Denton Wilde Sapte and Taylor Wessing are both set to retain only half of their trainees due to qualify in September.

Dentons told all 31 of its September 2009 qualifiers last week (16 June) that it will only be offering 17 positions across the UK and Middle East. Of the 17 offers, which equate to a retention rate of 54%, two of the positions will be client secondments.

The firm also has three trainees qualifying into Turkey and Russia, with all three set to be retained.

Meanwhile, Taylor Wessing has announced that it is planning to keep on 13 of the 24 trainees due to qualify in September, also equating to a 54% retention rate.

The firm said it was offering CV training and networking opportunities to those not offered a position.

The news from Dentons and Taylor Wessing follows announcements from several other City firms that retention rates for September have been reduced.

Magic circle firms Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have all retained 70% of their September trainees, while Herbert Smith is keeping on 74%.

Firms bucking the trend include Ince & Co, which is retaining 100% of its trainees, and Holman Fenwick Willan, which has not yet completed the process but expects to have more vacancies than trainees.