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Ask Gary
'Ask Gary' is your opportunity to ask our Managing Partner, Gary Senior, about any aspect of life at Baker & McKenzie, whether it be our training, working life here, the social side of Baker & McKenzie or something about the wider Firm.
Simply fill in your details and ask your question below, and each week Gary will choose a selection of questions to answer.
Data ProtectionAll information provided by you on this form will be treated in the strictest confidence. It will sit on your personnel file and be stored on our HR database. The information will be used to ensure that the Firm is meeting its equal opportunities policies. Where information is provided to external parties this will be for statistical reporting/monitoring purposes with no link to your name. Completion of the form or any of its sections is voluntary but will help us improve our policies and practices.
Read some of Gary's answers
In short, we do not expect any significant changes. Last year global fee income for the 2009 fiscal year (ended June 30, 2009) totalled US$2.11 billion (-3% from FY08). Though that was down on the previous year, it's important to note that it was still the Firm's second best year in revenue terms in our 60-year history. While the Firm took a number of steps in the downturn to contain costs, it has continued to invest in top-quality talent, efficiency-enhancing systems and other client-related resources.
It is not unheard of at all for an English qualified lawyer to relocate overseas at some stage post qualification.
If an English qualified lawyer were to transfer permanently to an overseas office, depending on the nature of work conducted (namely whether there was a focus on English law or domestic/local law), it may be necessary to qualify locally.
I would recommend at this stage that you conduct research into the individual state bars where you are interested in practicing in order to establish whether you would be eligible to sit for and take the bar, as some jurisdictions have particular requirements.
In terms of your training contract, you may wish to gain exposure to areas of law which are transferable and relevant to your longer term aspirations. Keep this in mind when deciding which firms you wish to apply to, and ultimately when choosing seats during your training contract.
This is an interesting question, although I am not quite sure what you mean when you say that
London
is the 'most lucrative' office. London is currently the largest office in the Firm (though that has not always been the case) and plays a very important role because of the City of
London
's unique position as a hub for international legal services. Given the increasing role that English Law plays in international transactions, I think
London
will continue to be a priority for any international law firm for the foreseeable future.
At the same time, it also seems inevitable that, as economic power gravitates from the West to the East, then providers of legal services in jurisdictions such as will also play an increasingly important role in the global legal services market. As a Firm we are in an excellent position here, having had a presence in Asia since 1963, including since 1974. We now have almost 300 lawyers in and approximately 1100 across the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, which makes us the biggest firm in the region. Unlike many of our competitors the overwhelming majority of our lawyers are locally-trained, which means that we can respond quickly to changing patterns of client demand, without being dependent on flying in lawyers from other jurisdictions.
Trainees and associates who are seconded to one of the Firm's clients are given an excellent opportunity to develop a range of skills in addition to developing a stronger understanding of client needs. For a number of years we have worked with a range of clients to arrange secondments which we feel will strengthen our understanding of their business needs whilst providing development opportunities for our people. We have continued to take this approach during the current economic climate.
Dear Lawrie,
Our approach to Diversity and recruitment is to attract, retain and promote talent from the widest possible pool and to ensure Baker & McKenzie maintains a diverse & inclusive workplace for all. It is this commitment that underpins our vision to become the premier global law firm.
To help honour this commitment, our Diversity Committee & Focus Groups champion both best practice and innovative thinking in our approach to Diversity & recruitment and you can see the more tangible results of this through our work with organisations such as the Social Mobility Foundation, Stonewall, BSN, ACDiversity, MERLIN, Legal Chances, Pure Potential, Race for Opportunity & Opportunity Now.
I'm delighted you enjoyed the open day. As you are probably aware opportunities in the Indian legal market are only just opening up and I think that it will be sometime yet before we consider establishing a place of business there. In the meantime, however, we will continue to work closely with our clients in the region and look to develop relationships further in order that we are best placed should things change.
Dear Ben,
We were pleased to have advised Nike Inc on this transaction, particularly as it was their first UK corporate deal. Our Corporate team had previously worked hard to develop and strengthen its relationship with Nike. Based on the strength of these relationships, and Nike's familiarity with Baker & McKenzie through working with us on other international matters, we were invited to pitch for the role of legal adviser in the takeover bid. The Baker & McKenzie team out-pitched a number of other high-profile law firms to win this significant mandate.
Dear Rizwan,
Thank you for your email. When screening application forms it is important that we adhere to our academic requirements to ensure consistency. Naturally, from time to time, applicants do apply that have extenuating circumstances that have affected their studies. We would consider these applications when they are certified by an academic tutor as appropriate.
In addition, we would look at all previous academic achievements to help gain a sense of how an applicant has performed throughout his/her education.
I hope that this is helpful and reassuring.
The London office is of a size to offer high quality work, whilst enabling us to maintain a supportive, welcoming atmosphere. Our people are at the heart of the Firm, and key to our success. We invest in fostering strong relationships across the firm through departmental or practice group meetings, sporting activities and numerous social events.
We continually seek to strengthen and develop all of our key areas of practice. Traditionally, the Firm has been known for areas such as IP, IT and employment. While we are strong in a number of specialist areas, in London our positioning reflects how we are perceived in practices such as Corporate and Banking, which have seen growth in the last three or four years.
I joined Baker & McKenzie as a trainee in 1984 after studying law at Durham University. I spent 18 months on secondment in Chicago as part of the Firm's Associate Training Programme from 1989 to 1991. I became a partner in 1992, in the Corporate Department, and Managing Partner in 2003.
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++ UPDATES ++
FROMBAKER & MCKENZIE- Training Contract application deadline for Law applicants is 31st July
- Baker & McKenzie LLP boasts 95% NQ retention rate for September 2010 qualifiers
- The London office's 2010 International Summer Clerks will be travelling to New York, Chicago and Sydney
- Baker & McKenzie announces 93% NQ retention for March 2010
- Firm collaborates with Social Mobility Foundation to host two internship induction events
- Baker & McKenzie arranges trainee secondments to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Abu Dhabi
- Baker & McKenzie to participate in diversity career events with MERLIN, Pure Potential, Target chances and Lawyer2b
- Firm prepares to welcome the 40 summer vacation scheme students of 2010
- Firm introduces group exercise into assessment day
- Firm Nominated for BEST TRAINER - Large City Firm by LawCareers.net
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