Goodwin - True Picture

Firm profile

We build lasting relationships with our clients, including many of the world’s most successful and innovative leaders, entrepreneurs, companies, and investors within the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology, and financial services industries, and where they converge. Our immersive understanding of our clients’ industries — combined with our expertise across high-stakes litigation and dispute resolution, world-class regulatory compliance and advisory services, and complex transactions — sets us apart.

Main areas of work

Financial Services: We provide clients with a full-service platform across transactional, compliance, regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters. Our lawyers offer extensive experience in the investment management, banking, insurance, fintech, consumer finance, commodities, broker-dealer and investment bank sectors

Life Sciences: We serve clients who work collaboratively to improve patients’ lives with market-leading innovations and technology. We advise companies throughout the corporate lifecycle, from pure startups to commercial-stage biopharmaceuticals, as well as the investors, banks and other entities that support those companies.

Private Equity: We focus on middle-market private equity. We advise founders, buyers, sellers, investors, boards and special committees in matters across the corporate lifecycle. Our private equity work includes buyouts, growth equity deals and growth company representations in the technology, healthcare, financial and business services, and consumer and manufacturing sectors.

Real Estate: We place a distinct emphasis on the capital markets, working on transactions that involve equity and debt financings, joint ventures, portfolio and REIT M&A, cross-border transactions, hospitality and leisure, and large-scale development work.

Technology: We support companies seeking to secure funding, protect their intellectual property and navigate a challenging regulatory environment. We also help our technology clients differentiate their products in the marketplace and scale their businesses accordingly

Training opportunities

London office recruits 14 trainees each year with the objective of ensuring a seamless transition over a two-year period from a talented student to a professional lawyer. Trainees will have the opportunity to spend six months in four of our practice areas, allowing rotations in life sciences, private equity, private investment funds, real estate, technology, tax, financial services, antitrust, employment and complex litigation and dispute resolution. This rotation will provide the widest exposure to our business and substantive responsibilities and client interactions from the outset.

Once at the firm, trainees receive a comprehensive induction consisting of department-specific and firmwide training. All trainees have both an associate supervisor and a partner supervisor to ensure a high level of support during the two-year period.

Vacation scheme

We run both a Spring and a Summer Vacation Scheme, which provide real insight into what it is like to train and work at Goodwin while giving you the opportunity to get to know us and your colleagues better. You will witness first-hand the work we do for our clients by shadowing partners and associates, attending client meetings, and participating in negotiations and departmental meetings.

You will leave our programme with valuable mentors and a large professional and social network. All vacation scheme participants are automatically considered for a place on our trainee solicitor programme. Our Vacation Scheme route is our primary recruitment route for our Trainee Solicitor Programme.

You will leave our programme with valuable mentors and a large professional and social network. All vacation scheme participants are automatically considered for a place on our trainee solicitor programme.

Spring Scheme: 7 - 11 April 2025
Summer Scheme: 16 - 20 June 2025 

To apply please visit https://www.goodwinlaw.com/en/careers-pages/early-careers-in-the-united-kingdom

Other benefits

First year salary: £55,000
Second year salary: £60,000

NQ Salary: £175,000

Law school sponsorship for PGDL and LLM SQE 1 & 2 course, with a maintenance grant of £15,000 per year of full time study

• Private medical insurance for you and your eligible dependents
• Personal travel insurance
• Dental insurance for you and your eligible dependents
• Group term life insurance – income protection up to 75% of base salary
• Season ticket loan
• Pension contribution of 6% of your basic salary
• Tuition/certificate/license reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Digital health and wellbeing service
• Mental health counselor
• Family planning services and reimbursement policies
• Family care support programme
• Eye test and glasses reimbursement
• Cycle to Work (with onsite lockers and shower facilities)
• Virtual GP
• Gym and wellness subsidies, including free Headspace membership
• Discounts and special offers with select retailers