Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP - True Picture

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton training contract review 2026

The Firm

Here at Chambers Student, we’ve pretty much heard it all, from cliches to well-founded rumours. Perhaps most common is the lore around American firms. “People have this idea that at a big US law firm you’re in the deep end and you won’t be supported,” said one Cleary trainee, addressing one of the biggest clichés of US firms in the City. “That’s anything further from the truth,” they went on to reassure, “I’ve felt really supported and guided; that’s probably the most important thing of all.” Taking on just twelve trainees per year and providing each with multiple mentors, it’s not hard to see why Cleary trainees felt they had plenty of support throughout their training journey.

“You’re close to world affairs…”

The benefits of a small intake don’t stop there; being one of only a handful of trainees in a department at any given time (and sometimes the only one!) means there are more opportunities to take on real responsibility. “The workhas been really high quality to be honest; you’re working on really significant transactions and investigations,” one source told us, “You do have a sense that you’re close to world affairs in a way. One of my favourite parts of the job is doing high-level, complex work.”

And high-level it is indeed. Chambers UK recognises Cleary as one of the standout firms for its work across competition and corporate/M&A in London, and banking litigation and capital markets on the national level. The firm also features in the Chambers Europe guide for practices like capital markets, corporate/M&A and litigation.

While Cleary may be a US firm in origin, it now has bases across the world. These frequently work together on cross-jurisdictional matters, meaning trainees often get exposure to work going on in Paris, New York, DC and elsewhere. There are particularly strong links between the London and Brussels offices which collaborate on matters related to EU law.

The Seats

We heard the firm is moving towards encouraging trainees to do certain seats. In order to provide them with exposure to the core practice areas, it’s likely that new starters will be allocated an M&A seat, a finance seat (finance, restructuring or capital market) and disputes or competition seat, before picking either a specialism or secondment.

There’s a regular competition secondment to Brussels, which excited our interviewees, who explained, “Competition in Brussels at Cleary is huge, so it’s a great opportunity.” Other international secondments are sometimes available, such as New York and Paris if trainees indicate an interest in writing. Trainees noted the application is process “very flexible. The downside of that is that you have to be very keen to ask for it otherwise I don’t think it happens easily,” we heard.Client secondments also crop up from time to time.

Competition is one of the largest departments in the firm. “As is often the case in the UK, competition work is very CMA-related,” a trainee noted, explaining the firm “represents Google in quite a lot of CMA investigative-type work,” like the CMA’s investigation into Google Play’s requirement for relevant app developers to use Google Play Billing for in-app purchases. Cleary also advises Google on compliance with the EU Commission’s formal investigation into its compliance with the Digital Markets Act.

“The group does a bit of everything: mergers, cartels, digital markets…” listed one interviewee. Trainees may work across all these areas or really get stuck in on one particular project. “I experienced every angle of a potential merger which was great,” sampled one trainee, “there’s a lot of helping the team staying on top of where documents are located, and staying on track with deadlines.” Once a trainee is more established in the group, they may help out with drafting, making submissions to the CMA and creating documents for mergers.

There’s also the chance for a trainee to sit with the partner who focuses on competition litigation and focus on matters in that realm, with a bit of non-contentious competition work on the side. The team does a lot of business development,” one trainee explained, “one partner has a podcast. Trainees often help him draft a Q&A and sometimes might sit in on the interview as well.”

“I came out of it with a lot of client contact and having been properly immersed in deals as part of the team.”

Capital marketsat Cleary covers a broad range of work. Trainees explained, “The impact of the variety is you could be working on a UK listing alongside a US high-yield bond at the same time.”Sources noted the work can be quite US-focused, as “the firm is representing a lot of UK clients and helping them with US security law and US security obligations. It’s cool because it’s very transatlantic,” they added. The department does debt and equity work, including high-yield offerings and listings on the London Stock Exchange, annual reporting, sovereign debt and takedowns “with large international banks.”

Sovereign clients include the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and the Hellenic Republic (Greece). The hours can be “very long,” as the team is “very busy,” but “they’re some of the most supportive people I’ve ever come across,” said one interviewee. Trainees take responsibility over workstreams and draft documents, for example documents related to takedowns or the offering memorandum for a transaction. “As you go through the seat, you get given more responsibility; it starts off with very minor things like signature packs or populating precedents,” then trainees can take on more advanced opportunities.

That said, interviewees noted, “Even if you’re doing something a bit boring on paper, the team give you a bigger picture view of the transaction, which makes your work a lot more interesting.” Overall, one trainee concluded, “The seat was fun, though very busy. I came out of it with a lot of client contact and having been properly immersed in deals as part of the team.”

Trainees in the disputes department are given “exposure to every kind of dispute,” we heard; the firm serves governments, companies, financial institutions and individuals in a range of litigation and arbitration matters. The London office often works on cross-jurisdictional matters, such as counselling Telecom Italia in an ICC arbitration in Paris concerning its investment in Brasil Telecom, and representing the Republic of Argentina in several lawsuits and defending its interests in multiple jurisdictions in the USA. “I enjoyed the litigious black letter law research and understanding of it,” one insider told us.

Trainees may work on a range of matters or focus mostly on one, depending on the workflow at the time of their seat. Juniors “have a lot more external contact, often with the other side or court,” than in other seats. They might also have conversations with barristers and sometimes they’ll be “the final pair of eyes on something before it gets sent out.” Like in competition, trainees can get involved in BD through writing blog posts and working on podcasts. Insiders described their colleagues here as one of “the big draws” of the department: “I liked everyone that I worked with and I worked with everyone from the very top to NQ associates.”

“The deal quality and value have been exceptional!”

“The deal quality and value have been exceptional!” one trainee enthused about Cleary’s M&A practice. And this isn’t just an excited trainee hyping up their firm: Cleary recently advised the French television and media company Canal+ on its listing on the London Stock Exchange, which, at £2.9bn, was the largest listing on the LSE since 2022.

Partners on the team have different specialities, so trainees are likely to lean more heavily into the type of deals their supervisor does, whether that’s private M&A, public M&A, private equity, joint ventures or other niches within this broad practice area. As the department is on the larger side, workflow is “more structured” than in some other departments, “therefore the trainee tasks are more email; that’s just the way M&A operates.” But that didn’t stop trainees enjoying their seat! “I loved it! The problem come qualification was I genuinely liked everything, so it was a difficult decision,” one second year told us – not a bad problem to have if you ask us!

Trainee Life

“The biggest emphasis I would put is on the cohort and the people,” said one insider, “that makes working long hours more bearable. I would definitely underline, bold, highlight that in any article about Cleary.” It goes without saying, trainee cohorts are pretty close; “we go to each other’s birthday parties, and we hang out outside of work all the time,” including going on holiday together! When it comes to work socials, trainees receive a budget from the firm to organise get-togethers. They also attend an annual retreat for all EMEA trainees which often takes place in Brussels.

Beyond the trainee cohort, there are firm-wide socials every few months to which even future trainees are invited. “It’s really nice get to see faces before they actually join,” said an insider. Departments will host drinks when they get a new trainee and some have informal trips to the pub after work. Lawyers at the firm also often host gatherings at their homes, for example, one partner hosted a Pride party at his home and an associate invited everyone round for a piano recital.

On the work front, trainees estimated that on average they were clocked in from about 9am to 8.30 or 9pm with later nights during closings and signings, and the occasional weekend work. It’s not an every-man-for-himself situation though; “the impact of being friends with your coworkers means they’ll help you when you’re swamped because they know you’ll do the same,” one trainee informed us.As another put it: “For the country and on the whole, it’s an excellent salary.”

As far as pro bono goes, opportunities include working with Amal Clooney’s foundation and doing M&A for charities. Trainees are “very much encouraged to get involved,” an interviewee explained, “especially with areas of interest to you, whether for professional development or in areas you’re interested in personally.”

Interviewees explained there was a “bustling” atmosphere in the office as, since the firm moved to its current location by Moorgate station, the “number of lawyers has almost doubled.” Trainees sit with their supervisor, which we heard was “pretty good because it’s easier to get work when you’re in your supervisor’s office,” assupervisors are a trainee’s main source of work. And that’s not the only perk; “my office has an amazing view over London,” said one interviewee, “things like that are appreciated and you don’t consider when applying but they make the job much nicer.”

“Being in the office helps me to focus,” said one interviewee, adding, “I get very cheap lunch in the office, and if we stay late, we get Deliveroo – those are two strong draws to attract me to the office!” Training is generally on the job but there are plenty of resources trainees can access, such as the BD library and their mentors. “Contrary to what people think, there’s quite a lot of structured training,” as practice groups hold frequent training sessions for the whole team. “I feel very well trained, for sure,” an interviewee concluded.

In addition to their supervisor, trainees have three mentors: a trainee mentor, associate mentor and a senior lawyer mentor who is usually a partner. “We typically might go to coffee or lunch with them every few months,” an interviewee explained, “it’s nice to have someone not in your practice area who can give you advice and perspective.” Some departments also provide practice area mentors who are usually partners who provide trainees with work or more general insight into the practice area.

The mid-seat review was described as “very relaxed. It’s done on quite an informal, ad hoc basis,” an interviewee explained, “It’s a discussion with your supervisor and a member of HR on how things have gone and how you can improve.”  The end-of-seat review, on the other hand, is “a bit more formal,” with the trainee’s partner mentor, supervisor and a member of HR present. The conversation is based on feedback from the department. “You get the feedback the day before the review, so you’re not going to get blindsided by it,” one trainee reassured.

Qualification is “all done quite informally.” Trainees have a chat with HR where they give their preference. Only if a department is oversubscribed are there assessments and interviews, and in those instances, the firm might offer unsuccessful candidates a position in another department. “If you meet the standard to be retained, they’re really keen for you to stay,” said one trainee. In 2025, the firm did not disclose its retention statistics.

Get Hired

How to get a Cleary training contract

Vacation scheme deadlines (2023/24): 31 October 2025 (winter) and 31 January 2026 (spring and summer)

Training contract deadline (2026): N/A

Initial Application

"The application form isn't painful," says a former training principal, "we just ask for a CV, cover letter and transcripts." Following this, successful candidates are asked to complete the Watson Glaser test before being invited to attend an assessment day.

Assessment Days

Cleary recruits all of its trainees through its vacation schemes. From approximately 1,400 applicants, around 150 are called in for an assessment day. Assessment days include a presentation about the firm, a workshop and two interviews, one based on competency and CV questions and the other being a technical interview with a mix of partners, counsel, associates and HR.

Vacation schemes

Cleary offers 65 vacation scheme places each year across the winter, spring and summer schemes. Participants are paid £750 a week. The programme is not all work and no play. Trainees told us they “felt really, really comfortable” during their time as vacation schemers and praised the firm's efforts on the social side, which include organised activities like ping-pong outings and cookery classes. “By the time I left, I'd met at least half of the lawyers here, whereas at other firms I only got to know a handful,” shared one source.

A former training principal tells us: "We deliberately operate our vacation scheme in a flexible way. We don't allocate supervisors, because we want vac schemers to work in different areas of the firm. We ask them to make introductions to our lawyers in as many areas as possible." Candidates receive feedback at the end of the vac scheme, then training contract offers are made: "We make very few direct training contract offers," explains a former training principal.

Top tip for this stage: "We look for people who are intellectually excellent," reveals a former training principal. "We also want people who demonstrate passion for the law and can give good reasons for why they want to work with us. Our lawyers constantly do new things with different types of work, so on the vac scheme we need to see an eagerness to knock on people's doors and ask to take on things they haven't yet had exposure to. Those are the people who will flourish here."

Who does the firm recruit?

Although Cleary predominantly recruits from Russell Group universities, the firm "is looking for diversity in every sense of the word. We want balance by gender, race and socio-economic background," explains a former training principal. "The reality is we have an enormous pile of applicants who have top grades, so it can be hard to distinguish between applicants. That means we look for something more than grades, which is intangible in a way, but can be evidenced by seeing how candidates interact with people, the questions they ask and the breadth of experience on their CV."

Why train at Cleary?

According to a former training principal, "this is an unusual and interesting place to work. We don’t sit in groups, we're deliberately mixed across floors, which is an indication of our culture – we like to interact with each other and know what each other is doing. We do the most interesting, cutting-edge international work for amazing clients like Goldman Sachs, Sony and Google, but we offer the opportunity to do that with a great group of people who get on."