We place a strong emphasis on supporting our early career professionals into their life-long careers. Our emerging talent population is valued and developed throughout their career journey, with extensive opportunities and training to support professional development.
Here you will find information about your emerging talent career opportunities. At the firm, we recruit for trainee solicitors via our training contracts and Summer Vacation Scheme, and for solicitor apprentices via our Paralegal Apprenticeship Programme. You will find further information about our graduate and apprenticeship opportunities below, including insights into the programmes available and the application process to join us.
Steve Ward – Emerging Talent Principal
"I’m Steve Ward, head of our EMEA investment funds practice and training principal and emerging talent partner. I oversee the hiring, development and qualification of our junior lawyers and non-legal apprentices and work very closely with our wonderful Emerging Talent and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) teams here at the firm. I have supervised and supported trainees since I was three years' qualified and believe that our trainees and our apprentices are the lifeblood and future of our firm. I am deeply passionate about training and development of our junior lawyers. As training principal and emerging talent partner, my role is to champion (and challenge!) our junior lawyers as they approach qualification (and beyond!) to ensure they become the best lawyers they can be.”
Emerging Talent Opportunities
Trainee Solicitor Programme
Applications for our 2024 Summer Vacation Scheme are now closed and will open again in Autumn for our 2025 Summer Vacation Scheme.
We offer a variety of apprentice and graduate opportunities so you can start your legal career with a leading global law firm that has been providing quality legal services for more than a century and cares about the success of its clients. By being your unique self, you will take the time to understand our clients’ needs and provide practical, bespoke advice – always with their best commercial interests in mind.
Be commercial. Be empowered. Be connected. Be involved. Be one of us.
Summer Vacation Scheme 2024 and Training Contract 2026
Our client base spans every type of business, both private and public, worldwide. We advise a diverse mix of clients, from Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 corporations to emerging companies, and from individuals to local and national governments.
Our unique six-seat training contract provides a depth of experience and exposure to various legal practice areas. Dual-tier supervision will ensure you are supported throughout your training by a daily and partner supervisor, with regular contact from our dedicated emerging talent graduate partners who look to ensure you are making the most out of your seats.
We provide a range of learning opportunities to our trainees as part of our six-seat Trainee Solicitor Programme that will enable you to develop and progress your career with the firm. Opportunities include national and international secondments, alongside bespoke learning and development opportunities.
Hear more from Chetan Mistry, who discusses the key skills of a trainee solicitor and provides some advice as to how he prepares for seat rotations:
Application Process
We recruit all our future trainees through our Summer Vacation Scheme, which is one week and is held in June. Within this week, you can get to know the firm and experience what life is really like as a trainee at the firm, with real work given to you by your daily supervisor or your trainee buddy. You will get to know our strategy and initiatives, including meeting those working on our environmental, social and governance (ESG), DEI and pro bono projects. We also have active charity and social committees, with our head trainees regularly organising events within these, which you may be able to attend during the scheme.
Written Application
The applications for the Summer Vacation Scheme open on 18 September 2023. You will be able to submit your written initial application until 3 January 2024, when applications will close. We do not recruit on a rolling basis. To be eligible to apply, you will need the following:
- To be predicted to obtain, or have obtained, a 2:1 undergraduate university degree in any discipline
- Be at least in the second year of a law degree, or final year of a non-law degree, or have graduated from university
- Be available to start the training contract position in September 2026
- Have completed, or be able to complete, your Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE)/Legal Practice Course (LPC) before September 2026
Digital Assessment
The next stage of the application process is the digital assessment. You will be given time to prepare your answer to the questions on screen, and you are given a one-week deadline to complete this assessment, which you are required to complete over one sitting.
Assessment Centre
The next stage in the application process is an in-person assessment centre, which will take place at one of our offices. This consists of three activities – an interview, a group exercise and a presentation. You will be given the presentation topic one week in advance of your assessment centre so that you can prepare accordingly.
Vacation Scheme
The final stage of the application process is the vacation scheme, where you will be assessed on your performance within your practice group and within the interview and presentation that is undertaken at the end of the scheme. As before, the presentation topic is provided one week prior to the scheme.
Find out more about the application process and get some tips by watching Hannah-Mei’s video below:
Paralegal Apprenticeship Programme
Our firm is a great place for you to take the first steps toward reaching your career aspirations. As an apprentice, you will receive dedicated support through our chosen training providers and invaluable on-the-job training from the start of your career with us. We are giving you the opportunity to join our expert teams to build your knowledge and skills.
Be commercial. Be empowered. Be connected. Be involved. Be one of us.
Paralegal Apprenticeships
Start your legal career with a leading global law firm that has been providing quality legal services for more than a century and cares about the success of its clients. Our client base spans every type of business, both private and public, worldwide. We advise a diverse mix of clients, from Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 corporations to emerging companies, and from individuals to local and national governments.
Our paralegal apprentices complete their learning with BPP University, whose programme combines the technical knowledge of a lawyer with a practical, hands-on approach to learning. Over the two-year duration, paralegal apprentices are given one set working day each week to study. These weekly study days include reading and preparation for webinars, workshops, and assignments. To further help with exam and assessment preparation, our apprentices are given exam leave, and are also given six paid working days to use for additional study leave should this be required.
Find out more about the learning programme at BPP University.
Watch this video of Uisce’s experience of being a paralegal apprentice in the Real Estate team.
Our paralegal apprentices reside in one practice group for the duration of the Paralegal Apprenticeship, where they are encouraged to develop their legal skills and explore as many opportunities for further development as possible. For example, apprentices at the firm have attended client business development events and mock client pitch competitions, and have organised events as members of the charity, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and social committees.
Upon the completion of the Paralegal Apprenticeship, we explore the possibility of progression onto the Solicitor Apprenticeship so that apprentices can complete the remaining four years of apprenticeship learning within their journey to qualification as a solicitor.
If you are keen to start your legal career and gain a qualification in law and legal practice in a global law firm, we could be the firm for you.
Read Alex Bradbury’s case study of developing professional skills as a solicitor apprentice:
“The primary advantage of an apprenticeship is the on-the-job training you acquire and the hands-on skills that stem from that. You can learn all the theory in a classroom, but nothing compares to actually doing the job you are training for and learning through tangible success and short-falls.
You will first and foremost gain practical skills that you will use every day in your job, particularly the more general skills you don’t get taught. Drafting emails (both internal and external), making telephone calls, organising meetings – all important to help make your team’s lives easier and aid you in becoming a better and more integral part of your team.
You will also obviously develop your technical skills. These will be specific to your area of work, but are best honed on the job. The knowledge you develop on the study side of your course will also aid you here, as it can often be applied in conjunction with the new tasks you are learning to complete.
A benefit not advertised but extremely valuable is the development of your interpersonal skills too. As an apprentice, you will work with people of all levels of seniority and experience, and it is a skill to learn how to build those relationships so that you can communicate with colleagues respectfully but without feeling intimidated. There will, no doubt, be committees you can join, or initiatives you can get involved in, and these will all help to raise your profile and give you a boost in both confidence, and your abilities in the other skills you have developed.”
Application Process
Applications for our Paralegal Apprenticeship are not currently open.
We will announce the opening of these on our website and social media for our future positions.
Work Experience
We offer a range of formal work experience programmes that run in close conjunction with our community partners. Outside those schemes, we are unfortunately unable to offer more ad hoc work placements or work shadowing.
We understand that choosing which firms to apply to is difficult. We want to provide you with insight into what life at the firm is really like, to help you make an informed decision about whether to apply. Therefore, we have created a selection of short videos where you can hear from some of our trainees and partners about their experiences with the firm and their advice on the application process. You can view these videos on our careers pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We also dedicate a lot of time and energy to ensuring that we visit university campuses across the UK to give you another opportunity to learn more about us! You can find out where we will be, and when, via our recruiting events calendar.