I joined the firm with high hopes, drawn by its stated values and positive reviews. Sadly, my experience was that those weren’t reflected in one of the litigation teams in the London office. I found the environment hostile, particularly towards junior staff. Senior members appeared approachable, but in reality, I found the environment toxic, focused on fault-finding and exclusion. I was frequently made to feel caught out rather than supported.
When I raised concerns, HR was not particularly helpful and suggested that if I felt this way, I might want to “take a view”, which seemed to me to be a suggestion that I consider leaving. I’ve faced professional challenges before, but I’ve never felt so disheartened.
From what I observed, this experience isn’t unique - others in junior roles have faced similar treatment, and I doubt I’ll be the last. The team’s reputation appeared to be widely known within the firm, but the issues seemed to be met with a blind eye.
There may well be some teams at VWV that reflect the firm’s stated values, but this one did not.
