Stephenson Harwood LLP |

Our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients — listed and private companies, institutions and individuals. We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients’ needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.

There’s a lot to look forward to as a trainee at Stephenson Harwood: top quality global work across a range of sectors, an environment that balances cutting-edge work with a respectful, friendly culture, and the chance to prove yourself on an international secondment.

We work in small teams, so every person is critical — that’s why we’ll expect you to work to the best of your ability every day. Our training is not only structured and practical but highly personalised, so you’ll have everything you need to develop along a career path that’s absolutely right for you. Following a week’s intensive induction and a comprehensive post-induction programme, you’ll complete four seats — each six months long — across different practice areas.

You could find yourself working on anything from a high-profile, multi-million financial litigation case to a ground-breaking M&A deal. You could even spend time on secondment at a client’s office or do an international seat in our Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Dubai or Paris offices.

Our winter, spring and summer placement schemes will give you a real taste of life at the firm. We’ll make sure you’re involved in quality work and will try to help you experience any areas of law you’re particularly interested in. Typically you’ll spend one or two weeks in our offices, sitting with qualified lawyers and tackling some case work. You’ll also benefit from an organised programme of interactive sessions, talks and social events.

On your first day, we’ll assign you a buddy — a current trainee who’ll help you settle in, answer your questions and give you an honest overview of what it’s like to work for us.

A placement gives you a great opportunity to talk informally to existing trainees, lawyers, partners and support teams to find out just why the law and Stephenson Harwood are such attractive career options. What’s more, we’ll pay you £420 a week.

Get an insight into what we do day-to-day and a better idea of what a career at an international firm is really like by taking part in a virtual open day or spending a day in our London office.

Experience Stephenson Harwood

Meet the people, see what we do.

Open days are suitable for anyone currently studying at undergraduate level or beyond. This includes first year students through to post graduates.

What you'll be doing

Come along to a virtual insight day in November or December, or join us for an open day at our London office in January or March and experience what a career at our firm is really like.

You'll meet partners, associates and trainees, as well as the graduate recruitment team, and we'll outline what to expect as a trainee and explain the type of work that we do. You'll also take away helpful information about our training contract, plus answers to all your questions, giving you the confidence to make the right career decisions.

Our open days will make you feel much more confident about whether the law and Stephenson Harwood is right for you.

You will gain an exclusive insight into life at Stephenson Harwood as we only invite a small number of students to attend each open day.

Get an insight into what we do day-to-day and a better idea of what a career at an international firm is really like by spending a day in our London office.

This event is aimed at students in their first year of university and beyond with a disability, neurodiversity, or long-term health condition.

You'll hear from a variety of fee earners, including partners, trainees, and the future talent team. You'll learn more about the type of work that a solicitor at Stephenson Harwood does and take part in sessions aimed at improving key application skills to help you secure a training contract.

You'll meet members of Enable, the firm's disability and neurodiversity network, to find out how they manage their disability in the workplace, and we will provide you with the tools you need to ensure that you are equipped to do your best work at Stephenson Harwood.

This open day will take place on 7 February 2024.

Watch the video below to hear from members of our Enable network discussing how adjustments in the workplace help them to do their best work.

We want you to feel valued so we’ll offer you a range of flexible benefits including: dental and medical insurance, GP appointments, critical illness cover, life assurance, gym membership subsidy, HelloSelf, retail vouchers, season ticket loan, Tastecard, and our wellbeing programme'

About this course

A trainee solicitor plays a pivotal role for the law firm they work at, supporting both clients and senior solicitors in a dynamic and fast-paced legal environment.

In this simulation, you'll gain insights from a current trainee within Stephenson Harwood's legal team. Following this, you'll dive into a practical exercise, replicating a real-life legal challenge that you could encounter in this role. Upon completion, you'll have access to information about career opportunities at Stephenson Harwood and recommendations for resources to further your understanding of a legal career. This simulation will help you develop an enriched perspective of life as a solicitor, enabling you to decide if this is a good career choice for you and preparing you for the next step of pursuing a career in law.

Skills you will practice

• Problem solving, ethics, attention to detail and advocacy

Learning outcomes

You will learn:

• How to identify ethical concerns and respond to these in a legal environment.

What you will be doing

• Level 1: Meet a trainee solicitor

In this level, you will meet and learn about the journey of Doug, a University of Oxford graduate working as a trainee solicitor with Stephenson Harwood.

• Level 2: Try your hand as a first-year trainee solicitor

In this level you'll have a go at a short simulation of the sort of task you are likely to encounter as a first-year trainee solicitor.

• Level 3: Explore opportunities with Stephenson Harwood

Access some further resources and find out more about current and upcoming graduate opportunities with Stephenson Harwood.