Some 47 of the firm’s 53 trainees applied for newly-qualified (NQ) jobs with the magic circle firm, and the firm offered jobs to 42 of them. In the end, only 37 will stay, giving a retention rate of 70 per cent, the lowest since spring 2017 when Clifford Chance kept 31 trainees and lost 15 for retention of 67 per cent.
Bird & Bird, meanwhile, is keeping on 15 of 19 qualifiers: five in commercial, four in IP, three in employment, and one apiece in corporate, disputes and risk/compliance. As at Clifford Chance, all are on permanent contracts.
