Join the law firm for success in London
For the past 125 years, we have supported some of the world’s most remarkable individuals and organizations.
Join an ambitious, collaborative international law firm where individuals are valued and voices are heard. A truly flexible working culture that puts people first.
We’re helping our clients to shape the future.
Can we help shape yours too?
Key dates - Training Contract (2027) application
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Applications open: Friday, 1 November 2024
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Applications close: Monday, 31 March 2025
Join us
Applications for 2025 training contracts are now live. All applications must be made via our online careers portal.
VISIT CAREERS PORTAL
What can you expect from us?
A training contract lasts two years. As a trainee, you would be posted to four different teams around the firm – we call these ‘seats’ and each seat lasts six months. We will work with you to understand the areas of law that you are particularly interested, and will try to help you get the seats that best match your career aspirations.
At the start of each seat, you’ll be assigned a supervisor who, as well as giving you work, is responsible for mentoring you, and for providing training and feedback on how you're doing. You will have two appraisals with your supervisor in each seat in addition to regular informal catch-ups, where you have opportunity to discuss your objectives and what is expected of you. As well as technical legal training, we also provide you with the skills you need to succeed commercially. This includes presenting, negotiating, workload management, business development, client relationship management and networking.
The interview process
If you are successful following the application stage, you will be invited to complete an online strengths based assessment. This assessment will help you learn more about the work you’d be doing in the role and help us understand if you’d be a good match.
Your first interview will be 50 minutes talking to a partner and member of the HR team. If you do well at interview, you’ll be invited back to the second stage of the process.
The assessment centre will consist of a group exercise, an interactive (role-play) exercise and an interview with two partners which will include a 10 minute presentation – you’ll be given options to choose from but this is usually on current affairs. Ahead of the assessment centre, you will also need to complete a written assessment and a psychometric assessment.
What are we looking for?
We are proud of the successful clients we work with. We’ve worked with over 60% of the Top 50 charities in the UK, 74% of The Sunday Times rich list and the leaders of major FTSE and City of London institutions. Much of our work in the UK has an international component and collaboration is critical to successful delivery for our clients. Everything we do centres around providing great service to these people.
To join us, you’ll have a strong academic record but beyond that you will have the diversity of interests and confidence to work with our client base. We are the largest law firm in the world focused on the needs of successful individuals and their business interests, and have spent the last decade growing this international platform – the ability to work globally with all sorts of different people is vital. Languages aren’t essential but they are very useful here. In particular Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin and Japanese are useful.
Our requirements
In terms of specific requirements, we welcome applications from all degree disciplines and from applicants at all stages of their careers – in fact, previous roles help bring the maturity required to work with our clients. You’ll have, or be on track to have, a 2:1 degree or higher and a minimum of AAB at A-Level (or the equivalent if educated outside the UK). Please note that undergraduate applicants must be in their penultimate or final year of a law degree or their final year of a non-law degree.Your career success
We work hard to make sure we operate in the same markets that our clients do. We now have 17 offices globally, and launch new services whenever we spot something our clients need. We want all our lawyers to have the same entrepreneurial spirit and determination to keep moving and developing.
There are lots of opportunities for you to develop your career at the firm, during training and beyond. This might be an international secondment, pro-bono work or joining a firm wide group that keeps everyone up to date on legal developments or non-legal topics like diversity.
Another key way to develop your career is via our global market groups. These teams of lawyers sit across our areas of legal specialism, and develop deep knowledge of the sector that our clients work in. This might mean, for example, developing a particular immigration solution for entrepreneurs or exploring the use of arbitration in trust structures. So many of our lawyers naturally link this with something they are personally passionate about like sport, art, luxury brands, philanthropy, family businesses or a particular jurisdiction they love. We have over 100 lawyers here who love everything Italian, for example, and who spend as much of their time helping Italian clients as possible!
Candidate centre
To make an application or to continue an application already in progress, register with or log in to our careers centre here.
SPEAK TO ME
Kylie Fawcett
Hi. I'm Kylie, talent acquisition and diversity manager in London, and I'm on hand to help you with any questions you may have.
+44 20 7597 6105 EMAIL KYLIE