Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP - True Picture

Weil, Gotshal & Manges training contract review 2026

The Firm

You’ve heard the old saying, ‘onwards and upwards’? Well, for those at the junior end at Weil, it’s more upwards than onwards, with sources clear that they saw their future climbing the Weil ladder rather than springboarding to another firm. As one trainee put it: “This is a long-term thing for me. I’ve seen previous intakes have 100% retention.”

"...they are a US firm that has been in London for such a long time while retaining much of the UK culture."

There’s plenty of sense in staying on, too. The firm has come a long way from its roots as a small start-up and, like a lot of US firms that have made a name for themselves in London, now carries a hefty reputation in areas like private equity and finance. In fact, the firm boasts strong Chambers UK rankings in the likes of banking & finance: sponsors and restructuring/insolvency in the Capital. There’s also recognition for the firm’s private equity buyouts, capital markets (CLOs) and infrastructure practices nationwide. "There is a perception of the firm that they’re doing exciting work in their key practice areas," one told us, "they are a US firm that has been in London for such a long time while retaining much of the UK culture."

The Seats

At Weil, each trainee completes four six-month seat rotations and ranks their top three preferences in order. It was a process that came in for praise too, with all of those we spoke to receiving either their first or second choice. Weil’s work is focused on the transactional side of the coin, and the seats on offer reflect this, including the likes of private equity and M&A, finance, structured finance and private funds.

As one trainee put it: “I have plenty to choose from. If there was a wider field, I would be spoilt for choice!” The private equity department offers the most seats and was described as “the powerhouse of the firm. The prestigious private equity work is what initially attracted me to Weil, it’s an inescapable part of training here.” The smaller intakes are in litigation and tax, which only offer one seat. Trainees are also given formal mid and end-seat reviews to ensure they are happy in their position and to address any potential problems.

“The prestigious private equity work is what initially attracted me to Weil, it’s an inescapable part of training here.”

There aren’t many opportunities for client secondments at a trainee level, but we heard there are international secondments aplenty, with recent destinations including Paris, New York, Washington DC and Hong Kong. To be considered, we heard that after submitting an application, it’s largely up to the individual to persuade the firm as to why it would make business sense: “It is incredibly competitive. They only send one or two per rotation and you have to submit a business case.”

A seat in private equity and M&A (known as PEMA) provides trainees with a solid transactional grounding, with “lots of project management at the trainee level.” The seat involves, as you might expect, work in private equity and mergers and acquisitions, with typical trainee tasks including the likes of drafting ancillary documents, taking board minutes, and assisting with the signings and closings of deals. One trainee even told us: “I got the chance to work on a big transaction with 26 advisers for a due diligence process!”

While one trainee did note that private equity entails bigger workloads, others we spoke to praised the opportunity to gain extra responsibility if it’s sought. Weil’s recent work in M&A includes advising BCE, Canada's largest communications company, and its subsidiary Bell Canada in Bell's acquisition of internet provider Ziply Fiber.

We heard that Weil’s finance team promises “a nice mix of traditional trainee work and the opportunity to take on larger tasks.” Of course, trainees can expect plenty of work on transaction management, conducting tasks such as document tracking, drafting board minutes, and even occasionally speaking to local counsel. While one trainee noted that “the deals can be quite complex, so it can be hard as a first-year trainee,” they also added that “you learn as you go and by the end, you’re leading. It’s a faux pas not to take responsibility by the end of your seat.”

Weil’s finance team also holds weekly department-wide training sessions to ensure everyone is up to speed and to give the opportunity to raise any potential concerns. The firm works on both the borrower and lender side for investment banks and major European credit funds. In one recent financing, Weil advised a group of big-name banks that included Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds and Goldman Sachs as joint bookrunners in Domestic & General’s offering of £350 million senior secured notes and senior credit facilities.

“…nice, smart and hard-working, and they respect that people have a life outside of work.”

Weil’s restructuring department was quickly described by one trainee as “the best team.” Slight bias aside, the consensus was that the team is “nice, smart and hard-working, and they respect that people have a life outside of work.” The firm works with both debt and creditor mandates and is a specialist in areas like schemes of arrangement, high-yield bond restructurings, liability management exercises, and cross-class cramdowns. This year’s cohort said the department placed big emphasis on training and giving opportunities to juniors.

Trainees can expect to have “a lot of contact with the client,” and conduct tasks such as taking minutes, doing the first review of documents and putting together legal arguments for witness statements. There is “a lot of responsibility” but “they wouldn’t trust you with it if they didn’t think you were capable.” The team has played a role in some high-profile European restructurings in recent years, having worked with names like TalkTalk, Premier Oil, and SAS.

The antitrust team only takes on a handful of trainees per rotation, and it apparently has “more regular working hours” compared to the other seats. The standout characteristic of the antitrust group is just how cross-border it is, with the department’s bread and butter being advice on the shifting antitrust and foreign investment rules around the world. In fact, there is even the potential for a secondment to Washington DC!

Since there “aren’t many contentious seats” on offer, trainees appreciated the variety that antitrust brought to their training. One trainee told us they helped with a series of legal actions in the US, UK, and EU against Tennis’ governing bodies – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

Trainee Life

As far as the current cohort was concerned, Weil seems to have perfected the art of merging corporate success with a friendly, welcoming culture: “It is a very friendly office with no rude characters, and people are supportive and collaborative.” Every trainee we spoke to attested to the great location of the office. Situated in Moorgate and within walking distance of Lincoln’s Inn and the Old Bailey, trainees feel they’re in the heart of London’s legal landscape.

There are perks too, including “a subsidised café with lovely staff who make an effort to learn your name – that’s indicative of the culture in general!” We were also told there is a cake trolley which comes up on Thursdays with a charity charge, good coffee machines, a gym, an onsite shoe polisher, dry cleaning service, fantastic support staff, print team and a mail room team.

“There’s a subsidised café with lovely staff who make an effort to learn your name - that’s indicative of the culture in general!”

Trainees are in the office four days a week, with the option to work from home on a Friday. Average working hours were 9.30am to around 9pm, with the busy periods requiring trainees to be online in the early hours of the morning. That said, in some cases, those working late are able to head home at 6pm and work the late hours from their own homes, but this is dependent on the supervisor, and there are sleep pods at the office where needed. When it came to renumeration, trainees were more than satisfied. Those we spoke to described it as “generous but fair” and that it “changes substantially when you qualify.”

Trainees are allocated a partner mentor and, as one put it, "you always share with your supervisor, so feedback can be informal and instantaneous." Another agreed that feedback was more or less "constant, with formal procedures throughout like a mid and end-of-seat review." Formal training varies by department, with whole-department sessions held in teams like finance. The general consensus was that the most beneficial sessions, however, were those hosted specifically for trainees bi-weekly on topics like due diligence processes.

Weil’s trainees spoke with enthusiasm about the firm’s pro bono efforts. We were told that it is “a huge thing here.” Everyone is encouraged to do 50 hours of pro-bono work a year, but there are some cases where people do plenty more – as many as 100 hours. Weil also provides an incentive for hitting the 50-hour mark by offering an award, and if you hit the goal five years in a row, you earn the title of ‘legend.’ If you hit ten years, you earn the coveted moniker of ‘Super Legend’, which comes with its own trophy! The firm partners with IN DEEP, a charity which provides drama sessions for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). One individual who got involved with the charity described it as “a special day.”

Our sources praised Weil’s efforts in DEI too, telling us about their affinity groups such as Weil Pride and Women at Weil. One individual described it as “a great way to get to know people on different levels of seniority” and that the groups “bring us all together.”

The qualification process is “fairly informal” with no strict interview process, and our sources told us: “I got a sense of how I performed in each seat as I went along.” The firm informs trainees which teams are recruiting, and it is a matter of submitting an application in which you indicate your interest before having a conversation with the relevant partner. Weil’s retention rate for 2025 is undisclosed.

How to get a Weil training contract 

Vacation scheme deadline : 14 December 2025

Applications and interviews 

Weil’s Early Careers & Development team organise various skills sessions, workshops, partner-led presentations and insight days throughout the year – check Weil's events calendar for details. 

Students interested in a training contract with Weil can apply for a vacation scheme, of which they run two per year. Their vacation schemes are eligible for penultimate-year law students, and finalists and graduates of any discipline.

The application process begins with an online blended assessment, designed to understand a candidate's future potential. This includes a mix of situational judgement scenarios and verbal reasoning tasks, to assess how you think, approach challenges, and work with others. Upon completion, you will go straight into completing a pre-recorded video interview.

Those who have impressed are offered a first-round face-to-face interview with two partners, and asked to complete a case study assessment. The interview is geared towards finding out more about a candidate's journey, motivations and career aspirations, but you will also be assessed on your commercial awareness. During your assessment, you will also have lunch with our current trainees.

Early Careers & Development Manager Philippa Wilson tells us that successful candidates are the ones who demonstrate “a keen interest in Weil. If you are able to discuss our practice areas and understand our market position, it shows you have a genuine interest to work for the firm.” Following the assessment process, successful applicants are then made a vacation scheme offer, where they will be assessed for a training contract.  

Vacation schemes 

Weil runs two vacation schemes, both taking place in spring. Each scheme is two-weeks long and participants are paid £750 per week. There are up to 12 places available across the two schemes. Participants spend two weeks in one practice area and you are able to submit preferences in advance. Throughout the scheme you will work alongside associates, carrying out trainee tasks and responsibilities. Participants are required to complete assessments during the scheme, including a group negotiation exercise and a group pitch presentation, and you are invited to attend an interview with two partners. 

According to Philippa Wilson, “those who perform really well are the ones who are team players, proactive, show enthusiasm for the work, and really demonstrate their potential throughout the scheme. The vacation scheme is aimed to mirror the work you would undertake during a training contract, therefore it gives participants a real opportunity to gain an insight into the role of a trainee at Weil." Gigs at Weil’s corporate box at The O2, cooking classes, rooftop drinks and dinner in private dining rooms have featured in previous vacation schemes; it’s a great way to network with people from across the firm.

Supervision and the social life at Weil 

Trainees praised the informal modes of support that are available too. “The culture of the firm helps establish this,” said one source. “I learn by practising and that’s universal here – we learn by doing.” 

On the note of socialising, “it’s social when you’re in the firm, but there’s no real emphasis on hanging out outside of work. People would much rather go home after long days!” And while it’s “not a party firm,” juniors spoke warmly of team-specific events and an “incredible Christmas party with everyone from the firm.”