Ward Hadaway LLP - True Picture

Ward Hadaway training contract review 2026 

The Firm 

The North-South divide has long been a hot topic of discussion, whether that’s in history books or over a cup of tea at the kitchen table. Though points can be scored on either side, there’s one thing the North has that the South doesn’t: Ward Hadaway. “We’re one of the biggest firms up here!” a trainee exclaimed, “We get to do high-level work while staying in the regions.”

It’s this calibre of work that gets recognised by our sister guide, Chambers UK, which dishes out gold stars to over a dozen of the firm’s departments up north. These include banking and finance, employment, corporate/M&A, real estate and litigation. The firm is also recognised by the Chambers High Net Worth guide for its private wealth law expertise in Leeds and Newcastle. 

“We get to do high-level work while staying in the regions.” 

The firm is only looking to expand its grip on the north, recently merging with a Teesside-based firm and opening a brand-new office in Birmingham. These bases will join WH’s existing network of offices in Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds, which all take on trainees. Caroline Jones, head of emerging talent, explains that the firm has “ambitious growth plans” beyond geographic expansion. One such “ambitious” tweak will see the emerging talent team taking more of a direct role in the development of trainees.

Rather than just having one training principal overseeing the programme, the emerging talent team will instead work more closely with graduate recruitment and trainee supervisors. “Our focus has been on ensuring the supervision of our trainees is of the highest quality,” Jones explains, “and that key stakeholders in the trainee experience are involved at the points that they bring the most value.”  

The Seats 

Before joining the firm, incoming trainees are asked where they’d like to spend their first seat. Although this part of the seat allocation process seemed to be hit-or-miss for our sources, the following three seats are assigned in a much more standard way, with trainees sharing seat preferences three months ahead of the next rotation. As a full-service firm, WH has no mandatory seats, though newbies noted that second-year trainees get priority in the allocation process. 

Many interviewees had done a seat with the firm’s corporate team, which comes with “a lot more responsibility than I thought I’d get as a trainee – that’s really helped to build my confidence.” The department handles a whole host of classic corporate matters such as M&A deals, management buyouts, sales and purchases. “It did feel like I was thrown in the deep end, but not without support,” one source revealed, “they ask you to take a look at something and see if you can figure it out, and you can go back to them if you need any help.”

Clients often range from SMEs to private equity firms, with WH recently advising BGF on its investment in North Estate lettings business My Property Box. This involved the restructuring of BGF’s existing corporate group structures. Trainees in the seat received a lot of drafting experience while learning the ins and outs of DocuSign, ancillary documents, research, finance work and more. Sources were also pleased to report that they weren’t kept behind closed doors either: “I had a lot of client contact, and I was trusted to communicate with them directly.” 

“I’ve had my hands on any agreement you can think of!” 

WH has a sizeable real estate department, and we heard from multiple trainees that it was a great place to start their training contract as “it follows a set procedure. I think it’s a really nice first seat to just learn about the law.” Clients here vary and include NHS trusts, schools, public bodies, landowners and charities. As one trainee enthused, “you end up seeing a lot of the same people over and over because they always use us for their work!”

For example, Ward Hadaway is currently advising Darlington Borough Council on various aspects of its joint development of the Burtree Garden Village, including all the necessary planning, construction and procurement parts of the transaction. More generally, the department covers a range of work from finance matters to landlord and tenant disputes. As such, trainees will be met with an assortment of tasks, such as drafting leases and deeds of surrender, attending client calls, working on corporate support, making Land Registry applications and arranging completions. “I’ve developed a lot in six months,” one insider beamed, “I’ve had my hands on any agreement you can think of!” 

Over in commercial litigation, sources get to try out contentious work in areas such as private client and business, contentious probate, private sector finance and debt recovery. Recently, the firm represented Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust in a £145 million dispute which arose after the Trust terminated its private finance initiative agreement with the provider.

Overall, insiders relished the structure of the seat and, day-to-day, one trainee especially enjoyed “trying to factor in what is commercially the best choice for the client. It’s very fast-paced and really gets you thinking.” Trainees here found themselves drafting statements of case and letters before action, preparing bundles for court and interacting with clients. “There are a lot of court deadlines,” revealed one newbie, who was clearly living the dream, “asking about what the next step is, and if we can settle. I love the back and forth!” 

If you’re taken in by the sound of both the real estate and litigation seats, why not try a mix of both with a seat in social housing litigation? It’s a contentious seat, and the team represents providers of social housing in possession claims, disrepair claims and antisocial behaviour matters. Insiders found that this seat comes with more responsibility than others as “the work is slightly lower value. That means you’re trusted with much more as a trainee.”

Typical tasks include drafting claims and letters, preparing documents and appearing in court. The firm has assisted Karbon Homes in its development of 2,500 new homes across the North East and Yorkshire by the end of the decade. The initiative is valued at £150 million, and the team’s involvement ranges from planning advice, advocacy services, and drafting and settling terms. 

Trainee Life 

Supervision received praise from sources across the board who reported that, no matter the supervisor’s approach, they always felt supported. “Everyone has a different take,” a trainee explained, “but they mainly let you get on with things and will be there if you need them.” Feedback is reportedly easy to come by, but trainees also appreciated how “you’re definitely given a chance to be independent and learn as much as you can on your own.”

Training sessions, however, were slightly less frequent, with some trainees noting, “it’s more of a learn-on-the-job training contract.” However, this was not a critical take, as sources highlighted how teams are structured in a way that benefits trainees’ learning: “The more you work with different members of the team, the more you’re exposed to different parts of the department.” The real estate and employment departments, on the other hand, host weekly training sessions that insiders found “really valuable.” 

“They don’t want you staying in the office until silly o’clock.” 

The Newcastle HQ is located on the Quayside which we heard, for those not local to the area, is “glorious on a sunny day.” It’s not just the surrounds that got trainees smiling, as the open-plan office was recently refurbished and is now “super nice and really modern.” The coffee machine was lauded as the most impressive of the new perks as “it’s really high-tech and saves us all going to Starbucks. It’s safe to say we all love it!”

The firm has a two-day in-office policy, but most sources saw the benefit of being in more often. Aside from access to the famous coffee machine, the benefits of being in the office include “learning a lot by just being here, and you’re more likely to get bits of work from someone new.” Still, trainees weren’t kept in the office at all hours of the day, with most insiders finishing a standard day at around 5 or 6pm, and weekend work was a rarity. “People are happy for you to log back on at home as well if you need to,” one source explained, “they don’t want you staying in the office until silly o’clock.” 

Interviewees were also satisfied with the culture, which one trainee summed up as “pretty northern, so I hope that doesn’t sound too disparaging for those down south!” More specifically, insiders described it as a warm and welcoming environment where trainees can easily banter with everyone, whether that’s senior partners or fellow trainees.

“It’s definitely the kind of firm that’s all about its people,” a newbie conveyed, as evidenced by the variety of events on offer. These include things like bowling, netball, summer barbecues and food festivals. There are also running clubs, touch rugby tournaments and charity quizzes to get involved with, so people at WH are certainly spoiled for choice. 

Gender diversity also received praise from interviewees, who noted, “the cohort is predominantly female, and that’s great to see.” Racial diversity was marked as an area of improvement, however, though trainees we spoke with put this down, in part, to the focus on the North East: “It’s not an excuse, but I do think you have to take geography into account.” 

“… lots of people who trained here are now at the top.”  

Sources were pleased to tell us that they weren’t kept in the dark about the qualification process. Instead, “we’re all well-versed in how it goes, and have been since last year. It’s all very transparent.” To put it simply, it kicks off with an official jobs list, following which trainees can apply to as many groups as they wish. It’s a formal process, with departments asking for a CV and cover letter before wrapping things up with an interview.

Interviewees suggested that qualifiers should make an effort to be proactive as “it’s on you to have conversations with the teams you’re interested in joining.” Our sources were clear that they were looking forward to long careers at the firm, noting “there are a lot of home-grown partners at the firm, and lots of people who trained here are now at the top. I have no doubts that I’d like to be one of them!” In 2025, the firm retained 9 of 15 qualifiers.

How to get a Ward Hadaway training contract 

• Vacation scheme deadline (spring 2026): 31 January 2026
• Training contract deadline (2028): 30 April 2026 

Applications and vacation scheme 

Often trainees at Ward Hadaway have connections with the North, for instance via universities in Yorkshire, the North West and the North East. Whilst recruiting talent who share the firm’s passion for the North is essential, it is also critical that they recruit trainees with the right mix of competencies, skills, attitudes and motivation. Ward Hadaway therefore ensure that their recruitment process is multi-dimensional so that you have the best opportunity to show them what you're made of. 

Ward Hadaway's recruitment process for the 12 to 15 training contracts which are on offer begins with an online application form which can be accessed via their website. The application form asks for details on a candidate's academic history, work experience and extra-curricular activities. 

Once the deadline has passed, they will invite you to complete an online critical thinking test and if you are successful at application stage, they will invite you to attend one of their assessment centres which involves a range of activities, as well as the chance to meet some of the current trainees and trainee supervisors. 

At every stage of the process, the firm assess you against their training contract competency criteria and their firm behaviours and values. The firm also provide personalised feedback at each stage after the assessment centre, regardless of the outcome, so candidates can strive to improve. 

Each year, the firm receive around 350 applications, with the majority of those applications being for their vacation scheme. They choose between ten and 20 applicants to attend the three-day placement, held in each of their office locations. This sees attendees visit two departments across the placement as well as come together with other vacation placement students for an 'activity day' which includes a range of social and other activities. “Everyone was very approachable compared to the other vacation schemes I did. I don't think there was anyone I couldn't ask a question of,” testified one of the firm's current trainees. 

Assessments and interview 

Direct training contract and vacation scheme applicants who impress on paper are asked to attend an assessment day. Here they are set a group exercise, a written exercise and an interview with either a solicitor, associate or partner who is part of the graduate recruitment team. Applicants have the opportunity to meet various levels of lawyers at a lunch and networking session, and they also get the opportunity to spend time with trainees and ask any questions about life at Ward Hadaway.  

The firm invites successful candidates from the assessment centres and vacation scheme back to a final interview, this time with a senior partner, the firm's training principal Matthew Cormack, and the recruitment and emerging talent manager, Caroline Jones. “This is an opportunity to learn more about who they are as individuals and what motivates them,” Jones says. One trainee found that “in comparison to interviews at other firms, I remember feeling much more at ease here. They want to get the best out of you, so they try to establish an open and supportive tone.” 

Trainee profile 

Matthew Cormack tells us: “Our different practice areas require different kinds of individuals. It’s really important that people invest the time to research who we are. We aren’t a one-size-fits-all firm, and we’re looking for people who have the composure to present themselves well and are confident in evidencing why they are right for us.” 

Another trainee source added: “It is clear that the firm are committed to creating an environment where team effort and collaboration is not just encouraged, but ingrained into the essence of its approach to working.” One interviewee highlighted: “We are a commercial firm, so make sure you show your commercial awareness and understanding of the business world. That's as important as demonstrating good communication and teamwork skills.” One final piece of advice? Having a genuine desire to stay in the region – whether that's Leeds, Manchester or Newcastle – is also very important.