Mayer Brown International LLP - True Picture

Mayer Brown training contract review 2026

The Firm 

As one trainee at Mayer Brown put it: “I wanted to be at a firm of people, not carbon copies of corporate suits filling offices.” It’s a valid consideration too. The legal profession has historically had a bad rep for being a demanding job, but the general consensus was that there is more to life at Mayer Brown: “It really does feel like people don’t just come here to work and then leave,” a trainee confirmed, “people enjoy themselves and the work they do here.”

What’s more, MB’s London base only takes on around 15 trainees a year, which insiders described as a “Goldilocks cohort size; big enough that you’re not spread across loads of departments, but small enough that you can get to know everyone.” 

Quite the other end of the scale from its cozy cohort, “I’d describe Mayer Brown as an international law firm positioned to represent global organisations, funds and financial institutions on their most important and complex transactions and disputes,” training principal and employment partner Miriam Bruce summarises, “London is one of the firm’s largest offices, alongside New York and the Chicago mothership.”

“Goldilocks cohort size; big enough that you’re not spread across loads of departments, but small enough that you can get to know everyone.” 

In total, the firm has 22 offices across North and South America, Europe and Asia, and fittingly receives rankings from each continent’s Chambers guide. Over in Chambers UK, however, the firm is rated highly for its work in banking and finance, construction, professional negligence and real estate in London, along with a top-tier nod for its work in energy and natural resources: mining nationwide. The UK team also makes an appearance in the Chambers FinTech guide! 

The Seats 

Ahead of their next seat, trainees submit five preferences to the graduate recruitment team for seat allocation. As is often the case, priority goes to second-year trainees, but interviewees still found that “they’re very accommodating. Even as a first-seater, most of us got one of our preferences and those who didn’t received a proper reason why.” It’s worth noting that bigger departments such as corporate and finance might take on more trainees per rotation – and are often first seats for many – while there “might be a bottleneck” for more niche seats with only one spot available.

Despite this, many found they still had a say in the trajectory of their training contract: “The beauty of the firm is that you can shape your training contract towards what you want. You can make it litigation heavy, and some people might do repeat seats in finance.” There is also a client secondment to a corporate client and the firm has recently offered international secondments in Brussels and Paris. 

“… lots of cases concerning weird and wonderful technical issues you have to wrap your head around.” 

At Mayer Brown, the commercial dispute resolution team is split into a number of different seat options, one of which is construction litigation. The team works on both the defendant and claimant sides of (you guessed it) disputes concerning construction projects, and this has largely been focused on cladding issues following the Grenfell Tower disaster. For example, the team represented Shepherd Construction and its insurers on a cladding dispute, which resulted in a successful settlement ahead of trial.

There are opportunities for trainees here to get involved in arbitrations – “often in the hundred millions!” boasted one – as well as negligence and breach of contract claims, mediations and adjudications, a much quicker form of dispute resolution which is specific to construction. Overall, newbies were pleased to get a look into “lots of cases concerning weird and wonderful technical issues you have to wrap your head around. Sometimes you get to delve into really specific engineering points, and you learn so much.” Since it’s such a busy team, there’s plenty to keep trainees on their toes. Many get to do standard trainee tasks such as general matter management, research and bundling. However, insiders were especially pleased with the range on offer, and many had experience drafting witness statements and correspondence with the court, counsel and other side. 

Finance is one of MB’s core practices, typically taking on seven trainees across a whopping nine subgroups, including funds, leveraged finance, real estate finance and emerging markets. One trainee reckoned that “we’re probably best known for our asset-based lending and securitisation, but our structured finance practice is unbelievable.” As such, clients on this side of the firm include big names such as Barclays, HSBC and Citigroup. Members of the team have also been kept busy on a €7 billion sustainability-focused financing deal on behalf of ING Bank, where the interest rate was dependent on the achievement of targets around the expansion of renewable energy use and the number of women in management positions.

Trainees here aren’t placed under one specific group and interviewees explained how, instead, “you’re expected to source your own work, picking up capacity requests and getting a broad understanding of what the entire department does.” Each strand of the practice has its own unique flavour so, depending on the size of the matter, “sometimes trainees will be really hands on, while on others all you need to do is draft a legal opinion.” However, despite the differences, newbies generally get to grips with conditions precedent checklists, track deadlines and take notes at client meetings.

On leaner teams, trainees boasted about how “you’re expected to step up and take on the role of an associate. The fee earners are busy, so you’re fully expected to send correspondence to clients and take workstreams forward.” Given the international scale of the work, there’s also plenty of opportunity to liaise with local counsel across multiple jurisdictions. 

“I love it when stuff you’re working on is in the news!” 

While the real estate team certainly overlaps with finance, it also works on all sorts of matters, from sales and purchases to leases and asset management. Insiders explained that the department does plenty of work in Asia, but has still “been involved in work with a lot on iconic buildings in London, such as the Walkie Talkie.” Others agreed, “we’ve been kept busy by some big-ticket deals, and I love it when stuff you’re working on is in the news!”

Indeed, the group has worked with the likes of Blackstone and Citibank, and recently advised Bain Capital on its €700 million joint venture with Spanish property developer Neinor Homes. From a trainee perspective: “They give you a lot of responsibility and let you run with matters,” which can include filing Stamp Duty Land Tax returns, making applications to the Land Registry and managing completion and post-completion tasks. We heard there’s also plenty of client interaction as trainees are often the first point of contact for both clients and the other side. 

MB’s corporate offering is split into private and public M&A, energy M&A, private equity, insurance, and funds. According to trainees, “it’s essentially helping a client buy or sell part of a business or shares in a company,” but regardless, “you’re encouraged to try and get as much exposure as possible.” On the private equity side, the team has advised STAR Capital on a number of deals, including a £155 million investment in Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR). STR is a leading global subsea sensor equipment manufacturer to the offshore energy sector. MB’s lawyers have also been working with Unilever on its acquisition of Wild.

Newbies here get a fair bit of administrative work, including managing document lists, legal research and checking stock transfer forms. There’s also plenty of drafting, typically of ancillary documents such as board minutes or resolutions. Trainees are also very involved in the due diligence process, coordinating with specialist lawyers around the firm to complete the work. However, interviewees were pleased to say that “the team will give you as much work as they think you can do,” and some relished the opportunity to put together reports and review contracts. According to one insider: “I love closing weeks. Everything’s crazy and mental, but you’re in the trenches together.” 

Trainee Life 

On top of their day-to-day work, trainees are also required to take part in at least 20 hours of pro bono work each year, though several interviewees had far surpassed this target. Newbies can advise clients with the Islington Law Centre, where “your work is reviewed, but you do all the research yourself and draft a letter of advice.’” Certain practice groups also have their own pro bono clients – real estate, for example, works with a variety of charities and community interest companies – but anyone who wants to get involved can also reach out to the firm’s head of pro bono.

While this is just one type of upskilling, the firm’s NextGen and NextGen X Apprentice programmes also provide opportunities to start building connections as a trainee or solicitor apprentice. As Bruce outlines: “We arrange events, such as drinks and talks, through NextGen, so that trainees and junior lawyers have the opportunity to connect with the next generation of clients. It’s been so successful in London that we’ve now replicated the model in our international offices, and some trainees here have gone to NextGen launch events in places like New York and Paris.” 

With so much to get stuck into, trainees at MB are generally kept busy. For some, an average day finishes at 7pm, while others mentioned that 55-hour weeks are standard. However, the overarching theme was that “it really does vary.” At the busier end, “I’ve done hundred-hour weeks at some points and, though it’s tough, I’ve always felt supported. There have never been times where I’m the only one online.”

More specifically, those in corporate mentioned that it’s “quite normal to be in the office at midnight,” while finance trainees explained how “an end-of-year finance seat is always busier than one in the summer.” Despite this, interviewees appreciated how “I’ve still been able to make plans after work without dreading that I’ll have to cancel last minute.” Trainee salarywas another plus, and recently increased to £55k for first years, rising to £60k in year two and £150k upon qualification. 

“£1.50 for a proper barista cappuccino is unheard of in London, and every tenth drink is free!” 

Interviewees also had plenty of praise for the culture, explaining how “there are nice, normal, friendly people here. You can easily speak to a partner or associate without feeling the hierarchy. When you’re working long hours, being with people whose company you enjoy.” Many were keen to highlight the level of respect from senior colleagues, explaining how “trainee opinions really do matter. Partners are willing to hear what you think about something and use your thoughts to decide next steps.”

This is complemented with a healthy social appetite, including a mix of formal and one-off drinks and events. “We might have dinner at the end of a deal,” a trainee explained, “Most departments tend to do welcome and leaving drinks for trainees, too.” It’s also worth noting that, when in the office, you can always pop down to the Hub, MB’s canteen, which offers subsidised coffees and hot meals – “£1.50 for a proper barista cappuccino is unheard of in London, and every tenth drink is free!” 

There are also a number of events organised around DEI. Interviewees were keen to talk about one recent event earlier in the year where sixth formers from various schools were invited to the office as part of a work experience scheme with Open Palm. “It was almost like an open day,” a trainee explained, “They got to ask questions, speak to lots of people and then had a mock case study. They stayed with us for a couple of weeks and tried out various departments to figure out if law was for them.”

More broadly, trainees were happy to see that MB is heavily involved with DEI organisations, and Bruce adds: “We received an award last year for our retention of diverse talent with Aspiring Solicitors. It’s been fantastic seeing the results of creating an inclusive workplace.” MB has seven affinity networks, including disability inclusion, LGBTQ+ awareness and women in law, and regularly celebrates diversity events and commemoration months. 

Trainees also felt the support from their supervisors, a senior associate or partner with whom they share an office. Though relationships can vary depending on the department – some work quite closely with trainees while others provide more of a distinct support role, we heard – most were happy to have an extra person available for any questions or support. 

“I mentioned to my supervisor that we hadn’t covered a topic yet and they immediately agreed to train us all the following week.” 

Though US firms often get a reputation for offering exclusively on-the-job training, newbies at MB get the best of both worlds. While afforded plenty of responsibility on their matters, trainees also have access to formal, department-specific training. Alongside the standard induction training at start of their TC, each seat makes sure to get trainees up to speed with “probably around 20 to 30 hours of training, much of which is partners talking about what they do in their practice.”

Some departments frontload their training while others hold regular sessions, and this is typically accompanied by a pack of documents for trainees to refer to as needed. Many upskilling sessions and lunch-and-learns are also open to lawyers of all levels, but we heard that one-to-ones are easy to come by. “I mentioned to my supervisor that we hadn’t covered a topic yet and they immediately agreed to train us all the following week,” one trainee recalled. 

Come qualification time, we heard that graduate recruitment is quick to communicate deadlines and timelines with fourth-seat trainees. The process kicks off with a jobs list, and trainees explained that bigger departments like finance and dispute resolution typically take on at least one NQ each. After this, trainees apply for their chosen departments. Most departments will interview qualifying trainees, and offers are announced once interviews are complete.

Overall, interviewees found that “people are so generous with their time when it comes to qualification. The firm 100% wants to keep people on when they can and, when they can’t, they’ll help you put together a CV and prepare you for interviews elsewhere.” As such, trainees found that MB does well with retention and, sure enough, the firm kept on 12 out of 15 of its qualifiers in 2025.

How to get a Mayer Brown training contract 

• Vacation scheme deadline (2026): 16 December 2025 

• Training contract deadline (2028): 31 March 2026 

Vacation scheme 

Mayer Brown runs two vacation schemes each year: one in Spring (from Monday 13 April to Friday 24 April 2026) and one in Summer (from Monday 22 June to Friday 2 July 2026 There are up to 15 places available on each two-week programme and the firm generally receives around 2,400 applications annually for its vacation schemes. 

The first stage of the recruitment process is an online application form, which includes the applicants' academic background, previous work experience and wider non-academic achievements. Applicants also complete an online test consisting of scenario-based questions as well as, verbal and numerical reasoning questions. This is followed by a series of video response questions. The final stage of the process is at an in-person assessment centre. 

Vac schemers are seated across two of the firm’s core practice areas changing at the start of the second week. “Graduate recruitment works hard to accommodate your preferences as to where you'd like to go,” a current trainee said. Dominic Griffiths, London office managing partner, tells us the overall aim of the placement is to give candidates “a feel for being a trainee at Mayer Brown. We ensure they get good quality work that's typical of what they'd be doing as a trainee.” Our trainee sources backed this up, with one telling us: “I got to go to the High Court during my visit. It was great to feel like I was helping out the team on something valuable.” 

Alongside vac schemers' work comes various social and networking opportunities. “Its important people get to know a firm in its entirety – all the employees who make the cogs work, as well as the partners and solicitors,” says Griffiths. 

During the second week of the scheme, candidates face a final stage training contract interview with two senior fee earners on the Graduate Recruitment panel, who will ask about their understanding of the role of a City solicitor and why they're interested in Mayer Brown, along with questions testing their commercial awareness and business acumen. The majority of the firm's trainees are recruited through the vacation schemes and the firm stresses that it welcomes vac scheme applications from final-year students and graduates too. 

Assessments 

In 2025, the firm received over 1,200 direct training contract applications. Those who impress on the application form and online assessments are invited to complete, an assessment centre. This involves a fact-finding exercise designed to see if you can “think on your feet,” a written exercise and a group task. The day also includes a lunch with some of the firm's trainees plus a “quite rigorous” strengths-based interview with two fee earners. 

Ideal candidates 

According to Griffiths, candidates need to demonstrate they're keen on law, and on Mayer Brown in particular: “We want to see a sense of passion for working here. We don't always know in interviews if someone will be a brilliant lawyer, but we can judge their enthusiasm and dedication to the profession.” 

He goes on to reveal he's “a great believer in work experience, whether legal or non-legal I do like to see people with a diverse range of experience, as it shows they're inquisitive about their career and have thought deeply about it.” 

Solicitor Apprenticeship 

Mayer Brown also has a long-standing solicitor apprenticeship programme aimed at school leavers. The programme combines work and study over a six-year period to offer a unique path into the legal profession. Apprentices gain an LLB and complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) 1 and 2 before qualifying as a Solicitor. It is a terrific opportunity to put your studies into practice within a legal environment without the financial burden incurred by university. The minimum entry requirement is ABB or equivalent at A level. 

Interview with Miriam Bruce, Training Principal 

The Firm 

Chambers Student: How would you describe the firm? How would you describe its position in the market? 

Miriam Bruce: I’d describe Mayer Brown as an international law firm positioned to represent global organisations, funds and financial institutions on their most important and complex transactions and disputes.We have offices and associations in 22 locations and London is one of the firm’s largest offices, alongside New York and the Chicago mothership.

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

Bruce: I’m an employment lawyer, and we have a market leading reputation for team move litigation. That’s where a team of employees is unlawfully poached from one organisation to another. In the last couple of years, we’ve worked on some of the biggest cases in this area. We represented the claimants, an organisation called Guy Carpenter, when they faced a cross-border team raid affecting almost 40 employees. That was high-profile, and the biggest team move case in the London market in decades, and resulted in a confidential settlement on the morning of trial. It involved a huge cross-practice team and was a really great snapshot of how we work as a firm across jurisdictions. It was a really exciting matter for us to work on and involved many of our trainees who, as a result, ended up wanting to qualify in litigation. We continue to be instructed on these huge matters, and have just been instructed by the insurer PIB Group on a similar case, so we’re earning a reputation in the market as leaders in this type of dispute. 

I should also talk about some non-employment matters! We have been involved in a number of exciting transactions for Bain Capital. Trainees who join us have the opportunity to really get involved in the nitty gritty for such impressive clients. We do some really significant, complex, international matters. We’re strong in both transactions and disputes, so if you’re not sure what lawyer you want to be when you start your career, Mayer Brown is a great place to be to keep your options open.

CS: Could you tell me a little bit about the London office’s pro bono practice? Any key points to note/highlights over the past year? How does it interact with other offices? 

Bruce: Pro bono is really important, but we think it’s particularly critical for trainees’ professional development. To qualify, trainees here are required to do at least 20 hours of pro bono work per year. It’s valuable and important work and it’s a rewarding way to help clients who may not otherwise be able to access legal services. We ask all lawyers to do this but it’s particularly good for trainees to get stuck in, get used to the client contact and start making it part of their professional development. The 20-hour commitment doesn’t stop when you qualify, either, so it’s important for them to start working on that from the beginning. 

We have a strong relationship with the organisation Breaking Barriers, which supports refugees who come to UK. We recently helped them on the strategic acquisition of a team from an organisation called RefuAid. We provided corporate and IP support, and that just goes to show our pro bono work is material work, not just small pieces here and there.

The Training Contract  

CS: Could you tell us about secondments?  

Bruce: We do have a secondment to the Brussels office this rotation and a client secondment. It’s a focused number as we have relatively lean intake. Whether you go on a secondment internationally or to a client, you learn to work out of your comfort zone while still having the support of your team back in the office.

CS: Are there any specific business development events/etc for trainees that would be worth highlighting, or that you really encourage trainees to get involved in?  

Bruce: We all see business development a bit differently; it might be socialising with clients, delivering training, or writing articles. However, we absolutely don’t see it as the preserve of senior lawyers or partners. Over the years, we have really emphasised the importance of business development at the more junior levels. About five years ago, we started a strong network with our London trainees and junior associates called NextGen. We arrange events, such as drinks and talks, through NextGen so that trainees and junior lawyers have the opportunity to connect with the next generation of clients. It’s been so successful in London that we’ve now replicated the model in our international offices, and some trainees here have gone to NextGen launch events in places like New York and Paris. After all, our trainees and juniors are tomorrow’s leaders, so we have to make sure they feel comfortable in our network. At end of last year, we also launched a follow up initiative called NextGen x Apprentice. It provides the opportunity for apprentices from a range of sectors to connect and forge relationships with highly skilled peers, while learning the tools-of-the-trade to propel them into leadership. We want our solicitor apprentices to get involved, and this way we can connect them with apprenticeship programmes at clients’ companies and so on. 

CS: How would you describe the training environment/culture that you have aimed to create at the firm?  

Bruce: It’s very much an open-door policy. Other firms have different models in terms of how long seats are, but we have four six-month rotations. We think that’s the perfect length of time, as it’s long enough for trainees to really get under the skin of team they’re sitting in. Trainees generally sit with senior lawyers and are encouraged to spend time observing. We definitely encourage trainees to embrace broader life at the firm as well, and to get involved in initiatives like NextGen and the other internal networks that drive how we operate as a firm. I would say it’s a friendly, inclusive, hard-working environment with lots of opportunities to embrace life beyond what clients ask you to do.

CS: How is the firm considering AI in relation to the trainee experience, and how quickly is it affecting the way in which trainees work? 

Bruce: We are embracing AI. We have an innovation team at Mayer Brown and have had for a number of years. They are working alongside lawyers to develop AI we use internally and to improve our client experience. If we don’t embrace AI as a profession, we’re going to get left behind by our clients because they’re embracing it, too. Trainees and junior solicitors are a part of that, and often have better ideas than some more experienced lawyers as to what would really work. The innovation team did some workshops last year for people to go along and brainstorm ideas – things like that really feed into our AI strategy. We see it as part of the future of legal services, when it’s harnessed in the right way of course. We encourage our trainee solicitors to think about and use AI appropriately to deliver client work but also to think about it more holistically to be more innovative.

Applications and Recruitment  

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

Bruce: We’re looking for individuals who are hardworking, committed and demonstrate a passion for the work we do. We want them to be intellectually curious and business-minded, so we don’t want stock answers but real curiosity for an area of work or something else they’re passionate about. We pride ourselves on our culture, so we also want people who are authentic and enthusiastic. During our recruitment process, we like to test resilience and adaptability, especially since trainees will be changing seats every six months. Commercial awareness is also important, as is an interest in the legal industry and Mayer Brown specifically. We want people to come to us having really thought about why they want to come here and tell us anything they’d find interesting about working at Mayer Brown.

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

Bruce: We partner with organisations like Aspiring Solicitors to ensure we’re reaching a wider audience and attracting diverse talent to our profession. What's important for us is not just recruiting talent but also retaining talent and seeing that talent progress through the ranks. We received an award last year for our retention of diverse talent with Aspiring Solicitors. It’s been fantastic seeing the results of creating an inclusive workplace. Extra-curricular life is really important here, and we have lots of networks and initiatives our colleagues can join. We want to focus on celebrating different backgrounds and cultures through those initiatives, and that’s really being driven by people on the ground so we can create a welcoming and inclusive place.