Wilkin Chapman Rollits - True Picture

Wilkin Chapman Rollits training contract review 2026

The Firm

When law firms merge, it’s always the beginning of a new phase of life. But navigating pastures new requires staying true to what makes a law firm what it is, and Wilkin Chapman Rollits plans to do just that. There’s plenty that’s worth hanging onto too: “It’s an ambitious firm, one that does national and some international work, but based in a particular locality,” one trainee told us, “and that’s reflected in the people who work here and the charitable work we take on.” Or, more succinctly: “Ambitious firm, cool work, but from a local standpoint.”

Wilkin Chapman’s local patch is Lincolnshire, with offices in Lincoln, Grimsby and Louth. A pre-merger office in Louth has been bolstered by Rollits’ York and Hull offices too, making the firm among the largest in the region. Grimsby takes on the largest group of trainees, followed by Lincoln and Hull, York and Louth, which takes on just one.

“Ambitious firm, cool work, but from a local standpoint.”

Wilkin Chapman Rollits boasts a top Chambers UK ranking in family/matrimonial law in Lincoln and surrounds, as well as strong rankings in areas like agriculture and rural affairs in the Midlands and employment, corporate/M&A: SME/owner-managed businesses, and agriculture and rural affairs in Yorkshire. Of course, any merger brings changes, increasing the size and depth of some departments and adding new ones: “I think that’s really exciting for the firm,” one insider quipped, “particularly for the junior staff: trainees, trainee legal execs, paralegals, etc.”

The Seats

A few months before their first seat, trainees are asked for their practice area and location preferences. From that point onwards, trainees will have a sit-down conversation with HRduring their mid-seat reviews. Sources were happy to share that they generally got their preferred seats. It’s important to know that the firm “likes to encourage you to spend time in at least two different offices” and office allocation “very much depends on business need.” Of course, “they’ll do their best to accommodate you, but you should be prepared to move around a bit.”

We heard this comes with some real upsides however: “I like that because you get to meet more people and when work comes in that you can’t do, you know someone in another office that can.” As a general rule, trainees should expect to do at least one contentious and one non-contentious seat, and both private client and business services at some point during their training contract.

“I could do as much as I was feeling confident that I could do.”

We heard that a number of departments fall under the broad dispute resolution umbrella, including contentious probate, non-contentious probate, employment, general and commercial disputes, and family. Trainees may work across groups or be placed into one specific team depending on their office and supervisor. For instance, sources told us that the Louth office mostly handles contentious probate, while Grimsby specialises in landlord and tenant and commercial disputes.

In contentious probate, we heard the team does “everything from will writing to estate administration, drafting LPAs, setting up and managing trusts” to more complex succession planning and tax. There’s a specialty within the team for farming and agricultural clients, advising on matters like farming partnerships. In fact, the firm sits on the National Farmers’ Union’s legal panel for Nottingham and Lincolnshire, covering work in diversification, renewable energy and dispute resolution. Trainees were quick to tell us that there is room to get stuck into all the above: “It was a good department, kind and really welcoming,” one told us, “the workload picked up quite quickly, but I could do as much as I was feeling confident that I could do.”

The familyteam at Wilkin Chapman Rollits does exclusively private work: “It’s very much divorce, finances and children,” one trainee explained, as opposed to any public law work. Trainees get to work on almost anything that might crop up in the department, provided there are active cases at the time of their seat, as the department “can’t magic one out of the air!” On divorce and finances matters, trainees tend to go to the first appointment with the client, carry out due diligence and handle admin, draft letters of advice and go to court. For one insider, getting to work on a bit of everything made it possible to get “a really good experience.”

Real estate is one of the firm’s larger departments and is made up of several sub teams, including the likes of commercial property and energy and renewables. In commercial property, trainees will work on “any sort of commercial development,” such as leasing shops or sale purchases of apartment blocks. Recently, the firm acted for Vistry Homes on the sale of a site comprising 78 affordable housing units in Yorkshire. On the energy and renewables side of the coin, the firm works on solar and battery farm projects, assisting when a developer reaches out to a farmer with a request to lease their land for energy projects.

Trainees might draft documents like transfer deeds and notices of assignment, write reports, research and attend client meetings. “It was full on,” said one source, “it was a hard seat to do because it’s very technical on the law and the drafting is very niche; it has to be spot on.” But because the team is so large, there are plenty of people to ask for help, making for a “good seat to learn” with “a lot of autonomy” alongside that strong support network.

As often comes with the territory, the firm’scorporatedepartment isa busy one, but as far as those we spoke to were concerned, this was a positive. The practice assists clients with a wide range of corporate and commercial needs, from M&A to management buy outs and buy ins, corporate finance, joint ventures and corporate and group reorganisations. While the department’s work is broad, certain lawyers are specialists.

For example, as one put it: “Some people in the team are financial experts in the likes of security docs.” For trainees, there’s plenty of drafting, emailing and working on disclosure. In one recent deal, the corporate team acted for British Garden Centres (a large, national garden centre chain) on the acquisitions of four new garden centre sites in the Lake District and Yorkshire which involved input from the real estate, employment, regulatory and other teams.

Trainee Life

“The main thing thing has got to be the people,” one trainee told us, “it’s the main benefit of this firm.” Of course, it’s one of those old cliches, but those we spoke to were keen to emphasise the fact that there’s substance behind it: “Everyone will help everyone, no matter what department you’re in.” As one put it: “I do feel valued here. I put my day’s work in and go home and feel happy with the work I’ve done.” We heard that teams frequently go out to dinner together when new trainees join the team, and there are annual Christmas and summer parties that come alongside various sports clubs.

As such, there’s “no distinction between your role and the connections you can make with people.” The firm’s active involvement with local charities is another way to meet colleagues; volunteers from the Grimsby office helped to create a local garden, and in Louth some staff took part in the local Santa run to raise money for charity.

“…people have been aware of the merger from day one and have been able to ask questions and voice concerns. They’ve been really transparent about what might change and open to feedback.”

With mergers, there is always a period of transition as the culture of a firm evolves with the addition of new staff. But, as those we spoke to were quick to highlight, additions don’t necessarily mean change: “I don’t think it’ll necessarily make any changes in the culture,” one told us, “people have been aware of the merger from day one and have been able to ask questions and voice concerns. They’ve been really transparent about what might change and open to feedback.”

Because the firm’s Louth office is a bit smaller, we heard that one “brilliant” feature was that “everybody knows everybody because everyone is on the same floor. Everyone is like a big family there. I know that sounds cliché, but they really are.” The Lincoln office was particularly popular for being “really modern, really open” with a “great view over the Brayford Pool.”

Trainees are required to be in the office every day, the reason being that “particularly when you’re fresh to the business, nothing really beats being in and meeting people.” Trainees told us that there’s “no expectation to stay” beyond the standard working hours for the sake of it, and trainees were generally able to stick to a 9am to 5pm unless they were personally keen to “go above and beyond.” In the joking words of one trainee: “It’s at your discretion. No one is forcing you to stay until nine in the evening.”

When it came to compensation, the consensus among our interviewees was that “for the first year, it’s potentially on the lower side.Of course, we’re a regional firm, but we’re a large regional firm, and we do national work.” That said, there are significant increases in the second year and upon qualification. They also noted trainee salary has increased in recent years, “so that’s been good.” I

nterviewees were also positive about the “really good benefits packageas well as travel being reimbursed for training when we have to travel between offices.”Similarly, the firm will also cover the difference in fuel costs between a trainee’s nearest office and the one they’re sitting in if they’ve been placed further from home.

“At least once a year,” each department will get together for specific training, covering anything from “an interesting case someone has worked on to something that has recently changed in the law.” Trainees are invited to each department’s sessions, which means attending sessions every two weeks or so, which they found “really good to keep abreast of everything that’s going on.”

One source described a “hands-on” style of supervision,with supervisors “amending work and giving you pointers around what you can do better next time.” While we heard that they will “also let you run with things where you can, it’s nice to be able to have someone there to ask a question if I’m stuck. I’ve never really been in a situation where I can’t get to anyone.” This is true across the board too: “The higher fee earners put a lot of time into the younger fee earners to help train them,” shared one junior, “it’s nice to know the top bosses are thinking about us.”

As a general rule, the relationship between the trainee and supervisor is “what you make it. No one’s going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.” There is room for weekly catch ups, but how closely a trainee works with the supervisor depends on the seat and the individual supervisor. Some departments provide trainees with a list of things they should ideally try before the end of their seat, such as attending a mediation or hearing. Mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews involve discussions about what trainees have done well and where they could improve. Trainees felt the firm has “a good process as to how to do things and the review process was clear from the start.”

“…that really helps with building blocks for the long term. If you can look at each other and see yourselves all being partners in the future, that’s really good.”

Ahead of qualification, a jobs list is released, letting trainees know which positions are up for grabs. Trainees aren't required to submit a CV, but once they've indicated that they would be interested in a position, interviews are arranged. “I see myself here for the rest of my career,” shared one insider.As another put it: “There’s certainly an emphasis here on homegrown talent here at the moment, which is nice as a trainee. I expect the majority to be here in ten, twenty, thirty years’ time, and that really helps with building blocks for the long term. If you can look at each other and see yourselves all being partners in the future, that’s really good.” In 2025, Wilkin Chapman Rollits retained nine of eleven trainees.

How to get into Wilkin Chapman Rollits

Training contract deadline: 31/01/2026

Vac scheme deadline: 31/01/2026

The interview process 

Successful candidates will be invited to attend an assessment centre, which will last approximately four hours. This will include verbal and numerical reasoning tests, a panel interview and a case study exercise. Candidates will be shown around the office and given an opportunity to meet partners, lawyers and the firm's current trainees. 

The vacation scheme 

Placements are structured to allow students the opportunity to spend time in a number of practice areas and therefore experience the different types of work that the firm does. 

Candidates are able to work on real client matters alongside the firm's trainees, solicitors and partners. Tasks are likely to include drafting documents, conducting research and meeting clients. In addition, there are presentations on training contracts with Wilkin Chapman and the wider firm.