Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP - True Picture

Penningtons Manches Cooper training contract review 2026

The Firm

How does that saying go again? Variety is the spice of life? It perhaps is for trainees at PMC, whose heads were turned by the eclectic mix of practices on offer: “I was keeping my options open; the mix of private client, corporate, disputes and shipping work is an unusual array.” Thanks to a fair few mergers over the years, the firm has amassed quite a tapestry of legal talent, making it the firm we see today. Over in Chambers UK, the firm receives top billing for its family work across London, Guildford, Reading and Oxford. PMC goes onto scoop up further rankings across corporate/M&A, real estate, intellectual property, clinical negligence, employment, restructuring and insolvency, and education. In Chambers High Net Worth, the Guildford office receives a spotlight for its private wealth law expertise.

“I was keeping my options open; the mix of private client, corporate, disputes and shipping work is an unusual array.”

As training principal Gemma Woodhouse headlines, “We’re a top 50, full-service commercial law firm with a strong international element to our practice, dealing with clients that range in size and areas of focus.” But it’s not just the work that offered variety, as insiders highlighted that “the firm welcomes non-cookie cutter trainees and career changers.” There’s further range in the firm’s locations too, with offices in London, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Cambridge, Guildford, Oxford and Reading.

Just over half of trainees call the London office home, with the rest scattered across all the firm’s other bases. Basingstoke and Reading share a split training contract, so rookies spend time on both offices. With a relatively small intake across the firm’s many offices, this in turn pointed to “lots of responsibility and client contact.” We heard the vacation schemes provided a valuable insight into the culture: “It was really good – everyone was super helpful and friendly and took me under their wings,” which was just a sign of things to come. “There are many long-standing employees and partners at the firm,” Woodhouse shares. “In fact, several of the trainees from my intake are still here, which is a testament to the real sense of community and genuinely friendly culture.”

The Seats

Before each seat rotation, trainees rank all the seats in their home office. Following this, one insider explained “there is a discussion with HR about what we want and what we don’t want which can be equally as useful.” Where trainees end up comes down to business need, but as trainees near qualification their interests are prioritised. If you happen to miss out on your top preferences, the firm are said to be “quite flexible and consider that for the next time around.” It’s also worth noting that there are more seats on offer in the London office, but trainees located in the regions can go to other offices too and often do so.

As for secondments, “it’s very unlikely to happen.” For example, only the employment team in London has a three-month split structure with time spent at the firm and a fashion retail company.

“It’s very busy; lots of cases have kicked off...”

It’s only right to begin with one of PMC’s largest departments, commercial dispute resolution. “It’s very busy; lots of cases have kicked off,” one source was quick to highlight. The team handle everything from breaches of contract, professional negligence, reputation, fraud and financial crime, restructuring, regulatory and compliance, even some crypto claims and class actions. Recently, the firm has been instructed by a Floridian law firm to represent the survivors and the families and estates of those who tragically passed in a flight chartered by the Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense against the insurers.

Trainees are able to work across the internal subgroups and are encouraged to work for different partners. Given that the cases are complex and high value, sources noted comparatively that there is “less responsibility than other seats, but it’s still a good experience.” Rookies roll up their sleeves to get involved in court preparation exhibitions and lots of bundling, taking the first draft of letters of claim and correspondence to other side, and attending hearings – “it’s good for that,” an insider quipped. For those interested in the property, there is also a real estate litigation seat covering residential and commercial properties.

One of the other largest practices is corporate. Working across technology, real estate, private wealth and retail sectors, the team focuses on lower mid-market public M&A deals alongside fundraising, acquisition finance, restructuring and refinancing work. While we heard that things have been a little quiet due to the market, sources were excited to mention that they get to work with companies that are “in the life sciences field: AI, clean tech or healthcare related, it’s really interesting.” For example, the team advised the Cornwall-located shareholders of cloud-based marina management system, Harbour Assist, on its acquisition of ClearCourse, a provider of payment solutions.

Trainees get to immerse themselves in the lifespan of a deal, one told us, “You feel involved from the inception to the completion.” This includes taking notes on client calls and keep clients up to date with developments, liaising with internal teams, and of course coordinating signings. There are plenty of drafting opportunities from disclosure letters and lots of ancillaries. If trainees proved themselves capable there is also room “to be at the meat of the agreement and getting into the substantial aspects.”

The clinical negligence and personal injury practice exposes trainees to claims of injury or loss against healthcare professionals, in the NHS and private care. The department also specialises in complex, catastrophic injury cases including those sustained at birth and later in life. The team recently represented eight claimants against a consultant colorectal surgeon, Mr Anthony Dixon, relating to alleged negligence in his medical care and surgical management. “It’s heart-breaking, rewarding and motivating work,” an insider surmised. “The bulk of the work is inquiries to see whether to continue to investigate, the ones that go ahead can take years.” Day to day trainees have their own case load of new inquiries and so, attend lots of client calls, draft witness statements and chronologies, liaise with experts for evidence, assist with quantifying the claim for the schedule of loss, and confer with barristers and experts.

Although “the process is a repetitive set of steps for each client,” sources agreed thateach case is different and running with their initiative involves “a lot of responsibility.” Trainees work alongside the associates who tend to do more of the post issue court work, though we heard trainees do get a feel for that as well. As rookies sit within the clinical negligence team, it was noted they need to express an interest to get involved in the personal injury work.

Private client  is another team with spots on offer for trainees. Whether its contentious or non-contentious matters they will work on depends on the office; The Basingstoke team specialises in contentious work and Guildford deals with non-contentious matters, whereas London handles both sides on behalf of high net worth individuals and their families. For example, the team was appointed to advise Penntrust Limited, the independent professional administrator for Prince Abbasi of Pakistan’s estate, centering around Sharia law and English law.

Generally, the contentious work is related to probate and tax litigation, and the non-contentious work is focused on wills, trusts, lasting powers of attorneys, tax planning and probate: “It’s a range between domestic and international,” an insider explained. “There’s loads of client contact early on, you get to draft and send the emails - you get to own that,” an insider attested. On the disputes side, trainees draft letters of claim, attend mediations, assist with trial prep such as bundles and witness statements. Working closely with the commercial dispute resolution team, we heard that some cases make their way to the Court of Protection and the High Court.

“They are keen to involve you early on with brand development events.”

Over in family, it mainly consists of ultra-high net worth finance and children matters. On a more detailed note, that includes finance, pre and post nuptial agreements, divorces, children’s applications, and even surrogacy matters which is a London specialism. As such, client names are kept under wraps. While “some partners are better known for international work than others, probably half the time there is an international element with assets in different jurisdictions and contested jurisdictions” a source noted.

As for trainee responsibilities, this depends on the matter at hand, though we heard about plenty of drafting from letters to the other side, notes to barristers for expert opinions, divorce applications –“every kind of court application!”– alongside bundling and admin tasks. Rookies also have the opportunity to attend court as well. In terms of business development, interviewees highlighted that “they are keen to involve you early on with brand development events” too.

Trainee Life

It can sometimes be a little tricky to put a name to an entire firm’s culture, but one trainee nailed it: “It’s a really open culture, everyone through to partners are approachable. Everyone is nice but there is ‘no type’ – there’s a lot of different individuals; everyone has a different backstory, which is lovely.” The non-hierarchical vibe was a massive positive but also the fact that “the trainees are a close-knit bunch; we’re all supportive of each other,” an insider beamed. Delving deeper, sources also highlighted how this culture extended into many facets of the firm: “The focus is all the people; there’s respect for work life balance, training, diversity – and good quality work” too.

“… Everyone is nice but there is ‘no type’ – there’s a lot of different individuals; everyone has a different backstory…”

As for the social calendar, the annual firm wide party is hosted in London during autumn as well as more frequent office and team gatherings. As such, sources agreed that “the social life is very good.” Each office has its own sports and social committee and so, various local events are put on. For example, in Guildford there has been “ice creams when it was hot, and curry and comedy nights at G Live.” Basingstoke has a ‘make your own sushi’ evening in October and previously has hosted a ‘paint and sip’, as well as some strawberries and cream in for Wimbledon season. In London, the juniors have been to the F1 arcade in St Paul’s, gone go-karting and attended a wine tasting as well. PMC also has its own sports tournaments with clients from football, cricket and a charity dragon boat race for Maggie’s (a cancer support charity): “It’s a nice way to socialise and network, although it doesn’t feel like networking,” a trainee smiled.

Inclusion efforts were described as having “a huge drive from the top” by trainees. There are plenty of committees to get involved in, from age, gender, race and faith, social mobility, LGBTQIA+, disability and mental health. There is also PennFutures for young professionals at the firm. “They are active and make it very easy to bring up anything concerns you might have or anything that the firm could be doing better,” interviewees noted. Each committee has budget for events and networking as well. As such, “day to day life at the firm seems very inclusive.” On top of this, sources highlighted the firm's social mobility efforts through the Limitless programme for year 12 and 13 students, and the Empower scheme for university students from underrepresented and Black heritage and ethnic minority backgrounds.

All newbies are paired with a trainee buddy and for each seat rotation have a team buddy “for the questions that you would feel silly asking partner; it’s a comfortable atmosphere and mentoring culture here,” as well as a partner mentor. Trainees receive formal feedback at mid and end of seat review from their supervisors, “they are very supportive and keen to help you develop.” Throughout “you get feedback on every single thing that you do, from word documents with track changes reading it or talking it through if you have more questions,” a trainee explained. While it varies in frequency, trainees have specific training session covering software and essential skills such as writing to department know-how sessions on substantive legal developments and matter updates.

“It’s a good work life balance.”

Hours on average were described as the typical 9am to 6pm. Although if things get busy towards a deal closing or a court filing, one junior pointed out that “it’s all hands-on deck.” While most had worked slightly later a couple of times per seat, all agreed that “it’s a good work life balance.” As for the work from home policy, that varies depending on the team charter, but most are in a minimum of two to three days a week. In turn, our interviewees were satisfied with their compensation, particularly regional trainees: “it’s very competitive, it might not be as high as a London trainee, but I’m earning well,” one agreed.

In their final seat, the qualification process begins. Candidates speak with HR about their interests, and HR then discusses this with the partners to decide the job list. “It’s important to have conversations with partners throughout the seat. If they like you and if you are keen, mention this in the mid and end of seat reviews,” a trainee advised. After the job list is released, candidates have a two-week timeframe to submit up to two applications.

Interviews are held and they vary in formality, with some including a case study. A particular gripe amongst sources was the fact that, in comparison to other firms in the market, the qualification process is held later. Nonetheless, an insider praised, “it seems a promising place to build a career.” In 2025, PMC kept on 13 out 14 qualifiers.

How to get a Penningtons Manches Cooper training contract

Opening dates for training contract and vacation scheme applications: 15 September 2025

Training contract deadline: March 2026

Vac scheme deadline: 10 October 2025 (Winter); 9 January 2026 (Summer)

EMpower Programme deadline: 30 January 2026

Application process

Each year, Penningtons Manches Cooper takes on around 15 trainees across their offices in London, Basingstoke and Reading, Birmingham, Cambridge, Guildford and Oxford. A fairly large proportion of positions are filled through the firm’s vacation schemes, but some direct applicants do make the cut. Regardless of where you’re applying from however, the process is the same – an application form covering work experience, additional questions, and a covering letter. According to PMC’s early careers department, “we are looking for dedicated, diverse candidates with strong commercial acumen.” In short, that translates to a range of degree disciplines and backgrounds: “We see the value people can bring when they have gained skills and experience in other roles.”

It's also important to note that not having specific legal work experience won’t hold you back: “We recognise that it’s not always easy to gain legal work experience, and for us, non-legal work experience is equally as important as legal. The key is to highlight the skills you have gained and explain how they’re transferable to a career in law.” Top tip for how to stand out? An excellent covering letter.

Open Days

This year we will be introducing open days at three of their offices and hosting one virtually. This is to provide students with the opportunity to visit the offices and hear from our trainees, associates and partners.

Opening dates for applications for open days: 1 – 24 October

Basingstoke/Reading office – Wednesday 20 November

Birmingham – Wednesday 27 November

London – Wednesday 4 December

Virtual – Tuesday 10 December

Assessment and interviews

While the interview and assessment stage differs slightly for vacation scheme applicants (more on that shortly) the first stage consists of a competency-based telephone interview with a member of the early careers team. Applicants that make a good impression will then be invited to complete a written assessment which incorporates typical trainee tasks, and the firm emphasises that no prior legal knowledge will be required for this. The final stage then consists of an interview with a partner and member of the early careers team, which will also incorporate a presentation based on a legal case study. This can be completed in-person or virtually.

Vacation schemes

Vac scheme deadline: 10 October 2025 (Winter); 9 January 2026 (Summer)

Vacation Scheme Dates:

Winter: 15 – 19 December

Summer 1: June

Summer 2: June

Penningtons Manches Cooper runs one vacation scheme in the winter and two in the summer across its UK offices. To apply, prospective vac schemers will complete an online application form, before then being invited to a virtual assessment centre. These typically run between January and March and are made up of three timed exercises: a written assessment, an interview with an associate at the firm and a role play exercise. The aim is for applicants to have an answer within two weeks of the assessment centre. According to the early careers team at PMC: “Our assessment centres are designed to ensure you can demonstrate your best self. We are able to make individual adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process and encourage you to contact our Early Careers team to discuss how we can help.”

In the run up to the vac scheme, the firm will arrange a call with successful applicants to walk them through what to expect and provide some top tips on how best to prepare. During that week, vac schemers will be assessed to determine whether they will then be invited to a final round training contract interview, which follows the vacation scheme.

So, what does life on a Penningtons Manches Cooper vac scheme look like? The idea is to get an insight into what life at the firm is really like, which means spending time working in one of the firm’s practice areas in either business services, dispute resolution, private individuals or real estate. There will be opportunities to be involved in real assignments, whether this be drafting documents, attending client and team meetings, conducting research and attending court hearings and arbitrations. You’ll also be allocated a trainee buddy and senior mentor who will be on hand to support and guide you through the process. As the early careers team is quick to point out, there will also be opportunities for things like introductory sessions on the firm’s practice areas, team building sessions, a chance to meet the firm’s CEO and committees, and networking.

Empower Programme

EMpower Programme deadline: 30 January 2026

EMpower Programme dates: tentatively13 – 16 April 2026

In spring 2022, Penningtons Manches Cooper launched its Empower Programme as part of its wider efforts to increasing the representation of Black heritage and ethnic minority individuals in the legal sector. Aimed at students from a Black heritage or ethnic minority background who do not feel ready to participate in a vacation scheme, the programme provides an opportunity for students to gain an insight into the firm, develop skills relevant for a career in law and build relationships with lawyers which will continue once the scheme has finished through a mentoring programme.

The four-day programme includes practice area talks, commercial awareness insights, shadowing opportunities, panel sessions, skills sessions, including a bespoke mock trial and careers advice. On the final day of the programme, there is the option to participate in one of the firm’s vacation scheme assessment centres, where the best candidates will have an opportunity to secure a place on the vacation scheme the following year. This year’s programme will run from the 13 – 16 April 2026 in the London office and is paid in order to cover travel and accommodation expenses (oh, and there are lunch vouchers on offer for all participants too!).

Interview with Gemma Woodhouse, training principal

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

Gemma Woodhouse: We’re a top 50, full-service commercial law firm with a strong international element to our practice, dealing with clients that range in size and areas of focus. I’m heavily involved in education. We have a charity team that has been boosted massively this year. Tech is a sector where we’re really active, both in terms of the work we do and the clients we support. That’s reinforced by our connections with North America and many of the key players in the industry. And of course, financial services is another significant area.

There are many long-standing employees and partners at the firm. In fact, several of the trainees from my intake are still here, which is a testament to the real sense of community and genuinely friendly culture. We’re innovative in how we approach things, particularly when it comes to staff matters and benefits. For example, we have one of the most attractive parental leave enhancements for maternity pay, paternity pay and shared parental leave. We’ve also just rolled out a sabbatical policy that extends to partners. There’s a genuine focus on the welfare of staff alongside the performance element.

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

Woodhouse: We’ve seen encouraging growth in the past year in terms of headcount and client growth, which is also reflected in tenure. From a business development perspective, we’ve successfully launched a key client relationship programme which is designed to ensure clients feel supported. This reflects where we are as a firm - we want our key clients to see us not just as service providers but as trusted partners and an extension of their own teams.

Another area to highlight is how we have really focused on our internal committees for neurodiversity, socio-economic inclusion, gender and LBGTQ+ representation. All staff are encouraged to engage with these groups to make sure that everyone feels included and that we can provide the best working environment.

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

Woodhouse: The training culture is incredibly inclusive; we want trainees to feel like a part of the team but also ensure that their training is at the level it should be at. So, they feel like they can go to management, partners and senior associates, and raise questions without fear of retaliation. It’s taken me a long time and I’m not sure I fully accept that just by being a partner, I could therefore be intimidating – we want the trainees to feel that we’re all people. They are massively involved with the client work which is great. I was just on a call this morning where a client said to me, can I speak to your trainee? Because they are involved, staff and clients are keen to involve them too.

We ensure that there is diverse training. Of course, with the more recent set specialism training contracts, they’re still involved in the training programme for the more traditional training contracts. What is really unique is that we do more than just say here is your legal training, we give them an insight into the workings of the firm, admittedly at a very junior level as they are trainees. I have a personal bugbear, for example with senior associates, someone who wants to be a partner, having the business and working as a partner, not understanding what it means from a business perspective. And so, we’re quite keen for those at any level to understand that it's not just about doing the work, is the work profitable? How does that work and how are you gauging those parameters? It's a supportive environment that gives high quality training, both in respect to all levels of the firm but also the exposure they have to clients.

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?

Woodhouse: It is team by team; each team has a framework document that says we aim to be in the office this amount. It also varies from office to office for teams, from one day week to three days a week. It’s very rare for people to have to be in the office more than three days a week, but there is scope for them if they want to be in the office five days a week for them to do that. It’s recognising that what fits for one might not fit for another. From a management perspective, if I’m managing you and I’ve said one a day a week, I’m going to be touching in every day with you so that you’re still supervised and not left on your own.

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

Woodhouse: It’s all to do with engagement, taking the opportunities that are there and being interested. I don’t think there’s any magic, but if you’re working hard, you’re engaged and asking intelligent questions. In fact, if you’re asking any questions, just being curious about the matter and wanting to get involved then you’re going to do well.

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

Woodhouse: We are keen to be sure that we have a diverse intake and workforce. We don’t have any set targets in respects to diversity; however, we’re deeply invested and partner with several diversity organisations to ensure we're reaching the right candidates; this includes: Women in the City Afro-Caribbean Network, MyPlus, UpReach and The Black Solicitors Network. We’re seeing increasingly, which is both a testament to the firm and profession as a whole, a far more diverse and inclusive intake – our current and future trainees are the most diverse cohorts we've had. That’s also been helped with the advent of SQE 1 and 2 and the different training routes towards qualification. Fundamentally, we want to make sure that we have an inclusive and diverse workforce, so we have very clear policies in respect to diversity and making sure that reflects the clients that we’re working, which is a cross-section of society at all levels.

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

Woodhouse: It’s hard work, you’ve got to be committed because clients can be demanding. Interestingly what we’ve been increasingly seeing is as a lawyer you tend to want to be a lawyer because you like the law, but in a commercial law firm it tends to not be the case with the advent of artificial intelligence and Google for example, that people come to us and say what is the law because they can search that up. What they want to understand is, what is our risk? What is your view on this? How can we get around this? What is the solution? So, it’s about problem solving. I think the best lawyers are those that are curious, analytical and innovative. It's not necessarily a case of I've done before, so this is what works here. There’s a habit quite often, particularly with trainees, to say I've got a precedent document that works because they're a bit scared of going out on their own, which is not unreasonable because they've not done it before. But actually, having the confidence to say, does this really work for the situation I'm looking at? Is there a better solution? That’s where I'm going to sit up and be impressed by a trainee or a junior associate, and that’s where clients are going to be impressed with us because we’re applying a different scope.