Hill Dickinson LLP - True Picture

Hill Dickinson training contract review 2026

The Firm

With its head office in the port city of Liverpool, Hill Dickinson is a shipping firm through and through, making it ideal for those looking to chart a more distinctive training route: “I knew I wanted to work in marine law at a firm with good quality training and a supportive culture – Hill Dickinson fit that criteria!” one trainee told us. And while it proudly wears its Liverpool roots on its sleeve, this is far from a local outfit. The firm has twelve offices across the UK and internationally, including bases in Singapore, Limassol, Piraeus, Monaco and Hong Kong. The majority of the firm’s trainees are split between Liverpool, London and Manchester, with a handful in Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham.

The firm’s legacy on the high seas runs deep: Hill Dickinson famously advised White Star Line during the US legal fallout from the Titanic disaster in 1912, and over a century later, the firm boasts a nod from Chambers UK for its shipping practice nationwide, as well as nods in related practices like transport and commodities. If that wasn’t enough, there are top-tier rankings in healthcare, mental health, health and welfare, Court of Protection and transport: logistics rankings too.

“I wanted to work in marine law at a firm with good quality training and a supportive culture – Hill Dickinson fit that criteria!”

No sea legs? No stress! Hill Dickinson’s training contract is split into three groups: marine, health and business services groups (BSG). Trainees can specialise from the get-go too, which was a great draw for those who already had a focus in mind. As one trainee put it: “I always had an interest in the health and medicinal side of law, so the fact Hill Dickinson offered a training contract specialising in that area was a dream for me.”

Those seeking a broader foundation aren’t left adrift either. The BSG pathway offers exposure to areas like commercial litigation, family and corporate, giving trainees the option to navigate a more traditional course. That said, “even though I’m in BSG, I still know trainees in the other departments — I’m friends with a great variety of people here.”

The Seats

At Hill Dickinson, trainees on each of the firm’s three pathways complete four six-month seats over the course of their training contract. Before starting, trainees submit a ranked list of seat preferences, with the option to add notes explaining their choices. They can also indicate any departments they would prefer to avoid.

Once the contract begins, seat allocations are discussed during mid-seat reviews, where trainees and supervisors reflect on progress and evolving interests. There are no compulsory seats, and trainees generally find the system fair and flexible. As one trainee shared: “I was very happy with the range of seats on offer, and I’ve been lucky enough to get my first choice both times!”

“If you want to work at the cutting edge of shipping, this is the place to do it.”

A natural first port of call is Hill Dickinson’s marine department, which itself contains five separate seat options: cargo and logistics, commodities, PI and regulatory, shipping and yachts. Those who embark on a seat in shipping will conduct work in both ‘dry shipping’ and ‘wet shipping’. The former deals with contractual disputes concerning issues like late cargo. Wet shipping refers to casualty related incidents such as crashes or onboard injury. In one recent case, the firm acted in the arbitration and subsequent High Court proceedings in relation to disputes arising from two bareboat charters and a subsequent contractual termination.

Day-to-day work may be drafting pleadings, organising settlement offers, as well as corresponding with both the clients and opponents. Trainees attested to the high-level of responsibility in this seat, stating that: “You get to do everything that an NQ does, but with more oversight and supervision from senior members of staff – I even got to make casualty visits in wet shipping!” As one trainee added: “The kind of work we do in shipping is industry leading. Nowhere else offers this quality of work with the same work/life balance. If you want to work at the cutting edge of shipping, this is the place to do it.”

“It’s a point of pride knowing you’re working with market leaders in the maritime industry.”

For fans of shows like Below Deck, a seat in yachts may just float your boat! The work is a mixture of contentious and non-contentious. The non-contentious side revolves around transactional work and includes trainee tasks like reviewing sale and purchase documents, drafting ancillary documents and attending vessels to deliver paperwork to either side. Many trainees appreciated this aspect of the seat, as it meant they could work on a case from opening to close: “It provides fun opportunities to get out of the office and do something different.”

The contentious side mostly concerns charter disputes, usually raised by customers who have had bad experiences due to foul odours (yes, really) or poor service.  Trainees provide advisory work for clients and get the opportunity to attend the yachts and analyse the specific details, conducting extensive research tasks on the subject. As one trainee put it: “It’s a point of pride knowing you’re working with market leaders in the maritime industry.”

Outside of the marine space, trainees interested in Hill Dickinson’s health department have a choice of four seats: employment, commercial, public law and litigation with the potential to do real estate. While the cohort is still asked to rank these in order of preference, one trainee noted that: “I like the fact there isn’t too much choice, as you know that you’ll get to experience each seat eventually, so you aren’t missing out.” We heard that healthcare and  public law gives trainees plenty of time in court.

For trainees, that meant meeting witnesses, taking notes in court, preparing documents for inquests and compiling court bundles. Being so client-facing “is rewarding as it shows that the partners trust you to get the work done and it means you can learn on the job rather than just observing.”

Health litigation deals more with criminal negligence and requires trainees to review medical records, draft documents to the client and get in touch with experts who can comment on the matter. They also get the opportunity to attend conferences with counsel and get statements from witnesses involved in the claim.

One trainee pointed out the benefit of seeing a case both pre- and post-action, as this allows you to deal with a claim at every stage of the process: “It’s a good level of responsibility and the partners will let me help with anything along the way.” For those interested in client secondments, we were told that trainees in the health department are sometimes offered the opportunity to work with the NHS and other notable healthcare providers!

“The seat is great for sharpening your negotiating skills…”

Trainees described the business services group as a more ‘traditional’ pathway, with a wide range of seats in both transactional and contentious areas of law. According to this year’s cohort, corporate is a popular seat and was described as “the powerhouse” of the firm. Trainee tasks include drafting ancillary documents, taking board minutes, dealing with transaction documents and lots of client contact. As one trainee put it: “The seat is great for sharpening your negotiating skills and learning how to conduct calls with a client.”

As the seat progresses, trainees may get the opportunity to work on smaller matters independently, but the partners are still able to assist should they need help. In one recent example, the firm acted for the Xeinadin Group on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Landmark Accountants.

Refining a slightly different skillset is a seat in property litigation. As well as working on deeds of release, rights for life matters and preparing applications, trainees are also entrusted with managing clients by ensuring they’re up to date with their case progress. There are also chances to work with different regional offices, with one trainee telling us they travelled to Manchester and Liverpool to collaborate on an application.

This seat is ideal for trainees looking for independent responsibility, as one individual noted: “You build up a lot of independence. I ran a solo project which was a dispute ending in an eviction. It was intense but exciting and incredibly interesting!” The team represents major UK and international educational establishments, institutions, private individuals and professional bodies.

Trainee Life

One overriding positive about Hill Dickinson is its healthy work-life balance, which trainees feel sets it apart from its competitors. Depending on the department, we were told that trainees rarely work later than 6.30pm, with one reflecting that: “I feel I have the ability to switch off, and I have never cancelled personal evening plans due to a heavy workload.” While the company policy does expect trainees to work in the office four days a week, most felt this was reasonable as “being in the office is the best place to learn.” To sweeten the deal, they’re also given a £250 allowance to buy equipment for a home office.

Here at Chambers Student, we know that the work environment is just as important as the quality of work. It seems Hill Dickinson shares this outlook, as trainees commented on the friendly and supportive culture at the firm: “Some of the partners are the most approachable people you could ever meet – sometimes you don’t realise they’re a partner straight away!”

Outside of work, each regional office organises numerous social events attended by trainees and partners alike. These include monthly payday drinks, book clubs, netball teams, hiking trips and big parties for religious and seasonal celebrations. They also make an effort to build connections across the different regional offices by organising away-days: “In September, we are all meeting in Liverpool for a trainee away-day where we’ll have strategy work during the day and socialising in the evening!”

At the one to one level, the quality of supervision was a particular highlight for the current cohort: "My first was a fantastic teacher – I couldn’t have asked for a better person to start with, as he was so generous with his time!" To supplement this, the firm's learning and development team has put into place a structured training programme made up of six modules spread across the two years, covering soft skills like negotiation and public speaking: "All the stuff that gets missed on the academic side!" A lot of these sessions involve external speakers and offer opportunities to travel to different offices at the firm.

The firm’s efforts in DEI were praised, particularly for the firm’s provision of a multi-faith room as a prayer space. The firm also has diversity networking groups, including but not exclusive to focusing on social mobility, ethnic minorities and neurodivergence. We were told: “The firm makes a lot of effort to ensure everyone is included.”

While some trainees noted that the salary was slightly lower than the market average, it was generally acknowledged that it was offset by the healthy work/life balance. We were also told that, outside of London, they ensure that trainees across the country are paid the same. Come qualification time, a jobs list is circulated. We heard that where there is more than one NQ interested in a particular department, there will likely be “an interview and maybe a presentation.” In 2025, Hill Dickinson retained 16 of 17 qualifiers.

How to get a Hill Dickinson training contract 

• Insight day deadline (2026): 16 January 2026 
• Training contract deadline (2028): 16 January 2026 
• Open Day deadline (2025):  14 November 2025

Applications and assessments 

Hill Dickinson has (up to) 25 training contracts available for 2028. If you want to bag yourself a place on the insight scheme or get a training contract, then in addition to a written application, you'll have to go through what training partner Richard Capper describes as an "extended selfie." He's referring to the online assessment which is followed by answering questions via a video interview. 

Candidates are then invited to an assessment day, which involves group activities, a written exercise and interview. The written test could involve drafting a document or a letter to a client and aims to test analytical skills as well as spelling and grammar. 

Successful candidates are then invited to a summer insight day and/or final partner interview, depending on the application route they have chosen.

When it comes to the interview it seems the firm is mostly concerned with ensuring candidates really want to work for Hill Dickinson: “It’s important for them to be able to present a convincing case, with evidence, as to why exactly they’re applying here,” Capper stresses. Other questions revolve around situational judgement, business development and commercial awareness. 

Insight days

The firm offers insight days across its UK offices to give students the opportunity to see what life is really like at Hill Dickinson. The scheme also gives students the opportunity to be considered for a training contract, and learn more about the sector that they are interested in. Students get to hear first-hand accounts of the trainee experience, in addition to information from the trainee committee and wider business, and how this contributes to the firm's culture. 

The ideal candidate 

Instead of having minimum academic requirements, the firm considers candidates achievements in context. The team review each application and consider any relevant extenuating circumstances that the system may not allow for. 

“We usually recruit slightly more law grads than non-law (about 60/40),” Capper adds, “though you don’t need a law degree and experience in a commercial firm to work here. Any work experience is useful provided it’s informed your decision to apply, and this allows us to recruit an interesting and diverse mix of individuals.”