Training scheme stuck in the past - Trainee Patent Attorney Mewburn Ellis Employee Review

- Rotation scheme offers negligible benefit in a post-COVID world – there is existing equipment and structure to work virtually at other offices, yet management continues the need to move cities. This rotation scheme is applied as dogma; you WILL be moving to a city if management decides it. - Other firms offer better pay and benefits for trainees/associates (especially relevant with the added expense of moving between offices). - HR team is either incompetent or purposefully difficult. Poor communication and often do not adhere to written procedure. - Very high expectations for professional exams in comparison to other firms, such as (needlessly) sitting all UK finals exams as early as possible. - Poor fiscal support for exams, no expense scheme for legal texts/revision materials. - Insular culture in certain offices, Lack of unification in work culture and practices between offices. - Poor attitude towards mental health despite the new I&D scheme. - Favouritism is quite common and can make working with some partners very difficult, especially with the rotation scheme where you mostly work with one partner at a time. This leads to the “ejector seat” placements where trainees leave/get fired when working with a partner they do not get on with.