Discover Vacation Placement & Mentoring Programme

What is the discover programme?

The Discover Vacation Placement & Mentoring Programme offers aspiring solicitors from under-represented backgrounds the opportunity to experience life at a leading law firm.

You’ll spend one week in one of our offices — Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, London or Manchester — working alongside solicitors, contributing to projects and immersing yourself in our culture.

Before your placement, you’ll be paired with a professional mentor who’ll help you prepare, guide you throughout the week, and continue supporting you as you move towards our training contract assessment centre.

This is more than just work experience. It’s a chance to gain confidence, make meaningful connections and be supported every step of the way.

What you’ll experience

Discover supports our diversity, equity and inclusion goals by helping to widen access to the profession and build a more diverse future generation of lawyers.

You’ll be paid for your time — details of the current rate can be found on our FAQ page.

During the week, you’ll:

• Experience the work of a trainee solicitor, from handling real case files to attending meetings

• Take part in a business development challenge that showcases your ideas and creativity

• Learn from your mentor, trainees and lawyers who will support you every step of the way

• Loin social activities that give you a genuine feel for our people and our culture.

Mentoring is at the heart of the discover programme — and of Shoosmiths. That’s why we’re also proud to partner with GROW Mentoring, a charity with diversity, inclusion and social mobility at its core. Over 40 of our legal advisors currently mentor GROW mentees every year, helping the next generation of legal professionals build confidence and thrive.