Travers Smith appear to be the foodie law firm and this recent Linked In Diwali post appears to confirm that..
Roll on Friday Report
More than 3,000 respondents across UK law firms have had their say so far in RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms to Work At 2026 survey, and they’re thinking with their stomachs.
Last week’s round-up revealed that a large number of respondents value being able to work remotely. Digging further into the responses confirms that on the days they do attend the office, staff expect to be well-nourished by their firms.
And if they’re not, they shall be called out for it: a Paul Hastings junior lawyer says that while the office location was nice, it was “dead inside” and had “no canteen”, while a Birketts lawyer notes, “We only have a vending machine”.
At Akin Gump it “would be nice to have a proper canteen even just for cold food”, although nearby Spitalfields market “makes up for that”, as does pilfering: “I can continue to burgle sustenance from the client rooms”, says another respondent.
There appears to less opportunity for pilfering at Gateley where “the cans of pop are locked in a fridge, or otherwise guarded like a hawk by the guy who runs the Client Meeting Rooms floor”. Jeez. One respondent isn’t impressed: “People are here for 10+ hours a day sometimes – I’m not sure giving out a can of Sprite is going to lead to everyone suddenly not being dedicated.”
Firms that fed staff, without charging them, are getting high praise. “Free lunch with a stellar chef who puts on a great weekly menu,” beams a Harbottle & Lewis senior lawyer.
At Kirkland & Ellis, staff may have to go into the office 4 days a week, but “free food, free snacks” and “great coffee” helps, confides one respondent. While Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s offering of “free breakfast, lunch and snacks on tap make working there highly attractive”.
At Travers Smith the “free food in the office (breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, pastries)” is “generally varied and of a high standard,” said a lawyer, “friends who aren’t in law think this is a ridiculous perk and they’re probably right.”
At White & Case, a trainee has done a rough calculation of how much cold hard cash they’re saving: “The amounts of money saved each year from the availability of three free meals, coffees, snacks, etc. all day every day runs into the mid-thousands”. While another describes the “amazing” offer of “free gourmet food” and “unlimited barista-made coffee and cake bar”.
However, sometimes the freebies aren’t always appreciated. “Free breakfast is getting worse,” says an Eversheds Sutherland junior solicitor, “the Greek yoghurt has clearly been replaced with a cheaper alternative. The bowls are getting smaller (probably to save cost)” and “the coffee machine is below average”.
While firms that offer food can keep staff in the office, the reverse also appears to be true. At Norton Rose Fulbright the closing of the canteen for dinner “is a real shame, as it means people tend to commute home quite early to eat at home, before logging on again,” says one solicitor.
A BCLP staffer counting their macronutrients confides they want the office to provide “healthier snack & drink options” and listed their requirements: “Fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, granola, protein bars, low-sugar or zero-sugar beverages, sparkling water, infused water, or natural juices”.
At the other end of the scale, a Birketts trainee says, “having a fruit bowl on each floor is not a perk.” While a Paul, Weiss staffer was clearly not that fussed about their five-a-day: “Why is everything so healthy? Why isn’t there butter for toast in the morning, or some normal food at lunch”.
When it comes to the quality of caffeine available, spare a thought for Browne Jacobson where “the coffee tastes like cigarette ash”. And at Pinsent Masons the “poor” coffee has “recently been downgraded from Azera to Nescafe Gold”. While at BCLP, the coffee is given “at no cost to staff”, said one staffer, but is “still shit,” said another.
Other firms to have made cost savings are Freshfields where the firm is apparently “so cheap that even the fruit and biscuits have been cut down,” said one staffer, and “the canteen and internal coffee shop are no longer subsidised.”
At TLT the “removal of snacks from the office has caused widespread costs cutting rumours,” and annoyance as they were “replaced with seeds and nuts only.” An also-not-on-Mounjaro colleague agrees: “I miss picking up a chocolate bar with my afternoon coffee”.
If you haven’t already done so, put down your (free / purchased – delete as applicable) coffee and pastry immediately and fill in the survey below now. Thankyouplease.
Food has also always been central to Diwali celebrations and so for the third year in a row, the firm celebrated Diwali with a special supper club, which was open to the whole firm.
Attendees were greeted by a violinist and a tabla player performing traditional Indian pieces. Mandip Englund then welcomed attendees with her own experiences of Diwali and its significance to her, whilst, following the main courses, Amar Singh Degon and Gaurav Srivastava, CFA gave their own “Stories of Diwali”, from the perspectives of the Sikh and Hindu faiths respectively.
Many thanks to all those who made the evening such a success, particularly Mandip Englund, Amar Singh Degon, Hari R., Siddhant Sachdeva, Navi Suglani and the Hospitality team.