Graduate Recruitment
Meet our people
Claire Quinn - Legal Director
Real estate
Law, Kings College London
I joined the Manchester office as a trainee in 1999. I qualified into the real estate team in 2001 and have worked in the department since then.
Obviously the firm has grown a lot in that time and although this has meant a lot of changes, one thing that hasn’t changed is the type of people who work here. They are what attracted me to the firm in the first place as they are friendly, down-to-earth and supportive. Although the recession has affected everyone in the legal industry, there is still a very upbeat and positive atmosphere in the Manchester office.
Even before I joined DLA Piper I was made to feel a part of the firm. The graduate recruitment team keeps in touch with you and invites you to events. Like me, you’ll probably arrive on your first day already knowing a lot about the firm and the people you’ll be working with. It gets your training contract off to a really good start.
Two of the best things about training here are the actual training which is excellent, and the very supportive team around you as you get involved in actual work from day one.
In my role as a legal director I have the opportunity to get involved in things in addition to my transactional real estate work. For example, I represent Manchester real estate in co-ordinating training, which involves working with representatives from our other UK offices, and I also have regular contact with my colleagues in Europe through Europe-wide projects. This adds to my experience and helps to expand my range of skills.
I grew up in the North West and, although I went to university in London, I wanted to return here to train. You get high quality work but in a more close-knit environment.
The city has changed considerably since 1999 and it’s a really good place to work and socialise. As a trainee there are some great areas to live such as the city centre, Didsbury, Hale and Altrincham and it’s nice to be able to socialise with the other trainees.
