Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP - True Picture

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe training contract review 2026

The Firm

Wake up, everyone: Orrick is hiring! Well... you knew that already (that's why you're here!), but we mean that the firm has taken on numerous notable laterals in recent times to bolster its collateralised loan obligations and oil & gas offerings alike. But that is just a small snapshot of what this Cali-born superstar is about, given its sector focus on tech and innovation, energy and infrastructure, life sciences and health tech, and finance. It's in the limelight especially for “its expertise in tech and renewable energy.” Sources were quick to highlight: “thinking about what areas would be the most prevalent in five to ten years’ time, Orrick was perfect.”

“Thinking about what areas would be the most prevalent in five to ten years’ time, Orrick was perfect.”

Within the 27 offices worldwide, London is the fourth biggest in the network. Nodding to its start-up reputation, “We’re the most active venture capital law firm in Europe,” co-training principal Peter Sugden supplies. “We’re known for working with venture backed companies and investors, and today some of the most valuable, most high-profile companies in the world are venture backed.”

Acknowledging the firm’s strength in litigation and energy, co-training principal Sarah Stockley highlights: “We also work for a range of clients from the Exxons and Chevrons of the world to Microsoft and helping with their power purchase agreements.” In turn, our sister guide Chambers UK recognises Orrick as best in class for its private equity: venture capital investment work and bestows high plaudits for its power, renewables and alternative energy expertise.

As such, trainees were drawn in by the “strong practices, lean teams and small trainee intake” coupled with the six-seat rotation. The culture itself received positive reviews too, even from first impression during the vacation scheme: “it was notable then. You hear about how scary and intense US law firms are, but there was not a single partner that I didn’t feel comfortable chatting with,” an insider revealed. “There is a level of normality; it’s just a friendly environment.” With around 100 lawyers calling London home, “everyone knows everyone and works together well as a team.”

Finding the right cultural fit is super important, and at Orrick: “We’re looking for someone who is prepared to get stuck in, who is bright, proactive and curious, and wants to continue their career here. People who are prepared to put the time in but also have a personality as well,” Sugden and Stockley agree. Stockley adds: “personally, when I’m interviewing people, I think, would I want to spend 10 hours on a long-haul flight with this person?”

The Seats

Orrick has a six four-month seat training contract. Seat allocation is relatively informal because of the small trainee intake. For each rotation, trainees submit their top three choices and have a catch up with the training principals and HR. Throughout the training contract, conversations are held about what you would like to do, where you want to qualify, and how you’d like to structure your seats – for example, trainees can even repeat a seat – effectively “crafting your own path,” trainees explained. That said, it’s worth noting that second years have priority on seat preference and most trainees will undergo a stint in the technologies companies group, on top of completing a contentious seat.

“…from two people in a room looking for a few hundred thousand to companies valued at billions looking for millions.”

Starting off with Orrick’s hallmark technology companies group (also known as TCG): this team handles the life cycle of seed financing for start-ups “from two people in a room looking for a few hundred thousand to companies valued at billions looking for millions,” detailed one insider. For example, the team advised Atomico on a $200 million financing of TravelPerk, a business travel platform, raising its valuation to $2.7 billion. Predominantly, TCG advises private companies and occasionally investors “on fast paced deals, which tend to be six to eight weeks with the term sheet from start to finish.”

With a high volume of lower value matters, sources gushed about it being “a great opportunity for trainees to get involved with negotiation (with supervision) on smaller deals, and larger capital raises,” too. Day-to-day, rookies roll up their sleeves drafting ancillaries and making discrete amendments to key transaction documents, and anything else that may be required like a US registration rights agreement. We heard that “it’s also a very admin heavy” seat with lots of signings and transaction management. Client exposure was standout: “Sometimes its people still at school running their own company, or those who have been doing it for years and years that need sophisticated advice for their operation,” insiders pointed out.

Moving along to the Finance Business Unit – acting on behalf of lenders and companies –we heard that the work is divided between venture debt, collateralised loan obligations (CLOS) and restructuring. Rather than another equity financing round (raising cash for shares) or a traditional bank loan, “venture debt is a much more flexible process” for start-up companies, sources explained. From the venture debt perspective, trainee tasks include typical transaction management and signings, but also due diligence, drafting ancillaries and assisting with the negotiation of the main debt documents too, as well as post-closing tasks related to securities and companies house filings.

“There is a lot more focus on trainee involvement in keeping up with developments in the market.”

Those with an interest in renewables and energy transition will be pleased to learn that is the entire focus of the energy and infrastructure business unit. With a sector approach, the team is multi-disciplinary, working across M&A, project finance, real estate and commercial deals. It also provides regulatory advice, considering things along the likes of, for example, “when a nuclear power plant is being built, the decommission process and making sure there is enough money to cover that and accidents.” Big names such as BlackRock Renewable Power, ExxonMobil and Octopus Energy make up the client list, with similarly impressive matters to boot.

Recently, the London team was part of the global team that advised Microsoft on the largest clean energy purchase agreement in history! Similar to the trainee experience in M&A and private equity (MAPE), sources outlined being involved in due diligence, transaction management and running with signings, coordinating with counsel and drafting ancillaries. The same goes for the project finance work, which we heard there is a lot of at the moment. “There is a lot more research and business development than is typical in other teams,” trainees highlighted in particular, “There is a lot more focus on trainee involvement in keeping up with developments in the market.”

Onto the contentious side of things, sources were quick to point out that: “it’s extremely busy at the moment” in litigation. The practice has a varied docket including antitrust and competition, employment, financial services, oil and gas, and construction disputes: “They're very big cases – it can be random in a good way, there’s lots of different things!”

Frequently acting for the Big Four, the team is currently advising Ernst & Young in a claim brought by HMRC for alleged misrepresentations made in a settlement agreement. As a rule of thumb, trainees get involved in lots of research, disclosure and doc review, drafting letters and memos, as well as attending hearings. It was noted however, that because of the sensitive nature of the work “there is less client contact, but things filter down,” said sources, reassuring that they are kept in the loop.

Over in international arbitration, the team handles everything from lots of state arbitrations to corporate disputes spanning energy, construction, technology and even cryptocurrency. As a snapshot, currently the team is representing KHML in its bilateral investment treaty claim against India, relating to the cancellation of its 2G Mobile telephone provider licenses – valued at $1 billion. “The timelines are longer, meaning you have more prolonged periods on a task than for a transaction,” sources observed.

Tasks included lots of proof reading and researching points of law, assisting with filing and submission, preparing and reviewing exhibitions, and even drafting witness statements. Responsibility was rated highly, especially for substantial contributions: “it was gratifying to see how the work I did as a trainee matters,” an insider beamed.

Trainee Life

“It’s generally more laid back than other US firms; everyone is approachable and easy going.”

Nodding to Orrick’s West Coast roots, insiders pointed out, “it’s generally more laid back than other US firms; everyone is approachable and easy going,” highlighting the firm’s tight-knit culture. “You can see on LinkedIn posts with #teamOrrick – all the teams I’ve been in are real teams,” a trainee attested, “there is a sense of wanting to do your bit and pull your weight, working to get things done – no one shies away.” Contributing to the good vibe, sources told us, “There is no level of competition between the trainees, we’re all willing to help each other out.”

While the social calendar isn’t necessarily jam-packed, there is the occasional team away day and the firm’s summer and Christmas parties to look forward to as a chance to catch up.

Offering a great view of the skyline, the office’s Cheapside location received positive reviews. Typically, trainees share a glass office with one or two associates: “I find it easy to work there; I’m in the office pretty much every day,” a source shared. As a rule, everybody is expected to be in the office more often than not, which translates to three days a week. As typical of US firms, the emphasis is placed on on-the-job learning.

This is supported by frequent trainee-led, department and firm-wide training sessions covering topics like how to draft documentation to updates in the law and deal points. Supervision was highly rated too, as “the key thing is all supervisors are interested in being supervisors and have a real interest in your development,” trainees agreed. As such, feedback is frequent and formal feedback is received at the mid and-end of seat review.

“… it’s not an afterthought!”

As for pro bono, “it’s a very big deal” sources chorused, noting how: “everyone gets involved, from juniors to the head of practices, as they realise it’s an important thing to do.” With the expectation to do 20 hours of pro bono annually (and many doing more),“it’s not an afterthought!” sources made clear. Projects highlighted include assisting families with life limiting illness with care and housing matters, refugee cases through the Greece Collaborative project, and death row appeals in the US. Not only it is rewarding to get involved, but also it provides trainees with the opportunity to gain further experience “running things on your own and directly communicating with the client” with oversight.

As comes with the territory of US law firms in the City, the hours can be intense. As a rule of thumb, trainees outlined working between 40 to 50 hours a week but cautioned when things get really busy, it can be upwards of 60 hours. “If the schedule works out nicely, everything can be done by 7pm,” a rookie detailed, however, “if there is lots going on and it needs to be done, there can be several days of midnight finishes.”

Another reassured, “the good thing is people acknowledge the crazy hours: if you’re working late, the team is working late, too.” In respect to those hours, trainees were satisfied with compensation, starting at £60,000 for first year trainees and hop-skipping to a whopping £160,000 upon qualification.

Another benefit of being a part of a small trainee cohort is that qualification is an informal process – with no formal applications or interviews. Candidates catch up with HR to talk through the process and their options. But throughout the training contract, “it’s up to you to make it clear what you have enjoyed and to have those conversations with partners,” trainees emphasised.

As such, it’s fairly transparent as to which teams will be hiring. “I have no plans to leave; I like the work that we do, and the environment is great,” trainees echoed. In 2025, Orrick retained 2 out of 5  qualifiers.

How to get an Orrick training contract   

• Vacation scheme deadline: 31 January 2026 
• Training contract deadline: 30 April 2026 

Applications   

Orrick’s recruitment team usually attend between eight to ten law fairs each year.    

Orrick’s two-week vacation scheme gives candidates the opportunity to work alongside trainees, associates and partners, providing sector-focused advice to clients. They offer up to 18 places on their scheme, which typically runs in the summer of each year. During the scheme, candidates will spend time in two of the London practices, working on real work alongside trainees, associates and partners, with dedicated buddies and supervisors. Alongside a series of training sessions, there will also be a variety of social events and networking opportunities, giving candidates the chance to really get to know the firm. Candidates are assessed using multiple methods, including supervisor feedback, written assessments, presentation exercises and an interview.  

Orrick also offers a Direct Training Contract route, primarily designed for those who are unable to complete a Vacation Scheme, as they recognise that not all applicants will be able to attend an in-person scheme. The application form is the same for both routes of applying.   

Applicants are asked to list all their academic achievements to date, including GCSEs, A-Levels (or equivalent), University and Postgraduate grades (if applicable). Grades for each module studied at degree level are also expected. Director of Administration Halina Kasprowiak tells us: “We don’t have any kind of automatic sifting criteria.” She goes on to say that a 2:1 degree isn’t a deal-breaker, but such an application must stand out in other ways, and supporting academics must be impressive. Orrick is proud to partner with Rare Contextual Recruitment, which helps them ensure their trainee recruitment processes are as fair and inclusive as possible. Rare data allows Orrick to contextualise candidates’ academics and experience to ensure the firm is not missing out on talented individuals who may have had a less privileged start in life.  

Applicants are also asked to flag any language skills and detail their work experience. “We're open about that,” says Kasprowiak. “You could have worked for a high-street solicitor or spent time at a set of chambers; it doesn’t have to be experience in a City practice.”

The form also includes a covering letter prompted by a few commercial awareness questions. “We pay particular attention to the covering letter,” says Kasprowiak. “We’re looking for people who have really thought it through, who write well and get their points across succinctly. It is important that candidates tailor their covering letter to Orrick – so many covering letters received could be applicable to any City practice. Tailoring your covering letter and showcasing that you have researched the firm and their practice areas in detail is one of the easiest ways to stand out from the crowd. You might want to include specific matters that caught your eye or other specific details such as recent partner hires in key strategic areas or perhaps a pro bono initiative."

Following the written application stage, candidates are asked to take the Watson Glaser psychometric test which evaluates candidates' critical thinking and verbal reasoning skills. Candidates who are successful at this stage are then invited to take part in an assessment day at the firm’s London office. Generally, Orrick's trainee intakes have a good mix of law and non-law students, with their previous intakes having a relatively balanced mix of both law and non-law graduates.  

Assessment   

Orrick’s assessment days for the vacation scheme usually take place in the spring. Timings for training contract-only assessments vary but tend to be in the summer.   

For vacation schemes the assessment day typically includes a written exercise on a hypothetical legal scenario. This exercise is intended to assess a candidate’s commercial awareness, writing ability, and their capacity to apply practical problem-solving and legal principles to complex issues. Whilst the exercise is legal in nature, it is designed to be equally accessible to non-law students. There is also a presentation exercise, which you can expect to take place with an associate or partner and Halina. Successful applicants are awarded a place on the vacation scheme.  

For direct training contract applicants, the assessment day typically includes a written exercise, and a presentation. Successful applicants will then have an interview for a Training Contract after the assessment day, usually the week afterwards.   

Interviews at Orrick tend to be fairly conversational, however candidates should make sure that they have thoroughly researched the firm, understand the type of work that it does, and come prepared to answer questions on a wide range of topics, from their work experience and extracurricular activities to commercial topics and current affairs. 

Interview with Peter Sugden and Sarah Stockley, training principals

Chambers Student: How would you describe the firm? How would you describe its position in the market?

Peter Sugden: Orrick is a San Francisco-originated firm; however, while our heritage is in California, we’re very much a large player in the European market. From my perspective as a tech lawyer, we’re the most active venture capital law firm in Europe. In London, we have a huge amount of pull in our core practice areas: tech, energy, finance, litigation and arbitration. Globally, London is one of our biggest offices so we’re very much a net contributor to the Orrick family rather than a satellite outpost of a US law firm. I’ve been at Orrick for three years now. I’m amazed at how closely I work with our colleagues from all over the world - in the US, France, Germany and beyond. In the modern way of working, it feels like they are just down the hall. We regard ourselves as ‘one team’ globally and we work together in that way – lots of the incredibly interesting deals and disputes that we do have a cross-border element.

Sarah Stockley: In terms of disputes, as Pete says it’s very much that the work we do in London is self-generated too. Sometimes we’ll have disputes that come from the US or elsewhere, but predominantly, we self-generate.  We’ve also got a big European existence. We work with our energy colleagues as well as on the transactional side –there is a large renewables team here – but we also do power, oil and gas, and infrastructure disputes, so it’s quite broad.

CS: Are there any highlights from the last year you think it would be helpful for our readers to know about?

Sugden: On the tech side, we’re known for working with venture backed companies and investors, and today some of the most valuable, most high-profile companies in the world are venture-backed. The really interesting thing about the modern tech arena is that some of the biggest and most interesting mandates are in the private company space.  While we're incredibly proud to work for 13 of the 25 largest public tech companies, companies are often staying private for longer, and so some of the most interesting work is in the private markets, with companies such as Stripe, Anthropic and Mistral. Our work at the forefront of AI is probably one of the most interesting things we’ve done over the past year. We’ve worked on some very large financings for the likes of Anthropic and Mistral. It's a real privilege to be working on high-profile deals with the most cutting-edge companies in the sector.

Stockley: It’s also worth highlighting that Orrick has four sectors: tech and innovation, energy and infrastructure, life sciences and health tech, and finance. Orrick doesn’t try to be everything to everyone; it focuses on growing those sectors and is supported by its litigation, regulatory and transactional practices. I say this because in terms of the work that I do on the disputes side, we have a lot of cross-over with the energy and infrastructure sector, for example, and our arbitration work is quite energy focused. There might be an oil & gas dispute, a construction dispute or a power purchase agreement issue – things like that. And so, we also work for a range of clients from the Exxons and Chevrons of the world to Microsoft and helping with their power purchase agreements. Also, our litigation team regularly acts for the Big Four accountancy firms. We cover a broad range of disputes, supporting those four key sectors.

CS: How would you describe the training environment/culture that you have aimed to create at the firm?

Sugden: We have a six-seat training contract where trainees perhaps do more seats than they would at other firms. The idea behind that is to allow trainees to see a lot of different legal disciplines. It allows them to rotate around the office and come across different partners and associates, and the hope is that by exposing associates to that broad experience they will develop a broad skill set. So, when they qualify, they won’t be overwhelmed by things that come to them for the first time because they’ve had that experience. A trainee might have worked with the same client across different seats and so there is some historic knowledge that they can take from one seat to another and apply. Also, the way we do it here allows trainees to have a bit more time to find what they’re most passionate about doing and where they want to qualify.

Stockley: It’s also really flexible. We let trainees come back and redo seats if they want to have a second seat in a particular department, if they’ve enjoyed it or they’re perhaps qualifying into that department, for example. We also have discussions with them about where they want to sit and what their preferences are, and we try to map that with where we have seats available. Also, we should probably say that Pete and I actually have been in this role for only six weeks and this is a learning curve for us getting up to speed with the training programme, but we’ve really enjoyed it so far. We just had the vacation scheme students in as well for the last two weeks. It’s been a bit of a baptism by fire, but it’s something that we’re really excited about taking on.

Sudgen: Absolutely, Sarah and I are really keen to make sure there’s a huge amount of partner involvement in the training contract going forward. We have monthly meetings with the trainees to check in and understand if they’re getting the different areas of development that they need – for example, have they had drafting experience, have they had negotiation experience. We really want them to be able to talk to us and raise that with us to guide them throughout the training contract. We really do believe that the trainees are the future of the firm, so we need to make sure we’re training them in the way we want our future associates to work with us.

CS: What’s the current set up with remote working for trainees? Is there a set number of days where trainees are expected to come into the office?

Sugden: Trainees have the same policy that we as partners and associates have, which is that we expect everyone at the firm to be in more often than not. It’s not a hard fixed policy, but we would typically expect at least three days a week. Although we have that hybrid policy for trainees to work from home if they want within those guidelines, what we find is that the trainees actually like to be in the office and that they want to be in; they enjoy learning from sitting in a room with associates and partners.

CS: What sort of person thrives at the firm? How can a candidate really impress at interview?

Stockley: We’re looking for someone who is prepared to get stuck in, who is bright, proactive and curious, and wants to continue their career here. People who are prepared to put the time in but also have a personality as well, because we appreciate that this job does demand a lot from people. Personally, when I’m interviewing people, I think about “would I want to spend 10 hours on a long-haul flight with this person?” And if the answer is no, they’re probably not right for Orrick because the culture and fit in terms of personality is actually a big thing for us. It’s particularly important because we have that smaller cohort of trainees, and we want them to get on together and support each other so they can thrive and grow.

Sugden: I’d add that while we are an American law firm, we’re a Californian firm with a Californian ethos. Culturally, I think that's important; we really do want people that we enjoy working with and who enjoy working at Orrick. We want people who can flourish and become partners here, and who are culturally aligned with how we like to work. As Sarah says, that comes down to the personability and cultural fit as well as the ability to do the job from an academic and skills perspective.

CS: Does the firm have any set recruitment targets around diversity?

Sugden: Not any targets as such, but we’re very much focused on the benefits an inclusive team can bring while ensuring the primary focus is on quality.

CS: And finally, do you have any advice for those thinking about pursuing a career in law? Either at your firm or more generally?

Sugden: My advice from a personal experience would be just to follow what you’re most passionate about doing. I started off as a pure M&A lawyer in a very traditional corporate firm, but it didn’t fully resonate with my passions. It took me a bit of time in my career to find the type of corporate law that I enjoyed doing and could imagine doing for the rest of my career, and that is working with high-growth companies. Hopefully the trainees who apply to Orrick will have that passion and know that they want to work within our market-leading teams in the likes of tech, energy and finance. I would encourage someone to apply to Orrick if they have that passion for what we do.

Stockley: You need to research lots to really find that firm that Pete’s talking about and what it is that you might enjoy in due course. Speak to as many people as possible and get as much experience as possible to really gain an insight into the different areas of law and the types of firms. Get to that understanding before you apply, as the application process is often long and arduous – if you are going down the wrong route it’s a complete waste of time.