Latest news: Trainee retention rates improve

On average 80% of trainees stayed with their firms after qualifying in 2011, a 5% increase from 2009 and 2010, according to a survey by the Chambers Student Guide. 17/01/2012

The survey covers 123 commercial firms and asks them: How many of your trainees were due to qualify in this calendar year? And out of those, how many will be staying on with you?

DWF and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain topped the list this year with 100% retention rates. The research also revealed that while firms with between one and 10 qualifying trainees kept on about 75% of the new qualifiers, firms with bigger trainee intakes, and therefore more qualifying trainees, tended to retain a higher proportion. The figures may suggest that the bigger firms have made a stronger recovery from the recession, with smaller firms less able to keep on as many of their trainees.

The big drop in 2009 was a direct result of the economic downturn, and it makes sense that as the market recovers, firms need more junior lawyers.

However, it's a simple fact that because many firms deferred the start dates of trainees in 2009, the qualifying class of 2011 is the smallest in years. The Chambers Student Guide highlights this, a total of 2,251 trainees having qualified at their surveyed firms in 2011. That's over 400 fewer than in 2010. There have simply been less second-year trainees competing for NQ jobs.

Trainees are advised to not judge firms solely on this table. Just because a firm did poorly this year doesn’t mean it will next year. A good example of this is Mills & Reeve which dropped from eighth place last year to joint-bottom this time round.

'Students ought to bear retention in mind but not view it as a decisive component for training contract applications. A lot can change from one year to the next so it’s better to consider a firm holistically, looking at its longer-term history of retention and internal progression,’ says Cecilia Soler, editor of the Chambers Student Guide.