Here are some extracts from the 'True Picture' section of the Chambers Student Guide to Careers in the Law, 2008 and 2009 editions.  The 'True Picture' section is compiled by anonymous interviews with trainees at the firm.  The firm has no editorial input into the resulting articles.

2009 edition

"The merger has been good news for trainees.  Said one:"There are more opportunities for secondments abroad, there was a New York retreat and I doubt we'd have an IP department without the merger" "

"Trainees working in the team [Commercial Litigation] praised the international aspect of the work and liked the fact that they liaised with foreign lawyers"

"Unsurprisingly, insurance remains the heart of the business, a fact trainees said should not put off prospective applicants.  They reckon it "adds an extra intellectual dimension which is just that little bit more challenging"."

"Tenderhearted may be too saccharine a description for the culture at EAPD - but we don't often hear of a City firm with a staff appreciation day, let alone one that sees the senior partner delivering cake around the office."

"Trainees noted that EAPD lacks a strong hierarchy and has a distinctly close-knit feel.  By the same token the firm is genuinely interested in trainee feedback and we were told of management meetings in which trainees had "put forward ideas which resulted in changes.  We wanted more clarification on what to expect from a seat, and now there's a list of ideal tasks and experiences for a trainee in each department." "


2008 edition

"Trainees say that, from the interview on, [the firm] is unusually friendly and personal. "They'd read my CV really well, and they seemed really interested in me and what I wanted to achieve" one recalled of their interview."

"New starters get three full weeks of PSC, induction and further training before they touch down in their first seat. "We'd really got to know each other and the firm by the time we started properly," one trainee told us. "I felt very settled"."

"If you're looking for high-quality work in an intimate environment, and litigation is a big interest, you shouldn't ignore this gem."