The Legal Cheek View
Rather than trying to be all things to all clients, Bevan Brittan is a firm that focuses on its strengths within specific sectors. It was traditionally a public sector specialist, the firm of choice for the National Health Service since its inception, and still does a great deal of its business for NHS organisations, local government councils and housing associations. On the day of the health service’s 70th anniversary, for example, Bevan Brittan donated all the fees it earned on that day from advising NHS clients to charity. But while still primarily public sector focused, it has expanded into the likes of construction, energy and financial services, and is trying to attract more private clients.
While public sector work may not be everybody’s cup of tea, Bevan Brittan boasts the best in the business. In the past year, the firm was reappointed to the prestigious Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Wider Public Sector Framework and secured a new panel position to the NHS Resolution Framework. Other notable highlights include advising on a merger to create a single organisation responsible for a whopping 104,000 homes across London and the Home Counties, as well as advising on the biggest care home acquisition in nearly a decade.
Bevan Brittan’s financial results have shown respectable growth in recent years, with revenue breaking the £67 million mark in the 2022-23 financial year and profit per equity partner (PEP) reaching an impressive £735,000. This represents a 12% increase in revenue on the previous year, indicating the firm to be resistant to the testing economic climate thus far. Though, like many law firms, Bevan Brittan faces challenging times ahead. Nonetheless, longstanding managing partner Duncan Weir last year indicated that the firm was open to acquisitions to fuel further growth, though no such deal has yet come to fruition.
The firm has also recently increased its trainee intake from ten to twelve, a number of whom told us that it’s a good place to learn your craft as a lawyer: “The firm provides excellent training and gives trainees the autonomy to take on more complex tasks and responsibility when they feel ready,” and likewise, “the quality of the supervision, range of work and responsibility given is outstanding.” And the firm’s relatively small cohort is reportedly a supportive one, with one rookie enthusing “[t]here is a really supportive atmosphere amongst trainees and juniors in the firm”, and another adding that “everyone genuinely wants the other to do well”.
Successful applicants will do four six-month seats in the firm’s various departments: clinical risk, commercial & infrastructure, litigation, advisory & regulatory, employment and property. One Bevan Brittan insider tells us that the quality of work that trainees are exposed to “varies from team to team, but overall fee earners will aim to give you interesting work, as well as the opportunity to work on new things to expand knowledge and skills”. And whilst international secondments aren’t on offer at Bevan Brittan, there are client secondment opportunities seeing trainees posted to NHS Trust legal departments, the London Ambulance Service and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The firm’s trainee retention rates show seven out of ten (70%) have typically been kept on in recent years, with the firm reporting an elevated score of 84% for 2023.
Bevan Brittan (don’t spell it “Britain” in your application, they won’t like that) is headquartered in Bristol and has three further bases in London, Birmingham and Leeds. The firm takes trainees across all of its offices, but we understand the lion’s share of the intake head to Bristol and London. All of the firm’s offices are centrally located, with the Birmingham team recently moving to new premises, further signifying the firm’s regional expansion. Those considering putting in an application are recommended to apply for the firm’s vacation scheme, with Bevan Brittan filling most of its trainee spaces through this route. The firm has a handy section on its careers website giving its take on the training contract applications it receives and providing top tips for prospective applicants.
For those who do bag a training contract, the atmosphere in the office is said to be good — perhaps a knock-on effect of the clients being mostly dedicated to public service rather than profits. “I think one of Bevan Brittan’s biggest selling points is the friendly atmosphere, which isn’t hierarchical at all”, one current trainee tells us. The partners, in particular, received high praise from juniors for being “extremely friendly and approachable”, and one explaining that they often find themselves “discussing weekend or holiday plans with partners”. The firm itself boasts of its “open plan office where trainees often sit beside senior partners”.
One thing Bevan Brittan certainly has to offer is a healthy work/life balance, with lawyers generally expected to knock off between 6pm and 7pm. And this is greatly appreciated amongst the firm’s juniors: “Work life balance is probably the biggest perk of this firm… I don’t feel the need to check my emails or work phone in the evening”, an insider explains, with another simply stating: “The work life balance could not be better at this firm”.
The facilities themselves aren’t world-beating, with one newbie dryly describing the office space as “fairly average”. It’s noted that many of the firm’s top office perks, including an on-site gym and subsidised café in Bristol, didn’t survive the pandemic, and we even received a few grumbles concerning the absence of a coffee machine available for staff use. However, there are some positive reports of standing desks and agile working spaces, and the new Birmingham office has a “sunny terrace” on the tenth floor. Similarly, the firm’s tech offering is labelled as “what would be expected,” and in some cases “quite outdated.”
On the flip side, Bevan Brittan trainees have high praise for the “extremely flexible” hybrid policy that the firm has had in place since the pandemic. The firm adapted extremely quickly at the time of the outbreak and has since provided everything one could need to effectively work from home. “WFH setup is really good and the firm is great at purchasing anything we need”. Others cited monitors, cables, mouses, keyboards and even ergonomic desk chairs as instantly available for delivery upon request.