Travers Smith and BLM Law have both fared well in the latest round-up of trainee retention results.

Travers Smith has announced a retention rate of 90% as 18 of its 20 trainees will be qualifying with the firm. This follows a good result last year when the firm kept hold of 94% of its trainees. The firm also performed excellently in the RollOnFriday's Firm of the Year survey 2017 placing seventh overall. Lawyers commended the firm for its lack of hierarchy, as well for as adopting an agile working policy which one lawyer said "really helps parents, those with long commutes and the hungover".

At least Jon could take the conference call at home in the morning

BLM Law has also posted good results as the firm will be taking on 18 of its 22 trainees (82%). The firm will be hoping that the four trainees leaving the firm won't take a detour via the office shredder on their way out.

Matthew Akin, emerging talent manager at BLM (i.e. the firm's Simon Cowell) told RollOnFriday “we’ve always attracted really strong, ambitious trainees and we’re pleased that we have a good retention rate this year. We’re looking forward to working with this year’s intake as they start their careers at BLM.”


In other retention news, a source told RollOnFriday that an Eversheds Sutherland trainee who isn't staying with the firm on qualification has opted back in to the Working Time Directive, which means that the firm can't make the trainee work more than 48 hours per week. No doubt colleagues sitting in a hot data room with mountains of work will be delighted to see the trainee saunter out of the office at 5.30pm every day to head to the pub. An Eversheds Sutherland spokeswoman declined to comment.