A familiar refrain that emerges when quizzing clients regarding the fees charged by large City firms is resentment that they are being asked to foot the bill for ‘training’ junior lawyers. The logic of this assertion, which emerged again during Legal Week’s The Verdict poll on fees, is that most lawyers, especially at larger firms, are of little practical use to the client until they reach three-years’ PQE.
But even leaving aside the issue that it is not the juniors’ fault if their employers have them mired in photocopying for the early years, such gripes seem misplaced.
