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With so much happening in Birmingham over the next few years, it’s an exciting time to be working and training in the second city.

So why should you choose Birmingham over any other city in the country? Here are a few reasons that might convince you!

Big name firms

With the largest and most renowned law firms having a presence in Birmingham, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get involved with high-quality work and training.

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP, Gowling WLG (UK) LLP, Shoosmiths, Shakespeare Martineau LLP, Browne Jacobson LLP and more all proudly serve the second city, offering training contracts and opportunities to play a part in some of the largest transactions outside of London.

A city on the rise

Birmingham is a city that’s seen a great deal of investment in recent years, and that’s continuing into the future.

The Paradise and Arena Central areas are the newly regenerated parts of Birmingham city centre. This regeneration has seen the construction of many mixed-use buildings, public squares, and the arrival of the new headquarters for the personal and business arm of HSBC, as well as new popular restaurants and bars, such as Dishoom and Albert Schloss.

Easy access to the rest of the country

Being in the centre of the country affords Birmingham and its people easy access to so many other parts of the country.

New Street Station connects Birmingham to major cities, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield and more. This enables Birmingham-based businesses to be well connected and means you’re never more than a train journey away from great days out in other major cities.

The West Midlands metro connects Birmingham with Edgbaston and the South West, and Wolverhampton to the North West. The extension work is well underway and will connect the existing line to the Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill, and the Birmingham High Speed 2 (HS2) interchange near Solihull. This will increase access to the wider West Midlands, including the more out of city areas like the Black Country.

HS2, for all its controversies, is also bringing a great deal of regeneration and improvement to the city and its surrounding areas. The stations are being designed to be the most sustainable new stations, and the project will mean another route into the city from London, bringing in more people and more custom.

No shortage of fun things to do

It’s clear that Birmingham is a rapidly developing city with a growing legal industry. But once you’ve finished work for the day, you won’t be left wanting for things to do, whether you’re a student, professional or anything in between.

Broad Street is the city’s most dynamic and versatile entertainment destination, with cosy canal-side bars, renowned restaurants, comedy clubs and international club nights.

Digbeth, the city’s creative quarter, houses amazing indie bars, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and arts venues.

You don’t have to travel too far out of the city to visit Bournville, originally founded by the Cadbury family for its employees at the Cadbury factory, and now home to the Cadbury World attraction.

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC), a 20-minute train ride away, is the largest event space in the UK and has played host to some of the biggest events and conventions in the country, including Grand Designs, BBC Good Food, Comic-Cons and Anime-Cons.

The Hippodrome Theatre is home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and has hosted many pantomime performances and travelling West End shows including Wicked, The Lion King and Billy Elliot.

Meanwhile, the arenas across the city − the Utilita Arena in the city centre and Resorts World Arena on the NEC site − have played host to some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. Comedians such as Bill Bailey and Peter Kay, bands and artists including Rita Ora, Maroon 5 and Queens of the Stone Age, and local legends such as Judas Priest and Robbie Williams have entertained audiences.

Food and drink

The food and drink scene in Birmingham is as varied as you like – there’s something for every palate.

If you’re feeling fancy, you can find your fair share of Michelin-starred restaurants. There’s Purnell’s, owned by celebrity chef Glynn Purnell; Opheem, the only Birmingham-based Michelin-starred restaurant that isn’t British-food-based; and Simpsons Restaurant, the first in Birmingham to achieve a Michelin star.

The Chinese Quarter is visually stunning and houses plenty of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Malaysian restaurants where there’s always something new to try.

And we can’t forget about Digbeth Dining Club, the award-winning street food event that brings together the best independent food traders from the Midlands for customers to get great food at affordable prices. It also pops up in places such as Wolverhampton, Coventry and Solihull, further showcasing the appeal the Midland food scene has on the rest of the region and beyond!

All in all, there’s plenty that we Brummies can be proud of in and around our city. As you can see above, there are many reasons for us to make our home in the second city, whether we’re students, graduates sticking around, relocating for training opportunities or new jobs, or just finding a new home!

Ask any of us; we’re proud of our second city (not you, Manchester!)