Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP - True Picture

Morgan Lewis training contract review 2026 

The Firm 

The first step to shortlisting the firms you’re interested in applying to often involves filtering them into types of firms: you’ve got the City ones, the regional ones, the magic circle ones, the US ones and so on. A common mistake is to stop here, but what many don’t realise is there’s often more than meets the eye, and there can be further distinctions between firms in those categories.

Take Morgan Lewis, for example. “We’re an American firm, but we’re not just focused on transactional teams,” said an insider. In fact, “we have a lot of areas and we’re strong in each of them.”  Indeed, as well as the firm’s stellar rankings in its home country, courtesy of our sister guide, Chambers USA, Morgan Lewis is also rated in a number of practices in Chambers UK including investment funds, employment, immigration, capital markets and intellectual property.  With 32 overseas offices, the firm also stretches its expertise globally, featuring in Chambers Global  with over 60 department rankings. 

“We’re an American firm, but we’re not just focused on transactional teams.” 

Of course, Morgan Lewis is indeed a US firm offering a fairly quintessential US firm experience, with arguably the harsher edges rounded off; to put it plainly the hours could be a lot worse, and our interviewees at least, painted their experiences with partners in a wholly positive light.

Despite these it was the typical US firm draw that hooked our sources, with lean teams with big matters giving newbies a firm foundation to develop their legal careers. “The biggest appeal was the smaller trainee intake,” trainees echoed, “on average, it’s six per year, so the training contract structure is very hands-on.” 

The Seats 

For seat allocation, trainees are able to indicate their top three preferences which the firm takes into consideration. As is typical in many cases, priority is given to those further along in their training contracts. “For the most part if you make the case for yourself, they’re pretty good at trying to meet that,” a trainee explained. “Specialist seats like IP, for example, can be hard to get into,” sources told us.

Priority is also typically given to second years for international secondments, of which there are two each year. With these international secondment opportunities, insiders explained “people in the US offices have to approve decisions so that process is a bit more difficult,” but it is still relatively informal. Secondments typically switch between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Singapore. 

The corporate and business transactions department usually takes on two trainees per rotation. Here, the intensity of the work is subject to market conditions. “It’s a quiet time at the moment with corporate deals on hold, and people hedging their bets with the tariff situation,” a trainee told us. As a result, newbies here can be required to take an entrepreneurial approach and “email around asking for work from people around the department.” Such work can take the form of things as simple as updating internal trackers, board minute drafting and emailing clients, to more complex drafting of shareholder resolutions, setting up company documents, and working on share purchase agreements.

Befitting its well-respected transactional practices, the firm frequently works on hefty matters both domestic and international: Morgan Lewis recently represented Nebius, a holding company that owns AI-focused entities, in the sale of all its businesses in Russia and certain international markets – a matter value of around $5.2 billion. Demonstrating the range on offer here, the group also had a hand in advising MSP Sports Capital on its investment in Everton. 

Litigation, another big group at the firm, also typically takes on two to three trainees per rotation. Here, trainees work on litigation arising from matters at home and abroad. The team has a strong aviation practice, and cases often include those related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict; for example, the group is representing GTLK Europe in relation to 39 of their aircraft stranded in Russia following the conflict in Ukraine.

On the domestic side, one example includes the firm acting for G4S in a £110 million claim against them, alleging they fraudulently overcharged and failed to disclose profits to the UK Government and misled the claimants by not disclosing that misconduct. Litigation also covers arbitration, investigation and regulatory issues, and the team works on a lot of aircraft insurance and reinsurance claims and data privacy matters.

“Over the course of the seat there is a lot of admin work which comes with the trainee role,” one source admitted, but “there’s also ample opportunity to engage in more substantive letter drafting, liaising with the court and other parties, reading judgments and providing updates to the team.” 

According to our interviewees, “research” is the name of the game for newbies in  antitrust, a group where trainees can work across the team on both contentious and non-contentious matters. On the non-contentious side, insiders told us they worked on merger control, FDI (foreign direct investment) matters and merger arbitration with a lot of the research and drafting on competitive analysis, which involves “assessing the competitiveness between two companies, and if there is an overlap that would create issues in law.”

The research side of things also sees trainees helping with business development and preparing articles on UK competition law. Towards the end of the seat, responsibilities expand to helping with Court of Appeal filings and emailing clients. The group represents a number of pharmaceutical and transportation clients, among others. For example, the firm recently represented Mercury Pharma against the Competition Appeal Tribunal in relation to a CMA infringement decision which detailed that Mercury had engaged in the excessive and unfair pricing of Liothyronine, a thyroid treatment tablet.

Employment similarly has trainees working across contentious and non-contentious matters – typically on advisory work. The group works on some pretty eye-catching matters, with one example including their work for McLaren Racing in their breach-of-contract claim for $30 million against reigning IndyCar champion, Alex Palou. On the day to day for trainees this often manifests itself in “support with terminations in tribunal cases and with corporate, drafting policies and bonus packages, and investigations into workplace culture, producing an investigation outcome report.”

“I'm liaising with lenders, legal counsel, and clients to close a deal on my own.”

Finance  often only takes on one trainee, subject to business need, but the department is one of the most varied, featuring work with aviation, funds and standard finance teams for borrowers and lenders. We heard that particularly on the funds side of things, trainees can get a good amount of responsibility: “I’m liaising with lenders, legal counsel, and clients to close a deal on my own,” with oversight from supervisors, of course.

Investment funds sits in a similar window of work, but acts as its own seat taking on two trainees per rotation. “It’s one of the most popular trainee seats I think!” a trainee noted.  Those in the seat felt like “you’re not just doing administration and project management work,” instead getting many opportunities with “drafting, finalising things, sometimes with a partner letting you take things through to the end; the teams are close knit, so when they get to know you there’s room for a bit of interdependence.”

Insiders told us that here “there’s a huge amount of international work that comes in, so that’s really exciting – and we’re expanding, opening up in Paris, so I like that they’re focused on growing in central Europe.” Indeed, a number of the firm’s matters in this area span multiple regions. In one recent example, the firm advise STAR Capital Partners, a European private equity manager, on the raising and closing of a fund valued at around $700 million – the matter spanned almost 20 jurisdictions.

Trainee Life

Alongside the work in their seats, trainees are expected to complete at least 20 hours of pro bono which people generally exceed as there’s no cap. “It is a big deal,” insiders made clear, “If you’re approaching year end and are not on track for 20 hours you will get an email encouraging you to partake in matters.” More generally, fee earners are sent a list of matters they can hop on. “It’s a great way to work with other lawyers at the firm and you feel like you’re making a big difference,” sources enthused.

“Most, if not all lawyers work on amicus cases, working to release inmates on death row who are falsely accused of an offence,” sources explained, with many taking on work for the National Centre for Domestic Violence. In addition to these, practices also have their own pro bono cases – for example, “in corporate you can help with restructuring and asset transfer for non-profits, and in disputes we helped with an unpaid invoice for research.”

“People here are as respectful of your time as you are of your time.”

US firms can often get a bad rep when it comes to hours, but even with the combination of intense practice work and pro bono to boot, sources felt the hours at Morgan Lewis were “really manageable.” Trainees told us they’d been “pleasantly surprised! I can count the number of times I’ve had to work past 11pm.” Weekend work is rare, and finishing times in some departments were regularly around 6.30pm.

“Would I like to have a nine to five? Definitely,” one interviewee chuckled, “but that’s not realistic in this career – thankfully though, people here are as respectful of your time as you are of your time.” Trainees are expected in the office from Tuesday to Thursday, but even within this range, sources echoed, “there’s no facetime culture; people will leave at six and then log back on, so it’s quite relaxed in that sense – so long as the work is done, the partners are happy.”

Insiders felt this reflected the culture at the firm, with the “relaxed” mood stemming from the partners who one trainee emphasised “are really approachable, not daunting at all.” For insiders at Morgan Lewis, “when you work long hours you want to be working with nice people,” so thankfully “the office is a good vibe – I feel very at home, everyone is so friendly and willing to help.” Personality wise we got the heads up that “Morgan Lewis looks for approachable, chatty, normal down-to-earth people, so if you’re pompous you won’t be suited to Morgan Lewis!”

Inclusion plays a part in the firm’s culture, with active lawyer networks like ML Women putting on “talks, drinks, lunches, all that stuff; so you meet people through a really good community. It’s a great opportunity to meet different people,” said one trainee.  Groups put on events every few weeks and, beyond this, the firm also tries to put on firmwide and team socials to bring people together.

Insiders admitted, “it’s not the most social firm in London because everyone is quite busy, so it can be difficult to do things,” but nevertheless the firm does host monthly socials as well as the classic summer and Christmas parties. We heard that trainees tend to “rally together” themselves, going for casual drinks from time-to-time to build those social ties, but even so, “after a day of work everyone likes to go home!”

“There’s a great emphasis placed on the growth of trainees.”

Newbies have compulsory formal training sessions. “There’s a great emphasis placed on the growth of trainees,” one source smiled. Training sessions happen weekly and cover various legal documents and opinions, typically led by partners. Insiders praised the firm’s approach as “one of the great things about the training contract, that scope to work with partners, see how they amend and draft things, and just their views on things generally.”

The two years of training, formal and informal, all leads to the firm’s qualification process which our interviewees told us was “quite transparent: the graduate recruitment manager lets you know what jobs are available, then you let the partners know where you’re interested in qualifying.” After this, partners discuss which positions to open, getting consent from the global heads of the practices. Then, “they publish the jobs available, and we submit an application form, cover letter and CV for the jobs we’re interested in," explained one source.

There’s no assessment centre, but there is an informal interview which one insider admitted, “can feel daunting because your whole life hinges on it! But when you get in the room it’s very relaxed because you’ve already worked with them. You find out if you get the position a week after.” In 2025, the firm retained 3 of 5 qualifiers.

How to get a Morgan Lewis training contract 

Open day deadline: 09/01/2026

Vacation scheme deadline: 21/01/2026

Training contract deadline: 19/06/2026

Direct application 

Morgan Lewis has six available training contracts, and applications start off as most do – with an online application form. The firm receives around 500 applications, and selects around 60 to 70 for a short phone interview with Graduate Recruitment. The third stage is an assessment centre, which includes a partner interview, group activity, written exercise and discussion panel with partners.  

Recent trainees told us these interviews focus on “getting to know you, why you've chosen law and what your interests are. There aren't any off-the-wall questions.”

In terms of what the firm looks for, a former training principal says, "as for the type of person that fits here… definitely someone who’s confident and prepared to roll up their sleeves and work hard. We also choose people we’d like to work with!” 

Vacation scheme 

Some training contracts are offered off the back of Morgan Lewis's vacation scheme, which takes place in the summer. Obtaining a spot requires an online application followed by a telephone interview with Graduate Recruitment and then a partner interview. The firm tends to receive over 500 vac scheme applications each year. 

Attendees are assigned to two practice groups but also take part in seminars and workshops to explore other areas. They're given a supervisor but are encouraged to seek work from other members of their team and to reach out to people within the firm to ask questions. Morgan Lewis also organises social events where attendees are able to get to know people at the firm better. 

Ideal candidates 

Entry into Morgan Lewis requires a high 2:1 plus AAB at A level. The firm looks for a range of prior work experience (a mixture of law and non-law), volunteering and extra-curricular activities to demonstrate the development of your skills and experience. In particular, the firm is looking for candidates to show their commercial awareness, team spirit, resilience and passion for a career in law. A former training principal says: “People at Morgan Lewis have to be prepared to come across new things, tackle them from scratch and not be spoon-fed. Because it’s a small office and you’re working directly with partners you need to have the confidence to take something on and give it your best shot, distilling it down to basic principles.”

Chambers Student Interview with Nick Bolter

Interviewee: Nick Bolter, London Managing partner and Training Principal

The Firm

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

We are a US-headquartered full service global law firm with over 30 offices across 17 time zones. Our London office was the firm’s first international office outside the US more than 40 years ago, and continues to be a regional hub that is well-integrated with our operations across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The global nature of both our work and of our clients make the firm dynamic and exciting. Everyone here works on matters that touch major regions around the world. We have a relatively small trainee intake – 12 – and in an office that doesn’t consist of hundreds of lawyers that means our trainees get full exposure to what everyone is doing across departments working on international matters.

We are committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and a people-centered business model that values relationships.

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

We have recently seen significant growth in London and across Europe with the addition of a 54-strong lawyer team in Paris at the start of the year. In London, we have added eight partners who expand our capabilities in healthcare and life sciences, tax, structured transactions, litigation, intellectual property and investment management.

We are poised to open our newest office in Riyadh soon, making it our 33rd international office.

We’ve also just completed our assessment centre for 2027 entry, and most of the young people who turned up had a good idea of what we’re looking for.

The Training Contract

CS: How would you describe the training environment and culture at the firm?

We strive to foster a collaborative and inclusive culture that is evident throughout the firm. As partners, we treat one another with respect and as equals, and that same ethos extends to our trainees, lawyers, and professional services colleagues.

We run small teams, so everyone plays a meaningful role. We don’t have trainees just working on huge disclosures! Our trainees have direct access to the entire team, including partners, and are genuinely involved in client matters. It’s a great place to cut your teeth as a young solicitor. By the end of the training contract, you’ll have a clear idea of what life as a solicitor is really like. Everyone works incredibly hard, at this level it's hard work, but I think this is about as nice an office and environment as you could hope for as a young professional.

Each trainee has a supervisor in every seat along with an associate mentor. They share an office with their supervisor and have regular contact with their mentor, with support with all respects of work life as they adjust from fun time life as a student to full employment. I was speaking with some of our first-year trainees recently about that transition. When I started my career in ‘97 at Simmons & Simmons, I remember thinking how real that adjustment felt after those long summer holidays!

CS: What’s the current setup for remote working for trainees?

Tuesday to Thursday are mandatory office days and Monday and Friday are optional work-from-home days. If you look at the market, most financial institutions are back five days a week, some four, and others, like us, do three. The aim is so that when we are in the office, we can make meaningful connections with our colleagues who are in at the same time.

Applications & Recruitment

CS: What sort of person thrives at the firm? How can a candidate impress at interview?

That ties back to what I said about our small teams – and no sharp elbows! We’re looking for people who thrive in close-knit, collaborative groups. It’s all very well being the cleverest person in the room, but if you’re not a team player, it just doesn’t work. We also really value different perspectives and approaches, which often come from our individual experiences. And we want people who are committed not only to clients and fee earning, but to the office as a whole. When you’re a trainee qualifying in England and Wales, the focus remains on the London office. That’s your base as a junior. There are opportunities to travel to the US, and we have

academies - when you qualify, you go to the US and meet other junior lawyers. We also offer secondments to Singapore, and unsurprisingly people really enjoy those seats. I never did a seat abroad, and it’s one of my few regrets.

CS: Does the firm have any set recruitment targets around diversity?

Our focus is on inclusivity, not hitting any specific targets. Teams made up of people with different experiences provide better, more rounded advice to clients, because different backgrounds bring fresh ideas and perspectives.

CS: Do you have any advice for those thinking about pursuing a career in law?

My advice is to choose something you’re passionate about. People often ask whether they should do a law degree - my answer is to study a subject you genuinely enjoy. Also, just show up. These days, lectures are available online, but being present still matters. You’ll pick up all sorts of soft skills just by engaging! Be someone who says 'yes' to things and stays open to opportunities.