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Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has finalised its trainee retention figures following months of extended efforts to find additional spots to keep on more of its spring cohort.
In the end, only 29 per cent – four of 14 new qualifiers – have secured jobs at the firm in what a spokesperson from BCLP has said to be the result of “exceptional circumstances”.
An official statement from the firm reads: “Our focus is to provide all our trainees with the assistance and the support they need to succeed in their legal careers. The number of NQ positions we offer varies from year to year, subject to the needs of the business and market conditions. This year, the number of offered seats is unfortunately lower than the number of trainees.
“To mitigate this, we have implemented several layers of support to the qualifying intake. We have offered early access to outplacement support, one-to-one interviewing assessments, coaching through our Learning & Development team, and introductions to our recommended recruitment agencies, as well as ongoing wellbeing support.
“Our priority is assisting the remaining trainees to land roles, and we have ramped up our outplacement support efforts. All individuals are currently in interview processes, with most trainees not being retained having already received offers from other firms.”
Over the last two years BCLP was reported to have retained roughly 80 per cent of its autumn trainees keeping on 16 out of 20 in 2023 and 15 out of 19 they year before.
