Regional focus: Manchester

Despite that figure including 1,600 moving from London to Manchester, working and living in the capital still seems to have a broader appeal - especially for young ­professionals. So why do thousands of graduates flock to expensive, crowded London each year when Manchester is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country?

“I guess people see London as the legal hub of the UK and possibly Europe,” says DWF first-seat trainee solicitor Nick Barker. “But Manchester is competing, with firms such as DWF growing rapidly and making the city a big ­player in the UK legal market.”

Barker, originally from Birmingham, studied at university in Manchester. He then completed his Legal Practice Course (LPC) in Birmingham before returning to Manchester for his training contract.

“In three years I was convinced that ­Manchester was for me and I wanted to stick around here,” he says. “For me, it was always between Manchester and London as the place to train, but Manchester had almost everything London had in terms of business, industry and key clients, and there were the additional benefits of the friendliness of the locals and the distinctive culture.”

Second city

Indeed, Manchester is now widely seen as the ­second major legal centre in the UK, with excellent ­educational establishments and postgraduate law schools, not to mention some of the UK’s top law firms having their roots in the region.

Manchester University and Manchester ­Metropolitan ­University (MMU) are among the best educational ­establishments in the UK. As a Russell Group university, ­Manchester already holds a ­prestige position and offers a strong portfolio of courses for aspiring lawyers.

Meanwhile, MMU has an ­impressive postgraduate law school that is one of only a ­handful in the country to offer the Bar ­Professional Training Course (BPTC). Rated very highly by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the course itself has existed at MMU since 1998 (previously in the form of the Bar ­Vocational Course), and 92 per cent of BPTC staff are experienced barristers, ranging from 9 years’ call to 25. WIth fees set at £11,850, you could save around £4,000 by choosing to study up North instead of in London.

Or if you are a budding solicitor, you could choose to join law school giant the College of Law (CoL), which has its centre in the ­Piccadilly area of Manchester, with top law firms on its doorstep. The CoL has established a new learning atmosphere that, ­according
to students, somewhat mimics the working environment in a law firm.
Smooth operation

“It was a fantastic experience being a student in Manchester,” enthuses Pannone first-seat trainee solicitor Arshmoor Amershi. “The ­transition was really smooth from student to young professional. The ­experience at the CoL in Manchester also helped prepare me to be a young professional, offering good networking ­opportunities.”

Amershi was born and raised in Manchester, developing a fondness for the area from a young age. However, she decided to study in ­Birmingham before ­returning to the city.

“Manchester has ­everything other cities have, with the ­benefit of everything being in a much smaller area,” she adds. “It’s a really vibrant and fun city with a great social life. Yes, I was born and brought up here, but the city pulled me back.”

Two of the country’s largest law firms, DLA Piper and Eversheds, (places five and 10 respectively in The Lawyer UK 200 Annual Report 2011) have strong ties in the region.
Several other law firms can also be found in ­Manchester, such as Pinsent Masons (placed 16 in the UK200), Addleshaw Goddard (place 21), Hill Dickinson (28), Shoosmiths ( 37), DWF (39), Pannone (56) and ­Cobbetts (60).

“We’re the second largest legal city, and the calibre of clients in Manchester is the same as other cities,” claims Amershi. “I’m only in my first seat at ­Pannone, but I’ve been involved in a wide variety of work since I started, and have even been down to London to meet US clients. We’re in competition with London, and not falling behind.”
Pannone second-seat trainee Jennifer

Kerns agrees. “I’m currently in the Court of Protection seat, and we [the department] are the largest in the North West, and probably the most established in the UK,” she explains. “This department shows we can develop specialisms that rival similar departments in London.”

Northern light

In the past year firms in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham have reasserted themselves as profitable entities following three years of economic woes.

Manchester-based DWF, which recently announced an expansion into Birmingham and Newcastle, boosted corporate work by 35 per cent to see turnover surge from £71.5m to £83m.

DWF’s profit margin also rose, from 12 to 14 per cent, while average profit per equity ­partner (PEP) was up from £333,000 to £388,000. ­However, Pannone emerged as one of the North West’s big losers last year, blaming restructuring costs for its lacklustre figures. The firm saw turnover decrease from £49.5m to £47.5m.

Cobbetts saw a 1 per cent rise in turnover, from £44.1m in 2009-10 to £44.5m. Net profit was down from £10.5m to £10m, although this was attributed to the £1.9m one-off cost of returning to full-time work after being on a four-day week for 12 months.

Social life is a magnet

Stats aside, this vibrant and ­cosmopolitan city remains a major legal hub, with aspiring lawyers ­continuing to be pulled to the area for its thriving arts scene and world-class social life, which caters both for students and the business community.

“A lot of cities are good student cities, but don’t convert well into professional cities - Manchester does both,” insists DWF fourth-seat trainee Liam Corrigan.

“There’s so much going on up here, but in a bite-sized form,” adds Barker. “You have the city centre and then you have Oxford Road, which has everything a student or young professional could want. The road sort of ties the city together.”

Eat and greet

Few cities can beat Manchester
for retail therapy, and its host of restaurants combine a wide range of culinary delights. The fact you can walk to work from a nice city centre pad also has its advantages.

“Manchester city centre itself isn’t huge, but on the social side there are a lot of places to go and things to do,” says Corrigan. “You often find hidden gems - clubs and bars tucked away.”

“I moved from the outskirts to the centre, and there’s just so much on offer,” agrees Barker. “DWF is based in Spinningfields, and there are lots of good offices popping up all around it. Its central position also means it’s great for after-work drinks or ­shopping.”

But with salaries in Manchester averaging £24,000 for first-year trainees and £25,000 for second-years, compared with an average of £35,000 and £37,000 respectively in London, it is little wonder graduates have concerns about their pay cheques.

“I think it’s the money that draws people to London,” asserts Amershi. “But the higher pay is associated with longer hours and greater expense. ­London will eat a quarter of your salary on travel alone.”

One-bedroom flats in Manchester city centre can be rented for £600 a month, while two-beds will set you back north of £850, according to ­findaproperty.com.

“We get a competitive salary,” agrees Barker. “More than enough to live a good life and scrape enough together for a few drinks at the end of the week.”

Manchester boasts an active and tight-knit trainee social scene through the Manchester Trainee Solicitors Group (MTSG). This brings together around 400 trainees from law firms for social and training events weekly.

DWF fourth-seat trainee solicitor Claire Farrell says the ­organisation was a draw for her to train in ­Manchester over London.

“I’m from the North West and did everything in my power to avoid ­Manchester at first,” she explains, adding that she chose to study in ­Nottingham and York. “But I was really impressed by the MTSG, as you get to mix with people from ­different firms. It’s just not like that in London.”

Indeed, Manchester offers ­something for all legal appetites along with a ­thriving social scene. And with work and clients that can rival those of ­London trainees, a training contract in Manchester could be an attractive option for all aspiring lawyers.


Addleshaw Goddard
Total lawyers: 215
Manchester trainees: 19
First-year salary: £25,000
Second-year salary: £27,000
NQ salary: £38,000

Cobbetts
Total lawyers: 103
Manchester trainees: 16
First-year salary: £23,460
Second-year salary: £25,500
NQ salary: £31,000

DLA Piper
Total lawyers: 126
Manchester trainees: 23
First-year salary: £25,000
Second-year salary: £27,000
NQ salary: £38,000

DWF
Total lawyers: 275
Manchester trainees: 16
First-year salary: £25,000
Second-year salary: £27,000
NQ salary: £35,000-£36,000

Eversheds
Total lawyers: 142
Manchester trainees: 13
First-year salary: £25,000
Second-year salary: £26,500
NQ salary: £37,000

Squire Sanders Hammonds
Total lawyers: 70
Manchester trainees: 14
First-year salary: £22,000
Second-year salary: £25,000
NQ salary: £36,000

Hill Dickinson
Total lawyers: 109
Manchester trainees: 9
First-year salary: £24,000
Second-year salary: £26,000
NQ salary: £34,000-£36,000 depending on department

Pannone
Total lawyers: 211
Manchester trainees: 30
First-year salary: £24,000
Second-year salary: £26,000
NQ salary: £35,000

Pinsent Masons
Total lawyers: 90
Manchester trainees: 18
First-year salary: £26,000
Second-year salary: £28,000
NQ salary: £38,000

Weightmans
Total lawyers: 88
Manchester trainees: 2
First-year salary: £21,000
Second-year salary: £23,000
NQ salary: £36,000