Benefits packages: who gives you extra?

Earlier this year, 2,000 LC.N users responded to our annual survey, which looked at how students approach their search for a legal career. The results provided us with an excellent gauge on the opinions of budding lawyers, with detailed information on their ambitions for the future. Particularly interesting were respondents' comments to the question: "What attracts you to a future employer?" Clearly, certain concerns are high on everyone's agenda: reassuring and consistent retention rates, evidence of the value attributed to training and development, and choice of preferred location appeared frequently in the results. 

Those who declared themselves to be career changers and mature students were notably vocal in their responses to this question; they wanted to know that a firm would genuinely consider their application, as well as provide significant and meaningful support in working arrangements. Some suggested that should include understanding childcare arrangements, flexible working hours and appreciation of their prior life experience. 

The recurring themes of work/life balance, firm facilities, as well as the importance of "cash" (as one straight-talking respondent answered) led us to muse about the various benefits packages on offer to trainee solicitors. It is quickly evident that these vary in size and impressiveness depending on your firm, the particular intake year and the specific office that you are based in. Once you start heading to the salary and benefits page of graduate recruitment websites though, you are met with a long list of rather fabulous sounding perks. Norton Rose Fulbright offers 'in-chair massages', Allen & Overy boasts a beauty treatment centre and Clifford Chance famously has its own swimming pool on site in Canary Wharf.

Over at Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP, you can look forward to a discretionary bonus (in addition to a sizeable NQ salary of £100,000). At White & Case LLP, you are given a one-off "welcome payment" on arrival at the firm. There are of course the usual offerings of subsidised and free gyms, as well as restaurants on site. You would do well to reflect on such generous provisions. As the adage goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch; firms providing free food to employees after a certain hour do so for a reason - think about the hours you might be putting into an all-nighter before dreaming of subsidised helpings of beef bourguignon.

There are some more unusual promises included for certain trainees: Simmons & Simmons enriches your cultural wellbeing with funds for music and singing lessons. Weil, Gotshal & Manges proudly publicises its free day of holiday to be taken on or around your birthday. Linklaters allows you to brush up your language skills prior to joining the firm, with its language bursary; naturally, it encourages learning those languages that will be relevant to the firms' overseas offices (do we hear overseas secondments calling?!).

We are not encouraging you to base your application decisions solely on such matters. Your time as a trainee will be vastly more affected by the practice areas you are able to experience, the administrative and personal development support available and the general organisational ethos. However, in-depth research should result in you knowing everything possible about a future employer, so why not take a moment to think about the perks of your future life too!

You can compare starting salaries for first-year trainees using LC.N Insight.