Despite seeing the long hours and hard work their parents put in, many offspring are not put off from following them into the legal profession, writes Georgina Stanley

“You would have thought they would have seen their parents and learned their lesson,” jokes a senior partner at one leading UK firm about children choosing to follow their parents into the law. But despite witnessing the long hours and lost weekends first hand, law remains a popular choice for those keen to take up the challenge of following in a parent’s footsteps.

City partnerships and barristers’ chambers may not be as closed to those without a lawyer in the family as they once were, but examples of willing bodies following the well-trodden path to a career in the profession are easy to find.

Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger has offspring in the junior ranks of Ashurst and Herbert Smith, for example, while numerous firms across the City house the children of partners at rival firms.

The most high-profile recent example of the trend emerged just this month, when it was revealed by legal website RollonFriday that Linklaters had hired the son of its most recent senior partner David Cheyne as a trainee, despite the fact that Cheyne senior remains a consultant with the firm. The hire, which the firm insists was made on the basis of merit alone, has been criticised by some circles for sending out the wrong signal, especially as some City firms operate informal bans on employing the children 
of partners.

Ashurst litigation head Edward Sparrow (pictured), the son of the late Charles Sparrow QC – former Treasurer of Gray’s Inn – has one sister practising as a solicitor and two children who have followed him into the profession – both at top 10 UK firms.

He says: “My father was a hard act to follow in many respects. He became a barrister without a family background or connections in the law or business. He made his way and eventually succeeded in the Chancery Division, which in those days was a famously closed community.

“I did not have a lifelong ambition to be a lawyer. Towards the end of my university time, I consulted the careers office and we came up with the diplomatic service or the law. The former didn’t want me and Ashurst Morris Crisp, which instructed my father and where he had spent six months while he was waiting to be called to the Bar, offered me a job, so law it was! I have been, and still am, very happy with that choice.”

And he is not alone. City firms are full of partners with parents, siblings or children working at other firms. In part, as with other careers such as medicine or acting, the decision simply reflects the fact that while comparisons with a parent are always going to be difficult, in some ways they are easier to cope with at the outset than forging your own path.

Of course, this is far from this only reason why law runs through generations of the same family. The ongoing economic turmoil means that despite the redundancies many law firms carried out in the wake of the 2008 credit crisis, law is still seen as a more secure career choice than, say, banking. And the prospect of working in a partnership, with the greater say and ownership in the business that comes with this, is also an attractive proposition.

As Slaughter and May executive partner Graham White comments: “Young people look at law as a career and see that it’s intellectually stimulating, it’s a viable career and it’s still a profession, which is appealing.”

Geoffrey Green, Ashurst’s Asia head, who has a brother, David Green QC, at the Bar and a son set to start a training contract with a major international firm, continues: “It’s a wonderful career choice. You get bloody well paid but also you get to mix with smart, creative people. Whatever anyone says about the large firms, they’re full of bright people and working in a partnership is very different to working in a corporate.”

But, equally, seeing your parents working long hours and missing sports days, and other such family events, can put people off. Indeed, with clients becoming ever-more demanding and firms keeping an increasingly tight grip on their equity, as well as cracking down on performance for those lucky enough to make partner, many current partners argue that they would not encourage any of their children to go into the profession.

Sparrow comments: “I did not encourage either of my daughters to become lawyers. In fact, I was careful to make sure they appreciated that, whatever attractions they had seen in my career (or that of their aunt), the life of a young lawyer (and that of not so young lawyers) in the City now is very hard work and success is not guaranteed. They made their career choices with their eyes open and are also happy with the result.”

Many would agree with Sparrow’s point. The additional insight of those who have witnessed both the good and bad aspects of law as a career means that they have a more realistic idea of what is involved and whether it really is the right job for them.

As Slaughters’ White concludes: “They’ve seen the pressure and time commitment, which probably deters some. For every child of a lawyer who chooses to follow a parent into the profession I would guess there are two who decide it is the one career path they will not take.

“It’s definitely a good sifting tool in that sense, as many of those who do choose to follow their parents into the profession stick with it as a career choice.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Case study – Chris & Bryan Pickup

Chris Pickup (pictured), 29, is an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he sits in the contentious competition and trade team. His father Bryan Pickup – a first generation lawyer – is a partner at SJ Berwin, where he currently co-heads the firm’s real estate practice. He has also previously been responsible for trainee development and graduate recruitment – an area in which Chris has already started to get involved.

“My dad’s job had a big impact on my decision to become a lawyer,” says Chris. “I could see that he enjoyed the job and I liked the professionalism of it. I also felt that my dad and I were quite similar so it would be a good fit – we both enjoy working with words every day and using our analytical skills.”

Despite his own success at SJ Berwin, though, Bryan was determined not to influence Chris’ decision either way. Although he secured Chris work experience at SJ Berwin and suggested he apply to Freshfields because the German link fitted well with his modern languages background, the only specific advice Bryan gave Chris was not to study law at undergraduate level to give him a wider view of the world.

He explains: “I didn’t have to persuade Chris to become a lawyer – the career suits him. If someone has the right skillset and stamina I would recommend law as a career, but otherwise no. There are higher expectations than before and lawyers work incredibly long hours, so it’s difficult to balance life with work. The money is, of course, better than before, but the reality is that if the firm joins the Champions League then you succeed within that firm by doing more hours than the man next to you.”

In contrast to some partners’ children, Chris remembers his father being around at home – even though he may sometimes have been working. His experience meant that while he was not put off law as a career he certainly thought carefully about where and how he did it.

Says Chris: “My understanding of the profession has definitely influenced where I qualified. One of the attractions for dispute resolution and competition was the smaller teams and greater flexibility. My eyes were open – I could see it wasn’t a nine to five job, but equally I didn’t want to work in the office until 4am every day.”

His father continues: “Quite a lot of our trainees have no idea what it’s really like – let alone those applying at university. They only see the technical part – the law, the money and the job security. They don’t realise about the working environment. Those with lawyers in the family have a more realistic take on it.”

And the more realistic take brings with it the advantages of being better able to secure work experience and to use this and a greater understanding of what’s involved to perform at interviews – leaving both men convinced of the need to find ways to grant everyone access to these, regardless of whether they have family in the profession or not.

As Chris concludes: “Having a good role model is important when you’re making a career choice, whether it’s a parent or someone else, which is why PRIME is a good idea. We need to make sure that everyone in society can apply to be a lawyer – although we might have to break some of the negative perceptions of being a lawyer first!”

• Click here to follow Legal Week on Twitter

Despite seeing the long hours and hard work their parents put in, many offspring are not put off from following them into the legal profession, writes Georgina Stanley

“You would have thought they would have seen their parents and learned their lesson,” jokes a senior partner at one leading UK firm about children choosing to follow their parents into the law. But despite witnessing the long hours and lost weekends first hand, law remains a popular choice for those keen to take up the challenge of following in a parent’s footsteps.

City partnerships and barristers’ chambers may not be as closed to those without a lawyer in the family as they once were, but examples of willing bodies following the well-trodden path to a career in the profession are easy to find.

Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger has offspring in the junior ranks of Ashurst and Herbert Smith, for example, while numerous firms across the City house the children of partners at rival firms.

The most high-profile recent example of the trend emerged just this month, when it was revealed by legal website RollonFriday that Linklaters had hired the son of its most recent senior partner David Cheyne as a trainee, despite the fact that Cheyne senior remains a consultant with the firm. The hire, which the firm insists was made on the basis of merit alone, has been criticised by some circles for sending out the wrong signal, especially as some City firms operate informal bans on employing the children of partners.

Ashurst litigation head Edward Sparrow (pictured), the son of the late Charles Sparrow QC – former Treasurer of Gray’s Inn – has one sister practising as a solicitor and two children who have followed him into the profession – both at top 10 UK firms.

He says: “My father was a hard act to follow in many respects. He became a barrister without a family background or connections in the law or business. He made his way and eventually succeeded in the Chancery Division, which in those days was a famously closed community.

“I did not have a lifelong ambition to be a lawyer. Towards the end of my university time, I consulted the careers office and we came up with the diplomatic service or the law. The former didn’t want me and Ashurst Morris Crisp, which instructed my father and where he had spent six months while he was waiting to be called to the Bar, offered me a job, so law it was! I have been, and still am, very happy with that choice.”

And he is not alone. City firms are full of partners with parents, siblings or children working at other firms. In part, as with other careers such as medicine or acting, the decision simply reflects the fact that while comparisons with a parent are always going to be difficult, in some ways they are easier to cope with at the outset than forging your own path.

Of course, this is far from this only reason why law runs through generations of the same family. The ongoing economic turmoil means that despite the redundancies many law firms carried out in the wake of the 2008 credit crisis, law is still seen as a more secure career choice than, say, banking. And the prospect of working in a partnership, with the greater say and ownership in the business that comes with this, is also an attractive proposition.

As Slaughter and May executive partner Graham White comments: “Young people look at law as a career and see that it’s intellectually stimulating, it’s a viable career and it’s still a profession, which is appealing.”

Geoffrey Green, Ashurst’s Asia head, who has a brother, David Green QC, at the Bar and a son set to start a training contract with a major international firm, continues: “It’s a wonderful career choice. You get bloody well paid but also you get to mix with smart, creative people. Whatever anyone says about the large firms, they’re full of bright people and working in a partnership is very different to working in a corporate.”

But, equally, seeing your parents working long hours and missing sports days, and other such family events, can put people off. Indeed, with clients becoming ever-more demanding and firms keeping an increasingly tight grip on their equity, as well as cracking down on performance for those lucky enough to make partner, many current partners argue that they would not encourage any of their children to go into the profession.

Sparrow comments: “I did not encourage either of my daughters to become lawyers. In fact, I was careful to make sure they appreciated that, whatever attractions they had seen in my career (or that of their aunt), the life of a young lawyer (and that of not so young lawyers) in the City now is very hard work and success is not guaranteed. They made their career choices with their eyes open and are also happy with the result.”

Many would agree with Sparrow’s point. The additional insight of those who have witnessed both the good and bad aspects of law as a career means that they have a more realistic idea of what is involved and whether it really is the right job for them.

As Slaughters’ White concludes: “They’ve seen the pressure and time commitment, which probably deters some. For every child of a lawyer who chooses to follow a parent into the profession I would guess there are two who decide it is the one career path they will not take.

“It’s definitely a good sifting tool in that sense, as many of those who do choose to follow their parents into the profession stick with it as a career choice.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Case study – Chris & Bryan Pickup

Chris Pickup (pictured), 29, is an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he sits in the contentious competition and trade team. His father Bryan Pickup – a first generation lawyer – is a partner at SJ Berwin, where he currently co-heads the firm’s real estate practice. He has also previously been responsible for trainee development and graduate recruitment – an area in which Chris has already started to get involved.

“My dad’s job had a big impact on my decision to become a lawyer,” says Chris. “I could see that he enjoyed the job and I liked the professionalism of it. I also felt that my dad and I were quite similar so it would be a good fit – we both enjoy working with words every day and using our analytical skills.”

Despite his own success at SJ Berwin, though, Bryan was determined not to influence Chris’ decision either way. Although he secured Chris work experience at SJ Berwin and suggested he apply to Freshfields because the German link fitted well with his modern languages background, the only specific advice Bryan gave Chris was not to study law at undergraduate level to give him a wider view of the world.

He explains: “I didn’t have to persuade Chris to become a lawyer – the career suits him. If someone has the right skillset and stamina I would recommend law as a career, but otherwise no. There are higher expectations than before and lawyers work incredibly long hours, so it’s difficult to balance life with work. The money is, of course, better than before, but the reality is that if the firm joins the Champions League then you succeed within that firm by doing more hours than the man next to you.”

In contrast to some partners’ children, Chris remembers his father being around at home – even though he may sometimes have been working. His experience meant that while he was not put off law as a career he certainly thought carefully about where and how he did it.

Says Chris: “My understanding of the profession has definitely influenced where I qualified. One of the attractions for dispute resolution and competition was the smaller teams and greater flexibility. My eyes were open – I could see it wasn’t a nine to five job, but equally I didn’t want to work in the office until 4am every day.”

His father continues: “Quite a lot of our trainees have no idea what it’s really like – let alone those applying at university. They only see the technical part – the law, the money and the job security. They don’t realise about the working environment. Those with lawyers in the family have a more realistic take on it.”

And the more realistic take brings with it the advantages of being better able to secure work experience and to use this and a greater understanding of what’s involved to perform at interviews – leaving both men convinced of the need to find ways to grant everyone access to these, regardless of whether they have family in the profession or not.

As Chris concludes: “Having a good role model is important when you’re making a career choice, whether it’s a parent or someone else, which is why PRIME is a good idea. We need to make sure that everyone in society can apply to be a lawyer – although we might have to break some of the negative perceptions of being a lawyer first!”

• Click here to follow Legal Week on Twitter