Working with Pannone LLP

Our people are our most important asset and we go to great lengths to ensure that we recruit lawyers and support specialists who are both technically capable, and also commercially astute, and secretarial and administrative staff who are accurate, efficient and think matters through. We expect everyone who joins us to enjoy working hard but also to have a life outside work!

Teamwork is central to the way we work with all our clients and the way we manage our business. In providing a service to our clients we take great care to match the expertise and personalities of our team members to their requirements. Our size, combined with the structure of the firm, means that we can offer a variety of work, responsibility at appropriate levels and development opportunities for those who want to progress.

We are very proud, for the fourth year in succession, to be accredited by our staff as the best law firm to work for in the country, through our position in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For survey. We were third nationally in the 2007 survey, and by far the highest placed law firm (next nearest is Trowers and Hamlins at 40th. The only other firms in the Top 100 with a Manchester office are Brabner Chaffe Street (67th) and Addleshaw Goddard (83rd). This accreditation is particularly significant for applicants to the firm, because our placing is based on a survey of our staff, carried out and assessed by a wholly independent organisation.

Highlights from the survey include:

• 90% of our staff would recommend working here
• 84% think their job is good for their personal growth
• 81.5% find their work stimulating
• 2nd (88.6% of staff) have confidence in the their team's abilities
• 3rd (90%) would recommend the firm as a place to work
• 3rd (88%) least likely to leave
• 3rd (64%) people saying they are in their dream job
• 4th (82%) say managers listen and don't just talk

Career Development
We believe that we are unique because we recognise that we already employ a lot of the talent that they need for the future and we work hard to retain staff and develop them, whatever role they have joined us in. We have staff who joined us as Office Assistants (used to be called Office Juniors) who are now, in one case a qualified legal executive, Head of a Department of 60 people and in another, a Business Development manager for the practice. We aim for careers with the firm to last in the long term!

Pay and benefits
In the Sunday Times survey we have consistently come first or second in the entire country, for staff feeling that our pay and benefits are fair. Our salaries are very competitive and in addition for all new support staff starters we offer:

• membership of a private health scheme for you with the ability to pay to add family members
• death in service benefit (fixed at twice salary level)
• subsidised gym membership (you have to go though!)
• childcare voucher scheme
• loan scheme for car park passes
• 4pm birthday finish

and after one year's service

• pension scheme
• enhanced maternity and paternity pay, subject to the rules of the scheme
• subsidy for professional examinations and exam leave

For lawyers and other senior staff we offer all the above and pension scheme from the start of employment with the practice.

Informal benefits - we are famous for sharing our successes with everyone at the firm! This has included in the last year for all staff

• Extra holidays as year end bonus and in celebration of awards won
• Xmas shopping half day
• £5 Starbucks card
• Easter egg
• Early finishes

Social events - Pannone is a very sociable firm. There are events arranged and paid for by the firm, Xmas parties and department pizzas, some of which (Summer BBQ and Pantomime visits) have been for members of family too. We have a very active social committee, run entirely by the staff which runs monthly subsidised drinks evenings, ski trips, football, cricket and netball teams, pub quizzes, shopping trips to Edinburgh - something for everyone!

Training and development
As a professional services firm, highly quality training and development is crucial to our on going success. All departments have either Professional Support Lawyers or another senior lawyer in the department, who is charged with keeping the Department up to date with changes in law and practice. The firm also has a very well developed programme of 'soft skills' courses, all developed in house, for example on management and supervision, networking, effective pitching and presenting.

Training to support staff includes on all our IT packages, soft skills e.g. telephone skills, dealing with difficult people. We are particularly proud of our in house Office Assistant and Trainee Secretary courses, which we have developed in house (as we do with most of our training).