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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jane101" data-source="post: 211357" data-attributes="member: 40554">Hi everyone!This is my first post here so apologies if I've put it in the wrong place. I’m currently weighing offers from both Ashurst and Baker McKenzie ('BM'), and I’d really appreciate any insight/advice from those who have experience with either (or both!) firms. I know I’m incredibly lucky to be in this position and I'm grateful to even have a choice, but now I'm here I'm struggling to decide.I've put together a rough comparison list, and would be extremely appreciative if anyone could weigh in on any of these areas:Type and Calibre of WorkMy understanding of BM is that its work is mostly multi-jurisdictional, being a global firm operating in 46 countries. Meanwhile, my understanding of Ashurst is that it's much more UK-focused, sitting on the UK government's legal panel for example. Is there a perception that one or the other is more 'prestigious' (i.e. would I be wrong to think that Ashurst would be better known in London, but BM better known globally? And would this have any impact on future career progression i.e. lateralling down the line?).TrainingBoth firms take between 30-40 trainees. BM requires you take a transactional and contentious seat, whilst Ashurst requires a transactional seat and a seat in Banking & Finance/Capital Markets. Does anyone have any further insights into the training I could expect at these firms? I don’t know where I want to qualify yet, so specific strength in practice areas is unlikely to hugely impact my decision.Work/Life BalanceBM has 25 days annual leave and target hours of 1700, whilst Ashurst has 27 days leave and a target of 1600. However, I've heard anecdotally that 'silver circle' firms essentially work 'magic circle' hours, so I'm struggling to compare the two here.CultureI've met people from both firms, and they all seem lovely! This makes it hard to differentiate here.Career ProgressionDoes anyone have any insight into what career progression looks like at these firms? As the larger firm BM obviously has more partners/senior associates, but I'd imagine you'd be competing with a greater pool of people for promotions?International SecondmentsI'd assume that BM has far greater opportunity for international secondments, given it has 77 offices? Saying that, I've remember reading somewhere that 1/3 of Ashurst trainees go on international secondment.RemunerationBM offers an NQ salary of £140,000, and Ashurst £125,000. I was curious if anyone knew what further salary progression/bonuses look like at either of the firms? If you start on a higher NQ salary, I'd imagine this is reflected in associate pay too? I've heard salary bunching is quite common at the associate level, so wanted to check for this.Do let me know if i've missed any key points, and thanks in advance for any insights — looking forward to hearing what you all think!</blockquote>

Verification: Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?

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