Job Description
The Role
Your key responsibilities will focus on managing the seat allocation of Trainees to London Practice Areas, International offices and client secondments through the six-monthly seat rotation, to ensure that Trainees acquire the necessary exposure and knowledge which will inform decisions on qualification and deliver a high Trainee to NQ conversion.
Who you will work with
You will work closely with the ETD Manager as well as the Early Talent Development team, wider HR team, key Partners and Trainees to deliver high impact and highly efficient Trainee priorities and processes.
What you will be responsible for
You will partner with the Early Talent Development (ETD) Manager and relevant key stakeholders to develop and deliver the Trainee priorities aligned to the firm's people and talent strategy in the UK with a focus on the Trainee seat allocation process.
You will have overall responsibility for Trainee visas (pre joining and during the Training Contract), ensuring compliance with internal policies and legal requirements.
You will gather and share insights from Trainees, Partners and key stakeholders to ensure that a holistic approach is taken across the course of the seat allocation process and to inform future decisions.
What you will do
People and Talent Strategy
- Work with the ETD Manager and key stakeholders to support and deliver the People and Talent Strategy and Early Talent priorities.
Seat Allocation
- Act as a trusted advisor to the Partners in respect of Trainee seat planning and resourcing.
- Identify and collate Trainee resource needs across the London Practice Areas, international seats and client secondments to determine appropriate allocation of Trainees, incorporating the individuals’ preferences and development goals/needs where possible.
- Understand the number of Trainees from international Trainee programmes e.g. Middle East and APAC to ensure those coming to London are allocated appropriate seats.
- Share insights from the Practice Areas during the seat allocation process with ETD Manager and key stakeholders to inform the Early Talent priorities and areas of focus.
- Share early insights of Trainee seat and qualification preferences to inform seat allocation and NQ offers, enabling the ETD Manager to identify potential issues and solutions at the earliest stage.
- Working with the cohort leads, review appraisals to determine suitability for client and international secondments and as required for niche London seats.
- Manage the entire seat allocation process to ensure effective allocation of Trainees across the business in line with resource need and experience requirements. This will include:
- act as a trusted advisor to the Trainees and be a first point of contact for answering queries e.g. seat choices, visa concerns and qualification options.
- review prior seat experience of Trainees.
- Inform Practice Area of TLP dates for those undertaking this course, track attendance to manage any movements and ensure course completion.
- use relevant tools to assist with the allocation of seats.
- liaise with key stakeholders on provisional allocations.
- organise any necessary interviews for client/international secondment selection.
- collaborate with Global Mobility team on related processes for international seats so that necessary arrangements are made for visas, accommodation and secondment paperwork.
- collaborate with HRBPs on the client secondment allocations to ensure necessary processes are followed including the completion of paperwork.
- confirm decisions to Trainees and all key stakeholders.
- take input from the ETD Specialists on insights they have gained from Trainee 1:1s and key stakeholders including through post-seat wash ups to inform seat allocation.
- provide holistic insights to the ETD Manager on key themes that might help inform future changes to the seat allocation process and business needs.
- Ensure any feedback obtained during the work allocation process on Trainee performance is passed on to the ETD Manager and Senior HR Business Partner.
Talent Management
- Assist the ETD Manager to develop a Trainee resourcing plan that anticipates demand and capacity needs, including analysing data, identifying trends, and finding creative solutions to develop our Trainees and ensure optimal organisation structure.
- Keep abreast of any potential Trainee issues (prior to them joining and during the Training Contract) including exam failures and admissions and bring to the attention of the ETD Manager who will liaise with HRBP team as appropriate.
Talent Acquisition (TA)
- Liaise with other ETD Specialists on law school exam failure and any impact on cohort numbers and the offer as a result of individuals not passing their exams.
- Meet with 1st seat Trainees who hold a sponsored visa to explain the relevant visa regulations and obtain signatures on the visa note.
- Organise and host the induction for inbound Trainees from other international office Trainee programmes.
- Share any insights from Trainees and key stakeholders with the ETD Manager to collaborate with the Early Talent Acquisition team to help shape Early Talent Acquisition strategy and priorities to bring the talent required across all groups and practice areas.
Inclusion, Wellbeing and People Experience
- Share insights and work with ETD Manager to deliver against the inclusion and wellbeing objectives.
- Proactively build knowledge and understanding of the key inclusion pillars and strategy to speak confidently and competently.
Qualifications
Your experience
Your career experience so far
Skills
- You will have a proven ability to build and maintain strong internal and external working relationships.
- You will be confident with the ability to engage and influence all levels of staff. You will be comfortable with delivering difficult messages to Trainees and senior management within the Firm.
- You will have flexible and effective communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to explain technical issues in terms that are appropriate to the intended audience.
- You will be proactive and an effective problem solver.
- You will be an accurate worker with high attention to detail, and excellent organisational skills. You will have the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.
- You will have excellent IT skills including a thorough working knowledge of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.
Experience
- You will have experience of managing seat allocation processes, professional career development or training. It would be advantageous if you have an in-depth understanding of the legal environment and the skills and personal attributes necessary to succeed in this profession.
- You will have proven experience in problem-solving and conflict resolution.
- Ideally your experience will have been gained in a large matrixed and commercial environment, ideally professional services.
Knowledge
- You will be required to develop a good understanding of the culture and workings of the Practice Areas and international offices in order to identify appropriate solutions that align with the Firm's broader requirements.
How we will support you
From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.
Human Resources management forms a key part of the firm's infrastructure, and it is an important part of the firm's global strategy to attract, motivate and retain the best quality people across the firm and to become a recognised employer of choice.
The Early Talent team has two halves: the Early Talent Acquisition team and the Early Talent Development team. They work together to recruit and support graduates on our Trainee programme. Clifford Chance recruits around 100 graduates a year into the trainee lawyer programme. The acquisition team manages the marketing and attraction, the selection and assessment and the offer process for graduates. The development team manages the trainee life cycle, from completion of the Post Graduate Diploma in Law, the Legal Practice Course and/or the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination, right through to qualification from the two-year training programme.
Clifford Chance won Graduate Employer of the Year at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards and has been named Graduate Employer of Choice for Law at the Target UK 300 and the Times Graduate Employer Awards. The team have also taken home awards from the Institute of Student Employers, The Lawyer Management Awards, and the Law Society Excellence Awards.
Company Description
Who we are
We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.
Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.
Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.
You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.
Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.
Additional Information
Equal opportunities statement
At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.
We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.
We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.
Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.
Find out more about our inclusive culture here
Hybrid Working
This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.
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