Clyde & Co LLP - True Picture

Clyde & Co training contract review 2025

The Firm

“Think disputes, disputes, disputes,” one interviewee helpfully summarised of Clyde & Co. “It’s the number one place to be in the world when you consider how many areas we cover in the industry,” they gushed. While we can’t attest to claims of the firm being ‘the best’, we can confirm that whatever sector you’re on the hunt for, you’ll likely find it at Clyde & Co. Construction, transportation, shipping, energy and aviation are just a few of the examples that spring to mind. Ultimately, it’s the firm’s insurance expertise which is the jewel in its crown. That expertise extends to all the aforementioned sectors and many, many more; you’ll quickly find (as we did) that what you can insure seems endless…

Our colleagues over at Chambers Global certainly agree that the firm is top of the international class when it comes to all things insurance, scoring the firm top rankings in the area. More locally, Chambers UK reveals that on Clyde & Co’s report card, the firm scores further A+ marks for its aviation, personal injury and professional discipline know-how. From north to south, the firm holds numerous additional strengths; you can explore the full picture over on chambers.com.

“…big insurer clients.”

It goes without saying that an interest in disputes is almost certainly a must for Clyde & Co hopefuls. “In a survey, the firm was one of the top for appearing in court the most. That aspect was really attractive,” a source reflected of their search for the right firm. Another added: “An international firm was one of the things on the checklist.” With over 60 offices across Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Europe, it’s safe to say that Clyde & Co firmly ticks that box. Fourteen of these offices sit in the UK, and around 70% of trainees call the London HQ home. Speaking of the home base: “The location is strategic – it’s next to all our big insurer clients,” trainees divulged. “You can see the partners heading to meetings around here.” The firm’s Manchester office also takes on a sizeable number of trainees, thanks to the firm’s 2022 merger with BLM, which was previously headquartered there. A handful of trainees are also spread across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol and Birmingham. Further afield, Clyde & Co also has offices in Aberdeen, Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle and Guildford. While these offices don’t currently recruit trainees, there is occasionally the option to spend a seat in another office. For example, London-based trainees may be expected to spend one seat in Guildford.

Last summer, the firm opened applications for its Paralegal Academy, which offers an alternative route into the firm’s casualty practice. Those who complete the 12-month scheme have the chance to qualify as a solicitor through the SQE route, continuing to work as a paralegal alongside their studies. While similar to an apprenticeship, the academy is open to graduates with at least a 2:2, with the hope of attracting a diverse set of applicants with or without legal experience.

The Seats

For seat allocation, the firm uses an app called RUTH. Trainees are asked to rank their seat preferences in the app and the early careers team combine the results with business needs in order to allocate seats across all offices. The process received mixed reviews from our interviewees, with some getting their top preferences while others weren’t quite as lucky. We heard transactional seats were a bit harder to come by as there were fewer to go around, while seats like insurance were (unsurprisingly) much more likely.

Secondments are also up for grabs. Client secondments are often “for insurers and involve claims and disputes work,” while others involve “more general corporate and advisory work.” International secondments, on the other hand, aren’t as common, so “when they do come up, they are sought after!” Currently, the only international secondment destination available is Tanzania, but the firm is actively exploring more destinations for future rotations.

“…high-value matters that go into the tens to hundreds of millions.”

Kicking off the seats with the insurance financial & professional disputes (IFPD) practice: here, trainees are exposed to “high-value matters that go into the tens to hundreds of millions.” It’ll come as no surprise that major insurance companies make up the firm’s book of business, including AXA, AIG and Allianz. As one of Clyde & Co’s largest practices, the insurance department is divided into multiple groups, including energy, engineering, marine & construction disputes; property & liability; cyber; political risk & trade credit; financial institutions (FIDO); and arbitration-related work across London, New York and New Jersey (otherwise known in the insurance realm as the Bermuda Form). “In the Bermuda Form, the work is very interesting – you’re exposed to the ins and outs of insurance and interpreting complex wording,” one insider highlighted. A staple trainee task in the practice involves coverage analysis, which means analysing the extent of an insurance policy cover.

The professional indemnity practice also falls within the IFPD bucket. This group defends insurers, accountants, construction professionals, psychologists, barristers, solicitors and entire law firms against negligence cases. For example, the firm represented a KPMG audit partner against regulatory and disciplinary investigations by the Financial Reporting Council following the collapse of construction company Carillion. On cases like these, an interviewee explained, “you need to know the ins and outs to figure out what they’ve done and if it’s defensible. That means you’re often researching different types of law.” Trainees’ levels of responsibility on matters varied depending on the size of the team; however, across IFPD, insurance trainees can expect to get stuck in through taking notes during client calls, doc review, bundling, drafting instructions to experts and letters to the courts, assisting with defence preparation and interviewing witnesses.

“…lots of client events and dinners.”

“What if a well blows out in the Nordic Sea?” Enter Clyde & Co’s marine, energy & natural resources practice. Here, the team carries out insurance-related work for the firm’s shipping and oil & gas practices. “All the partners have a specialisation, from renewables to offshore energy to marine shipping,” a trainee explained. The latter specialisation covers marine insurance and coverage issues relating to the likes of personal injury, collisions and cargo claims. Speaking of cargo claims – who could forget the Suez Canal blockage back in 2021? The firm is representing the insurers of over $180 million worth of cargo affected by the grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal. Insiders confirmed, “the work here is quite varied. It’s mostly contentious with some transactional aspects.” Trainees are able to get involved in project management, client meetings, research and drafting. For our sources, a highlight was the further opportunity for client interaction, as “business development is a focus. There are lots of client events and dinners,” an insider enthused.

Another branch of Clyde & Co’s insurance expertise is the catastrophic injury & large loss practice, where the firm defends insurers and their policy holders across a wide array of claims. The group works with a number of household names, including Costa, Tesco and Carlsberg. “We work on matters involving injuries to spines, brains and other severe injuries where people are affected for the rest of their lives,” a trainee explained. “The value of some of these claims go into the millions to tens of millions.” Here, trainees work on doc review, draft defences and work on court lead processes. There’s also sometimes the opportunity to go offsite to take witness statements.

Sticking with the casualty realm, Clyde & Co’s volume claims team deals with motor insurance claims that arise out of accidents. “In relation to liability investigations, it’s interesting work reviewing documents and producing reviews to strengthen our defence,” one insider divulged. There’s also the property damage team which deals with typical damage to construction and environmental liability cases. Responsibility here is often high – a feat our insiders welcomed with open arms. “You’ll sometimes have your own caseload that you’ll work on from start to finish,” an interviewee enthused. “I was surprised at how much partners let you run with a matter!”

Trainee Life

It goes without saying that culture influences the trainee experience. Luckily for Clyde & Co trainees, “people are supportive here,” one happily shared. “I’ve kept in touch with every team I’ve been in, and when I see them, we’ll stop and chat for about ten minutes. Most people here are like that. It isn’t super-competitive.”

Like any firm of Clyde & Co’s size, certain teams and offices will have more on the social calendar than others. Up in Manchester, the firm hosts summer events like rooftop yoga, Christmas wreath-making, spinning classes, and various sports teams like football and netball. Down in the capital, an IFPD social is hosted every other Friday, and the firm also provides a small budget for trainees to plan get-togethers. “Our social rep will organise a pizza and drinks night for trainees,” one interviewee enthused. “It’s a good way to get to catch up with your friends on different floors!”

There’s also plenty to get stuck into when it comes to CSR and pro bono. “We help out at a Citizens Advice clinic and assist people with applications for benefits,” an interviewee highlighted. “If it’s a quieter day, I can sign up at the last minute and help out from 5 to 7pm.” The firm also offers trainees the chance to get involved with the Chancery Lane Project, a charity which helps businesses tackle climate concerns. Clyde & Co also partners with organisations like Schools Consent Project, Osmani School Reading, Number and Chess Partners, as well as Go Beyond, raising funds for them via events like bake sales and running half-marathons. In the social mobility space, the firm participates in the 10,000 Black Interns programme. “We can volunteer to let people shadow us,” one trainee explained.

“…we have barristers come in to speak with us.”

Formal training kicks off with a week-long induction session in London which “covers all the skills you need on the job.” The firm runs sessions on various topics, from productivity to litigation proceedings. Our sources also spoke highly of guest speakers. “Much of the training is to do with insurance or disputes, so we have barristers come in to speak with us,” said one interviewee. We also heard the firm recently invited former rugby player Jason Robinson to host a session on mental health.

Turning to office attendance, trainees explained, “most people are in the office four days a week,” in accordance with the firm-wide policy.As for the hours spent on the clock, interviewees estimated starting around 9am and wrapping up at 6pm. As to be expected, on occasion there are later nights, but as one trainee confirmed, “if there isn’t anything urgent, there is no expectation to sit there for a silly number of hours!” All in all, “relative to the hours, we are well compensated,” trainees reasoned. That said, opinions varied a little post-qualification. In London, the firm’s NQ salaries start at £85,000. Over in Manchester, NQs receive between £42,000 and £63,000, while those up in Scotland get £42,000. Bristol NQ salaries are undisclosed, as the firm is still awaiting its first cohort of NQs.

But before we get ahead of ourselves: to unlock these salaries, trainees first have to navigate the qualification process. This kicks off with a presentation from the early careers team outlining the steps and the timeline. Trainees can apply for two positions by submitting their CV and appraisals, and all applicants are then interviewed. Throughout the process, an external careers coach is also on hand to advise trainees on their options. In 2024, Clyde & Co offered 56 of its 74 qualifiers NQ roles.

How to get a Clyde & Co training contract

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• Vacation scheme deadline: 06 January 2025
• Training contract deadline: 06 January 2025

First steps

If you're interested in learning more about Clyde & Co, apply for one of the firm's insight days. These days include an overview of the firm, presentations, development workshops, networking opportunities with the current trainees and plenty of application tips. Each Insight Day will follow a specific focus, whether it be on a practice the firm specialises in, commitment to increasing diverse representation in the profession, or the work it is doing to tackle Climate Change.

The firm's two Bright Futures programmes aim to support groups that are currently under-represented in the legal sector, by giving them the opportunity to experience life at an international law firm through interactive sessions and work shadowing. As part of the programme, students are assessed for a place on the vacation scheme the following year. Those that are offered will receive a mentor for that year, to prepare them for the vacation scheme.

The programmes are open to first-year law students and penultimate-year non-law students from lower socio-economic backgrounds via the Bright Futures - Access programme, and black heritage students via the Bright Futures - Black Talent programme. 

The vacation scheme application form

Clyde & Co attracts around 1,500 applications for its vacation scheme each year and recruits for the training contract (40–45 spaces) exclusively through the vacation scheme. As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a short application form that includes their academics and work experience to date. After this, candidates complete a video interview that allows them to demonstrate their motivation for a career in commercial law, their commercial analysis, and what interests they have outside of academia. Our early careers sources explained, “It is important for applicants to highlight any transferable skills gained through work experience and extracurricular activities.”

Listen to our podcast on dispelling the myths of insurance with Clyde & Co here

Vacation scheme route

Clyde & Co offers vacation schemes during the summer in London and Scotland. Once applications close, digital assessment scores are reviewed, and successful candidates are invited to a virtual assessment centre. As part of the assessment centre, candidates undertake a written exercise, group exercise, role play and a strengths-based interview with a legal director and senior associate.

Attendees spend one to two weeks sitting in one of the firm's departments. At the point of offer, vacation schemers rank three preferences detailing where they would like to sit over the two weeks. Trainees mentioned that the first few days “is spent getting to know the ins and outs of the department.” Vacation scheme students are allocated a supervisor, a trainee buddy and an associate mentor. They also have the opportunity to network across the firm as a variety of social events take place; in the past they've included the underground cookery school, go-karting and cocktail making.

Trainee profile

The academic criteria that Clyde & Co sets is AAB at A level, a “strong” 2:1 degree (taking into account mitigating circumstances alongside the Rare contextualised recruitment system), and a commendation for the PGDL (if applicable). Students should be aware that Clyde & Co takes a holistic approach to applications and it is important to showcase your ambitions to becoming a lawyer.