University poll: 15,000 final-year students rank 11 law firms among their top 100 ‘employers of choice’



City firm Clifford Chance has emerged as graduates’ choice of best employer when it comes to entering the legal arena, according to recent research.


The UK Graduate Careers Survey of more than 15,000 final year university students at 30 universities put the firm in 44th position in the 100-strong ‘employers of choice’ league table, but first in the legal stakes. It also clinched top marks for the best graduate recruitment literature.


As well as Clifford Chance, 11 other law firms made it into the top 100: Linklaters (which came in at 49), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (52), Eversheds (55), Allen & Overy (56), Baker & McKenzie (61 – the highest ranking for a new entrant to the table), Lovells (66), Slaughter and May (71), Herbert Smith (72), DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary (82), Wragge & Co (90) and Norton Rose (92).


However, law firms were behind organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, which came first in the table. The civil service and other public bodies including the NHS, BBC and the Army also forged ahead, along with banks and leading retail chains.


Overall, graduates now feel gloomy about the future, with just 36% thinking they can find their ideal job and 80% believing there are not enough employment opportunities to go round.


Some 40% of overall respondents want to work in London, the poll showed, with most hoping to take up a position with a major national or international company.


Teaching and the media were the most popular career sectors that final-year students applied for, although law rose from 7.1% last year to 7.6% this year.


Julia Clarke, graduate recruitment partner at Clifford Chance, said the key to the firm’s success was putting the word out that it was a leader in the field; the firm approaches 55 universities each year and also backs pro bono initiatives and other university-based projects, with staff visiting and speaking to students.


‘Students are attracted by [an employer’s] reputation,’ Ms Clarke explained. ‘They want to see that you have a good profile and can provide opportunities – but then you need to follow it up with personal contact.’