Find out more about our people's stories
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Alex Roberts, Associate, Corporate - video
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Alex Roberts, Associate, Corporate
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Our ambition
Baker & McKenzie London offers a trainee experience that no other firm can match.
Central to that is the global setting in which we work. The London office is large enough to be a significant player in the City, but not so large that our graduates are lost.
You will be dealing regularly with colleagues in overseas offices, working together on cross-border transactions and sharing knowledge. There are plenty of opportunities for you to gain overseas experience, through either our Trainee Secondment Programme or our Associate Training Programme.
Because of our global mindset, we attract a high proportion of multinational clients, whether global corporations like EQT, Mittal Steel, Nike and Oracle; or blue-chip British companies like BP and RioTinto.
Clients do not come to us solely because of our international reach, however. They come to us because of the pragmatic, commercial insight that we bring to our legal advice. We work hard to understand our clients’ businesses and their priorities, and then we consider how our legal advice can best support them.
It is an approach on which we place a lot of emphasis. Much of your training and development is geared to enabling you to be an incisive, yet practical lawyer. At every stage of your career, our focus is on helping you make the most of your strengths, of your experience and of your expertise.
It means we are looking for trainees who have an interest in business as well as the law, who have an interest in supporting our clients to achieve their objectives, and who are keen, not just to deliver a legal opinion, but to build quality client relationships.
Our culture is one of respect; one in which people are committed to the firm and its approach, but at the same time, have the freedom to think for themselves. We aim to foster an environment where you are encouraged to have ideas, where you are consulted about decisions, and where no matter who you are in the organisation, your opinions are valued.
Our approach to CSR and pro bono work is an integral aspect of that ethos. For us, diversity has always been a cornerstone of the firm - understanding that we are all unique and that we are stronger as a firm when we embrace the differences we all bring.
Above all, our culture is one in which you can develop your strengths. And through the development of your strengths, with our support, our training, our commercial approach and the way we work, we enable you to be the best lawyer you can be.
Play the video above to hear more about the experiences of one of our associates, Alex Roberts, or read about them below.
Alex's story
“I studied architecture at university and worked as an architectural technician for a year before going to law school. It meant that when I joined the firm in 2006, I already had some transferable skills, such as client-facing experience, drafting and analytical abilities.
I’ve been encouraged to make the most of my experience and skills since joining the firm and have continued to develop my abilities through further training. I feel the firm is committed to investing in me and in my career to enable me to be the best lawyer I can be.
I qualified into our Corporate department in 2008. I’m currently involved in a number of mergers and acquisitions and some stock market work. I’ve also gained experience in private equity, capital markets and public company transactions.
My first experience of just how global the firm is came during my training contract when I spent a three-month secondment in our Beijing office. It’s given me a much broader, practical understanding of the law in other jurisdictions.
The size of the London office means that I don’t feel like an anonymous, peripheral figure. There’s a real team culture and people have made the effort to get to know me. The relatively small number of trainees also makes it easy to develop strong relationships quite quickly, which are developed further through social events and training.
There’s a lot of support. You have mid-seat and end-of-seat evaluations, but they are not just a one-way review of your performance. It’s a dialogue and you’re encouraged to give your opinions. You discuss your strengths as well as any areas where you feel you need more knowledge or skills.”
Alex Roberts, Associate, Corporate
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ALEX'S PROFILE
ACADEMIC
HISTORY
1999 – 2002 Architecture, Cambridge
GAP YEAR
Travelled to South
East Asia, studied
Mandarin in Beijing,
Property Developer
Internship, Shanghai
TRAINING CONTRACT
March 2006, 1st seat Banking
September 2006, 2nd seat Corporate East
March 2007, 3rd seat Corporate Tax
September 2007, 4th seat Dispute Resolution
SECONDMENTS
January 2008 trainee
Secondment to Beijing
Office
CURRENT ROLE
Qualified into
Corporate East
March 2008
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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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