Simmons & Simmons LLP - True Picture

A kind firm and a top-tier reputation in the City? Life is twice as nice for trainees at Simmons & Simmons.

Simmons & Simmons training contract review 2026 

The Firm 



We all know how important first impressions are, especially when you’re applying for jobs. It’s easy to get caught up in the nerves about how you come across, but it’s important to remember it goes both ways! The same can be said when applying for a training contract, it’s equally as important how the firm itself presents itself to you.

Luckily for Simmons & Simmons, its first impressions on this new recruit couldn’t have been any better: “On the first day of my vacation scheme I remember coming home to my mum and just being like ‘I love it!’” They continued, “I wanted it before that, but I did day one and then really wanted a job here because it’s just so nice!”  

The firm has quite the rep for its culture, and this was something a number of our trainee interviewees found encouraging. Another shared that the appeal of the firm was that “it broke through the dimension between applicant and firm and extended their hand out to me, so I felt supported throughout the whole thing.”  

“On the first day of my vacation scheme I remember coming home to my mum and just being like ‘I love it!’” 

A good work environment is part of the picture, naturally, so is the work itself. Our sources were particularly drawn to Simmons for its sector focus: “I was interested particularly in the life sciences focus they had, and the TMT. It’s a very interesting way to look at it.” Indeed, the firm has a few core sector focuses: asset management and investment funds, financial institutions, healthcare and life sciences, technology, media and telecommunication, and energy, natural resources, infrastructure and construction.

As for how this may affect trainees’ experiences, UK Graduate Recruitment and Development Partner Zoe Arnautov shares that “it provides a certain continuity for the trainees as they move around the different practice groups because the teams they sit in may well still be focusing on the same group of clients and type of overall work, so the trainees are seeing a different angle of stuff that’s more coherent on a firm level.”  

Its expertise in these areas hasn’t gone unnoticed by Chambers UK, picking up top-tier rankings for capital markets and banking & finance work in London, and investment funds and life sciences work across the UK. Simmons also picks up a top accolade for its employment work from Chambers Global

Simmons’ UK presence is spread across three offices. London takes the majority of trainees, a handful head to Bristol, and the firm’s Cambridge office acts as the base for Simmons Wavelength, the firm’s team of legal engineers! It’s worth noting too that the firm recently opened an office in Riyadh, with Arnautov sharing that “we’re particularly committed to expansion in the Middle East and bolstering our practice there, with our office in Dubai as a regional hub.” 

The Seats 



When it comes to seat allocation, trainees at the firm rank their top preferences: from one to eight in London, and one to six in Bristol. Interviewees explained that the firm tries its hardest to give them one of their top four choices, and that “the process is relatively transparent. Once seats are allocated HR are very accommodating with explaining the priorities they had in mind and analysing those in light of the trainees’ preferences.”

Secondmentsrun fairly similarly, with the firm taking preferences, business need and trainee performance into account. There are currently international secondments available in Dubai and Singapore, and a handful of client secondments based in London in the finance sector. 

Bankingwas a popular seat amongst trainees, which is hardly surprising given the firm’s sector focus on financial institutions. The department’s work is split into four categories: transactional banking, funds finance, real estate finance, and investment financing. One trainee surmised that “the fantastic thing about that team is even though the work is very diverse, the team is encouraging of trainees to gain exposure to all of the different subgroups, so eventually you’ll get the opportunity to work very closely with the whole team.”  

Trainees often take responsibility for transaction management, “so you’re constantly liaising with your client and the other side, making sure conditions precedent are being completed in a timely fashion, and there’s scope to draft ancillary documents too.” There’s a lot of project management involved as well, so “it’s really hands-on in assisting with completing those deals. You feel like part of the team very quickly because you’re involved in that.”

One interviewee told us they’d been apprehensive about the seat at first because of how challenging they thought it might be, but they assured us that they “found the tasks actually very manageable! The more difficult side is getting around all the vocab I have to use because there’s a lot of documents and terminology I haven’t come across before!” The firm has recently worked on matters with the Bank of Ireland and OakNorth Bank. 

Staying in the sphere of finance, one source described the structured finance & derivatives seat as “really intellectually stimulating; very challenging, but also very rewarding.” This is another team with four different subgroups, covering asset-backed finance, structured products, securitization, and derivatives. The team works with some big names like Citigroup, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley, to name just a few.

One insider who’d been working mostly within asset-backed finance told us they’d been given “a lot of client exposure. I’m on the phone to clients a lot, or to the financial conduct authority, and often the partner relies on you as the base to ensure everyone’s on track.” Because of the size and significance of the deals, there typically is a lot of moving parts, so luckily for trainees “there’s quite a lot of responsibility from an early stage.” Another did note to us that “the learning curve is quite steep in a seat like this,” but assured us that “because of the responsibility, if you’re up for a challenge and enthusiastic towards the work, you can climb very rapidly.” 

Trainees in the firm’s corporate department were impressed by the opportunity for client contact in the seat: “Within my second week I was emailing or getting phone calls from clients, which was an incredible experience. It’s nice to see who you’re working for.” Outside of this, trainees typically get charged with drafting board minutes, reports, witness statements, and letters of engagement as well as attendcourt hearings where applicable.

Insiders told us that they felt well-supported in the seat, as the team are “good at gauging where people are, whether it’s ability-wise or confidence-wise, and they’ll let you do as much as you feel you’re able to, and they feel you’re able to.” To get a flavour for some of the team’s recent highlights, they advised Masdar, a UAE based clean energy company in acquiring 67% of Greek renewables company Terna Energy. The matter was valued at €3.2 billion. 

“They’ll let you do as much as you feel you are able to.” 

Moving across to a different sector of the firm’s work, the firm’s ENRI team covers energy, natural resources and infrastructure. This seat is a little different to what you might find at other firms, as one trainee explained: “obviously the firm is a sector-focused firm and that’s one of its big USPs, but this team in particular is made up of lawyers from all sorts of specialisms.”

Thanks to this, the kind of work trainees get involved in is really broad, spanning from project finance and more banking-focused work to government work, working on project agreements and service contracts, as well as contentious work. Recently, the firm advised the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in connection with a merger of OneWeb Holdings Limited and Eutelsat Communications, a transaction valued at approximately £2 billion. 

Like corporate, trainees appreciated getting stuck into things early on: “I was on the phone to clients for most of the day, every day. It was a really good seat for gaining some confidence in your own abilities, learning how to speak to clients, and working with different members of the team.” Outside of a good dose of client contact, sources felt they got “quite a broad range of everything I would have wanted to do.” Because of this, another interviewee considered their experience on this seat to be “very, very valuable, probably the most valuable seat I’ve done since starting my training contract.”  

“I attended some calls with clients, and by the end of the seat I had the chance to lead some of those calls!” 

Every Simmons trainee has to do a contentious seat during their training contract, and for some that meant a stint in disputes and investigations. Trainees told us that work here was particularly good because it was so varied (are you spotting a pattern here or is it just us?!). We heard a lot of the work consists of hearings, and lots of people in the team get to go to an arbitration or mediation. “I attended an arbitration at the International Arbitration Centre,” detailed an interviewee, “That was quite exciting and dramatic, with lots of twists and turns!” Trainees also felt that there was a good build-up of responsibility in the seat, sharing that “I attended some calls with the clients, and by the end of the seat I had the chance to lead some of those calls.”  

Sources had been involved in the disclosure process too: “I did some document review and drafted document preservation notices. I was involved in some case law research, and also drafting the call filings, acknowledgements of service, and letters to the other side.” 

Trainee Life 



Given the range of seats on offer, it was tricky for trainees to pinpoint down an average set of hours that they work. One source shared that “you’ve caught me on a day I’ve come from an all-nighter because of a closing, but this is the first time I’ve had to do that.”

Unsurprisingly, transactional departments tend to have the most intense hours, while other seats less so, with trainees reporting starting between 9am/9.30am, and finishing between 5.30pm/7.30pm. “Some departments are just more technical, so you can’t work long hours because your brain can’t do it,” pointed out one trainee.  

Overall, our interviewees were pleased to have some autonomy here: “I was expecting it to be like school with them monitoring my hours, but everyone really lets you be, you have complete control over your hours, so if I wanted to go home at 4pm and work from home, no one has anything against that.”

Trainees felt the firm had their back if they had to pull a late one, particularly if they do so in the office, as they can expense Deliveroo which was described as “a massive perk.” Interviewees felt well-compensated for the work they were doing too, especially in Bristol where trainees considered the firm’s trainee salary to be the best available in the city. 

Both London and Bristol trainees enjoyed going into their respective offices, not only because they were easy to commute to, but they liked the open plan layout: “I like that set-up. You can talk to anyone, and I think it makes it feel a bit more communal.” Trainees had to be in the office three days a week, and each team have different anchor days. In office days were sweetened by the fact the firm offers free lunch on Mondays and Fridays in both offices. But if you miss out on that, “on a paid lunch day, you can get a massive, subsidised plate of hot food in London!”  

Lots of law firms want to be known for a positive culture, but trainees at Simmons were emphatic that “it really is as nice as everyone says it is. It’s very welcoming and very easy-going.” Contributing to this environment was the fact that “partners are very approachable, and everyone is very friendly and ready to tell you a lot about what they do and why something is interesting to them.” This translated into an environment where our sources felt supported, with an interviewee expressing that “everyone has made it clear that the development of trainees is extremely important to them throughout all levels of the business. Everyone I’ve met has made time to go for coffee, discuss their background and career journey, and to offer tips for trainee success, and even beyond that!” 

“It really is as nice as everyone says it is. It’s very welcoming and very easy-going.” 

The friendliness extends beyond the office walls too, with sources telling us that there’s plenty of social events to get involved in, especially when it comes to sports. The firm has hockey, netball, football and rugby teams, and trainees can even join them during their SQE studies! Interviewees told us they were friends with people in their cohort, and that they have regular trainee socials on both a formal and an impromptu basis. The firm has also introduced some budget for trainees during their ‘compass’ training days - a change made as a result of trainee feedback - which “just shows that they encourage friendships with your colleagues, and also that they listen.” 

On the topic of diversity, trainees reported a number of diversity networks at the firm, and “each network will have a budget, and I do think the firm place a lot of importance on it.” The firm’s efforts regarding social mobility are particularly notable: “We have a lovely initiative with Brampton Manor Academy where students can come and get work experience at the firm.” Insiders felt wellbeing and mental health was taken care of too, “especially when you’re given a supervisor within your seat, there’s a lot of focus on making sure you’re managing everything okay if you need support.” 

How closely trainees work with their supervisors can be dependent on the team and the structure of each group, with a source sharing that “in banking because of the flexibility of the team I didn’t work all that closely with my supervisor, but he was always on hand to lend guidance or professional support whenever needed.” Overall, rookies gave a thumbs up to the supervision. “I think the supervision is really good,” explained an interviewee, “they pick good people to do it, and graduate development encourage you to speak up if you need to and they’re on that straight away.”  

“From day one I’ve been involved in live transactions, communicating with clients, and drafting docs.” 

Training was also rated highly, with the structure varying between seats. Banking trainees do a few sessions a week for six weeks, while those in funds do one or two sessions a day for three weeks. Sources also told us about the firm’s ‘Compass’ training: Compass days are beyond what it takes to be good at law, but to be a good lawyer. It covers the business side, mental health side, and things like how to deal with stress or how to thrive in this environment.”  

Outside of the structured training programmes, trainees felt they’d been given a good chance to learn on the job too. “From day one I’ve been involved in live transactions, communicating with clients, and drafting docs. It’s not as if you join and you’re locked in a classroom for two weeks learning by the book, the learning is very much encouraged on the live matters,” explained one interviewee.

Pro bono work was also great for trainee development, as it provided “a good opportunity for you to take charge of a matter.” There’s no shortage of this type of work either at the firm and it is encouraged, trainees can do some pro bono work within certain seats, and “can pick from maybe 20 different initiatives to work on!” 

Trainees felt that the firm were “as transparent as they can be” when it comes to qualification. “They do an overview every six months when the process is kicking off,” explained one insider, “All of the trainees are invited to a call with the graduate recruitment partner and the team to run through the process and the dates involved so you know what’s happening.”

Trainees submit anonymous preliminary choices to gather interest before a jobs list is released. After this, they submit final preferences, and departments rank trainees too. A match-making process between the rankings then takes place to decide NQ positions. The firm did not disclose its 2025 retention rate.

And Simmons scores! 

The firm’s football team play monthly matches against other law firms in London.

How to get a Simmons & Simmons training contract  



Spring insight scheme 2026 (London):  8-9 April 2026 

  • Applications open: 10 December 2025   
  • Deadline: 31 January 2026  

Summer vacation scheme (2026, London): 29 June - 10 July 2026  

  • Applications open: 15 October 2025  
  • Deadline: 15 December 2025 

Summer vacation scheme (2026, Bristol):  15 – 26 June 2026 

  • Applications open: 15 October 2025 
  • Deadline: 15 February 2026 

Summer internship (2026, Dublin):  15 June - 10 July 2026 

  • Applications open: 15 October 2025 
  • Deadline: 15 December 2025 

Evolve Placement Year (2026, London): September 2026 – September 2027  

  • Applications open: 15 October 2025 
  • Deadline: 15 February 2026  

Application process    

The firm offers around 24 training contracts each year in its London and Bristol offices. The firm no longer offers direct training contracts in London and Bristol, so interested candidates will have to complete a vacation scheme at the firm prior to applying. Roles are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so the firm advises candidates to apply as soon as possible.    

Prospective recruits submit an online application form, blended online assessment including situational judgement, applied intellect and video interview questions. The cream of the crop then attends an assessment day that involves written, a client discussion, an analytical exercise and an interview.    

Vacation scheme    

Simmons & Simmons runs a two-week summer scheme in the London office, and a two-week summer scheme in Bristol. They are all open to penultimate-year law and non-law students, plus all final-year students and graduates.    

Vac schemers split their time between two different departments: “I did half in corporate and half in tax,” reported one former participant. “I got to help with an M&A deal and went to all the negotiation meetings. 99% of it went over my head, but it was great to see what I might be doing in a few years' time.”    

Get some insight    

The firm runs a two-day spring insight scheme in the London office. Apply by 31 January 2026 to be in with a chance of attending.    

Legal tech placement    

Simmons & Simmons has a year-long legal tech placement, called Evolve.    

There are two roles on offer, lasting 12 months with two six-months rotations, one in the firm's 'innovation and business change' department and one in its emerging technology team. The former works on delivering the firm's strategy, especially through new tech and services. Emerging technology is one of the firm's legal teams, advising clients in this sector. Those on the placement can expect to do market research, assess new technology, come up with new ideas, help organise events and do legal research.    

The placement student will be evaluated during the programme and if they meet the required standard will be offered a training contract.   

Dublin Summer Internship  

Simmons run a four-week long summer internship in their Dublin office for recruiting penultimate and final-year university students and graduates of any degree subject.  

  • Applications open: 15 October 2025  
  • Deadline:  15 December 2025 

Solicitor Apprenticeship   

Simmons offers a solicitor apprenticeship and is recruiting for apprentices to join their London and Bristol office starting in September 2026.   

Qualify as a solicitor and earn while you learn through the firm's six-year solicitor apprenticeship programme. Four days a week will be spent gaining practical work experience and one day a week studying with BPP University.   

During your studies, you’ll complete your LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice and go on to study towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE). On successful completion of the SQE, you will qualify as a solicitor at the end of the programme.   

  • Applications open: 1 December 2025   
  • Deadline: 15 January 2026 (London), 15 February 2026 (Bristol)

Interview with Zoë Arnautov, UK Graduate Recruitment and Development Partner



The Firm 

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

Zoë Arnautov: I think what we’re currently seeing is a reconfiguration of the legal market that’s very interesting following a long period of the relative status quo.  With some US and top-revenue UK firms manoeuvring to become part of the so-called “Global Elite” there is a real shift going on that leaves opportunities for other firms, if they can seize them. What that means is we think we are really excellently positioned to take on areas of work that have been vacated by that group because they are relentlessly chasing super-high profitability by moving out of certain markets and business lines. Because we are a strong, full-service, sector-focused international law firm, we’re perfectly positioned to pick up teams of people and lines of business, and that strengthens our position as a firm that’s not trying  to chase the stratospheric four million PEP that’s the minimum to be a part of that club. We have an excellent client base and work very strongly internationally, and that’s something that we can take advantage of at a time when other firms are walking away from interesting and challenging work.  

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

Arnautov: We’re committed to our continued growth across the firm, and excited to be able to talk about developments including opening our Riyadh office earlier this year and the recent announcements that we are opening an office in the Abu Dhabi (specifically the ADGM) and bringing on board a four-partner real estate-focused team in Frankfurt. We’re particularly committed to expansion in the Middle East and bolstering our practice there, with our office in Dubai as a regional hub. The other thing more specific to recruitment is that we’re continuing to recruit solicitor apprentices, and we’re looking forward to the fact that the first cohort will join the trainee population next year. We’re looking forward to that transition to have solicitor apprentices and trainees alongside each other in the same cohort. We also continue to be extremely dominant in areas like our hedge fund practice, which we’re very proud of. 

The Training Contract  

CS: How would you describe the training environment that you have aimed to create at the firm?  

Arnautov: We deliberately have slightly smaller trainee cohorts than many of our peer firms. With fewer trainees, we can offer higher quality work and a more individualised experience. Everyone says they’re collaborative, but I honestly believe that Simmons really is, and that’s reflected back to us by our lateral hires at all levels, including lateral partners. The trainees are a key part of that and because it’s a smaller cohort, they get a lot of exposure to senior lawyers. I’m a partner in the corporate tax group when I’m not wearing my graduate recruitment hat, and I’m working with trainees very frequently, and that’s certainly not unique to me or my team. The whole idea is that we’re giving people higher quality work and exposure to clients early, in the hope that it gives them a richer training experience. 

CS: How do you think the firm’s sector focuses impact the trainee experience at Simmons & Simmons? 

Arnautov: I think what it means for trainees is that you can probably follow the thread of sector-related work throughout your training contract because lawyers in every team work in the different sectors. I personally work a lot in the financial institutions and asset management and investment funds sectors, and those are our biggest two by revenue. It provides a certain continuity for the trainees as they move around the different practice groups because the teams they sit in may well still be focusing on the same group of clients and type of overall work, so the trainees are seeing a different angle of stuff that’s more coherent on a firm level. I’d like to think that the sector focus provides an umbrella continuity that maybe is lacking if you don’t have that.  

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

Arnautov: It’s the same for trainees and everybody else, and it’s three days a week. Different teams have different expectations around team days: some having rolling team days and others rotating days, and then for example in my team we don’t have set days. The idea there is that if you’re in three days a week you’ll see the majority of the team if they’re also in three days a week. There’s no maximum limit on days in the office, and plenty of lawyers do more than three days. Trainees are absolutely welcome to do that too. Of course, everyone has a laptop and can easily work remotely, but it’s three days a week in the office and there’s no plan to change that.  

Applications & Recruitment  

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

Arnautov: I think people who are really curious about the work and the business will thrive. It’s the people who are on the one hand happy with the fact they’re working on a small corner of something, but are interested in the bigger picture beyond that. Someone who can spot if there’s something going undone, or something that could make this easier or speed it up. Someone’s who’s prepared to ask questions, appropriately of course, and really just be interested in the work we do and the clients we have, because everybody loves somebody who asks questions. 

I would also describe Simmons as pretty non-hierarchical, and so I think people who are not afraid to say ‘is that right’, and there are ways of saying that of course. Going toe-to-toe with a partner with 20 years’ experience is maybe not the way, but there are ways of saying ‘can you walk me through that’, and I’ve seen it happen where the partners say ‘gosh, you’re right actually, that’s not quite right’. I think we’re not very hierarchical, but we also expect our trainees and everybody else not to be. We wouldn’t expect a trainee to talk down to a secretary or a member of the business services team because we wouldn’t talk down to them. So, someone who’s also not very hierarchical in that sense but can operate in the workplace in a respectful way, and is cognisant of the contribution everyone’s bringing to the business.  

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

Arnautov: I think my top advice would be to try and get as much experience of different types of practice area as you can. In the relatively narrow sphere of a city law firm like ours, there’s a huge range of work types and personalities between deal lawyers at one end and black letter law lawyers at the other. I’m a tax lawyer so I’m relatively at the black letter law end, but there’s always some friendly joking between us and the more deal-focused lawyers. I think it’s good to know whether you are more of a deal lawyer or a technical lawyer, what you are drawn to, and if either of those things appeal. The practice of law is problem-solving in its ultimate form, and the types of problems you have to solve are quite different in different teams, so what kind of problem solver are you, and do you like the black letter law, the legislation itself. There are plenty of lawyers who don’t love the law in the sense of the actual legislation! I’m reading legislation every day, but some people think that’s a horrible idea, and that’s fine too. And to be very open-minded, because studying law in an academic context is not the same as doing it in practice at all. What you think you might enjoy might turn out to be completely different once you’ve had some real-world experience.

Simmons & Simmons LLP

Firm profile
Simmons & Simmons is an international law firm. Partnering with the world’s leading organisations you will work on inspirational and thought-provoking projects, using your influence to create positive impact for our clients. Alongside other ambitious and talented individuals you will collaborate across borders to innovate and deliver smarter solutions for tomorrow's most complex challenges.

Our lawyers are specialists in four highly regulated sectors; asset management and investment funds; financial institutions; healthcare and life sciences; and technology, media and telecommunications. Using their specialist skills to understand business, and the forces at play around it. All grounded in exceptional knowledge of the legal detail.

From day one, irrespective of job title, qualification, or background, you will be encouraged to have an enquiring mind and share ideas that can drive the firm forward. You will be part of a diverse and vibrant team with a mix of personalities, cultures and mindsets, but all with the same unwavering commitment to quality. A shared trust and respect of those differences will enable you to work collaboratively across levels and functions to create the best outcomes.

Through innovative learning and development opportunities, you will be provided with a platform to excel, enabling you to exceed your career ambitions.

You will be professionally challenged every day, equipping you with the skills to think creatively, grow personally and develop an entrepreneurial mindset that allows you to deliver quality work, that defies your expectations. 

Main areas of work



 

Simmons & Simmons is an international firm working across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US. Our lawyers are specialists in four highly regulated sectors; asset management and investment funds; financial institutions; healthcare and life sciences and; technology, media and telecommunications. Using their specialist skills to understand business, and the forces at play around it. All grounded in exceptional knowledge of the legal detail based within our core practice areas; corporate and commercial; dispute resolution; employment; and financial markets.

Training opportunities



We offer training contracts in London and Bristol, where you’ll spend two years discovering the innovation and collaborative approach we’re known for. Ideally placed to build a long-term career, you’ll uncover a world of high-end clients and gain immediate exposure to some of their most complex challenges. As well as moving through four six-month seats across our practice areas, you’ll also benefit from the Compass programme; our unique and progressive trainee skills academy that offers a combination of practical learning and online tools designed to support your journey through to qualification.

We also offer training contracts in Dublin. Our trainee programme will see you complete your PPC course at Blackhall as well as 24 months’ work experience rotating through various practice groups. Through these seat rotations, you’ll soon find out where your interests lie. With dedicated support and training, you’ll work your way up to qualifying as an associate with us.

Vacation scheme



 

Discover what it’s like to be a trainee lawyer with one of our vacation schemes. Over two or four weeks in London, Bristol or Dublin, you’ll experience the work, the reach and the day-to-day buzz of our international firm. Throw yourself into this full programme of social events and work experience, and you’ll get a taste for our firm and the work we do, from research to drafting, and meetings to departmental training.

• Summer vacation scheme (London): A two-week scheme open to penultimate and final year university students and graduates of any degree subject. Applications open 15 October 2025 and close 15 December 2025.
• Summer vacation scheme (Bristol): A two-week scheme open to penultimate and final year university students and graduates of any degree subject. Applications open 15 October 2025 and close 15 February 2026.
• Summer Internship (Dublin): A four-week scheme open to penultimate and final year university students and graduates of any degree subject. Applications open 15 October 2025 and close 15 December 2025.

Legal Tech Placement



 

The world of law is evolving. Fast. Can you help keep us at the forefront of our industry? Our Evolve placement gives you the platform you need. You’ll work with our lawyers and innovation teams to explore how we can embed emerging technologies across our business. What’s more, you’ll gain exposure to some of the most visionary companies who we call our clients. An inquisitive mind and an interest in a legal career are a must for this unique opportunity. Those who perform well on the placement will be offered a training contract for once they’ve finished their studies. Our evolve placement year will take place from September 2025-2026 in our London office. Applications open from 15 October 2025 - 15 February 2026.

First year opportunities
Spring insight scheme (London): A two-day workshop for first year university students of any degree subject, as well as penultimate year non-law students. Applications open 10 December 2025 and close 31 January 2026.

Other benefits



 

25 days holiday, pension contributions, private medical insurance, GP Visits, discounted gym membership, life assurance, critical illness insurance, income protection insurance, personal accident insurance, employee assistance programme, eye sight tests, cycle to work scheme, payroll giving scheme, travel insurance, dental insurance, season ticket loan, future trainee loan, concierge and discounts service, wellbeing fund.

This Firm's Rankings in
UK Guide, 2025

Ranked Departments

    • Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Lower Mid-Market (Band 1)
    • Banking & Finance: Fund Finance (Band 3)
    • Banking & Finance: Lenders: Lower Mid-Market (Band 1)
    • Commercial and Corporate Litigation (Band 3)
    • Competition Law (Band 5)
    • Construction: Contentious (Band 4)
    • Construction: Non-contentious (Band 5)
    • Construction: Professional Negligence (Band 2)
    • Corporate Crime & Investigations (Band 1)
    • Corporate/M&A: £100-800 million (Band 4)
    • Employment: Employer (Band 1)
    • Information Technology & Outsourcing (Band 4)
    • Intellectual Property (Band 3)
    • Intellectual Property: Law Firms With Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Spotlight
    • Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation (Band 2)
    • Pensions (Band 5)
    • Professional Negligence (Band 3)
    • Real Estate: £150 million and above (Band 4)
    • Tax (Band 5)
    • Banking Litigation (Band 2)
    • Capital Markets: Debt (Band 4)
    • Capital Markets: Derivatives (Band 2)
    • Capital Markets: Equity (Band 4)
    • Capital Markets: Securitisation (Band 3)
    • Capital Markets: Structured Products (Band 3)
    • Commodities: Derivatives & Energy Trading (Band 3)
    • Energy & Natural Resources: Mining: International (Band 3)
    • Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Corporates) (Band 2)
    • Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory (Band 2)
    • Fraud: Civil (Band 3)
    • Insurance: Contentious Claims & Reinsurance (Band 4)
    • International Arbitration: Commercial Arbitration (Band 5)
    • Investment Funds: Hedge Funds (Band 1)
    • Investment Funds: Open-ended Funds (Band 2)
    • Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation (Band 2)
    • Life Sciences: Transactional (Band 2)
    • Product Liability: Mainly Defendant (Band 3)
    • Real Estate Finance (Band 3)
    • Tax: Contentious (Band 4)
    • Telecommunications (Band 2)

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