Clifford Chance launches magic circle retention season

Clifford Chance will retain 82 per cent of its final-seat trainees as newly-qualified (NQ) solicitors this autumn.

A total of 46 second-year trainees are reaching qualification applied for jobs, with 45 applying for jobs. All those who were made offers accepted them: 36 on permanent contracts and a further two on six-month fixed-term contracts.

Clifford Chance is the seventh firm to release its trainee retention figures so far and the fourth to employ fixed-term contracts, which is becoming a feature of this round so far. This morning The Lawyer revealed Orrick has offered all six of its qualifying trainees fixed-term contracts until the end of December and has deferred decisions on permanent retention until later in the year.

Clifford Chance’s retention result is broadly in line with its figures over the past decade. The firm recorded a high of 95 per cent in autumn 2016, keeping 45 of 47 qualifiers, and a low of 67 per cent in spring 2017, when it retained just 31 of 46.