Greenberg Traurig, LLP - True Picture

Greenberg Traurig training contract review 2026

The Firm

A sweet sixteen is a pretty big deal, and you’ve got to make sure to do it right. Whether you want to throw a big party or have a chill day in, it’s a milestone worth celebrating, nonetheless. While many firms in the City celebrated their sweet sixteen years, decades or even over a century ago, US-born Greenberg Traurig’s London office has only just blown out the candles on its cake.  

The teen years can be tumultuous for some but, according to co-training principal and capital markets shareholder, James Mountain, GT has really found its home in the Big Smoke: “I joined in 2009 when the office first opened, so I’ve seen it grow from ten to around 150 lawyers. I’m glad that the change has been almost entirely numerical; the feel of the place hasn’t changed much at all.”  

It’s a sentiment shared by co-training principal and tax shareholder Jessica Ganagasegaran, who tells us how “the firm has seen a lot of growth and change but, through that, the one thing that hasn’t changed is its culture.” As a trainee specified, GT London is “still quite small, but that means everyone is pretty much on a first-name basis. You get a comfortable feeling of familiarity underpinned by the resources of a massive global firm.”  

“You get a comfortable feeling of familiarity underpinned by the resources of a massive global firm.” 

Such resources – including a whopping 49 offices worldwide! – mean that GT is certainly familiar to our colleagues at Chambers Global and Chambers USA. Over on this side of the pond, however, GT is recognised by Chambers UK primarily for its work in banking and finance in London and for civil fraud nationwide. GT picks up further rankings for corporate/M&A, real estate investment funds and rolling stock in rail transport.  

Trainees are encouraged to get stuck into all sorts of work the office has to offer, especially as it continues to grow. “I’ve always felt that Greenberg Traurig has a really entrepreneurial spirit, and we’re trying to find the right people to grow the business,” Mountain explains, “We’re not just doing one type of work, so we compete against lots of different parts of the market. That means our trainees and junior associates can get real, broad experience.”  

What’s more, GT only takes on no more than ten trainees each year (a number which has grown steadily since it entered the London scene), which lends itself to lean staffing on matters. For those who enter the fold at a US firm, this lean staffing is often touted as one of the main benefits of such a training contract: “You get so much early responsibility and, though I didn’t appreciate it before I joined, it should absolutely be a reason to apply.” 

The Seats 

First seats are automatically assigned but, from their second seat onwards, trainees are invited to rank their top two preferences for seat allocation. Given that the cohort is so small, there isn’t an extensive process unless there’s hot competition for a specific seat. “Most of the cohort put down litigation last time around, but it only has three spots available!” a trainee pointed out and, in cases such as these, graduate recruitment and the training principals will meet with trainees to chat about their options and motivations. “It’s so they can figure out whether it’s a less serious option for you or if it’s something you’d consider for qualification,” an interviewee explained, “But, when we go into our second year, those sorts of conversations happen more intentionally so that the firm is making sure we have the experience we want and need.”

As is typically the case, more niche seats might be a bit trickier to nab than the larger ones, but sources advised, “even if one of those seats isn’t necessarily available, you’re still encouraged to speak up if you’re interested. The message is that you shouldn’t let your career happen to you; if you’re interested in something, go and grab it with both hands.” 

Client secondments are also on the table and are ranked like any other seat during the allocation process. There’s one available in each rotation with a client in the tourism hospitality sector, and those who had managed to snag a spot appreciated how secondees are: “genuinely part of the in-house legal counsel team! It’s helped me build confidence in my abilities and learn to understand clients from a more commercial perspective.” 

“In some of the smaller teams, you’ll often end up with more junior associate-level drafting tasks.” 

GT’s litigation team is quite neatly split into three: general civil litigation, international arbitration and white-collar crime. Trainees’ experiences of the seat differ depending on their preferences and types of work that naturally come their way. This means that newbies can get a wide range of exposure to disputes, many of which have an international focus. For example, the team is currently representing Ugandan bank, Crane Bank, in $250 million claims of conspiracy and corruption following the Central Bank of Uganda’s attempts to misappropriate its assets. Such matters can easily run on for years, but lucky trainees might get to sit with the team while a case goes to trial, which means “things get hectic, but it’s a good sort of busy. It’s great seeing how all the work you do comes together.”  

On the litigation side of things, this can include organising materials for experts, training witnesses, drafting correspondence and bundling. However, interviewees agreed that there was ample opportunity to take on more responsibility as “partners are happy to give you good work as soon as you’ve proved you’re capable and can be trusted. That means that, in some of the smaller teams, you’ll often end up with more junior associate-level drafting tasks.” 

The firm’s real estate department is similarly broad, spanning a variety of sub-practices with a property focus. Though the team has a property litigation division, the work is largely transactional, and includes commercial sales and purchases, real estate finance and construction. As an example, the team advised Blackstone and one of its portfolio companies on the acquisition of a site in Northumberland for a potential data centre campus. Working on leases is part of a trainee’s responsibility here, and some were fortunate to get experience negotiating these leases, whether that’s written comments and edits, or “taking the bull by the horns, speaking to clients and leading discussions.”  

Although there’s some transaction management involved – such as handling checklists, Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Registry filings – the trainees we spoke to were happy with the level of responsibility. Alongside plenty of client contact, newbies got the chance to do some significant drafting, prepare reports on title, manage post-completion processes and, more generally, act as “a point of reference for senior lawyers. You’re expected to have direct knowledge of the deal, and your input feeds into the main transaction documents.” 

A seat with the funds team, meanwhile, is typically “very real estate focused. The department centres around real estate funds, general real estate M&A, private equity real estate, and joint ventures.” Clients include the likes of Oaktree Capital Management and BlackRock Investment Management, and a recent matter on behalf of Affinius Capital involved the $300 million formation of a UK-based debt lending platform. Trainees can sample a range of the work the department has to offer and, depending on the sort of work they get, responsibility can vary. “They start you off on more basic trainee tasks and let you get your feet,” a source shared, and these introductory tasks include things like due diligence, document review, proofreading and putting transaction bibles together.  

However, once trainees find their footing, “they push you onto more advanced tasks, like managing documents and transactions, encouraging you to take ownership with an associate who is always a few steps behind you and ready to help.” As such, these stretch tasks might include drafting and client contact, and a trainee even got to “work on main documents and short-form sale purchase agreements. It’s great learning how to draft documents that senior lawyers usually handle.” 

“The exposure you get to different types of work is yours to control.” 

Just like many of the practices we’ve covered so far, finance is also split into three: general banking and leveraged finance, real estate finance, and restructuring, insolvency and special situations. However, a couple of partner additions to the team means it has a growing projects finance practice, too. We heard that there are opportunities to work on both the lender and borrower sides of matters and, on the latter, the team has advised Nomad Foods on a number of transactions, including a €1.5 billion senior facilities agreement and various multi-million-dollar term loans.  

Tasks for trainees are “not set in stone,” we heard, and one interviewee relished the fact that “the exposure you get to different types of work is yours to control. I came into the seat very fresh, but I was taking stabs at first drafts of documents by the end of it.” However, many of our interviewees had experience drafting ancillary documents, liaising with local counsel and, in some cases, working on the core transaction documents. 

Many of the trainees we spoke to had opted for a more restructuring, insolvency and special situations heavy finance seat, getting involved in matters where “we work across the restructuring toolkit, including corporate turnarounds for struggling companies with a situation that isn’t critical enough to necessitate insolvency.” Here, newbies handle conditions precedent checklists, conduct legal research, draft board minutes and review various contracts and security documents. Some were grateful to get “lots of one-on-one time with partners, joining calls with clients and attending court. You have to expect that you’ll be putting out fires, but I’ve been trusted to lead processes by myself with external third parties.”  

Trainee Life 

“Being in the Shard with big windows bringing in lots of light really helps,” a trainee explained and, to make us even more jealous, “We’re right next to Borough Market, so I can get myself a treat from there when I’ve been working long hours!” The convenient location is matched by an efficient office setup where trainees share an office with their supervisor, who is either a partner or associate. However, it’s worth noting that “there’s an informal rule that if your supervisor isn’t in, you can sit with someone else to meet more people.”

On the days trainees are in – which is usually at least four out of five each week – there’s also a kitchen where most of the cohort meets up for lunch. “We eat lunch together, so if you’re not in you’ll get a message from one of the other trainees asking if you’re working from home that day,” an interviewee shared. 

There are also social opportunities outside of the office, including firmwide events, department drinks and dinners, and firm-funded trainee socials. GT also has a charity of the year (which, this year, is Guy’s Cancer Charity) and hosts various events to raise money, such as a quiz, HYROX challenge, 50km walks and bake sales. We heard there are also plenty of other sporting events, as well as a netball and football team. According to trainees who were happy to get stuck in, “people of all levels are welcome to join, including partners! It’s a nice way to socialise outside of your team and peer group.” 

“Even if someone told me that they’d double my salary and take me elsewhere with people I didn’t like, I’d say no.” 

However, insiders found that it was easy to get to know colleagues on a much more informal level thanks to GT’s culture. “I can’t walk around the office without someone saying hi or how was your weekend. I have to make sure I don’t chat to too many people when I go to get a drink during the day!” joked one insider. Many were also quick to comment on how the culture “leans a bit more towards the UK. It’s not super American but, being a US firm, it has some influence.” This means that trainees were grateful for the overall friendliness that extends across all levels of seniority.

“There’s never been a time where I’ve felt like I can’t knock on a partner’s door because they might snap,” said one interviewee, “In fact, they’re so friendly that I couldn’t believe how senior some of them were!” All in all, these vibes meant that one especially devoted trainee felt, “even if someone told me that they’d double my salary and take me somewhere else with people I didn’t like, I’d say no.” 

However, that’s not to say that the pay was an issue for our interviewees, with first-years starting their training contract on £50k. Although some commented that “it would be nice to get a bonus since we do work so hard,” the general consensus was that “the salary reflects what I do. Sure, other US firms might pay more but it’s not worth it if they can never make plans during the weekend.”  

In fact, when it comes to the hours, even though there will be some longer days which could mean finishing well after midnight for some, trainees were clear that “GT isn’t the kind of place where they’d make you cancel dinner plans on your birthday.” As is often the case across the legal profession, trainees found that there are “moments of peak busyness and periods of downtime,” with transactional practices offering a more up-and-down experience compared to the slightly steadier litigation seats. So, even when things heat up, trainees were pleased to say, “I’ve never felt like it’s been too much. Partners manage trainees’ and associates’ time well as they don’t want anyone to burn out.” 

Trainees can also get involved in plenty of pro bono if they find time in their schedule and want to take part: “The main point of a training contract at GT is to make what you want of it. That applies to pro bono; if you want to do it, the opportunities are there.” Several trainees recently took part in a major research project concerning access to sexual health in Kenya. Ganagasegaran offers a more in-depth explanation: “It’s a research project we’re working on with the Vance Center in New York for a Kenyan charity, and it concerns adolescents’ right to access sexual health services… Trainees have project managed the whole thing, arranged weekly calls, did the research and drafted the report – I’ve been a passenger, and it’s been phenomenal to see the progress.” 

GT has also been busy on the DEI front, with insiders noting that “we’re very much committed to it, though it’s quite office-specific at the moment. We do a lot of things just for London.” This includes a range of affinity networks which are open for anyone to join and engage with. This includes a Women’s Initiative, Social Mobility, Ability, Race & Ethnicity, Pride and Life Works, which provides support on balancing professional and personal lives. Sources appreciated how “people really do take the networks quite seriously. They don’t just address one area, but work across recruitment, internal messaging and with clients.”

These groups also organise events to educate and celebrate, such as Lunar New Year, International Women’s Day and Ramadan. When it comes to representation, sources were optimistic about the future: “I’m sure every firm could do better, but I’m happy with how GT is doing. There’s been a lot more diversity in the more recent trainee intakes, and I’ve seen a shift towards being more inclusive.” 

“I could tell they had my growth at heart.” 

Sources also had plenty of praise for the training on offer, which balances sit-down sessions with more hands-on learning. Alongside general induction training at the start of the training contract, each seat kicks off with basic introductory sessions which are “high-level but important. They make sure they happen so that you can get good grounding in your seat.” Though there are always regular, more general team training sessions on, trainees especially enjoyed “just having a go at something, then sitting down with someone to talk through it.”

Supervisors are also around to answer any other questions, and many appreciated the extra support: “Mine has really helped me navigate priority tasks and ask for extended deadlines when I need it,” said one trainee, while another remarked, “I can ask silly questions without feeling intimidated. I could tell they had my growth at heart.” 

There is no formal process for qualification, so much so that there isn’t even an official jobs list. Instead, “they treat each seat as a six-month interview, and your mid-seat appraisals are focused on you getting what you want out of the team. Come qualification, you would have already spoken to partners and expressed your interest in a department.”

Some felt that the system might suit some personalities more than others, but nonetheless advised, “you’re expected to maintain a relationship with the team you’d like to qualify in, whether that’s attending training sessions, networking events or going for coffees with people.” In the long term, as one trainee reflected, “the firm grows organically thanks to the training and support in place to build us up to the level of NQs.” In 2025, GT kept on 3 out of 8 of its trainees.

How to get a Greenberg Traurig training contract 

Training contract deadline: 16 January 2026 

Applications 

Each year, the firm receives around 500 applications, a number which is steadily increasing as the firm continues to grow. The first stage consists of a CV and one-page cover letter outlining why you would like to train at Greenberg Traurig. Here, as Graduate Recruitment Advisor Gisela Scarsella tells us, “We are looking for motivated individuals who demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset and a proactive approach to their personal and professional development.” 

There are no strict requirements when it comes to prior work experience. While legal experience helps to “demonstrate a genuine interest in and commitment to a career in law,” Scarsella explains, “we also value broader work experience, as this helps candidates build strong commercial awareness, communication skills, and adaptability.” 

The training contract is open to applicants from all degree backgrounds, and GT attends recruitment events at universities across the country to meet students across a range of disciplines. More crucial than a law degree is “demonstrating curiosity and taking initiative, whether through involvement in student societies, part-time jobs, volunteering or entrepreneurial ventures. It’s not about a prescriptive path, but rather about showing evidence of drive, reflection and a willingness to learn,” says Scarsella. 

Interviews 

Those who make it past the first stage will be invited to two interviews: one with two partners, and one with two senior associates. Around 20 successful candidates are invited to an in-person assessment day, the last stage in the recruitment process. Here, candidates sit in an office with a senior fee earner for the day and are given three written tasks to complete in their own time. They are also asked to complete a group presentation exercise. 

Interview with Training Principals James Mountain and Jessica Ganagasegaran 

The Firm 

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

Jessica Ganagasegaran: I joined in 2017 originally as an associate. The firm has seen a lot of growth and change but, through that, the one thing that hasn’t changed is its culture. That's what I would say is important to the firm. Even though it’s growing – in finance, restructuring, litigation, private equity... everything! – the people are one thing that’s constant for me. I enjoy working here. 

James Mountain: I'd say we're quite difficult to describe in some ways. I joined in 2009 when the office first opened, so I’ve seen it grow from ten to around 150 lawyers. I’m glad that the change has been almost entirely numerical; the feel of the place hasn’t changed much at all. We have a massive global network (predominantly in the US) which has expanded a lot more in the past ten years, and London is at the heart of that. I’ve always felt that Greenberg Traurig has a really entrepreneurial spirit, and we’re trying to find the right people to grow the business. It means we have a boutique feel with the heft and weight of lots of big global firms, and the resources to do pretty much anything. We’re not just doing one type of work, so we compete against lots of different parts of the market. That means our trainees and junior associates can get real, broad experience. I’ve been at various firms which are all great firms in their own way, but I like the way GT runs itself. It looks for opportunities when they’re available and doesn't jump in for sake of doing something. 

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

Ganagasegaran: I know covid was five years ago, now, but it’s nice that everyone has been coming back to the office. There’s a definite buzz and culture. Everyone works hard but we have a lot of different activities going on, like CSR, pro bono and sports. Coming into the office is quite nice as people get to see and get involved with those kinds of things. Getting normality back has been a highlight for me. It feels like things have been settling down for a bit. It's been up and down with the market, but we're seeing it open up and work is coming in is quite exciting. There's lots for trainees to get involved in! 

Mountain: The biggest change has been moving to a two-year recruitment cycle. We have historically recruited in Easter for a September start. As we’ve now got to this size, we felt as though we needed to move to that advanced recruitment cycle. We've been adapting our recruitment process to deal with that, and it’s been fun to work through. From a work perspective, we’ve had all sorts of deals that stand out across departments, and each one has something that made news in the last few months. 

CS: Have there been any highlights on the pro bono front? 

Ganagasegaran: When you look at Greenberg Traurig as a whole, we have a very big pro bono offering in the US. We set up a more formal offering in our London office. We’re a member of the Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono and get referrals through that. We’re quite proud of the fact that we’ve taken on our first pro bono research project, led and managed predominantly by trainees. It’s a research project we’re working on with the Vance Center in New York for a Kenyan charity, and it concerns adolescents’ right to access sexual health services. We’ve considered international legal standards and conducted a comparison exercise with six or seven African jurisdictions. Trainees have project managed the whole thing, arranged weekly calls, did the research and drafted the report – I’ve been a passenger, and it’s been phenomenal to see the progress.  

CS: Can you tell us more about the client secondments that you offer? 

Mountain: We very actively encourage trainees to do it as it’s a great opportunity to see law from the other side. You see how people receive legal services, how good legal work is received, and how not to send client stuff. We think that’s a great opportunity and it’s something we’ve been doing pretty much from the start. We have a longstanding relationship with the client and our secondee essentially moves between two different departments depending on what they need. From our perspective, it gives them skills they don’t get in the office, and we think it’s vital as part of the process to give them that opportunity. 

Ganagasegaran: The current trainee who is there does three or four days in their office and comes to sit with us on the days she’s not there. We also have a weekly trainee meeting where all trainees across the two years meet and do a presentation on anything. Someone did one on Taylor Swift’s music rights battle, and our secondee did a presentation on what she’s done during her secondment. 

CS: How would you describe the training environment that you have aimed to create at the firm? How often do you catch up with trainees? 

Ganagasegaran: We see them weekly in those trainee meetings. Those are a great way for trainees to get up and talk in front of a group. It's also a good time for us to meet face-to-face, check in, and see how everyone is. Trainees also have formal check-ins with their supervisor and graduate recruitment during their three-month appraisals where they discuss where they are and how they can improve. James and I also join their formal six-month appraisals and set milestones with trainees. They also submit their weekly training diary and checklist, which is a good way for them to take stock and track what they do each week. Those are formal systems, but informally we can always check in. We all see each other and catch up in the corridor, so we’re constantly seeing how they’re doing. 

Mountain: We have oversight of everyone’s hours, so we can step in if they are excessive. This is a training contract, and everyone’s training isn’t necessarily going to go smoothly. We want to help fix any issues as quickly as possible to help trainees go on and achieve success in their training. We shouldn’t ever really have significant problems to discuss during mid- and end-of-seat appraisals as we should be picking up on issues throughout. We’re still a relatively small office and carefully select our supervisors so that we don’t miss any problems. 

The Training Contract  

CS: How is the firm considering AI in relation to the trainee experience? How quickly is it affecting the way in which trainees work? 

Ganagasegaran: We have our own internal Chat@GT but, otherwise, it varies between departments. Litigation tends to use processors that adapt themselves more easily and it’s still very much nascent. We’re definitely not replacing our trainees, but it’s more of a tool at the moment and there are different ways it can be used. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur but it’s not fitting so well with tax as so much of my work is researching! However, contracts and real estate might use it to help with due diligence. For trainees, it’s another tool they’re getting to grips with and learning. We don't want it to replace the fundamental legal skills trainees need to learn to set them up for their career. 

Mountain: It’s not going to replace anybody, but it’s another thing that should help them as they do tasks. We fundamentally still want trainees to understand contracts; we don’t want them to pop one into search engine which will throw out an answer without them testing it. As long as it’s a research and efficiency tool, the firm is keen to make use of it in the right areas and situation. 

CS: What’s the current set up with remote working for trainees? 

Ganagasegaran: It’s department specific. My team sits with funds, and we do four days in the office. That said, today is Friday and I’ve seen multiple trainees in the office. It’s an easier setup so they prefer coming in.  

Mountain: It’s similar for corporate. We encourage four days a week as you'll learn better being in the office. Supervisors of trainees are in at least four days a week, and that's part of our choosing process. You can’t train people as well remotely, so we want trainees to be in, learning by osmosis, and picking up ad hoc work in the corridors. 

Applications & Recruitment  

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

Mountain: People who have met the application threshold should already be bright but, aside from intellect, we’re looking for enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and be pushed outside of your comfort zone. You still have to be proactive about your own training, so you'll get out what you put into it. I'm also looking for a real interest in GT, what we do, and an enthusiasm to learn. 

Ganagasegaran: I 100% agree – it’s attitude, willingness and enthusiasm. You might not necessarily know what you want to do when applying so come in with curiosity, go into every department and try your best. There might be some things you don’t like but you need to do your best. All I can really ask for is someone who tries their hardest. 

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

Ganagasegaran: It’s applicant-based so no, we don’t have set targets. We read every single application. 

Mountain: Set targets isn’t how we operate, and we end up with the right people. By default, that means we end up with a very diverse office. You don’t walk around GT and think we’re not diverse. We have and focus on our ECO committees, but we don't search for specific backgrounds in our recruiting process. 

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

Mountain: The more work experience you can get early, the better. The only way to see if this is a career for you is to go out and experience it. See if you can get a few days here and there, talk to someone, or get a coffee with a solicitor to find out what they do day to day. It's a hard job when you get to our level and requires a lot of hard work, time and effort, so you have to be sure you want to do that. It goes back to our point on enthusiasm. You’ve got to really understand what this career is about and what you need to do to be successful at it. It’s still a great career that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. AI will help not replace us, so we still really need that human touch. The trusted advisor role is still very much part of what I do day-to-day. After all, building relationships is fundamentally a people business.