Ashfords LLP - True Picture

Ashfords training contract review 2025 

The Firm 

No discussion on the big players in the South West would be complete without mention of Ashfords. In a welcome deviation from the common model of a London-headquartered firm with smaller regional offshoots, Ashfords has firm footing in Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth, and a smaller office in the City. The firm’s strong reputation in the South West has earned it a number of rankings from Chambers UK in the area, including corporate/M&A, intellectual property, social housing and construction. However, its work is also acknowledged nationally, with additional UK-wide recognition from the guide in charities and horse racing & equestrian law. 

“… a high calibre of work without sacrificing your personal life.” 

All of this made Ashfords especially attractive to trainees who were “looking for South West firms but didn’t want to compromise on the quality of training. I was looking for a diverse training experience so I could make an informed decision on qualification, and the culture has been an added bonus!” Essentially, Ashfords was described as a place where you get the best of both worlds, that being “a high calibre of work without sacrificing your personal life.” So, insiders were pleased to be around colleagues with family ties to the South West, as well as others who were drawn to the firm and its promise of top-notch work and a more than liveable work-life balance! 

The Seats 

Ashfords hopefuls apply to either a Bristol training contract or a South West training contract, which gives them the opportunity to work across the firm’s Exeter and Plymouth offices. In practice, most trainees are firmly based in Exeter, and are sometimes able to undertake seats in Bristol, too. There are also a few commercial secondment opportunities and, when they do come around, they are done on a part-time basis from the firm’s offices. When it comes to seat allocation, the first is assigned by HR depending on business need. From the second seat onwards, a seat list is circulated a few months ahead of the next rotation, and trainees submit their top three preferences in a meeting with the talent manager. Interviewees felt that their choices were respected as “it’s a really formal process where they make sure our views are taken into account.” 

“Real estate is one of the biggest divisions of the firm.” 

Though there are no formal mandates on specific seats, trainees did tell us that there’s almost an unwritten rule that “you’re meant to do a property-related seat, because real estate is one of the biggest divisions of the firm.” Those who had done a seat with the team explained that it includes a wide spectrum of real estate work, such as developments, investments and energy. Trainees were able to work with clients such as property developers, landlords and local authorities. For example, the firm recently advised Devonshire Homes on its acquisition of land in North Devon and the planning for 347 homes. Even though trainees might not see the full life cycle of a single real estate transaction during one six-month seat, they still get the chance to work on lots of matters at different stages. Tasks for trainees on such matters include reviewing leases and titles, working on Land Registry applications and updating clients with any necessary information, such as “restricted covenants, or anything that would be interesting for them to know before they buy the land.” Though the department can be busy, we were told that the transactional nature of the work eases some of the pressure. It also allowed many to take on some more responsibility, such as drafting leases and “running your own matters. I took charge of a deed of variation and a work licence.” 

The firm’s employment work is largely contentious, with newbies estimating that “around 80% of it is litigation.” This means that trainees do their fair share of classic litigation tasks, such as speaking to witnesses, gathering witness statements, attending tribunals and generally getting “lots of client contact.” A chunk of the team’s work reportedly comes from insurance providers, but other clients include the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Ocado and the Roald Dahl Story Company.One interviewee was impressed at the level of responsibility they had, explaining how “there’s not been much admin work. I’m really dealing with the law, drafting pleadings, reviewing disclosure, gathering witness statements and speaking to clients and counsel.” While trainees might take on slightly less responsibility on larger cases, we heard that “there are a few matters I have control over as the lead fee-earner and just seek supervision when needed.” 

The corporate team focuses largely on two main areas: M&A and investment. Trainees pointed out that “the values of the claims can be so high” and, sure enough, Ashfords lawyers recently advised water company Pennon on its £85 million acquisition of multiple renewable energy generation projects. It’s also worth bearing in mind that “when you are working on million-pound claims, you tend to take on more of a supporting role.” This means that typical responsibilities include drafting ancillary documents, which “get transactions over the line – those documents are how companies make decisions.” There are also opportunities to take on more responsibility, particularly as trainees progress: “They gave me lots of meaty work, such as due diligence exercises where I had to look for red flags in constitutional documents, and things like that.” Multiple sources actually enjoyed the due diligence aspects of the job as it involves “going through all aspects of a business with a fine-toothed comb to find out what they get up to.”  

“I’ve been doing lots of research notes for clients looking to incorporate AI into their policies…” 

Trainees explained that Exeter’s commercial litigation team works on pretty much everything, while the Bristol lot have more of a focus on retail and tech. More specifically, as one insider clarified, “those tech clients might provide a financial product to a bank or FinTech company, and we’d draft the service agreements to go along with that.” AI has also been a focus for the team in recent years, and this has been reflected in trainees’ experience of the seat: “I’ve been doing lots of research notes for clients looking to incorporate AI into their policies so that they can work more efficiently, or comply with data protection as they develop AI technologies themselves.” Trainees also get involved in other aspects of data protection, such as disclosure and subject access requests, alongside more general litigation tasks like drafting instructions to counsel and particulars of claim. Interestingly, insiders also spoke about the chance to work with a partner in Bristol who has a focus on equestrian bloodstock litigation – very niche! 

Trainee Life 

Ashfords has four total offices, but trainees found themselves spending most of their time in Bristol and Exeter. While there’s a consistent firm vibe across locations, we heard that the offices themselves are more like cousins rather than siblings. The Exeter office is just off the M5 and easily commutable for those outside the city, while the Bristol base can be found in the city centre. This means people “often go for drinks after work and it’s easy to go out for lunch.” Most go into the office three days a week to make the most of this, but insiders explained that hybrid working expectations vary from department to department. Both places were described as equally sociable, though, and as places where “a lot of the trainees, solicitors and paralegals are all really good friends.” 

Trainees also get chances to network externally as the firm has signed up to the Juniors Lawyers’ Division in Devon and Somerset, as well as the Exeter Young Business Club. Other events centre around the firm’s CSR activities, so much so that “nearly every activity is based around fundraising for the charities we support!” The last summer party was even “seaside-themed because it was for the Ocean Conservation Trust.” Other community initiatives include beach cleans, volunteering at food banks, and a general “big emphasis on giving back to the communities we work in.” 

“There’s definitely a team spirit.” 

Sources appreciated Ashfords’ close-knit culture, explaining how “there’s definitely a team spirit. No question’s too big to ask, and no one – whether it’s a paralegal, senior associate or partner – would ever laugh at you for doing so.” Interviewees also appreciated the company of their trainees as well; everyone gets together for trainee induction but, from then on, “there’s a real sense of camaraderie when you catch up with someone from another office who you haven’t seen for a while.” 

Our interviewees were also happy with the hours they were working and, while it may not be a nine-to-five job, a typical day “finishes at around 6 or 6.30pm, sometimes a bit later.” Others found that “it’s very rare that I work later than 7.30pm,” but added that “it’s usually my choice to stay late so I can get ahead of things.” This meant that trainees were generally satisfied with the salaryas well. Since it’s not a London firm, it’s “slightly lower than a London salary, but we definitely don’t have the crazy London hours.” 

Insiders explained that the qualification process is largely straightforward: a jobs list is released and trainees express their interests to HR. This means that “there’s a bit of an onus on trainees to line up conversations with departments so that their desired seats make the jobs list.” Interviews only take place when more than one person applies for a role, otherwise “the head of the department signs it off and you’re offered the job.” The firm did not disclose retention rates for 2024.

How to get into Ashfords

Vacation scheme deadline (2025): 31 March 2025

Training contract deadline (2025): 31 March 2025

Trainee profile

Ashfords has 12 training contracts on offer for a 2027 start, split between Bristol and the South West. Candidates need a minimum 2:1, but does consider applications from those whose A-levels weren't so strong. Beyond that, we're told the firm is looking for people who are business-savvy, curious and ambitious – people who are team players and effective communicators. Links to the South West are not required, though candidates will need to show their motivations for wanting to work in the region, and demonstrate a commitment to staying in the area.

Entry routes

Applicants can either apply for a summer scheme or a training contract outright. In 2024 the firm received over 500 training contract and summer scheme applications. Both start off with the same online application form. This examines a candidate's qualifications and previous work experience, and asks several competency-based questions designed to assess their suitability.

Assessment day

Recruiters typically invite 40 direct applicants to the assessment days (including those who attend a summer scheme beforehand).

The assessment day includes three elements: a written exercise, role-play and an interview with a partner and a member of HR. The interview takes around one hour and involves competency-based questions. “I had to show evidence of standard things like working well in a team,” a trainee recalled, “and they also asked 'When have you been put under pressure in the past, and what would you do differently next time?'”

Summer scheme

The firm runs three week-long summer schemes in June each year. These take place in both the Exeter and Bristol offices, and there's room for 24 candidates in total. Attendees split their time between three departments, and past participants reported doing substantive, trainee-level work. Candidates complete the assessment centre in the middle of the week and spend their final day participating in various workshops, including a partner panel session.