Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy (A&O) have announced trainee retention rates for their first intake of 2012, with both firms set to see 89% of their newly-qualified lawyers (NQs) staying on.

Freshfields has offered 42 of its 46 February NQs a place at the firm, with 41 accepting. The magic circle firm also posted a retention rate of 89% for its spring intake last year.

Meanwhile, A&O has offered 52 of 57 NQs a job at the firm with 51 accepting, marking a slight increase on the equivalent intake last year, when 84% of the firm's trainees stayed on.

Last autumn Freshfields kept on nearly all of its trainees, posting a retention rate of 96% after 48 out of 50 NQs accepted a job at the firm. Forty-nine were offered a role and one declined.

However, A&O posted a much lower retention rate for its last NQ intake, keeping on 38 of 53 (72%) autumn NQs.

The news comes after A&O announced in June last year that it would scale back the number of London training contracts it offers by 14% for those applying from November 2011. The magic circle firm will take on 90 trainees per year from 2014 – down from the current figure of 105.

Norton Rose, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), SJ Berwin and Stephenson Harwood have all recently confirmed their trainee retention rates for their first intake of 2012.

Norton Rose has kept on 78% of its NQs, while BLP, SJ Berwin and Stephenson Harwood are retaining 88%, 100% and 83% of their intakes respectively.