Trainee Associate Programme

Elevate your career. Shape your ambition into impact.

Join our two-year, eight-seat Trainee Associate Programme and experience the dynamism of life at Freshfields. From day one, you will work alongside world-class Partners, Associates, and business professionals, gaining exposure to a wide range of legal disciplines, including M&A, commercial litigation, antitrust, employment, tax, and intellectual property.

We provide the opportunities, support, and training you need to excel. You bring the drive, curiosity, and ambition to make a difference.

Key dates

• Programme start date: 2028 or 2029 (February and August intakes)

• Applications open: 1 October 2025 to 1 December 2025 (applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and may close early)

• Location: London

What to expect

From your first day as a Trainee Associate, you will be a valued member of the firm, contributing to cutting-edge, industry-defining work for some of the world’s most high-profile clients.

• Over two years, you will rotate every three months across six practice areas before undertaking a six-month secondment. This structure gives you both breadth and depth of experience and the chance to discover where your strengths and ambitions truly lie.

• You will join a firm with more than 150 partners in London and thousands of colleagues worldwide, collaborating across industries, geographies, and legal systems.

• Our clients include the world’s largest businesses, financial institutions, and governments. You will play a role in helping them make the right decisions in a fast-changing world.

• With a history of legal innovation, Freshfields equips you to stay ahead of the curve. You will benefit from tailored training, technical development, and opportunities to explore the impact of AI on the legal profession.

• Expect to tackle complex legal challenges that push your thinking and build career-defining skills.

• You will be part of a supportive trainee cohort, encouraged to share knowledge and build lasting relationships. Our culture is strengthened by social clubs, colleague networks, and regular town halls that keep you informed and connected.

• Resilience, adaptability, and personal responsibility are central to thriving here at Freshfields. These qualities are continuously developed through feedback, mentoring, and exposure to challenging, important work.

• Reward and recognition: Year 1 salary £56,000; Year 2 salary £61,000; newly qualified associates £150,000.

City Consortium Plus Programme (CCP)

Freshfields is a proud member of the City Consortium, a group of six leading global law firms. In collaboration with BPP Law School, we offer the City Consortium Plus Programme (CCP) to prepare our future trainees for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and for practice as a City lawyer.

• 11 months of study at BPP’s London Holborn campus, fully funded, and supported by our Early Careers Team.

• SQE1 Preparation Programme: Covers business law and practice, dispute resolution, contract law and tort law, the legal system of England and Wales and EU law, property practice, land law, wills and estate administration, trusts, criminal law and practice, and solicitors’ accounts.

• SQE2 Preparation Programme: Focuses on client interviewing, legal analysis, advocacy and case analysis, as well as legal research, writing and drafting.

• City Consortium Plus Programme: A bespoke programme where you rotate through mini-training seats in four key practice areas. Alongside legal expertise, you will develop the skills and behaviours that will set you up for success on our Trainee Associate Programme.

• Belonging from day one: Build your network before you start through our colleague groups and mentoring opportunities.

• Support for all backgrounds: For those from under-represented backgrounds, we offer additional mentoring, coaching, and tailored support.

You will study alongside future trainees from Freshfields and the other consortium firms, building your professional network from the outset.

Secondment opportunities

In the final six months of the programme, you may broaden your perspective through a secondment to one of our international offices or to a client team, gaining valuable insights into different working cultures and commercial priorities.

Qualification leave

We recognise the commitment you make during the programme. That is why you will receive four weeks of paid leave upon qualification to recharge and prepare for the next chapter of your career as a Freshfields Associate.

Eligibility to apply

We welcome applications from:

• Penultimate and final-year undergraduates in any discipline

• Recent graduates and postgraduates

• Accelerated (two-year) LLB students

You should be on track for, or have achieved, a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree or international equivalent.

About Freshfields

Freshfields is a global law firm with a long-standing record of working on ground-breaking, business-critical mandates. Our people combine excellence with curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to making a difference.

We seek to create a better future for our clients, our people, and the communities we serve. With us, you will shape ambition into impact.