Trowers & Hamlins LLP - True Picture

Trowers & Hamlins training contract review 2025 

The Firm  

It’s not often you’ll find firms in our guide with a real estate focus as pervasive as Trowers & Hamlins. Indeed, be warned, as you’ll read about it than once in this True Picture, but it really factors into every piece of work that the firm does. Chatting with training principal Lucy James illustrates this: “we’re a full-service firm, but all departments will touch upon and work with real estate in one way or another.”  But in the spirit of building things up, Trowers is on a mission to expand its skillset. This has come in many forms from new seats in innovation, energy and sustainability, and risk and compliance, to the opening of their latest office in Singapore back in March. James tells us that “these sorts of developments are reflective of the way the legal profession is diversifying.” Adding that, “every practice needs to think about how they can deploy innovation to deliver greater client service.” Our sister site Chambers UK sees this progress on display, with obvious nods to the firm’s work in real estate, social housing, local government, construction, but also in employment and litigation too. 

“I feel like I get a lot out of being here and I’m well respected and listened to as a trainee. It’s a great place to start my career.” 

So, what draws people to, as James puts it, a “mid-sized firm that punches above its weight in terms of headcount and revenue?”  Well, beyond the work, sources noted it was the culture that enticed them to join Trowers’ ranks. Particularly, insiders praised the mutual respect from partners downwards. One source explained that “I feel like I get a lot out of being here and I’m well respected and listened to as a trainee. It’s a great place to start my career.”  

The Seats  

When they start, trainees are asked to submit their areas of interest and, though it may not always be their first seat, everyone will do a stint with real estate. That group and its associated workload is the bedrock of practically everything the firm covers: “Everything has a real estate element, and our clients span all the departments.” Those that did start in real estate enjoyed the natural bonding that came with it. One trainee noted that “it’s a good idea to put us all in real estate at first because we essentially grow up together.” 

Additionally, the firm offers the opportunity for international secondments for its trainees. Primarily, these are reserved for four offices in the Middle East: Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain. We heard these were popular and open to everyone. One trainee noted that “anyone across any office can apply and the people that do want to go get to go.” 

Naturally, real estate was described as a “massive team” at the firm, comprised of smaller subdivisions. These factions include commercial real estate, social housing, procurement and investment and development. A typical day-to-day for many trainees involved tasks like due diligence, asset management, leases, client letters, research, drafting and even face-to-face time with clients. It’s fair to say there’s plenty to do in this seat, as one newbie highlighted that “it’s been interesting but daunting as well. Although there has been a lot of training, so you don’t feel like you’re thrown in the deep end!” This sentiment was shared by another source, who explained that “there was a lot of work, but also a lot of oversight. You always felt supported.” One of the more significant matters going on in the firm’s real estate department over the last year is the firm’s involvement in the development of a cancer research centre at Oxford Science Park.  

“If you show you’re capable, you’ll get a lot more responsibility as well.” 

Thecorporatedepartment at Trowers spans the likes of M&A, private equity and funds and, outside of London, comes as a split seat with commercial, which deals with both public and private sector clients. In the past year, the corporate team has acted for various Inflexion backed pharmaceutical companies like CNX Therapeutics Limited and Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Limited. Trainees told us it was quite a “hands-on seat,” noting common tasks across the board like company house forms, due diligence, reviewing documents, data protection, project management, and procurement. One source stopped to catch their breath: “Sorry, it’s a lot! If you show you’re capable, you’ll get given a lot more agency as well.” Indeed, it's fair to say that trainees got a good helping of responsibility in this seat, as another insider revealed “I had to have my eyes on everything, and you’ll get to work with a range of partners. It’s a very well-rounded seat with lots of bits of work on offer.”  

Occasionally, the commercial litigation team will work with other groups on matters, so trainees in this seat can pick up work from other groups, such as the property litigation team. Otherwise, the team is siloed into their own crop of cases. Trainees can expect to work on pre-trial matters, shareholder disputes, probate, fraud, contract claims, estate trusts, and not to mention some ad hoc pre-litigation advice. Work covers a range of clients, from charity and trustee clients, to those involved in the healthcare industry. For example, the firm acted for Caramel Sales Ltd in a contractual dispute over two contracts for the manufacture and supply of disposable face masks (PPE) for use by the Department of Health during the pandemic. Typical trainee tasks include supporting on disclosure, reviewing documents, drafting, managing files, creating bundles. Sources were generally happy with their workload: “I think it’s the right amount, we mainly do support tasks for people who have been on these things for many years so It’s all very important.”  

Projects and construction is one of the larger teams at Trowers, and covers a breadth of different areas such as working with councils, public clients and big developments. So, many sources indicated that it was a packed seat: “it’s very busy, and there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it.” There is also a separate construction disputes practice, and trainees here get the chance to work on a all sorts of builder contracts, warranties and sub-contracts, with tasks varying from bundles to letter writing. Insiders also noted that clients include the likes of social housing developers all the way to startups. In fact, at the moment the team is advising the St James Group in connection with a home urban expansion of Milton Keynes East which includes works on highways, bridges and infrastructure.  

Trainee Life  

Supervision varied by department, but due to the variety of senior associates that give trainees work, feedback was as regular as sources wanted. Supervisors in general tended to let trainees run with the work they had been assigned but were available for any support needed. One newbie told us that “they’re all happy to help and they encourage you to branch out past them to stand on your own when you’re ready.” Moreover, due to the regularity of feedback, sources felt they were never caught off guard by anything in their mid and end of seat appraisals. Training wise, there’s plenty to go around including access to an online platform that serves as a hub for all sorts of relevant training videos: “most of those are given by people from the firm, so you can just go up and speak to them if you have any questions!” There are also live sessions delivered by external speakers, professional skills lawyers and the learning and development team, the latter of which typically covers any necessary business skills.

“It’s part of the selling point that we have good hours, work/life balance is the aim of the game here.” 

Sources were also happy with the office spaces, the London branch boasts a cafeteria that seemed all the rage for some: “if you get there before 8:30am, you get a discount on an already subsidized breakfast. It’s turning me into a morning person!” The firm’s remote working policy asks that trainees are in three days a week, but actually most of interviewees we spoke to found that the benefit in coming in four to five. On the other hand, if you do stay home for the remaining two, the firm provides a generous work-from-home setup that sources requested items on. One source assured us that “they’re quite accommodating, there’s quite a few options to choose from.”  

As for hours, well, as one eager trainee put it: “it’s part of the selling point that we have good hours, work/life balance is the aim of the game here.” The average hours seemed to be between 9am – 6pm, with the odd busy stretch pushing trainees an hour or two past that. Of the very few trainees that worked weekends, they stressed it was both rare and deeply appreciated by seniors.  In any case, with pay for London trainees sitting at £45k we weren’t surprised that sources said that they “can’t really complain, I think we are paid pretty well, it’s similar to other firms at the trainee level.” Though some admitted that “the difference comes in at NQ level, as it’s definitely the lower end of the market,” but they also noted that “given the hours we work it’s fine, I don’t think people stay for the salary!” 

In fact, a big reason interviewees wanted to stay at Trowers is the close-knit culture amongst trainees. We heard of with after work drinks, lunches and even planned holidays being common throughout the cohort. The firm fosters these relationships as well with a mid-seat trainee social that’s put on every six months. One source explained that “it’s generally in an external location and all the trainees get to come down for it. We’re quite a social firm.” Outside of that, socials are put on by departments and there are also various groups you can join like netball and football teams that are sponsored by Trowers.  

Speaking of groups, we heard diversity and inclusion was also a big deal at the firm, with multiple affinity groups available to join that host a variety of networking mixers and seminars that anyone can attend. On representation specifically, all of our interviewees highlighted the high number of women at the firm in senior position: “we’re quite a female led firm!” Another source noted this too, admitting that “it’s one of the things that drew me here, the firm is really leading in that sense.”  

“It’s definitely the kind of firm where the people that come here never leave, I hope I’m one of them!” 

When qualification comes round, we were told that the process is straightforward and formal. One insider revealed that “it starts off with a chat with HR where you express up to two choices of seats you’d like to qualify into, and then departments put their business requirements forward.” After that, job listings are released for the departments looking to take on NQs and sources suggested that they could figure out whether the firm had an interest in them when they compared the number of vacancies to the number of applicants. From that point, trainees need to submit a cover letter, personality test and a CV if you haven't sat with the team, and then have an interview with around two partners in the department. All in all, the process is around a month and those we spoke with were eager to secure a permanent spot on the Trowers & Hamlins ensemble: “It’s definitely the kind of firm where the people that come here never leave, I hope I’m one of them!” In 2024, Trowers retained 22 out of 29 qualifiers.

How to get a Trowers & Hamlins training contract  

APPLY HERE

Vacation scheme deadline (2025): 6 January 2025  

Training contract deadline (2027/2028): 6 January 2025

Applications  

Trowers & Hamlins recruits around 25 trainees each year into its UK offices based in Birmingham, Exeter, London and Manchester, split between March and September intakes. The majority of training contracts are offered to those who undertake the firm's paid summer vacation scheme but a small number is reserved for those who are unable to commit to that scheme. 

Both training contract and summer vacation scheme applications begin with an online form that features four questions alongside the usual education and work experience sections. Head of Early Talent, Rachel Chapman, says “Before you apply, spend time doing research and thinking about why you want to join Trowers and what you think you could bring to the firm. Go further than looking at our website – search for articles our lawyers have written, podcasts they've recorded or videos they've featured in. There is a wealth of information available which will give you a real insight into the type of firm we are and the work we do.”

“Enhance your research by coming to speak to us at virtual and in person law fairs and insight events. You can show your motivation for Trowers specifically by tailoring your application using the knowledge you have gained from your research. Finally, remember to showcase your work experience. The most important thing here is not whether you have lots of previous legal work experience, it's about demonstrating the skills you have developed during any experience you've had and why they will be relevant to a career in law.”  

The firm looks for candidates with a minimum of 128 UCAS points (ABB) from their top three A-Levels or equivalent, and a consistently strong predicted or achieved 2:1 degree. However, they take mitigating circumstances into account and do not automatically reject candidates who do not reach this minimum criteria. They also use a contextualised recruitment tool to understand a candidate's achievements in context. 

Assessment centres

After submitting an online application, candidates will be invited to complete an online assessment. If you are successful after these stages, you will be invited to an assessment centre which will consist of a maximum of three exercises, including an interview. For candidates who have applied for a vacation scheme, there will then be a final interview at the end of the scheme in order to be considered for a training contract.

Vacation scheme  

Chapman says, “Our summer vacation schemes are the perfect way to explore life as a trainee and a team member at our firm.” Trowers & Hamlins offers around 50 places across its Birmingham, Exeter, London and Manchester offices each year. Each placement lasts two weeks, during which attendees sit in two different departments.  During the scheme, attendees will be involved in real, immersive work: drafting, undertaking research, attending meetings and interacting with a range of people across the firm.

Trainee profile

Trainees come from a wide variety of backgrounds at Trowers and have had different experiences. What is important, says Chapman, “is an ability to build relationships with our equally diverse client base and the passion and drive to succeed.”

Our trainee sources characterised the ideal candidate as “a team player who can take the initiative and spot solutions to problems.” They had this advice for applicants, “Don't rush your application; you need to make sure it shows you've researched the firm and effectively portrayed yourself.”