without this people will and are leaving as Beachcroft is not matching market rates. I believe that arguing Beachcroft haven't made redundancies and saying we are lucky to have a job is also not acceptable, Beachcroft have made millions of profits yet again and it is greedy companies like this that people try and stay away from.

Unhappy -10 Dec 2010 | 15:17

gone down hill

I could possibly have been the biggest Beachcroft fan and most loyal person they could ever have employed... until recently!

Atmosphere is dreadful.

They are setting impossible targets (and I mean physically impossible given the fee structures in place, I'm not just whinging - eg make a profit on a fixed fee taking a matter to trial... when that fixed fee is £320.00 LESS Counsel's fee...?) Financial, hours and realisation targets don't even equate to one another! But the worst of it is the supervisors' complete lack of comprehension of the principles and stats they are seeking to enforce!

I am truly dismayed. I had hoped to work here until I retire and I'm only early 30s (seriously I liked it THAT much). In addition the lack of pay rise has now been pushed just too far, we are now underpaid compared to the market and having been without a rise since April 2008 I am feeling the pinch given the rise in living costs.

My loyalty is wearing thin now and I post this in the vague hope that someone up above will take the time to look at what they are doing to us all and take stock - there seems no other way to do so currently as you are just met with shrugged shoulders along with a muttered "you're lucky to have a job".

very sad -16 Dec 2010 | 11:04

To 'very sad' above. To be honest, you are lucky to have a job.

razyel -17 Dec 2010 | 11:58

Too long

The salary situation at this firm has gone on too long. 2/3 years in some cases (some would say it always had a problem); a very long time for partners to ask for loyalty / keeping your mouth shut and getting on with it. Razyel - with ignorant comments like that you should think about becoming a partner there, you'd fit right in with that attitude.

Anon -28 Dec 2010 | 15:51

Wake up you lot

My other half works at Beachcroft and was there a few years ago when it was an easier place to work. The change in atmosphere was been deliberately made by the partnership in an effort to catch up with the profitability of other firms. The partners expect a lot of associates to leave. This will enable higher salaries to be paid to the ones who remain, provided they can hack it. I'm surprised this obvious point is being missed by so many of you. Stop moaning that things are harder than they used to be. Beachcroft couldn't have gone on that way.

Outsider looking in -29 Dec 2010 | 19:32

To Anon above, it was not an ignorant comment, it's true. There are plenty of talented lawyers out there who would jump at the opportunity to trade places with you. Pay rises are not an automatic right, I know a number of people at Beachcroft and if you put in an exceptional performance then you will get a rise, or at least a bonus. If you don't then you probably wont get/deserve one.

razyel -30 Dec 2010 | 11:02