Trainees try to make it to qualification
BDB Pitmans is retaining just over half of its trainees on qualification this autumn.
Out of a cohort of 13 qualifying trainees, 11 applied for 12 available NQ roles. The firm ended up making 9 offers, with 7 qualifying trainees accepting positions - a retention score of just under 54%.
It's enough to put the firm at the bottom of the trainee retention scoreboard as it currently stands, as other firms have generally posted pretty solid scores.
Confirming the leaked low results (leak your firm's retention figures here), a spokeswoman for the firm said: "This year, we extended invitations to 13 trainees to apply for a total of 12 roles. We received fewer applications overall, due to limited interest in the positions available. This was due to the personal preferences of the potential applicants.”
London NQs at BDBP will receive a salary of £78,000, with those in the regions (Reading, Southampton and Cambridge) on £57,500.
Earlier this year, a proposed merger between Womble Bond Dickinson and BDBP was called off. Numerous sources at the time told RollOnFriday that BDBP was the party that backed away. One insider claimed that Pitmans pulled out “due to a poor cultural fit”. While another source affiliated with the firm told ROF it was “absolutely from our side. It was not in the best interests of the firm”.
Comments
48
12
Suggests a bit of trouble if half your NQs couldn’t stay or didn’t want to. Snap it up, Axiom Ince!
33
11
Same thing happened at Sidley and Latham!
32
7
Lathams figure was lower…..
50
10
BDB is small enough that there must only be 1 or 2 jobs per practice area. If half the trainees want to be employment lawyers and they only have 1 vacancy, those trainees are unlikely to apply for real estate or something else instead
16
10
Do we know what Latham’s retention was yet? When if ever is that being published. Guess you could say some trainees have been lathamed.
24
8
But on the upside at least your not a Womble
16
8
Rumour has it that Axiom Ince is looking at acquiring Clifford Chance in the new year. And after that, Wimbledon Bond Dickens. You heard it here first.
17
6
If you had joined the Wombles the world would be your oyster now