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Keeping an open mind is the way to make the most of the seat rotation system, says Laura Manning
Training contracts are often likened to a game of musical chairs - rotating between seats with little idea of where you will end up, but just hoping you will land on your feet and not end up in a heap on the floor. Such a comparison is pretty accurate, provided you throw in a sizeable pay cheque and a little tactical thinking, not to mention the pressure of your future career weighing on your shoulders.
Most trainees step into their contracts with bags of motivation and drive - some, if they are fortunate, with a good idea of which department they eventually want to qualify into. But even if you are one of these lucky few, the likelihood is that you will have to compromise on some of your seats simply to secure the ones you are more interested in as a reward. The best way to allocate seats, along with the ideal number of times a trainee should rotate between departments, have long caused headaches for graduate recruiters. Many plump for the 'more the merrier' approach, cramming six practice areas into two years, while a strong cohort stick to the more popular four-seat structure.
Arguably, though, Jones Day's unique non-seat structure offers the best solution to the problem of keeping everyone happy, and if you like the thought of having your own office from day one, this simple structure may be just the ticket.
Quick off the mark
The international firm prides itself on this unusual set up, believing it to produce well-rounded lawyers by allowing them to take on a vast range of work from all departments at the same time. Trainees achieve their training contracts through the experience they get rather than the time they have spent in each seat, while following a finely detailed, target-based checklist.
Narrowing its training contract like this was a gutsy move by Jones Day, but the graduate recruitment team did not adopt this model with its eyes closed and wisely made public the fact that it would not be for everyone. Indeed, graduate recruitment manager Diana Spoudeas claims the firm seeks out confident, self-possessed and proactive...