Our people

We can talk about philosophies, systems and differences, but only one thing truly makes us who we are, and that's our people. We value diversity and individuality very highly – different perspectives are crucial when it comes to providing innovative advice. You will find graduates from 147 different degree courses, 67 different universities and 45 different nationalities at Slaughter and May. But there are shared qualities that help bind us together.

When selecting trainees we certainly look beyond their academics. This is a people business and we work together in teams, sometimes under considerable pressure for lengthy periods. We need individuals with energy and spark who can relate to those around them. We like common sense, integrity and drive. We like people who have an interesting take on things and who have a range of interests outside of the law. We like people with resolve who are able to show grit under pressure. We also like an awareness of the business world and backdrop, because this is key for our clients.

Best of all for helping clients, confounding the opposition and managing the pressure? A sense of humour. Try surviving without one.

We aim to employ the brightest minds regardless of what or where they studied. We use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System across all our trainee recruitment activity. The system helps us identify high-potential candidates by putting applicants’ grades and achievements in the context of their social and educational background. We benefit from talented people who think differently and we strive to ensure that people feel comfortable being themselves at work. We work with a number of external organisations to ensure we are recruiting the most talented individuals from a broad range of backgrounds. 

We are proud to have been recognised in the top 75 UK employers for social mobility 2021 and the top 100 best employers for LGBTQ+ people. One of our partners also feature in the Empower 100 Ethnic Minority Executives lists which identifies senior people of colour who are leading by example and removing barriers on the pathway to success for ethnic minority employees.

Our aim is to ensure that our talent remains diverse throughout the pipeline to partnership. In addition to numerous training programmes for the professional and personal development of our people, we provide targeted opportunities for female, BAME and LGBT employees, including mentoring schemes, development programmes and coaching sessions.

Diversity of thought, perspective and experience is invaluable in providing creative and cutting-edge advice to our clients, and it also fosters an open-minded and varied work environment. We believe that it is our ability to build collaborative and diverse teams that helps us to succeed. That inclusivity enhances our business performance.