legal opportunities with pwc · jobs, was the amount of client contact and responsibility i had as...

OUTSIDE FRONT COVER

pwc.com/uk/work-in-legal

Legal opportunities with PwC

The opportunityof a lifetime

Your career is just that; yours. You choose it. You live it. You make it happen. To get the best from it, you need the best opportunities. That’s why opportunities are at the heart of a career with us. Opportunities for you to grow as an individual, to build lasting relationships and make an impact in a place where people, quality and value mean everything.

INSIDE FRONT COVER

We like to give our people lots of visibility and exposure to the best opportunities. That’s why everyone you see in this brochure works with us.

Our Legal Practice has over 320 staff.

We’ve had 46% people growth and 52% revenue growth in the last five years.

We’re projecting 75% growth in people and 100% revenue growth in the next three years.

Mark Whitehouse

Training Principal, PwC

pwc.com/uk/careers 1

A closer look at our Legal Practice

Examples of our work

Meet our people

Our global reach

Our culture

Our training

Summer Vacation Scheme

Our offer to you

What we look for

How to apply

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FIRST TEXT PAGE

“We offer a unique training experience. We’re small enough to get to know all of our trainees, which means they get meaningful, hands-on experience from the start. And being part of PwC, means we can provide trainees with access to an outstanding client base and have the opportunity to provide legal expertise alongside other PwC advisers. This means our trainees become well-rounded commercially-minded lawyers.”

CommercialDrafting and negotiating complex contracts.

BankingWorking with borrowers and lenders on a range of matters, from the negotiation of bank facilities, to fund acquisitions of properties, to intragroup financing.

Corporate StructuringAdvising FTSE 100, multinational and other international groups on corporate and commercial, domestic and cross-border structuring and financing projects.

Commercial FraudAdvising clients who are facing investigations and prosecutions by the Serious Fraud Office and other regulatory authorities, and providing regulatory and legal advice on compliance with legislation – such as the Bribery Act.

Cyber Security and Data Protection Providing business-critical support on data protection, privacy, confidentiality and security matters to businesses, governments and public authorities all over the world.

Commercial and Regulatory DisputesRepresenting clients on a broad range of commercial disputes.

EmploymentAdvising on complex UK and international HR projects, and acting on contentious and non-contentious matters.

Entity Governance and ComplianceSupporting international businesses with all aspects of compliance and governance issues.

Mergers and AcquisitionsAdvising sellers, buyers and management teams on UK domestic and cross-border business.

Real EstateAdvising on complex real estate structuring and acquisitions, management and disposals.

PensionsOffering a wide range of pension advice, from implications of corporate restructuring, to tax efficient retirement benefits for executives.

ImmigrationOffering global immigration services to multinational companies moving employees internationally.

Intellectual and Information Technology Advising businesses, from start-ups to multinational companies, on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues relating to technology, brands and content.

Tax DisputesProviding specialist advice in corporate and general tax, indirect and environmental taxes. Our litigation department won the award for best ‘Tax Team in a Law Firm’ in the 2014 Taxation awards.

A closer look at our Legal Practice

With more than 3,200 lawyers in over 90 countries, we have one of the most extensive legal services networks in the world.

We focus on providing our trainees with high-quality legal training and daily exposure to broader business skills. Our multidisciplinary approach means you could find yourself working alongside other advisers within PwC – such as Tax Advisers, Management Consultants, and Accountants. The wide range of expertise we expose our trainees to is what makes PwC a really exciting place to launch your career.


Examples of our work

Cyber Security and Data Protection

“We’re regularly involved in major data breach cases, so our work can be high-profile as well as highly confidential.

My team works across disciplines and international boundaries to apply an unrivalled, cutting-edge approach to data protection and cyber security. Data protection is more than a legal issue though, which means the opportunity to work with experts in different parts of our business. By working closely with teams in Risk Assurance, Consulting and Forensic Services, I’ve gained a much broader understanding of the solutions we offer our clients. This is something that really sets PwC apart. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with teams around the world, which has given me the opportunity to build a network of international contacts very early in my career.”

Pensions

“We want to help our clients be in a position of stability and strength to meet their pension funding obligations.

Helping them enhance their future growth by managing any liabilities associated with their defined benefit pension schemes. We work with our clients to explore the ways in which they can reduce their deficits by considering a number of de-risking measures, such as capping pensionable salary. Being involved in this type of work gave me the opportunity to participate in multiple aspects of an engagement, improve my skills in relation to legal and technical analysis and formulate and communicate legal commercial advice to the client. It also helped me build my confidence through my interaction with other PwC specialists.”

Tax Disputes

“Our team is involved in ground-breaking work, which covers the full range of direct and indirect taxes.

As one of the leading Tax Disputes teams in Europe, we’re at the forefront of developing legal arguments relating to the scope of EU legal rights and their impact on domestic taxation. We’ve litigated at every level of domestic court or tax Tribunal and at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The work is challenging, but varied and has a very distinct commercial focus. A lot of our work involves working closely with tax specialists in PwC. I’ve assisted at a Supreme Court hearing, helped prepare an application to the European Commission and drafted appeals against HMRC decisions on a various range of tax matters. I’ve also presented the latest technical VAT cases at ‘Value Added Chat’ – our weekly joint meeting with the Tax team.”

Corporate

“Our client, a global fashion brand, wanted to simplify their existing European structure to enable it to expand quickly into new jurisdictions.

We work in multidisciplinary teams, and as a Director I worked closely with a trainee to design a new operating model to reduce the complexity of the company. We advised on the legal implementation of the new model, identified and solved the legal and commercial roadblocks, drafted the legal documentation for implementation, and coordinated the court process to implement the new model. The trainee on the project not only drafted the court documentation but also liaised with our counsel and attended every court hearing. It’s so rewarding when you take on a project of that complexity and see tangible results at the end of it.”


Tughan, Solicitor Lucy, Solicitor Anita, Solicitor Georgie, Director


I’m currently in my second seat and sat within the Corporate team. My fi rst seat was in the Intellectual Property and Information Technology (IP/IT) team. A stand-out benefi t of a training contract at PwC is the exposure to the wider PwC network, both across different practice groups and internationally. The network means you become engaged with not just the legal issues but the commercial. For me, PwC offers the right balance between an organisation where you’re a name as opposed to a number, whilst still maintaining a calibre of clientele

similar to many of London’s most prominent law fi rms. Through PwC I’ve been exposed to many interesting clients, many of which are household names. A key moment from my training contract was working on a large government tender for the provision of legal services, which resulted in an unprecedented win for us and was a fi rst for a multidisciplinary practice in the legal industry. Being involved and given responsibilities on this tender during the very early stages of my career was a hugely rewarding experience.

Meet our people

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BiancaJoined 2016LLB Law at University of Exeter

Trainee Solicitor

Being given responsibilities during the early stages of my career was hugely rewarding

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MatthewJoined 2013

LLB Law at University of Bristol

Solicitor

Working alongside the leading experts is a unique opportunity

I qualifi ed into the Employment department in September 2015 after completing my training contract with PwC. My fi rst seat of the training contract was in the Immigration department, working for FTSE 100 companies and liaising with political parties, Think Tanks and the Home Offi ce to help shape the immigration policy in the UK. My second seat was in the Tax Disputes team working alongside leading experts in this fi eld, which is an opportunity I wouldn’t have had with another law fi rm.

My third seat was in Corporate where I split my time between merger and acquisition deals and corporate restructuring projects. My fi nal seat was in the Employment department where I worked on both contentious and non-contentious matters. I spent the majority of my time advising on a complex High Court partner dispute. Since qualifying I’ve focused on advising on post-termination restrictions, employment due diligence projects and several global redundancy projects.

I joined in 2003 as a trainee solicitor before qualifying as a solicitor in the Employment practice group in 2005. What always struck me when my law school friends and I discussed our jobs, was the amount of client contact and responsibility I had as a trainee at PwC. I worked on two merger and acquisition deals during my Corporate seat and on both deals I worked opposite junior solicitors with two to three years’ post-qualifi ed experience at leading law fi rms. I have since continued to progress my career at PwC and I’m now a Director in the Employment group.

Our size means you’re an important part of the team and I’ve enjoyed providing more than just pure legal advice. I’ve worked extensively alongside Tax, Reward, Mobility and Consulting specialists in PwC.

I often work with PwC’s international network too, which has the most extensive global coverage of any law fi rm. I’ve also been on secondments to three different clients over the past few years, all of which were great personal experiences.

Throughout my training contract I really enjoyed the opportunity to develop wider skills, other than just giving legal advice. Working alongside specialists in Tax, Consulting, Valuations and Business Recovery Services, I was involved in a number of deals, restructuring projects and high-profi le litigation cases. It helped me gain a wider perspective and as such, I became a more rounded adviser.

Now I’m qualifi ed, I work in Immigration and advise clients on strategy, changes to law and policy.

I also assist with unique individual immigration situations. Some of the most challenging experiences have been around crisis management and emergency evacuation projects where, due to escalating political situations, our clients have to pull their employees out of particular countries. The highlights for me are defi nitely the variety of work I do, the exposure to specialists both in the UK and internationally, and the quality of the clients.


Meet our people

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SapnaJoined 2007

LLB Law at University of Leeds

Director

My highlight is the variety of work I do

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ChrisJoined 2003

LLB Law at University of Exeter

Director

I’ve enjoyed providingmore than just pure legal advice

Asia Pacifi c AustraliaChinaIndiaJapanLao PDRNew Zealand

PhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandVietnam

EuropeAustriaBelgiumCyprusFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceIcelandItaly

LuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsNorwaySpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUK

AfricaAlgeriaAngolaCameroonChadCongoEquatorial GuineaGabon Ivory Coast

MadagascarMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNigeriaSenegalSouth AfricaTunisia

CaribbeanBarbadosCaribbean NetherlandsDominican RepublicTrinidad and Tobago

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)AlbaniaAzerbaijanBelarusBulgariaCroatiaCzech RepublicEstoniaGeorgiaHungaryKazakhstanLatvia

LithuaniaMacedoniaMoldovaMontenegroPolandRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaUkraine

South AmericaArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombia

EcuadorParaguayPeruUruguayVenezuela

Mexico and Central AmericaCosta RicaEl SalvadorGuatemalaHondurasMexicoNicaraguaPanama

Middle EastUAE


Our global reach

3,200 lawyers in over

90 countries

North AmericaCanada


Our culture

Outside work

Many law firms talk about work-life balance, but it’s genuinely an integral part of our culture at PwC. Although there will be times when you’ll have to work late, or be under pressure to help your team complete a deal, we believe in the importance of enjoying what we do. As well as promoting a collaborative working environment, we also encourage our trainees to join sports teams and take part in activities outside of the office.

From netball to badminton, football to squash, there’s a huge variety of sports teams you could join. It’s a great opportunity to get to know people from across the many different business areas, as well as your Legal colleagues who you may find yourself working alongside on future projects. Many of the sports teams play in the annual Corporate Games and there are even some opportunities to go on tour abroad.

Our seven-a-side football team meets every Thursday night to play other PwC teams and law firms on our pitch in Holland Park – we even won the cherished PwC Cherry Cup a few years ago!

The annual JP Morgan Fun Run has become a key fixture in our sporting calendar – with around 40 people from Legal joining the 400 strong PwC team to participate in the 5.6k race at Battersea Park.

Our ‘alphabet’ dinners, where trainees sample food from all over the world (where each cuisine starts with a different letter of the alphabet), are always a hit.

We have lots of impromptu cocktail nights, an annual quiz night, and summer and Christmas parties – black tie affairs, which are also the biggest dates in our social calendar. These events are an opportunity for staff at all levels to socialise together.

Inside work

We work hard as a team to deliver our clients the highest levels of service. Professionalism remains at the heart of everything we do, but we’re neither stuffy nor stifling. Our open-plan office fosters a collaborative atmosphere and avoids any hierarchy, and our strong support network

means there’s always someone to go to for help or advice. Our trainees play a hugely important role in helping us achieve our growth plans, so we want to help them develop into the best lawyers possible, and make sure they’re proud of PwC.

PwC is rated one of the top legal businesses in the UK by the Legal 500 directory


You’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills across a wide range of our practice groups. At the same time, exposure to the diverse skill sets of professionals across PwC will help you hone strong business advisory skills. You’ll also develop lateral thinking skills, gain practical, hands-on experience at a very early stage in your traineeship and be part of teams delivering creative solutions.

Training contract

Our training contract is divided into four periods (or seats) of six months. We’ll always do our best to give you a choice of seats, and you’ll also receive extensive training internally on business development and networking, management and interpersonal skills.

We look for ambitious, motivated people with the drive to become the leading lawyers of the future. Then we commit to helping them fulfil that potential.

Development programme

� A thorough induction covering our strategy, core practice groups, client care, time management and IT skills and research resources

� You’ll take the core and elective modules of the Professional Skills Course (PSC) during your training contract

� Extensive internal training, including technical seminars and soft skills courses

� Your own mentor from among our third or fourth seat trainees

� Continuous feedback from your supervisor – either a Partner or an Assistant Solicitor

� Regular appraisals to set objectives and assess your progress.

LPCYou’ll study for 1 year

PwC Training Contract2 years

Law degree career pathIf you join with a law degree, you could qualify in 3 years

GDLYou’ll study for 1 year

LPCYou’ll study for 1 year

PwC Training Contract2 years

Non-law degree career pathIf you join with a non-law degree, you could qualify in 4 years

Our training programme Your training experience

Early responsibility

You’ll enjoy exposure to a great variety of client work and have the opportunity to take on early responsibility. And not just with the day-to-day administrative tasks – that would be a waste of your talent and potential. Instead, as an integral member of the team, you’ll take a hands-on approach to client engagements and make a valuable contribution. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry. Our comprehensive coaching, development and support means you’ll never feel like you’re on your own.

Senior exposure

You’ll work closely with our Partners and Assistant Solicitors. Along the way, you’ll hone strong business advisory skills, including networking, client relationship and negotiation skills. You’ll be encouraged to think laterally, gain practical experience and help us deliver creative solutions to our clients.

Shared expertise

Our solicitors often work directly alongside other advisers within PwC – such as Tax Advisers, Human Capital Consultants and Accountants. Thanks to our wide range of expertise and resources, we can offer our lawyers a uniquely rewarding working environment.

Secondment opportunities

You may also get the opportunity to take a secondment to another area of PwC, helping you to get the exposure you need to develop your skills, and broaden your understanding of the business.“My training contract with PwC has been great so far! I’ve gained four months of experience with our market‑leading Tax Disputes team, and four months experience with our integrated Real Estate team. I’m also very excited to begin my six‑month secondment to our Dubai office in the Middle East starting in September. My career at PwC is exciting and diverse – there are so many opportunities and experiences to be involved in that it’s almost impossible to get bored!”Andrew, Trainee Solicitor

SecondmentsRanging from two months to two years, we currently have numerous solicitors on secondment all over the world


It’s all about youBy now you should have a good idea of the learning environment we create for you and the personal and professional development you can expect. But we know that fi nances are important too. Our people are important to us and we want to reward hard work and commitment.

Participation in our optional benefi ts, Choices which includes*:

An iPhone and laptop

A starting salary of £39,000

25 days’ standard holiday pro rata

A season ticket loanA discretionary annual bonus

An extra day off at Christmas

Private Medical cover, Life Assurance, Income Protection and Personal Accident cover

The option to join our pension scheme

* Pension arrangements include auto-enrolment and the option to join the PwC Group Personal Pension Scheme. Full details of reward and benefi t policies are available on joining, including any eligibility restrictions and minimum salary requirements that may apply. Exact details of the reward and benefi ts on offer can be altered at any time and may varyfrom those shown above.

Our offer to you*

Summer Vacation Scheme

To get a training contract with us, you’ll need to complete our Summer Vacation Scheme.

The three-week scheme for students runs in June and July and will help you decide whether a career with us is right for you. You’ll rotate across three different practice groups, carry out research, draft legal documents and attend client meetings. You’ll also work on a case study at the end of your placement. Do well and you’ll be offered a training contract with us. We generally recruit two years in advance for trainee solicitors,

however, we are fl exible and allow applications from penultimate year (and onwards) law students and fi nal year (and onwards) non-law students.

Legal Insight Day

Get a true understanding of what it’s like to be a trainee at PwC if you’re a fi rst year law student. During this one-day interactive placement you’ll discover our full range of Legal services along with the variety of work the Legal team cover. You could also get fast-tracked to an assessment day for the Summer Vacation Scheme in the following year.

Holiday trading up or down to a maximum of 40 days

Enhanced income protection cover

Travel insurance

Virtual GP service

Enhanced private medical benefi t

Gym membership

A company car

A bike through our cycle to work scheme

Personal injury insurance

Dental insurance

Gadget insurance

Health screening

Enhanced life assurance cover

Partner life assurance

Critical injury insurance


What we look for Our global values

Know what you’re signing up for

Starting out in your chosen career and everything that comes with that will be exciting, stretching and challenging. But the rewards are well worth it. If you’re ready to invest plenty of effort, commitment, fl exibility and passion, we’re ready to give you our full support and we’ll invest in your future.

All routes offer you the same deal. The opportunity to grow as an individual, to meet new people, and build lasting relationships that will stay with you for life. In return we need people who are resilient, willing to work hard, are quick to learn, and who, above all, are passionate about going the extra mile to help our clients.

Bringing out the best in you

Throughout your career, you’ll be supported by the best in learning and development – from specialist seminars, courses and toolkits to informal ‘lunch and learn’ sessions hosted by your peers. Your teammates will show you the ropes, and a People Manager will work with you to guide your career and support you in your learning. And at every stage, progression is based on merit.

Our values defi ne who we are, what we stand for, and how we behave.

While we come from different backgrounds and cultures, our values are what we have in common. They guide how we work with our clients and each other, inform the type of work we do, and hold us accountable to do our best. They govern our actions and determine our success.

Our values help us work towards our purpose of building trust in society and solving important problems.

The trust that our clients, communities and our people place in PwC, and our high standards of ethical behaviour, are fundamental to everything we do. Our values underpin our Code of Conduct, which is our frame of reference for the decisions we make every day. It’s how we do business.

The PwC Professional

All our people need to demonstrate the skills and behaviours that help us deliver our business strategy. This is important to the work we do for our business, and our clients. These skills and behaviours make up our global leadership framework, ‘The PwC Professional’.

The PwC Professional focuses on fi ve core attributes: whole leadership, business acumen, technical capabilities, global acumen and relationships. We use this framework to recruit, develop and assess our people at all grades and in all areas of our business, because we expect all of our people to be leaders.

For information on The PwC Professional go to pwc.com/uk/careers/pwcprofessional

Make a difference

Care

Work together

Act with integrity

Reimagine the possible

How to apply

First stage of our processFor most of our programmes you’ll move straight to an Assessment day. However, for a small number of our roles, you may be invited to attend a first stage interview in one of our offices. It will be competency-based, so think how your experiences demonstrate the behaviours and skills we’re looking for. Find out more at pwc.com/uk/careers/pwcprofessional and try our e-learning tools at pwc.com/uk/careers/elearn

OfferWe’ll tell you whether we’d like you to join us as soon after the final stage interview as possible.

Get onlineDecide on the one programme you want to apply for and the skills you can bring and register online. We’ll then ask you to take some online tests. You’ll find out if you have progressed to the next stage of the process once the deadline has passed. For roles without a specific deadline, you’ll know if you’ve made it through within five working days.

ResearchAt interview, you’ll need to explain why you’ve chosen a specific business area, how you think it creates value for our clients, and what skills you can bring to it. You’ll also need to show that you understand how much time you may have to invest in getting a professional qualification. So visit pwc.com/uk/careers and start exploring.

Final stage interviewYour final stage interview will be with a senior member of the team. This will be competency-based so be ready to talk about your experiences, demonstrate your understanding of our business and show you have the attributes detailed in The PwC Professional.

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INSIDE BACK COVER

Assessment dayFor the majority of our programmes, this will be the next stage of the process once you’ve passed the online tests and we have checked that you meet the requirements for the role. There’ll be numerical tests, then either logical or verbal reasoning tests; a group or individual exercise; and a written exercise. Some business areas also give you a case study or a presentation to do.

Before you joinThe support starts as soon as you say ‘yes’. So you feel part of PwC well before your first day, we’ll invite you on to our onboarding website where you’ll have lots of things you need to do before you join.

Pre-employment screeningAccept our offer and we’ll check your grades and job history, so please make sure everything’s correct before you send us your application. We’re known for accuracy, so carrying out checks like this protects our reputation.

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OUTSIDE BACK COVER

This publication has been prepared for general guidance on matters of interest only, and does not constitute professional advice. You should not act upon the information contained in this publication without obtaining specific professional advice. No representation or warranty (express or implied) is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and, to the extent permitted by law, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, its members, employees and agents do not accept or assume any liability, responsibility or duty of care for any consequences of you or anyone else acting, or refraining to act, in reliance on the information contained in this publication or for any decision based on it. © 2017 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. In this document, “PwC” refers to the UK member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity.Please see pwc.com/structure for further details.

Application deadlines

Closing date for Summer Vacation Scheme applications: 26 January 2018

pwc.com/uk/careers

pwc.com/uk/work-in-legal

Valuing difference. Driving inclusion.

/pwccareersuk@pwc_uk_careers

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legal opportunities with pwc · jobs, was the amount of client contact and responsibility i had as...

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