_{"I'll just put this with the others, shall I?"}

Burges Salmon is officially the Best Law Firm to Work At, for the third year running.

The Bristol-headquartered firm’s staff gave such high marks that competing firms were unable to deny it the triple – although Bird & Bird and Mills & Reeve came close.

In RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms to Work At 2024, over 8,000 people working in private practice across the UK rated their satisfaction with their pay, work/life balance, career development, management, office, and the culture at their firm.

The survey has been running for two decades and is the definitive guide to which firms are happy places to work, and which are predominantly misery machines.

This year, the large number of responses meant 72 firms passed the threshold of entries required to qualify for the survey, for which the full overall results can be found here.

At victorious Burges Salmon, partners are “really approachable”, and management is “Excellent”, giving “the impression of wanting to make the place a nice place to work”, said staff.

“We are regularly asked our opinion on key topics before firm policies are updated e.g. remote working, and those opinions seem to be taken into account”, said a lawyer.

Upper management “has a strong presence which isn't bad for a firm this size” (it was “Impressive to see the Senior Partner putting chocolate reindeer on every desk in the office last Christmas”), while leadership showing up for events, “even the NQ induction meal”, is “really positive from a junior perspective”.

“The senior partner made an effort to meet up with me prior to my start date, an actual meeting not a quick hello”, said one new Burges Salmon solicitor.

The salary isn’t stratospheric but many said it reflected a decent work/life balance. “There is no competing with the London pay levels, but the hours expected are less than London firms, which is ‘the Deal’ that Burges Salmon offer”.

And, while some lawyers said pay is prone to tapering off at senior levels, a common feature of many firms, BS salaries have “improved at a steady rate and the recent overhaul of the personal and firmwide bonus scheme has helped”, said a solicitor.

Career-wise, lots of lawyers agreed with the junior solicitor that Burges Salmon provides “a clear structure and support to get me where I want to be”.

“Generally the hours here are good, and since being qualified at the firm for three years, I think I've only had to log on at the weekend about twice”, said a solicitor on work/life balance. 

“That being said, it isn't a 9 till 5 job, and depending on your department you may have to do some later nights”.

The “annual target of 1450 hrs (reducing as you get promoted) is honestly very reasonable”, said a colleague. “Bearing in mind the nature/quality of work we do, I don't think you can expect much less. There are busy periods but it always feels appreciated.”

Appreciation is often the difference between satisfaction and dissatisfaction when a lawyer’s getting smashed with work, plus “Partners are also receptive to concerns about being overcapacity - I've never been chastised for turning down work. They also check in with you if you seem overworked or are sending emails late at night”.

“I've noticed a shift in focus on mental health too - the firm has a strong support system and partners/fee earners are honest about their own personal experiences. It feels like you are allowed to have a wobble and the firm will help you back on your feet. I have personal experience of this and feel like I would have capitulated if not for the support of my line manager and wider team", said one grateful solicitor.

As for the culture, it’s “the best I have experienced anywhere I have worked”, said a junior solicitor. “And the people make all the difference - everyone is so open and friendly”.

“Covid hit the culture, but it is coming back”, another Burges Salmoner said. Literal culture, too: “I am involved in book clubs, sports teams, and choirs within the firm. There are less Friday drinks perhaps, but there are plenty of opportunities for other activities”.

“Burges Salmon is all about the culture. It isn't just a facade and partners lead by example. It makes commercial sense - we need a USP to compete with London firms for clients and recruitment. The firm just feels like a nice bunch of driven, bright and friendly people who want good work but not at the expense of their personality”, summed up a colleague.

Roger Bull, Managing Partner at Burges Salmon, said, “To have been named the RollOnFriday ‘Best Law Firm To Work At’ in both 2022 and 2023 was great. But to find out that we have achieved this significant accolade for a third year in a row is simply tremendous. These important wins for our firm mean so much and we are thrilled, as this award gives the truest reflection of our unique positive culture at Burges Salmon”.

“The fact that the results are solely based on our employees' individual opinions makes this achievement even more meaningful. We take immense pride in this recognition, which is a testament to the commitment and passion that all of our people have for our clients, for supporting one another, and for fostering a wonderful, vibrant firm-wide culture", he said. Well done, Burges Salmon.

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