Vacation Placement - Birmingham

Your gateway to Pinsent Masons

Our vacation placement programme is the perfect introduction to Pinsent Masons and a pathway to securing a training contract at the firm. We meticulously design, structure, and develop the programme to provide you with an experience that is both practical and enjoyable, while genuinely reflecting the trainee solicitor experience.

Navigating your vacation placement journey

Our two-week vacation placement programme often serves as the first opportunity for many individuals to work in a professional setting. We ensure this initial step is a smooth one through an English-wide induction, welcoming you to the firm and encouraging you to seize every opportunity. You will gain comprehensive exposure to one specific practice area which will allow you to build strong relationships, engage deeply in the team's work, and enjoy a significant level of responsibility. You will be paired with a dedicated supervisor and a buddy who will guide you throughout the placement, assign hands-on tasks, provide constructive feedback, and address any questions you may have about the firm.

Building professional skills

The primary goal of our programme is to give you the chance to experience what it means to be part of the Pinsent Masons team and to develop transferable professional skills, boosting your confidence along the way. Additionally, this is an excellent opportunity to understand the social dynamics, forge friendships, and begin constructing a valuable network of contacts for your future career.

Vacation placement to training contract

If you are offered a placement, it signifies that we already recognise you as a potential trainee. During your time with us, we will strive to give you every opportunity to validate our confidence in you. This is why our vacation placement students are not required to submit a separate application for our training contract programme; in our perspective, you are already being considered. Throughout your placement, we will facilitate your development of knowledge, skills, and confidence, gathering feedback from your team to assess the outcome of your training contract application.

Candidates typically apply for our vacation placement programme two years in advance of when they wish to commence their training contract.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Our firm is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, partnering with organisations such as the 10,000 Interns Foundation, Aspiring Solicitors, and Bright Network to promote and support applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

Eligibility Requirements:

• 120+ UCAS points (120 UCAS points or above from your best three A-levels or equivalent)

• 2.1 degree or above (already gained or predicted to achieve)

You must also meet one of the following:

• You have reached the penultimate year of a law degree or beyond

• You have reached the final year of a non-law degree or beyond

• You have already graduated

If you don’t meet the above minimum academic criteria but you have mitigating circumstances, there’s an opportunity for you to include this information in your registration form.

Key Dates:

• Applications open: 01 September 2025

• Applications close:

  26th November 2025 at 12pm

• In-person assessment centre dates:

  Between January and February

• Programme start: 22 June 2026

• Programme duration: 2 weeks

We do not offer ad hoc placements, so you must make sure you're available for the full placement during the above dates.

We believe placements should be paid as you will be making a valuable contribution to our business. We also recognise that undertaking placements can mean incurring costs for travel and accommodation. This is why we pay our Vacation Placement students a competitive rate of pay whilst on the scheme.

Salary Expectations:

Our salaries are subject to review on an annual basis. The salary rates as of June 2025 are as follows:

• Birmingham: £450 per week