Hogan Lovells, Travers Smith, RPC and Osborne Clarke (OC) have revealed their trainee retention details for autumn 2013, with all seeing percentage increases.

Hogan Lovells has kept on 25 newly qualified (NQ) lawyers after the firm offered 28 of its 33 qualifiers a role at the firm.

The rate is marginally up on the same point last year when the firm retained 73% of its qualifying round of NQs, and flat on its March intake when it kept on the same percentage of trainees.

OC, meanwhile, has kept on all eight of its autumn qualifiers to give a 100% retention rate. Of the intake, three of the NQs will be based in London, with four in Bristol and one in Reading.

The result is up on last autumn, when the firm held on to 10 of its 13 trainees to mark a rate of 77%.

Travers has also posted strong results after holding on to 95% of its NQs, keeping on 19 of its 20-strong cohort. The result is up on last autumn when the firm retained 89% of its qualifiers.

Elsewhere, RPC has seen 81% of its qualifying intake stay on at the firm after 13 NQs accepted a role at the firm out of 16. Of the group, two are taking jobs in the firm's Bristol office.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: "It's testament to the rigour of both our recruitment process and the quality of our trainee programme that we're consistently able to retain a high percentage of our intake each year.

"Given the massive over-supply of aspiring lawyers in the market simply getting a training contract these days is far harder than it was a decade ago, and the bar for qualification is rising year on year.

RPC's result is broadly static on last September when the firm kept on 80% of its equivalent autumn intake.