TLT LLP - True Picture

TLT training contract review 2025

The Firm

Far from your typical leading firm with a head office in London (though this firm does in fact have a spot in the capital), TLT makes its mark by evenly placing its eggs in baskets all over the country. It may seem like a very minor detail but, for trainees at the firm, “seeing the other offices as equally important” was central to TLT’s appeal. And, with bases in its Bristol birthplace, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast, TLT is a regional firm without compromise, “playing with the big boys in the legal market.” This is particularly true for its licensing practice, which is given top ratings from Chambers UK  in Scotland and nationwide. TLT also has top billing in the South West for employment, IT, professional negligence and restructuring.

“Any seats involving clean energy are so popular here.”

Beyond the rankings, however, trainees were also intrigued by TLT’s work with government and public sector clients, as well as its quickly developing clean energy practice. “Any seats involving clean energy are so popular here,” one noted, while another shared how “the firm works in areas that are really important to me.” Aside from their interests, sources noted that the firm pays good attention to any experience prospective trainees might have had: “Quite a few people do paralegal, and TLT is happy to take on internal applicants when the quality is there.”

The Seats

Though incomers don’t get a say in their first placement, other seats are allocated based on trainees’ preferences, with priority going to the most senior trainees first and the most junior last. Insiders found that this “waterfall” system generally works, though some felt that “the chance of you getting absolutely everything you want is a long shot.” Despite this, our interviewees felt the firm made a good effort to place trainees in their preferred seats where possible. Two seats appeared to be more popular than others: corporate, as “it has an incredible clean energy team which has advised on, like, a ton of solar projects!” and banking, which has “exploded in the last couple of years, with lots of structured finance and cross-border securitisation.” It’s worth bearing in mind that, while cross-office work is common across the firm, some seats are not available in all offices: “Some teams are solely based out of certain locations, and you can only do seats outside of those areas when there’s a supervisor in your own office.” For example, employment, family and private client are available in Bristol but not in London, while the opposite is true for public inquiries.

Client secondments are also dependent on location, with each English office typically offering a couple. Down south, “banking secondments are quite common, but sometimes trainees might get seconded to government departments.” Sources explained that priority goes to third- and fourth-seaters – “to give the best impression of the firm,” one said – though it’s still possible to head off on secondment during your second rotation.

“I know everyone jokes about Suits, but this was really like that.”

Trainees found a seat with FSDI – that is, financial services disputes & investigations – very engaging, and with cross-border matters involving clients like Copper Technologies, TSB and the Bank of Ireland, it isn’t hard to see why. “It’s not just about sitting behind your desk, we get to see the real contentious side of things,” one trainee explained, jesting: “I know everyone jokes about Suits, but this really was like that. I got to watch a partner in action and it was absolute drama!” We heard that newbies are given a sheet of cases to take over from the outset, and each matter is supervised by a member of the team. Typical tasks from then on include attending mediations, drafting witness statements, giving instructions to counsel and working out settlements for clients.

The commercial disputes team introduces its trainees to plenty of civil litigation, and features cross-office work with Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. The work involves all sorts of clients, from WH Smith and the Gambling Commission to UCL and the British Medical Association. Much like FSDI, a stint with the team has its trainees working on tasks that are typical of a litigious seat, such as drafting, communicating with counsel and attending court. Interviewees were pretty chuffed to work on competition claims in the tens or hundreds of millions of pounds, and also got to the chance to support on warranty claims from sale and purchase agreements. This meant that trainees get to “see the whole life cycle of taking a claim to court, including making applications, directions and disclosure, applying for default judgement, putting a charge over someone’s property and getting an order for banks to transfer funds” in debt action claims.

Over on the transactional side of things, TLT’s corporate practice is pretty broad and “really fast-paced.” The group houses multiple subgroups under one umbrella, including acquisitions, venture capital, disposals, tech and clean energy. Trainees might typically come across sales of subsidiary companies or portfolios during this seat, and will typically join client calls and handle ancillary documents. When a completion is coming up, trainees are “a spare pair of hands, but you can also ask questions and get your thoughts across. Even though your contributions might not always make the final cut, they add it to your feedback and ask if you’ve considered other possibilities.” Clients for the team include well-known brand names like Boohoo, Lynx and SSE. In keeping with its green focus, the team advised sustainable waste management company Biffa on its acquisition of Total Recycling Services.

If you’re looking for a seat with “a bigger focus on clean energy,”  projects, infrastructure and construction could be the one for you. We heard that Bristol and Manchester get a lot of solar work, while London sees plenty of clean energy crossovers. As the team works across offices, trainees get to try out the whole spectrum of the practice. Asset management and construction agreements were reported to be common components of this seat, and trainees on such matters help review documents and address queries on the sale of clean energy special purpose vehicles. There’s also some exposure to the contentious side of the practice, but “you don’t do much court work. It’s just mediations and advice in relation to defective premises claims.” For the most part, trainees get to grips with the workings of various contracts, writing up first drafts of amendments and reviewing third-party agreements.

TLT’s government and trade department covers a large section of the firm’s public sector work. Trainees mused that “a lot of people have a misconception as to what the group is,” explaining that “the work is commercial, but it just so happens that the government is footing the bill.” The team is split into several subgroups, including trade, subsidy, general commercial and procurement. Trainees can apparently “get work from whatever area you’re interested in,” but those we spoke to had more experience on the procurement side. This essentially involves helping public bodies, such as local authorities and the government, purchase goods and services, and comes with “extensive processes which might be related to advertising or awarding contracts, and those help avoid corruption and make sure taxpayers get the best deal.” The team has helped the likes of the Government Legal Department, Department for Health and Social Care and the Metropolitan Police navigate these procedures. The team has also assisted the Home Office in relation to a procurement challenge over contracts for global visa application services. “There’s quite a bit of note-taking as a trainee,” one insider admitted, “but it is a really varied training seat.” Newbies can also do anything from proofreading international trade agreements and drafting contracts to negotiations with “lots of client contact.”

There’s an additional public inquiries and public law (PIPL) seat on the public sector side of things. The department has “grown massively. There are more than 120 people in the team, and about half of the office in London is PIPL!” The team’s work has included some high-profile inquiries such as those related to the Post Office and COVID-19. Interviewees described the work as “not technically litigious, but some of it is contentious.” This means that trainees working on such inquiries might get involved in plenty of document review and drafting of various documents, such as arguments for counsel.

Trainee Life

Though there was near unanimous praise for the firm’s work-life balance, insiders at TLT got the sense that “its regional feel in terms of hours and expectations has definitely changed.” Hours seemed to have shifted to slightly later finishing times of around 7 or 8pm, with everyone pulling together during late night crunch times. Nevertheless, the overarching sentiment was that “we generally finish at a reasonable time and can say if we’re overwhelmed.” When trainees do finish late, they’re generally welcome to start later the following morning. The firm’s hybrid working policy is also very flexible, allowing trainees to decide how often they go into the office. While newbies’ attendance isn’t monitored, they will typically have weekly meetings with their supervisors. Otherwise, we heard that many go in to take advantage of the TLT culture. Not only is everyone reportedly “really friendly and supportive,” but the office itself “promotes approachability at every level thanks to the open-plan office. Not having to knock on a door to see a partner makes all the difference!”

On the social side, we heard that there are plenty of events for trainees to get involved in, even though there is no dedicated trainee budget. You’ll find all the typical vac scheme socials, but there’s also “a trainee AGM where everyone goes down to the Bristol office and stays overnight.” There are also a bunch of charity events, such as the yearly London Legal Walk and fundraising quizzes, alongside up to five paid volunteering days a year. TLT also supports its diversity networks, which include the (reportedly very active) Women’s Equality and Ethnic Diversity networks, that host numerous webinars and events.

“They put a lot of time into developing trainees and associates.”

Our interviewees had plenty of praise for the supervision on offer, explaining that “the majority of my work and feedback comes directly from partners, and they put a lot of time into developing trainees and associates.” We also heard that business development and training events are well supported, and include knowhow sessions from KCs and regular formal skills training, such as working with commercial contracts.

The qualification process, we were told, is very transparent at TLT. At the beginning of their fourth seat, trainees get a handbook with all the relevant dates and available seats, and anyone can apply to any role in any office (provided that you’re qualified to do so!). Trainees then undertake interviews and, although interviews are rarely known for being entirely stress-free, some felt an extra sense of pressure going in as “the formality of them has been mixed.” Of course, qualification is always going to raise hairs for candidates, but we heard some concerns that “it can drag on a bit. It would be nice to have a little more time in case you need to look for jobs externally.” Insiders also cautioned that some offices may be more competitive than others but, overall, we got the impression that our interviewees were positive about their future at the firm. The NQ salary did raise some eyebrows and is “probably the biggest bone of contention with juniors as the quality of work and commitment has increased, but there’s still a compensation gap.” Still, many felt that this setup was still worth it long term given that the firm offers flexibility with when and where its lawyers can work. In 2024, TLT kept on 25 out of 32 qualifiers.

How to get a TLT training contract  

Vacation scheme deadline: 10th January 2025 

Training contract deadline: 31st May 2025

Applications and assessments  

TLT receives around 1,200 applications each year – this figure includes both vacation scheme and direct training contract applications. The firm now has 35 training contracts on offer across its offices each year, taking between 12 and 25 trainees each intake. A minimum of 120 UCAS points and a 2:1 degree form the baseline criteria on the academic front.  

There are two routes to obtaining a training contract with TLT, via a vacation scheme or via a direct training contract application. The firm strongly encourages candidates to apply via the vacation scheme route so that they can experience the authentic insight into real trainee life and the renowned culture. In terms of the application process, TLT uses a traditional application form with a questionnaire that allows you to showcase your commercially agile mindset alongside your academic ability to really demonstrate why you would make a great commercial lawyer.  

For vacation schemes, shortlisted candidates are invited to attend a half-day assessment centre in February with the firm's regional training principals actively participating in reading applications. At the assessment centre, you will be asked to participate in a strengths-based interview and a group exercise. Candidates that show the most potential will then be invited to participate in a 2 week summer vacation scheme.  

For direct training contract applicants, the application process is the same, but the assessment centre in summer is a full day that includes a full strengths-based interview, a group exercise and a written task.

The firm continues to use 'strength-based' interviews, which are designed to discover what a candidate actually enjoys doing rather than just what they can do (which is tested in more traditional competency-based interviewing). The written exercise allows you to show how you digest information and present it concisely, while the group exercise is a collaborative take on the traditional solution-based assessment.  

Vacation scheme  

All offices now run vacation schemes, with the number of places varying to accommodate all candidates that show potential during the half-day assessment centre. Candidates are paid £420 per week and assessed on their work based activities during the course of the scheme. Each vacation scheme candidate spends time in 2 departments for their visit and also have the opportunity to network with associates and partners from the other practice areas throughout the week and attend trainee socials.