RPC - True Picture

RPC training contract review 2025 

The Firm 

Our interviewees gave three hearty cheers for RPC: one ‘hip’ for its offer of an amicable work/life balance; the next ‘hip’ for supportive partners; and the final ‘hurray’ for a culture that trainees are eager to head into the office for. It was also the “really good client list,” that was cited as a key draw to the firm by many a trainee. “I knew I’d have access to the work I wanted to do,” said one. Indeed, thanks to the firm’s moderate proportions and a trainee intake of around 15, newbies are able to “take on more responsibility more quickly.” 

“The culture the firm promotes online is really reflected in day-to-day life.” 

“We have core strengths in commercial and insurance, and support leading companies across sectors like retail & consumer, technology & media, insurance & reinsurance, and professional practices,” training principal and partner Laura Stocks tells us. “We focus on providing expert advice across our key areas, including commercial, corporate, data & cyber, disputes, employment, real estate and regulatory.” RPC’s double-pronged approach sees it pick up a smattering of Chambers UK awards. Nationwide, the firm is lauded for its banking litigation, commercial contracts, defamation/reputation management, media & entertainment and contentious tax expertise. RPC’s professional negligence practice also picks up praise in London and the South West, while its corporate/M&A (£10-100 million) know-how shines in the capital. 

With such prowess, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re dealing with some global mega-firm. Quite the opposite in fact; in the UK, RPC operates from just two offices in London and Bristol. The majority of RPC's trainees join the firm’s London base, with just over a quarter working from Bristol. Further afield, the firm’s got two international offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, so it’s by no means a national firm either. 

Ultimately, our sources were hooked on RPC’s transparency. “The culture the firm promotes online is really reflected in day-to-day life,” said one interviewee. We heard you can get a sneak peak through the firm’s trainee-run 'Life in a Law Firm' social media channel… 

The Seats 

Trainees in the firm’s London office are able to list three preferences for seat allocation ahead of each rotation; one choice must be an insurance-related seat, another commercial-related, and the final can be of their choosing. Ahead of selecting their preferences, newbies learn about their options through “an organised kind of speed dating with associates or trainees in that seat,” an insider explained. On the other hand, trainees in Bristol sign up for an insurance-focused training contract, but they can still submit preferences. 

The firm has also historically offered two international secondments: one to Hong Kong for a commercial seat, and another to Singapore for an insurance seat. “Those international secondments are particularly valuable,” a source noted, “especially when one is open to Bristol trainees.” Client secondments, on the other hand, are available all over the commercial and insurance sectors. In either case, secondments are usually more of an option to third and fourth seaters who have a tad more legal experience behind them. 

Commercial & banking litigation is the largest disputes team at RPC and takes on multiple trainees per rotation to assist with the workload. “We typically work for other financial institutions litigating against banks,” one source explained of the matters conducted by the team. In one such example, the firm represented Loreley Financing in a dispute against Credit Suisse regarding a collateralised debt obligation (CDO) valued at $100 million. On such cases, rookies noted, “There’s a large amount of money at stake, so working as part of the team means that as a trainee you’re working on some of the more administrative tasks, which are still important!” These often include things like preparing bundles for court and reviewing documents. “I know people can feel quite negatively about bundling, but it’s necessary work!” one source reasoned. Another added, “because the matter was so big, a few of the tasks were quite repetitive, but my supervisor was good at making sure I had exposure to lots of different types of work as well.” Trainees here also have the opportunity to work with partner firms in the TERRALEX network – a global legal network that RPC is part of – as matters regularly spanned international jurisdictions. 

Under the firm’s insurance umbrella, you’ll find the professional & financial risk group – another common seat among trainees. There are two sides to the work: professional risks, which predominantly deals with negligence claims brought against solicitors, and a broader finance side working on similar claims against financial professionals. The latter often involves “a lot of coverage work for insurers, and also includes directors, officers and accountants,” one source explained. Trainees are involved in the whole lot. “The day-to-day experience can be really different,” we heard, “because you tend to be on smaller cases at various stages of the dispute resolution process.” Because the team is so big, trainees get to work with a range of people. Matters are also often leanly staffed, with just a partner, an associate and a trainee, “so the responsibility you’re given is much greater.” Due to the nature of the work carried out by the group, clients and matters are highly confidential, too. 

“…sometimes it’s more of a fact-finding mission…” 

Construction is another common insurance seat. Claims here involve things that have gone “quite catastrophically wrong – usually when a large development or some sort of hotel, or a high net worth individual’s mansion is being renovated,” one insider explained. A recent matter handled by the firm involved acting for Studio E Architects who were the architects involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. Clients in this realm are often surveyors or valuation experts – “we sometimes even have really, really niche engineers.” Sources noted, “because of how technical it is, you work with experts quite a lot. I enjoyed that element because you’re talking to both the insured and the insurer.” Examples of trainee tasks here can include things like drafting a letter of instruction to experts or counsel, drafting reports to the insured or the insurer, “or chasing things up, sending off emails, or sometimes it’s more of a fact-finding mission which is always interesting!”  

MIPTOC is RPC’s media, IP, technology, outsourcing & commercial contracts department. IP & technology in particular is a widely popular group among trainees. In fact, we heard it’s “possibly the most competitive team from a trainee perspective to get into because there’s something under the umbrella that everyone wants to do!” One interviewee was able to get involved in some e-sports work within the group: “A lot of things in e-sports haven’t been done before, so the law associated with that is also very novel and exciting.” Outside of the sports, tech and media industries, the firm also works with clients across retail and crypto; examples include Missguided, Meta and Conde Nast. The firm also recently acted for crypto exchange Kraken in proceedings in the High Court relating to claims brought against them by the infamous Craig Wright – an Australian computer scientist and businessman who claims to be the inventor of Bitcoin. 

“I spent a lot of my time going through Twitter, social media posts and online articles in search of evidence…” 

RPC’s media team also works with a number of well-known clients, including Pizza Express, Jet2holidays and Google on various advertising and marketing campaigns in the UK. With only one or two trainees on the team per rotation, our sources were pleased with the amount of exposure they got in the seat. The seat falls under the contentious realm, so our sources were kept busy attending court, reviewing documents and drafting witness statements. There’s also the opportunity to put your detective cap on; “I spent a lot of my time going through Twitter, social media posts and online articles in search of evidence, or to find out what people have said about the matter,” said one trainee. “It’s not something you’d expect to be doing as part of your job!” 

Trainee Life 

“…a ‘pinch me’ moment as you look over the docks or walk past Tower Bridge on your way to work!” 

RPC’s Londonoffice overlooks St Katharine’s Docks right next to the Tower of London. “The first few weeks are a bit of a ‘pinch me’ moment as you look over the docks or walk past Tower Bridge on your way to work!” one starry-eyed trainee said. The firm’s Bristol office is also in the city centre, with “quite a few lunch spots nearby and a few pubs, which is great for after work!” The firm currently has no in-office policy which our sources were pretty content with. “I feel empowered to make the decision about when I do and don’t come in,” we heard. “It’s really supportive.” A similar level of flexibility is afforded through the firm’s hot desking system: “Partners often sit next to trainees, and it’s been very beneficial from a learning perspective. You learn through osmosis!” 

Support was certainly a common thread throughout the firm – particularly when it came to supervisors. “It feels like the work you’re given at various stages builds up your confidence,” sources noted. “Supervisors have an idea of the best tasks to get you used to the seat, and gradually build up how technical they are.” Interviewees explained, “I’ve worked closely with a number of partners who have been my supervisors over my seats and have been able to build good personal and professional relationships with them.” Trainees are assigned two supervisors per seat – usually a partner and a senior associate. “The partners are generally a bit busier, so it’s kind of up to you how you drive that relationship,” sources noted. 

“Quite a lot of us are in the office most days voluntarily!” 

Trainees also described the culture as (you guessed it!) supportive. “The nice part about being a trainee is that people are willing to help you and there’s the recognition that you’re there to be invested in,” we heard. Though there was no Christmas party last year, interviewees were keen to note that their cohort “regularly do social things. Most weeks we’ll do something after work or sometimes on a weekend.” Because of this close-knit culture, trainees explained, “quite a lot of us are in the office most days voluntarily! It's just nice to be around and go for lunch together, or go for a drink if enough people finish in good time on a Thursday or Friday.”  

Luckily, finishing in good time was quite a common thing among our sources, as “the work/life balance is really good.” An interviewee estimated, “the average hours are like 9am to 7pm, but there’s a clear divide between the insurance and commercial departments.” The tight deadlines that come with contentious work means the commercial business litigation department is particularly busy. “I’d probably finish around 8.30pm on average, but I was sometimes working weekends as well,” one source recalled.  

One area where we heard a few mixed opinions was salary. Though our interviewees generally felt their compensation was alright, we did hear a few grumbles about it beginning to fall behind market rate. “I think in certain departments, if you’re benchmarking it against other firms doing similar work, the salary is on the lower end,” one source noted. “You’re often sat on the other side against magic circle firms where the trainees are getting a lot more.” Salaries currently sit at £46k for first-years in London, moving up to £50k for second-years, and £80k-£90k for NQs. Over in Bristol, first-years are paid £40k, which increases to £42k as a second-year, and £56k as an NQ. 

Turning the conversation to qualification, “early talent and the training principal do their best to open up the conversations as early as possible,” sources explained. Trainees are given an overview of the timeline, including when applications are due in, the window in which to expect interviews, and when final decisions will be communicated. Candidates are also able to apply to multiple teams. In fact, “the firm is very open with the fact that you’re encouraged to apply to more than one team,” we heard. “They’re adamant that it doesn’t put you at a disadvantage.” In 2024, RPC retained 12 of 18 qualifiers. 

How to get an RPC training contract  

• Vacation scheme deadline (2025): 13 January 2025 (opens 1 October 2024)  
• Training contract deadline (2027): 23 June 2025 [London] (opens 17 March 2025)  

Trainee profile  

Early talent manager Nicola Stafford tells us the firm is looking for bright, driven, personable and commercially aware people with energy, curiosity, flexibility and creative thinking.  

Stafford informs us that “it's not unusual for some of our trainees to have come to us later in life – some were previously in the armed forces, professional services and other industries.” She advises applicants not to discount any previous work experience too quickly: “A job working in a shop or restaurant, for example, can be used to demonstrate your customer and client service skills, communication, teamwork and reliability.” That said, it is beneficial to get some sort of legal work experience if possible. Stafford explains: “You need to show you have a real interest in working for a law firm. If you can prove that you can seek out opportunities and operate in a commercial environment, this will help your application. Legal work experience can include work shadowing, insight days, virtual experience programmes and pro bono activities, as well as placements in a law firm.”  

Both vacation scheme and direct training contract applications start off with the same online form. One of the questions asks why the applicant is applying to RPC. According to Stafford, “this is where candidates really have the opportunity to show their understanding of RPC and demonstrate the level of research they've completed about the firm," as well as outlining why they'd be a good fit for RPC specifically.  

Direct applications  

RPC received over 1,000 applications for Bristol and London training contracts in 2024. Generally, the firm selects around 250 applicants to complete an online critical thinking test and screens the applications once more after that. We're told the recruitment team pays particular attention to a candidate's answer to the form's commercial question. “Their answer should be logical, persuasive and concise, and ideally look at the wider implications of the issue,” Stafford says. Around 30 make it to one of the firm's assessment days.  

The assessment day includes a discussion exercise, a written exercise and an interview with a partner and a member of HR. “The interview has quite a strength-based and commercial focus,” Stafford reveals. “Candidates won't get any case law questions, though – we get such a wide array of applicants at different stages in their education and careers that it wouldn't be fair.” She advises candidates to “stay calm and composed” during the interview and to come prepared with answers to standard interview questions like 'why do you want to work here?' “You have to sell to us why you want to work here and present a really convincing argument,” director of brand, marketing and sales Ed Fitzgerald adds. “Be sure you look at our #strikinglyreal campaign before you come. This illustrates the kind of candidate who thrives at RPC.”  

In-person assessment days also include a trainee-led tour of the firm and an informal networking lunch with partners and associates, plus a Q&A session with our trainees (all of which are non-assessed). RPC's assessment days can also be run virtually.  

Vacation schemes  

In 2024 the firm received 680 applications for its 22 summer scheme spots on offer. The vacation scheme application process is “similar to the training contract application process,” Stafford tells us. Applicants complete the online form, and those who impress go on to take a critical thinking test and attend an assessment day at the firm. From here the firm chooses its summer schemers.  

The firm runs a few two-week placements each year. Attendees spend one week each in the insurance and commercial teams, getting exposure to trainee-level work. “The firm really makes an effort to give you an accurate picture of trainee life,” a trainee told us. “I was surprised by how similar the first few days of my training contract felt to my time as a vac schemer.” Some participants even get to attend court and client meetings.  

On the social side are networking events and dinners, volunteering opportunities, ping-pong tournaments, a pizza-making class, a bowling night and crazy golf. On the last day of their placement, summer schemers have an interview with a partner and a member of HR.  

The firm also hosts several insight days and events throughout the year to give a snapshot of life at RPC. Visit https://www.rpc.co.uk/careers/early-talent/ to find out more.