Slaughter and May |

Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm, recognised for our exceptional legal service, commercial awareness and commitment to clients. We are trusted advisers to some of the world’s largest companies, advising on complex, high-profile and often ground-breaking transactions, and our forward thinking and innovative approach complements the best-in-class advice on which our reputation is built.

Whether you join us as a trainee solicitor or solicitor apprentice, you will be trained to advise on the full range of work within the practice areas you experience during your training and on qualification. Working across a broad variety of matters in each seat, you will develop the deep expertise, commercial judgement and independence of thought needed to deliver the landmark work for which we are known. From the outset, you will work with leading law firms around the world and will build strong relationships with clients through direct exposure to international and cross-border matters. You will do so in a collaborative and inclusive culture where excellence is achieved through collective effort and shared expertise.

We are a full-service law firm and have leading practitioners across a wide range of areas including Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate and Commercial; Financing; Tax; Competition; Disputes and Investigations; Real Estate and Projects; Pensions, Employment and Incentives; Financial Regulation; and Technology, Digital, Data and Intellectual Property.

There are clear differences between Slaughter and May and other global law firms:

• We train our lawyers to advise across the full range of work within their practice area, giving them exposure to a broader range of matters than they might experience at another firm. This is hard work, but our lawyers say it makes for a far more fulfilling career. Working on complex, varied and high-profile matters from the start provides challenge and interest, and allows them to develop deeper relationships with clients, because they get to know their businesses better.
• Through longstanding relationships with leading law firms around the world and our overseas offices, we provide seamless legal advice to our clients wherever they operate. On average, we work with more than 200 law firms across 100 countries annually, giving our lawyers exposure to international work from an early stage. Through this experience, they gain valuable insights into different markets, cultures and legal systems, developing the judgement and adaptability our clients value.
• Our culture is built on collaboration, trust and diversity of thought, creating an inclusive environment in which our people achieve excellence through collective effort and shared expertise. Without billing or time targets, our lawyers are encouraged to focus on delivering the best outcomes for clients and supporting each other's development, fostering a strong sense of belonging and teamwork.

Diversity and Inclusion is an integral part of how we do things as a firm. We believe that a supportive and inclusive workplace drives collaboration and helps people perform at their best. We are looking to employ the brightest minds regardless of what or where they studied, and we strive to ensure that people feel comfortable being themselves at work through fostering an inclusive culture which values diversity of experience and perspective.

Our training contract is designed to offer you the breadth of experience and training needed to advise on the full range of work within the practice areas you experience during the two years and on qualification.

During your time at the firm, you will spend time in different practice areas, known as ‘seats’. In each seat you will share an office with a partner or associate (your ‘supervisor’) who will guide you and ensure that you are actively involved in their work and the work of the group. You will be given responsibility from an early stage and the opportunity to work alongside partners, who, together with other team members in the firm, provide mentoring and individual support.

All our trainees complete at least two six-month seats in our Corporate and M&A and Financing groups. Subject to gaining some contentious experience, your remaining time can be divided into two or three specialist areas, for example, Disputes and Investigations, Competition, Real Estates and Projects.

Our overseas offices and longstanding relationships with leading law firms around the world mean there are also opportunities for trainees to apply for a secondment in their second year; this can either be an international secondment (to destinations such as Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong), or a client secondment located in and around London.

We offer work experience schemes, open days and virtual insight afternoons to enable you to gain an insight into life as a commercial lawyer.

Our six-year Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme is designed for bright and motivated school leavers interested in a career in commercial law. Through exposure to the full range of work undertaken by the practice groups you experience during the programme, and ultimately join on qualification, you will develop broad and varied experience alongside deep legal expertise. This will equip you with the commercial judgement, intellectual ability and independence of thought needed to deliver the complex and landmark work we are known for.

For our training contracts, we are looking for law and non-law candidates with a strong 2:1, ideally a minimum of 65% and above in the majority of your modules for each academic year completed, at undergraduate level and AAB (not including EPQ) or equivalent at A Level.

Our trainees come from a range of universities – it is the quality of the candidate, not the university that is important to us.

Across all of our opportunities, we are looking for candidates with:

• a sharp intellect
• drive and an interest in commercial law
• commercial awareness
• communication and interpersonal skills
• resilience and resolve
• independent thought and curiosity
• a range of interests outside of the law
• a good sense of humour
• a willingness to take on responsibility

We use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System for all of our opportunities. The system helps us to identify high potential candidates by putting applicants’ grades and achievements in the context of their social and educational background.

We have approximately 80-85 vacancies for trainee solicitors each year, six Solicitor Apprenticeships and 300+ opportunities across our different work experience schemes and open days.

For all of our opportunities, you will be asked to submit an online application form and attach your CV and cover letter (or your responses to questions if applying for the Spring Forward Programme or Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme).

To provide an insight into the firm and the opportunity to meet our lawyers and trainee solicitors, we host in-person events at a number of UK universities from September - December, and run a series of virtual presentations and Application Q&As throughout the year.