Clifford Chance (CC) has re-opened last year's recruitment programme in a bid to bring the number of recruits for its next two trainee intakes back to "normal" levels.

The magic circle firm usually recruits around 120 new trainees per year spread out over its August and February intakes. However, CC said that it had recruited cautiously during last year's process as a result of the uncertain market conditions, but that it was now looking to top up the number of trainees originally taken on.

In an email to the College of Law, leaked to RollOnFriday, the firm re-invited students to apply to join the firm over the next two trainee intakes, despite the application process closing last year.

CC confirmed the information, but added that 'rolling recruitment' of this kind is not unusual, only it had not used the practice last year due to the financial crisis.

The news that the City giant is recruiting at normal levels will be seen as a sign of market improvement after a majority of firms deferred trainee start dates during the recession, while retention rates also fell across the board.

Legal Week research showed the average retention rate for March 2010 stood at 75%, a drop of nearly 10% on the figure of 83% reported in March 2009.

CC retained 70% of its March qualifiers, compared to 80% kept on in the equivalent intake the previous year. The firm also retained just 70% of qualifying trainees in September 2009.

Clifford Chance on the Legal Week Wiki