What it does: Kennedys is a global law firm with expertise in litigation/dispute resolution and advisory services, particularly in the insurance/reinsurance and liability sectors.
Mission: At Kennedys, we’re here to make a difference for our clients, and each other, every day.
Size and presence: With over 2,150 people worldwide across 41 offices in the UK and Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and the Americas, we have some of the most respected legal minds in their fields.
Best known for: Our lawyers handle both contentious and non-contentious matters, and provide a range of specialist legal services, for many industry sectors including insurance and reinsurance, aviation, banking and finance, construction and engineering, healthcare, life sciences, marine, public sector, rail, real estate, retail, shipping and international trade, sport and leisure, transport and logistics and travel and tourism.
The good bits: Great work-life balance and excellent quality of work.
The not-so-good bits: Miserable staff who have little to no motivation to complete their work (most likely due to the systematic bullying by upper management).
Kennedys has a rich history of delivering straightforward advice, even when the issues are complex, to help clients navigate challenges, today and tomorrow. Since 1899 we have been listening to our client's needs and we will continue to expand our global footprint in recognition of how the insurance market develops and where our clients need us.
After qualifying as a Barrister and Solicitor in the State of Victoria, Australia, UK-born Charles Frederick Kennedy moved to London, qualified as a Solicitor in England, and became a Partner at Paddison, Chapelle & Kennedy.
Over the years, Kennedy was in several partnerships: Kennedy, Danvers & Co; C. Frederick Kennedy & Co; Kennedy Lindo & Co; and Kennedy Genese & Co. Sadly, Kennedy was taken ill and passed away in 1942 at the age of 79.
Gene took over the practice, keeping the name of the firm, before expanding and becoming Kennedy, Genese & Syson and later Kennedy, Genese, Syson & Lewis.
In the 1960s, Partner Eric Lewis noticed that people were getting tongue-tied with the name at the time 'Kennedy, Genese, Syson & Lewis' and suggested that the name be shortened. At the same time, John F. Kennedy had just become President of the USA and was very much "in the fashion".
A neutral name of 'Kennedys' was agreed and the firm has continued to practice under this name ever since.
At Kennedy's, we’re here to make a difference for our clients, and each other, every day. We empower our people to deliver the very best work and reach their full potential. We do this by putting our values center stage. They define the way we behave and interact with one another, and they run through every strand of our firm.
Our values are at the core of our distinctive culture. They are at the very heart of what makes us a great firm to be part of.
This was evident in the latest independent surveys of claims staff by Gracechurch Consulting (2017) in both the UK and the Asia Pacific. These surveys explored attitudes towards performance amongst specialist law firms and, unsurprisingly, the comments received about our lawyers, in both regions, reinforced our culture and values:
At Kennedy's, we develop careers in an innovative global environment, with our values at the core. We believe that supporting individual growth and development puts us in the best position to attract and retain talented individuals. Regardless of role or level, everyone has access to virtual learning to help you develop your skills, wherever you are in the world. A variety of other exciting opportunities are available including secondments to clients and our global offices.
We value and support diversity as an equal opportunity employer. The environment we practice in is critical as individuals and as members of a cohesive team. We’ve created a culture based on client service, professional excellence, hard work, and trust.
We are always on the lookout for ambitious, enthusiastic lawyers. At Kennedy's, we welcome people who are not only great lawyers but who can fully embrace our values.
We offer a transparent career path. Our partner and senior associate (or equivalent) promotion process and criteria are communicated. We are proud that many of our partners, including our Senior Partner, began their life in law as trainees with us.
We value the relationships we build with our clients and we know that they appreciate our warm, friendly, human approach. You’ll be given lots of opportunities to build your client relationships at Kennedy's, and we encourage you to do so.
⛔ Bonus annual leave
✅ Bonus parental leave
✅ Unpaid extended leave
✅ Permanent employee
✅ Signing bonus
✅ Annual bonus
⛔ Stock options
⛔ Full remote work
✅ Partial remote work
✅ Flexible working hours
⛔ Child care
✅ Free gym
⛔ Pet-friendly office
✅ Mental health days
✅ Hospital
✅ Outpatient
✅ Dental
✅ Maternity
⛔ Free breakfast
⛔ Free lunch
✅ Free tea & coffee
✅ Free snacks
⛔Free dinner
We have identified five priority goals to help us on our path to making a difference for our people, clients, and the environment while also advancing societal goals. Our commitments, which are detailed below, provide more detail on what we are focusing on to make progress toward the SDGs.
Kennedys has leveraged its global footprint to launch an exciting virtual work experience program for students interested in a career in law. Although based on English law modules, the program is open to individuals from any school, college, university, or educational background. No previous legal experience is required and students can complete 100% of the experience online and at their own pace. Over 8,767 participants enrolled with 1810 completions - a 21% completion rate. Feedback from students across the globe was extremely positive. As a result, we now plan to further develop the Global Virtual Work Experience Programme and run 10 follow-up activities to increase longer-term engagement with participants.