Baker McKenzie - True Picture

Baker McKenzie training contract review 2025 

The Firm 

Every international sensation comes with its own interesting discovery story. Nowadays it’s often a video gone viral, or a successful audition for some TV competition show. But what about a backseat conversation in a cab? For Baker McKenzie, that’s exactly where it all started back in 1948, thanks to a chance encounter between Russell Baker and John McKenzie in Chicago. Today, as training principal Stephen Ratcliffe confirms, “Baker McKenzie is a leading global law firm. It’s dynamic, driven and gets involved in some of the biggest transactional matters going, with 74 offices across 45 jurisdictions, we really are the most global of law firms." No wonder, then, that the firm was on the top of the list for those looking for “an international firm with big, complicated, multijurisdictional deals, and international secondment opportunities, too.” 

Baker McKenzie journeyed across the pond in 1961, opening up its London office which is now the heart of the global network, and home to more than 550 lawyers. This longevity in the City has earned the firm a bunch of top-tier rankings from Chambers UK, including employment, information technology and outsourcing and real estate. Nationally, the firm is recognised in practices such as commercial contracts, investment funds, tax, media and entertainment and sanctions. Being such an international firm, Bakers picks up hundreds of Chambers Global rankings, too, and is a certified global market leader in outsourcing, franchising and climate change. 

The headline news on this side of the pond is the London office’s recent move to Spitalfields. “I joined the firm in 2002, and I remember interviewing for a training contract at the old office!” Ratcliffe exclaims, emphasising how “it’s been a big move for us, and we’re so delighted with it. It reflects the forward-facing firm that we are, and is a modern and buzzing environment.” The long-awaited new office is open plan to encourage collaboration, with client floors and a rooftop terrace. 

“I’m grateful to have trained at a firm where people are so approachable and supportive.” 

The cherry on top? Despite the massive scale of the firm, Bakers is “known for being a friendly City law firm.” As a trainee attested, “I’m grateful to have trained at a firm where people are so approachable and supportive, and it makes it so much easier to learn.” 

The Seats 

Starting newbies are given the option to select a must-do, priority seat, which is guaranteed at some point throughout their training contract. For subsequent rotations, trainees submit their preferences for seat allocation. However, insiders claimed that “lots of people go on secondment,” typically in their final seat. International opportunities are up for grabs in places like Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and New York, and sources were pleased to say that “it’s been getting better and better since COVID.” There are also client secondments on offer, with opportunities with big-name tech companies on the cards! 

“We’ve had the opportunity to be staffed on some high-profile, newsworthy deals!” 

Corporate is split into five subgroups: corporate finance, corporate reorganisations, private equity, M&A and corporate energy, and mining and infrastructure. Trainees are allocated to one group, but can still get a taste of the others. Newbies here get a close-up look at the firm’s transactional work, which is often large-scale. For instance, the team recently represented Emerson Electric on the sale of its majority stake in Climate Technologies to private equity funds under Blackstone. The transaction was valued at $14 billion and spanned more than 70 countries, and trainees were pleased to confirm that “we’ve had the opportunity to be staffed on high-profile, newsworthy deals!”  

Within corporate, reorganisation focuses on internal corporate structure planning and involves “creating or dissolving companies to help organisations set up a new project or better achieve their financial aims. We sometimes deal with companies with up to 300 entities in their structure.” Finance, meanwhile, deals with public companies, tackling takeovers, debt and initial public offerings (IPO). The private equity group acts for buyers and sellers in transactions involving private equity houses. Overall, trainees said that tasks depend on the subgroup. As a rule of thumb, however, trainees can expect classic project management tasks, such as general admin and running checklists, reviewing contracts and drafting ancillary documents. The latter, according to an insider, “is really useful for understanding how companies work, and means you’re on calls with clients, taking notes.” 

A seat with banking and finance offers another opportunity for trainees to get transactional experience, and the group works for both lenders and borrowers. This means that trainees get to try out a range of matters, including general commercial, real estate, leveraged and trade finance. The team recently worked on one of the largest debt-for-nature transactions ever, representing Oceans Finance Company in the multi-jurisdictional exchange of $800 million in debt. For trainees on such matters, “there’s a lot of cross-jurisdictional process management,” especially when signing and closing deals. Sources also spoke of attending calls with opposing counsel and clients, drafting correspondence and ancillary documents, and reviewing parts of facility agreements. One insider emphasised, “banking is quite busy, so there’s a huge amount of scope for responsibility such as making the first cut on documents.” Business development was a highlight here, too, with lots of events that “were a lot of fun.” 

IP tech covers the advisory, contentious and transactional sides of data protection, tech regulation and cybersecurity. The team certainly knows its way around the ever-changing regulatory landscape, and insiders confirmed that “we’ve had a lot of work requesting information about the Digital Services Act, and making applications to the European Commission for big platform clients.” This includes names such as Dropbox, Pinterest, Fujitsu, Warner Bros and Unilever, just to name a few! Project management and advising clients make up a good portion of the trainee work here. Day to day, sources mentioned that “it’s quite varied, with anything from research and red flag reviews to drafting call notes or a settlement agreement.” 

“There are some seriously good senior lawyers who are invested in you, and they’ve got their arms out ready to catch you.” 

In disputes, trainees are exposed to three main areas of work: arbitration, commercial litigation, and white-collar and civil fraud. Within those areas, the practice covers areas such as investigations, private wealth, commercial contracts, and post-M&A disputes. The group has a similarly diverse range of clients, including recognisable names such as Barclays, Shell and L’Oreal. Currently, the team is representing Indian state-owned bank, Bank of Baroda, in $6 billion fraud claims brought by the collapsed private healthcare fund, NMC. Staple tasks for trainees here include project management, bundling and document review, which “you use to write up a chain of events, and instructing experts use that to prepare their reports.” Sources had also assisted with witness interviews, attended hearings, drafted memos and submitted filings on top of this. There’s certainly plenty to do, and insiders appreciated that “there are some seriously good senior lawyers who are invested in you, and they’ve got their arms out ready to catch you. It definitely helps you take the leap!” 

Over in employment, Bakers works with well-known names like the BBC, Google and Sony. The team works on a mixture of advisory, contentious and transactional matters, though insiders suggested that internal investigations and litigation make up a good chunk of the work. This means that trainees get plenty of opportunities to do a bit of bundling and draft documents such as grounds for resistance and witness statements. The advisory side of the work involves helping clients with general employment law queries, so legal research is a central task for trainees here. Overall, however, we heard it’s “really a case of proving yourself, so they’ll give you stretch tasks in the second half of the seat in particular.” 

Trainee Life 

So, how’s the new office? “It’s really nice,” a trainee gushed. “We can sit anywhere in the new office, so you get to meet new people and bump into others more organically.” Another even went so far as to say that “it’s changed people’s demeanours – everyone’s really happy with it!” A three day in-office policy has been introduced to make the most of this upgrade, so trainees get plenty of opportunities to interact with their colleagues. In particular, according to one, “I can’t emphasise how it’s taken the stress away. I can just walk past a senior or partner’s desk to see if they’re busy.” 

“There’s clearly an effort to employ down-to-earth people.” 

Insiders spoke highly about the friendly culture at Bakers, telling us how “people make an effort with trainees. A lot of us work with partners, and they’re happy to sit you down and talk things through. There’s clearly an effort to employ down-to-earth people, so there aren’t big egos here.” Plenty of events dot the social calendar as well, from trainee breakfasts and casual drinks to annual Christmas and summer parties. Departments hold their own get-togethers and, as one newbie detailed, “corporate had a barge party on the Thames, and competition has had treasure hunts around London.” There’s also a choir and book club, alongside running, netball, climbing, rugby and football clubs for any sport lovers. The 2024 World Cup was certainly celebrated as well, and we heard that some “went to Amsterdam for the Fluency Cup, where we played with other trainees, associates and partners. It was a chance to meet our international colleagues!” 

Sources agreed that “the firm is making a conscious effort” when it comes to diversity and inclusion, and informally noticed how “there are lots of different nationalities around the office.” Everyone is encouraged to join social committees to promote diversity, whether as a member of the community or an ally. Interestingly, we heard that “at the moment, we’ve been thinking about how clients can be introduced to others in a more equitable way.” In terms of social mobility, the firm is involved in programs where everyone, from trainee-level all the way up to partnership, can mentor students interested in law, helping them with questions and personal statement advice. 

“There’s no facetime culture here,” a newbie assured, explaining that hours can be long, but expectations vary depending on the seat and week. “I’ll start at 9am and finish around 7pm usually, or 5pm on a good day, but I’ve had busier periods with short bursts of post-midnight finishes,” a source recounted, and this was an experience shared by many. Billable hours are monitored as a guide, but trainees were clear that “I’m not super stressed about it. Nothing bad happens if you don’t meet it.” For those who do go above and beyond, “there’s a discretionary bonus, and it’s nice that there’s respect for trainees at the firm.” There’s also been a recent salary hike on top of that, with first-years getting £55,000 while NQs are promised a whopping £140,000 – that certainly doesn’t hurt! 

Newbies receive two weeks of induction training upon starting at Bakers. Throughout the training contract, departments regularly deliver their own training, alongside knowledge and case updates. Trainees can approach knowledge lawyers “if something is missing, and they’ll add in the training.” Feedback is also customisable, and typically depends on how closely a trainee works with their supervisor. However, we heard that “it’s always been pretty good. Sometimes you might need to ask for feedback after a busy project, but others do offer it right away.” 

Come qualification, applicants can apply for up to two positions. Simply put, “there’s no interview. It’s a written process with your CV and a cover letter.” In 2024, Bakers retained 30out of 41qualifiers

How to get a Baker McKenzie training contract 

Vacation scheme deadline:

Spring Vacation Scheme (Monday 31st March and Thursday 17th April 2025)

• Applications Open: 1 October 2024
• Applications Deadline: 1 December 2025

Summer Vacation Scheme (16 June – 4 July 2025)

• Applications Open: 1 October 2024
• Applications Open: 1 January 2025

First Year Insight Scheme (22 – 23 April 2024)

• Applications Open: 1 November 2023
• Applications Close: 1 February 2024

Training contract deadline:

Direct Training Contract

• Applications Open: 1 February 2024
• Applications Close: 1 April 2024

Open Day Information:

Opportunity Open Day

LGBT+ & Allies Open Day

Women+ Open Day

Employability (Mental Wellbeing & Disability) Open Day

Non-Law Open Day

General Open Day

Non-Russel Group Open Day

Black Lawyers and Allies Open Day

First-year programme deadline:

First Year Insight Scheme (Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th April 2025)

Applications Open: 1 October 2024

Applications Close: 1 February 2025

Applications

The application process for a vacation scheme and a training contract are the same. The process begins with an online application form which includes a short series of questions to assess candidates' knowledge of, and commitment to, Baker McKenzie specifically and the key skills that the firm looks for.

"When candidates are applying to Baker McKenzie, they should focus on their motivations for joining a global commercial law firm, and in particular, Baker McKenzie," according to Graduate Recruitment and Development Manager, Eleanor Beattie, who adds that seemingly small things like spelling the firm's name wrong, referring to it as an American firm, or using stock answers to questions are all important to avoid.

The application form is your opportunity to tell us about your experiences to date, and showcase how your experiences would make you a good commercial lawyer. 

Interviews and assessments  

After applying online, successful candidates are asked to complete an online test. This is followed by a competency-based and strengths-based video interview.  

From here, those who make the grade – vacation scheme and training contract applicants alike – attend an assessment day which consists of four different exercises, including a group exercise, and candidates are interviewed by both partners and associates. “We interview as many non-law as we do law students, so there's not a lot of focus on legal terminology,” Beattie assures. “Rather, the day is focused on your commercial awareness and ability to work with others.”  

Vacation scheme

Baker McKenzie runs two Vacation Schemes in a year, one in spring and one in summer. The spring and summer scheme both run for three weeks. Participants visit two practice areas during their placement; these are chosen based on their preferences submitted beforehand. The vacation scheme includes talks from each department, networking lunches with partners and associates, and a Q&A session with the management committee, plus social outings.

All vacation schemers have an interview with a partner at the end of their visit. This takes the form of “a discussion about what they've learnt during the scheme and how they found the placement,” according to Beattie. 

Open days 

In addition to its vacation schemes, Baker McKenzie run a series of focused open days to give more specific insights to individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds. Alongside a general open day that provides a perfect taster of life at Baker McKenzie and gives a feel of what a career in the field of law is like more generally, there are also six additional days, each of which is aligned to one of the Baker McKenzie employee affinity networks. Each open day includes interactive workshops, practice group overviews, application tips, and the opportunity to network with partners, associates, and trainee solicitors.

Interview with Stephen Ratcliffe, Training Principal

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

Stephen Ratcliffe: Baker McKenzie is a leading global law firm. It’s dynamic, driven and gets involved in some of the biggest transactional matters going. But we have two other things I don’t think any other firm has in combination with that. Firstly, we’re incredibly global in the truest sense, you meet people from all different walks of life and from all different parts of the world. With 74 offices across 45 jurisdictions, we really are the most global of law firms. But also, we’re a driven full-service firm, evidenced by the growth in our transactional practice over the years. Equally, we have other incredibly strong market leading practices such as my own, I’m an employment lawyer and we have the leading market practice domestically, across Europe and globally by way of example.

All these different things come together as a lovely cohesive whole. Rightly, we’re also known for being a great place to be. We’re all hard-working; there will be late nights, but it’s great to be surrounded by such nice people while you’re doing it. Speaking as someone who trained here and has been here ever since, I’ve always been happy with the combination of incredible work and the people I work with.

CS: The London office has recently moved. Could you tell us what this move has meant for Baker McKenzie?

Ratcliffe: I joined the firm in 2002, and I remember interviewing for a training contract at the old office! It’s been a big move for us, and we’re so delighted with it. It reflects the forward-facing firm we are, and is a modern and buzzing environment. It really encourages collaboration. Lots of firms still have that old-fashioned set-up of a small number of lawyers in a room, with the senior ones near the window and juniors by the door, but that is not who we are. We wanted a truly collaborative working environment with an open space so we can get together and work effectively across teams. There are no allocated desks, so you can come in and work wherever it is best for you that day.

We have some incredible client floors, too, with meeting rooms and a co-working space. Clients can come and work in our dedicated space and collaborate with colleagues from Baker McKenzie. Our rooftop terrace is great for client entertainment, especially when it’s good weather! You can sit out on the terrace and work there, too. It has views across London, so you can see Canary Wharf, East London, the Olympic Park and the City on the other side.

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

Ratcliffe: There have been some incredible pieces of work. For example, one of my colleagues, Joanna Ludlam, led an amazing piece of work for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on its intervention in the then government’s policy on relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda. We’re all incredibly proud of Jo for all the work she did! Similarly, we’ve done some ground-breaking transactional work over the last year, with some multi-jurisdictional deals of the most complex nature. That is where the global nature of who we are and our incredibly strong transactional practices comes in: we work hard, and it is worth it when you see the results you get. As always, you’ll see some great litigation, employment, tech and IP work.

The roster of the clients we have are all the household and big-name brands you can possibly imagine, which I tend to find trainees are the most excited to work for. What I love about that is the nature of the relationship is two ways. For example, our Baker Ethnicity Group recently put a mentoring scheme in place with some of our biggest clients to help individuals prepare for a mock pitch. They got feedback on the process, on how well they’d done and what they could have done differently. It really gave some of our most junior lawyers a sense of how things work as a senior lawyer at the firm. You can see all our big deals online, but I really love the internal work we do with our clients that isn’t as widely publicised and helps the careers of our people going forward.

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

Ratcliffe: We’ve worked hard on our training programme. When the SQE came along, we looked at the existing providers and went with BARBRI, the new entrant in the UK market. The reason for this is that the SQE is an entirely new exam built around the US-style multiple choice, which BARBRI is used to, and its offering is the best for us and our people. In addition, we have a bespoke practice course in advance of your training contract which is designed around the things you are going to come across as a lawyer at Baker McKenzie.

From day one, the process is designed around ensuring that we not only get the best from you, but that you can do your best as well. We have a four-seat training contract, and each one is a genuine option for qualification – even the fourth seat. If there’s a department trainees want to work in, we’ll do our best to make it happen, which is unlike any other firm of our size.

There is a constant process of feedback, as well as mid- and end-of-seat reviews. Trainee supervisors and buddies provide feedback throughout the training contract, ensuring that individuals excel. A great many of us are Baker McKenzie lifers, so we remember what it was like to be a trainee and how daunting your first day was. That means we try to put everybody at ease, regardless of their background and who they are.

CS: What are the secondment opportunities like at Bakers?

Ratcliffe: We really encourage secondments, and everyone has a chance to apply. Client secondments are an awesome way to understand the other side of your advice. You’ll never understand how frustrating it is to receive a lengthy piece of advice at 6pm on a Friday until you are that client! I have done a number in my career and know firsthand that it gives you a sense of what the best client service looks like. Some of them are incredibly successful and set people up with relationships for their career.

On the international side, we want our colleagues to fully experience what it means to be at a truly global firm. You’ll get to work hand in hand with people in another office and the hope is that friendships will form. After qualification, you’ll have the opportunity to attend practice group meetings in your region for business and training sessions, and it is also an opportunity to socialise. At this firm, you will get to know your colleagues very well.

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?

Ratcliffe: From October this year, the requirement will be for people to be in the majority of the working week, which, for most, will be three days in office. Many people, such as myself, like to be in more and around other people to learn and see how they do things. So, I encourage trainees to come in more if they want to. Each department has an anchor day, and the idea is to ensure that there is crossover between people so that they can bond and work closely – there really is no substitute for being with your team.

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

Ratcliffe: I don’t want anyone to think there is a Baker McKenzie type! You’ll meet an awful lot of people here with different backgrounds and world views as that is who we are and the reason a lot of us are still here. If you spoke to people here, you wouldn’t come away thinking they’re a group of identical lawyers.

So, just speaking personally, authenticity works for me at interview. Everyone prepares for the ‘why do you want to be a lawyer?’ or ‘why do you want to be at this firm?’ questions, and it’s tough to listen to someone reel off something inauthentic they’ve written and memorised. What I want to know is who the person is, what drives them and why they want to come to a firm like this.

There are also technical aspects to the interview which involve attention to detail and the ability to assimilate data. So, really get to grips with what you’re being asked and prepare the different variations of the answer you might be asked to give.

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

Ratcliffe: We do have targets in terms of ethnicity and gender breakdown for the firm as a whole. At the most senior partner level, we have a global aspirational target of 40% male, 40% female and 20% either or non-binary. To achieve that balance, we need to ensure we’re getting that on the junior end. Similarly, we want a breakdown that represents the level of ethnic diversity in society and our current target of 14% at all levels reflects this. There are groups, such as Baker Ethnicity, that are ensuring that we get the right level of applicants from different backgrounds. We want to have the most diverse pool of applicants, lawyers and business professionals.

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

Ratcliffe: Do your research about what a commercial firm like this represents and think about what you want out of your career and whether this would be the best match. If you decide you want to be a lawyer at a commercial firm, research what kind of firm you’re applying to, as there are number of really good firms in the market, all presenting different experiences and opportunities. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

There is also no substitute for speaking to someone who works here. Go to events and have honest discussions with trainees, associates and graduate recruitment teams, and then you’ll start to understand the differences between firms. After all, many of us made the decision once we met the people working at the firm.