Magic Circle, Silver Circle or US firms, which is better?

[Crystal86]

Hi,

Just wondering which of these firms are better in terms of work-life balance, quality of clients and work. Does a Magic Circle or US international law firm tend to have more renowned clients and does that make them 'better' compared to their Silver Circle counterparts?

 

[James Carrabino]

Hi,

Just wondering which of these firms are better in terms of work-life balance, quality of clients and work. Does a Magic Circle or US international law firm tend to have more renowned clients and does that make them 'better' compared to their Silver Circle counterparts?

This really depends. Quality of clients can be quite practice area-specific and of course depend on the region in which the firm is operating. US firms will likely have a more diverse array of interesting clients in the US and the same can be said for UK firms in the UK, whilst there are a couple firms that can be considered truly global. Quality of work comes down to what practice area you want to work in - Magic Circle and US do not have anywhere near the private client expertise of Macfarlanes, for example. If it's international opportunities you're after, you can't go too wrong with US firms which tend to be international by default, considering their London office is already an international office. US firms and Magic Circle probably have longer work hours than Silver Circle on average, but in corporate departments you can bet the hours will be long at all of these firms. Ultimately, it is all a matter of personal preference and the groupings themselves are not as important as the traits of the individual firms.

 

[Crystal86]

This really depends. Quality of clients can be quite practice area-specific and of course depend on the region in which the firm is operating. US firms will likely have a more diverse array of interesting clients in the US and the same can be said for UK firms in the UK, whilst there are a couple firms that can be considered truly global. Quality of work comes down to what practice area you want to work in - Magic Circle and US do not have anywhere near the private client expertise of Macfarlanes, for example. If it's international opportunities you're after, you can't go too wrong with US firms which tend to be international by default, considering their London office is already an international office. US firms and Magic Circle probably have longer work hours than Silver Circle on average, but in corporate departments you can bet the hours will be long at all of these firms. Ultimately, it is all a matter of personal preference and the groupings themselves are not as important as the traits of the individual firms.

Thanks this is so useful! Also, are all three equally competetive?

 

[James Carrabino]

Thanks this is so useful! Also, are all three equally competetive?

'All three' include almost fifty firms given the number of excellent US firms in London. You shouldn't be surprised if Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms will be getting in excess of 3000 applications each year for 30-100 training contracts. Some US firms are on a similar level but many US firms do not advertise so much and thus get fewer than 500 applications each year, but will only give 5 training contracts. Perhaps the fact that they do not advertise means that they don't get all the best applicants, but perhaps it means that the applicants are self-selective and only apply to the firm if they know it would be a good fit for them, instead of because it is a firm that all their peers are talking about. It is hard to know what the stats mean, but what I can say with confidence is that all of these firms are competitive enough that you will never feel like you had an easier time somewhere just because the stats are marginally better. If you're not a good fit on paper you won't progress - if you are a good fit, you have a much better chance even if it's at a firm with worse odds.

 

[Crystal86]

'All three' include almost fifty firms given the number of excellent US firms in London. You shouldn't be surprised if Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms will be getting in excess of 3000 applications each year for 30-100 training contracts. Some US firms are on a similar level but many US firms do not advertise so much and thus get fewer than 500 applications each year, but will only give 5 training contracts. Perhaps the fact that they do not advertise means that they don't get all the best applicants, but perhaps it means that the applicants are self-selective and only apply to the firm if they know it would be a good fit for them, instead of because it is a firm that all their peers are talking about. It is hard to know what the stats mean, but what I can say with confidence is that all of these firms are competitive enough that you will never feel like you had an easier time somewhere just because the stats are marginally better. If you're not a good fit on paper you won't progress - if you are a good fit, you have a much better chance even if it's at a firm with worse odds.

Thanks, really appreciate the help!