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Dickinson Dees' retention rate plummets to 36 per cent

15 July 2011 | By Laura Manning

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Dickinson Dees has confirmed the worst newly qualified lawyer (NQ) retention rate for Autumn 2011 so far.

The Newcastle-headquartered firm is keeping only four of its 11 final seat trainee solicitors giving it a woeful 36 per cent retention rate. This was also a drop from last Autumn’s figure of 47 per cent.

Managing partner Jonathan Blair said: “We were pleased to offer 11 NQ places within the firm. Positions have been offered and accepted by four. Six of our trainees have chosen to relocate primarily for personal domestic reasons,”

“This is disappointing but we understand the reasoning and we wish them well for the future. We have 17 trainees joining us in September which will take our total trainee headcount to 32.”

Meanwhile, City-based Travers Smith has confirmed a 76 per cent retention rate, keeping 13 of its 17 trainees. This shows a fall from its Spring rate of 100 per cent when all seven NQs stayed on and September 2010 where it retained 81 per cent, keeping 13 out of 16 qualifiers.

Elsewhere, Baker & McKenzie has offered 16 NQ roles to its 20 final seat trainees giving the firm a provisional retention rate of 80 per cent. This is a drop from it September 2010 figure of 95 per cent.

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Readers' comments (12)

  • Anonymous | 18-Jul-2011 1:33 pm

    Damning.

    In a recession, 64% of trainees at Dickinson Dees rejected the offer of a permanent role with the firm.

    To put this in context, this is the worst retention rate in the country. It is a full 20% behind the next worst firm.

    The statistics are unequivocal. Trainees are desperate to leave Dickinson Dees. If I was a Dickinson Dees partner I would be very concerned. Management consultants regard trainee retention as a very accurate measure of the health of an organisation. In law firms, trainees are uniquely well informed, spending two years experiencing departments across the business before making an assessment.

    In the case of Dickinson Dees, the trainees have voted with their feet. Dickinson Dees clearly wanted to keep all of them, but only 36% were willing to remain.

    Something is clearly very wrong. Why are so many trainees desperate to leave Dickinson Dees?

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  • Fingal | 18-Jul-2011 2:02 pm

    I bet the partners are rubbing their sweaty hands together with glee.

    Awful trainee retention figures moves them closer to the dream of an all partner law firm in a dark
    castle overlooking Geordie-land.

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  • Anonymous | 18-Jul-2011 2:58 pm

    Disappointing? No, it's catastrophic!

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  • Anonymous | 18-Jul-2011 6:45 pm

    Dixon Dees is a firm that jettisons its NQs at the first sign of economic turbulence, pays badly and which has only made up 2 partners in nearly four years.

    The real question has to be "What on earth made those four trainees accept jobs with Dickinson Dees"?

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  • Dr Z | 18-Jul-2011 7:08 pm

    Plummets?

    Last year Dickinson Dees had the second worst trainee retention figure in the country (http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/pdf/Trainee%20Retention%20Analysis%202010.pdf). Now it has the worst.

    Last year only 47% of trainees stayed. Now it is 36%.

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  • Rex | 19-Jul-2011 9:01 pm

    Mind numbingly bad - and their retention rate is poor too.

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  • HR@LagosLaw | 19-Jul-2011 9:07 pm

    So let's get this straight...

    2010 - Dickinson Dees had the 2nd worst trainee retention figures in the UK

    2011 - Dickinson Dees has the worst trainee retention figures in the UK

    ...and they're saying nothing is wrong!

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  • Anonymous | 19-Jul-2011 9:08 pm

    Such a dire story that it got downgraded from The Lawyer to Lawyer2b?

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  • Anonymous | 20-Jul-2011 9:10 am

    You reap what you sow.

    Dickinson Dees treat the very few junior solicitors who still work there appallingly and protect the partnership at all costs.

    All the four newly qualifieds have to look forward to is a total lack of investment in succession planning and woeful partnership prospects given the gearing ratio.

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  • Anonymous | 20-Jul-2011 12:56 pm

    Far far too many partners compared to assistants.

    Time to cut the partnership down to 20-25.

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