Trainee retention rates at Addleshaws, Nabarro and Wragges set the standard as trio top rankings for 2010

Addleshaw Goddard retained the highest number of March 2010 qualifying trainees in the UK top 30, with the national law firm keeping 89% of its intake.

The firm kept on eight of the nine trainees qualifying and 100% of those applying for jobs, putting its retention rate narrowly ahead of those recorded by Nabarro and Wragge & Co and significantly above the 75% average across the top 30 as a whole.

Nabarro and Wragges both kept on 86% of their newly-qualified lawyers in March, with this rising to 92% for Nabarro when looking only at the retention rate as a percentage of those who applied to be kept on.

Other firms beating the average across the top 30 include Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Allen & Overy (A&O), Herbert Smith, Slaughter and May, Eversheds and CMS Cameron McKenna.

As reported last week, Legal Week's research into trainee retention rates across UK top 30 firms showed average retention rates fell by nearly 10% across the firms from the March 2009 figure of 83%.

Addleshaws graduate recruitment partner Andrew Blower (pictured) told Legal Week: "We focus on recruiting and retaining talented trainees and the retention rates show that the focus is satisfied. We have planned our resources very carefully over the last couple of years and we've done it pretty accurately, which is what the figure brings out."

The retention rates are affected by the different size of intakes at different firms. Wragges, for example, achieved its 86% score on the basis of a seven-strong intake, while Pinsent Masons saw its retention rate drop to 64% after three of its 14 qualifiers opted not to apply, with a further two failing to secure positions on qualification.

Wragges recruitment manager Julie Caudle commented: "Our strategy has always been to take on a smaller number of trainees so that we can ensure a higher retention rate."

Other firms coming in with significantly below average retention rates for March 2010 include Ashurst, SJ Berwin, Macfarlanes and Irwin Mitchell – all of which kept on 67% of their trainee intake.

Ashurst graduate recruitment partner David Carter said: "The number of people who wanted to go into our corporate practice was highly over-subscribed, which also had repercussions on their second and third choices."

Overall, Dentons saw the lowest rate by far after keeping on just one of its seven-strong intake, leaving it with a retention rate of 14%. The firm attributed the rate to poor economic conditions.

Nine law firms within the top 30 only carry out one intake per year, in September. For the September 2009 intake, the average retention rate across all 30 firms stood at 74% of the 1,141 lawyers qualifying. This rose to 78% when looking only at those applying for jobs.

Though the average retention for March 2010 was marginally higher than last September's, the intake was roughly half the size overall, with 548 lawyers qualifying across the 21 firms with March intakes.

Looking at both intakes, Holman Fenwick Willan and Bird & Bird saw the highest retention rates, as they each kept on 100% of their September 2009 qualifiers.

Shoosmiths kept on the lowest number of trainees in September, when it retained four of its 13 qualifiers, equating to a retention rate of 31%.

Louise Hadland, director of human resources at Shoosmiths, told Legal Week: "Given the market, we were naturally cautious about retention of NQs in 2009 and our forecast for 2010 is one of cautious optimism. With business needs changing constantly, we review things on a regular basis."