Muckle LLP - True Picture

Muckle training contract review 2025

The Firm

While life in the northern regions of England is often characteristically cooler than down south, it’s safe to say that the only thing frosty about Tyneside is the weather. Behind the layers of Geordie stereotypes (some of which we certainly can’t attest to), you’ll find it’s the warm friendly northerner cliché which rings abundantly true. As one insider recalled: “I met two Muckle trainees at a networking event and they were just so nice to me. I remember thinking, if they’re that nice, maybe the whole firm is too!”

As one of the beacons of Newcastle’s legal scene, our colleagues over at Chambers UK award Muckle top-tier recognition for its banking & finance, corporate/M&A and real estate know-how. A solid tip of the hat is also provided for the firm’s work in employment, information technology, intellectual property, litigation and agriculture & rural affairs expertise. It’s ever likely that this is a firm with a reputation for being “very well-known and respected in the North East.”

“…it was the strong focus on community work that really drew me in.”

Whether it’s the iconic neighbourhoods of Newcastle, the rolling countryside of Northumberland, the picture-perfect landscapes of the Cumbrian Lake District or the quaint market town of Penrith, Muckle certainly offers a healthy departure form the intensity often found in City legal practices. Muckle’s heartfelt passion for the region is clear, as firm training principal Judith Birkett explains: “For a long time the partners have given 1% of the firm’s profits to local charities focused on easing economic deprivation or helping ex-offenders get back into the workplace.” Birkett continues: “Everyone in the business is given volunteering days which have been used for a variety of purposes including litter picking, helping at a foodbank or taking urban school children to a farm to  show them where our food comes from.” Felt heavily by one trainee even before arriving, they explained: “I looked into the values of the company, and researched what they did – and it was the strong focus on community work that really drew me in.”

The Seats

New recruits at Muckle don’t typically select their first seat destination, with the firm instead allocating seats to newbies based on business need. From there on in, “you generally have a chat with Judith from graduate recruitment – she books in meetings to chat about where you want to go next.” Conversations usually begin months in advance of each rotation, which trainees appreciated: “It meant I had enough time to interact with the team and you can discuss what you typically enjoy and dislike.” Trainees are usually asked for their top two seat preferences, with sources assuring us that “they’re good at taking choices into account.” Generally speaking though, as is the case at most firms, second years “have a little bit more say.”

Despite some crossover with the firm’s commercial department, trainees in Muckle’s corporate team spoke of its general business focus amidst dealings over typical M&A matters. With a client list jam-packed with names like the British Business Bank and the Port of Tyne, the group’s transactional nature left trainees covering the likes of SPAs and companies in the midst of looking to buy and sell. Daily tasks for newbies included ancillary document drafting, registering board minutes, and looking at shareholder agreements, on top of your additional classics such as due diligence and data room work, attending lots of client meetings, and running disclosures with clients. Interviewees explained that trainees typically “facilitate the deals” and with opportunities for cross-team exposure and communication was described as a great seat “to get you talking to all sorts of different people around the firm.” Trainees are able to “get involved in multiple different work streams,” one recent case example involved the team acting for the Tekmar Group over a strategic investment made from a US-based private equity investor. The team made sure to give trainees a fair bit of responsibility too, one source sympathised that it “probably sounds intimidating being thrown in at the deep end -but it’s not!” Varying ever so slightly but sticking with corporate work, Muckle’s aforementioned commercial department looked at company contracts where “we look for problems and red flags” amidst bespoke drafting, corporate support, and commercial due diligence.

Focusing on the employer rather than the employee, trainees in Muckle’s employment department explained that the group does exactly what it says on the tin. Helping clients who aren’t being paid a fair or minimum wage, or tackling tribunal claims and unfair dismissals at work, one trainee explained “I supported with defences and gave clients general employment advice and corporate support.” Attending preliminary hearings and mediation appointments too, one trainee highlighted the more empathetic tone trainees must be equipped with to grapple with matters in this seat. However, trainees made sure to note that the personal aspect of the seat offers plenty of positives too like getting to know your clients more deeply, given the fact the seat can “be a bit more chatty” compared to others. The group has recently been involved in immigration processes undertaken by a number of employers in the North East and Cumbria, looking at obtaining and operating sponsor’s licenses on top of managing visa-related considerations and right to work checks. To emphasise the diverse range of work in the department, the team’s client list includes the likes of Newcastle University, Quotient Sciences, and the Rugby Players’ Association. The firm also acts for a number of Citizens Advice Bureaus across the UK.

“I got involved in the proper juicy documents you’d expect a lawyer to draft!”

The real estate team at Muckle is split into two strands: corporate “which supports all M&A property-related matters,” and development “which is more commercial leases, sales, and purchases.” As one trainee explained: “I like to think of it as project management as much as it is legal work because the process you take for a lease transaction is the same for each one you do.” Seconded by a colleague, work here was described as “very procedural with lots of admin work.” But don’t fret! Trainees were sure to emphasise that “it’s not just form filling!” Instead, “you do SDLT returns, correspond with clients, amend leases, and later on, run files.” Clients here include the likes of Sport England and Persimmon Homes. The group also recently advised The National Football Trust on the development of 3G and grass football pitches with changing rooms, gyms, and cafes for community use. Typical tasks within the vast array of matters included things like land registry applications, registering properties, and planning permissions, along with drafting the main legal documents of a lease, sale, or purchase contract. Speaking of responsibilities trainees can enjoy, one source explained, “You do get involved in higher level things with good support and supervision,” whereby“I got involved in the proper juicy documents you’d expect a lawyer to draft!” What’s more, the seat “really helped me understand the transactional side of law and how it links with all the other departments.”

An advisory seat as opposed to transactional, Muckle’s sports, education & charities offering proved an area that certainly piqued our sources’ interest. “What I really like about it is that you’re always doing something new,” explained one trainee. This naturally meant “you do need more commercial awareness in terms of keeping up to date with the latest changes in the law,” but it’s a “really niche area which I really like!” As such, this “is the seat where you’re doing what you’d imagine a typical lawyer does when you’re at university.” Day-to-day life was filled with academy conversions, drafting, and commercial transfer agreements. There’s also lots of project management amidst working with a vast array of sports clubs over different business structures like charitable status and community interest, schools and headteachers over employment disputes, and charities and corporations over the protection of trustees. Interviewees noted the huge degree of client contact as “it’s generally just you and a partner working on some things.” There are also opportunities to liaise with international law firms too, the group recently represented The Zurbaran Trust – a Spanish art collection in Bishop Auckland – who are aiming to retrieve a golden tapestry discovered in Spain commissioned by Henry VIII in 1534. All in all, one trainee summed it all up: “I couldn’t say enough positive things about this seat – it was so good!” 

Trainee Life

The culture at Muckle was described to us as a source of immense pride for the firm. As one source explained, “When people are recruited, they ask ‘Can I sit next to this person for eight hours a day?’” because it’s so important that it’s “enjoyable being in the office and around the people you work with.” Its employee-friendly approach was noticeable to our interviewees who had prior experience in the workforce, as one trainee explained, “I’ve worked for many companies before, but Muckle is the best I’ve worked for in terms of culture.” Trainees recognised that there’s a “sense that we have to protect and prioritise the collective buy in,becausewe don’t want it to become a stuffy office where you have to bow in front of the partners!” As Birkett spells out: “We don’t want to dilute the culture we’ve worked hard to create.” There's a pretty decent social life too, the BEAM (Be Engaged at Muckle) team arranges formal events such as the Christmas and summer parties on top of more casual things like summer BBQs, quizzes, and a real-life metro monopoly social. We also heard there’s a netball, hiking, and running club, five-a-side football and an annual Muckle bake off!

“…a nice view if you’re a football fan!”

That made coming into the office relatively easy for our interviewees, who all noted the firm’s – albeit unofficial – agile working policy. As Birkett explains, “We ultimately think it’s very important that trainees come into the office, so they then hear people having difficult discussions over something like costs, or it could be a more experienced solicitor delivering some bad news or hearing someone deal with a particular problem. Whatever it may be, all of that is incredibly important for trainees to learn and it’s best done by osmosis.” But “if there’s a reason you need to be at home,” stated one trainee, “they’ll trust your judgement on it,” with a colleague confirming that things remain “pretty flexible as long as we all get our work done.” Located in the centre of Newcastle overlooking St James’ Park – “a nice view if you’re a football fan!” quipped one – trainees described the open-plan office as a pleasant space with breakout rooms, hot-desking and a highly-praised coffee machine!

As for the number of hours trainees spend in the office (or logged on at home), “People don’t expect you to be in longer than 9am to 5.30pm unless it’s really busy,” sources assured. “There’s no presenteeism or expectation to stay longer than you need to.” Of course, there are fluctuations depending on the seat and the deals at hand. “Corporate has the most demanding hours,” trainees admitted. “But it’s important to recognise that it’s up and down. You’ll be doing long hours until a deal is done, but then you’ll be off it at back to leaving at 5pm again!” And as far as compensation goes, “I certainly don’t feel short changed,” an interviewee praised.

When it comes to DEI, our sources recognised the difficulties of the region Muckle operates in: “We are in the North East and so our numbers might not represent the nation’s racial diversity.” But sources noticed that “the effort going into this is really excellent.” There was said to be “lots of female role models at the firm” too, so interviewees had no such concerns on the gender front. In fact, “there are lots of women in senior positions with children – their roles are accommodating so that they can do those and simultaneously be mums,” elucidated one trainee. Many mentioned that a more pertinent area of DEI within the Newcastle area related to socioeconomic background, as Birkett explains: “We’re very interested in breaking down socioeconomic barriers.” Seeking to cast the net ever wider for potential lawyers, trainees regularly engage in a huge number of pro bono initiatives including work with schools in deprived local areas.

Newbies are assigned supervisors who carry out regular check-ins. There are also mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews as a means of formal feedback. Alternate systems for feedback are available too, though trainees noted that “sometimes you have to actively pursue it.” That said, “I’ve always felt across every team there’s someone there to help me,” explained a source. “Even if they’re super busy, I know they’re always there to help.” While training is provided upon arrival at the firm on finances, utilisation targets and time recordings, team-specific sessions are also put on to cover new developments in the law or things like statutory changes – “You feel like you’re constantly learning and keeping up to date with what’s going on!”

Qualification is an informal process consisting of conversations with the team of interest. An interview is typically only held if multiple trainees apply for the same seat. “If they’ve enjoyed having you, they’ll take you!” as one trainee assured us, because “Muckle don’t want to spend two years training someone without the intention of keeping them.” Indeed, in 2024, the firm retained all of its qualifiers.

How to get a Muckle training contract 

Training contract deadline (2027): 24th January 2025

Applications: Around 150

“The application form is crucial, so we look at it very closely,” graduate recruitment lead Stephanie Brown tells us. “We look for people's personality and attitude coming through, and their cultural fit. We also want to see a genuine motivation to want to work at Muckle.”  All work experience whether paid, voluntary, or legal is relevant. “We always tell candidates that any work experience you've got is relevant, especially if it demonstrates client service and other transferable skills,” says Brown.  

Between 40-50 vac scheme applicants are invited for an interview, which takes place with two members of the graduate recruitment team. Brown assures us that the 45-minute ordeal is “generally quite relaxed: we ask lots of questions but it's not an interrogation! We're interested in getting to know them better, getting them to demonstrate their transferable skills and whether they'll fit in at the firm.” Successful vac scheme applicants then progress to the scheme.   

The vacation scheme  

Muckle has scrapped the “direct applicant” route and now requires all training contract applicants to come through their vacation scheme, either on a two-day scheme or a five-day scheme (with the two-day condensed scheme being prioritised for those in full-time employment). “We think getting applicants into the firm for at least a couple of days is the best way to assess their fit with the firm (and for them to experience what we’re about too)” explains Brown.

Around 25 vacation scheme slots are available each year, split over five weeks with two two-day schemes and three five-day schemes at the end of May and throughout June. Those who make it onto the vac scheme kick off their week with an induction hosted by people from different parts of the business. From there they receive work from several practice areas. “It's flexible,” says Brown, “we try to make it like they're a trainee for the time they’re here. The work is very hands-on, and there are no written assessments.” One trainee who'd completed a scheme with Muckle said, “it was great to do stuff the fee earners actually needed doing - it made my time feel more realistic.”  

A new introduction to the vacation scheme is a lunch-time speed interview and networking session with directors and partners from across the firm. Brown says: “There's nothing they can do to prepare; the questions are aimed at getting to know the applicants better and we really just want to see how they deal with the occasion and expose them to people in the firm they may not otherwise have had the opportunity to speak to. So far we’ve had great feedback on it both internally and from the applicants who’ve taken part.”

The final interview

From the vacation scheme approximately eight to ten candidates are invited back for a final interview, which takes place with Brown and managing partner Jason Wainwright. At this point “what we're really looking for is a cultural fit,” says Brown. “Can we see them working at Muckle? Have they demonstrated they understand Muckle and our ethos?” The final interview questions range from those about the candidate’s reasons for choosing Muckle, the firm’s strategy and current challenges and issues.