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Your training contract is where your journey to becoming an exceptional lawyer really begins. Over two years you’ll be work at the forefront of the global legal sector.
Every trainee’s journey is different but you can be confident you’ll be playing a meaningful role on some of the most exciting cases in the world as you learn from the top legal minds in every sector. After your training contract, you’ll have the technical skills, industry-recognised qualifications and the experience to become an exceptional lawyer.
During your two-year training contract, you’ll rotate through four seats across different practice groups. This, in laymen’s terms, means you’ll move around our business to experience different areas of law and work alongside new colleagues every six months as you find the area you want to pursue. Our training contract is structured so you can be immersed in our work almost immediately and develop your skills in the only way that really matters: on live projects for real clients taking real responsibility.
Induction
Before you get started with your seats, we’ll also provide you with a comprehensive two-week induction. Of everything you’ll learn throughout your legal career, the research skills you develop in those two weeks will underpin your personal growth and professional success for years to come. We’ll help you prepare for your first seat and give you the chance to get stuck into a real case.
You’ll also get an introduction to HL BaSE, our thriving social enterprise legal practice, you’ll find yourself understanding our ever-changing commercial world before you know it.
SQE
From autumn 2021, the route to solicitor qualification is changing. Every graduate no matter what they studied, will need to pass the Solicitor's Qualifying Examination. The LPC will no longer exist. The SQE is a centralised assessment consisting of stages: SQE 1 and SQE 2.
SQE 1 tests your legal knowledge and SQE 2 assesses practical legal skills. You’ll need to do two years of qualifying legal work experience (like a training contract) and pass a character and suitability test.
Don’t worry, we’re here to support you at every step and you’ll have access to dedicated teams who know the process inside out. We’ve partnered with BPP University Law School and other leading law firms to create the market-leading City Consortium Solicitor Training Programme.
What is the City Consortium?
The City Consortium is made up of six of the City’s leading law firms: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Herbert Smith Freehills; Hogan Lovells; Linklaters; Norton Rose Fulbright; and Slaughter and May.
All of these firms believe that it is essential to invest in rigorous and comprehensive technical and skills training. Their collaboration has led to the development of BPP’s market-leading SQE programmes which are rigorous, engaging and, most importantly, relevant to current City practice.
What are the benefits of studying as part of the City Consortium?
Students enjoy working alongside others who will be joining their firm but also value developing a wider network of peers, with like-minded career aspirations, which they can take with them into practice.
Students will study on the bespoke Plus Programme which will develop their legal knowledge, skills and behaviours to make them practice-ready.
What is the City Consortium Solicitor Training Programme?
This is the City Consortium’s suite of new programmes and is comprised of the following:
• SQE 1 Preparation Programme (for SQE 1, a centralised assessment);
• City Consortium Plus Programme; and
• SQE 2 Preparation Programme (for SQE 2, a centralised assessment).
The course lasts 11 months. There is also an option available for students to study towards a Master’s qualification.
PGDL
Although it’s no longer a regulatory requirement by the SRA, all non-law prospective trainees will still be required to study the PGDL (Postgraduate Diploma in Law) at BPP prior to starting on the CCP.
Our training programme will prepare you to pass all the examinations and there are few places that offer the experience you’ll get here that will directly aid your approach to assessment.
Your development is crucial to us so we’ve made sure the training is thorough, engaging and will help you succeed in your work as you progress through the training contract.
Qualifying work experience
During your two-year training contract you’ll rotate through different seats. You’ll build on your skills as you go, learning how to deliver level-headed advice to clients and deepen your commercial instincts and sector expertise. Two of your seats will be in one of our corporate and finance groups and another in one of our litigation teams. For your third or fourth seat, you’ll have the opportunity to second to one of our global offices or work directly inside a client’s business. Each of these will last six months and will help you scope out where your interests lie and which area best matches your developing skill set.
Secondments
In your second year you’ll have the option to go on secondment to an international office or embed with a client and see law from an entirely new perspective. Whichever you choose, you’ll be exposed to a new environment and come out of it with experience and skills you’ll draw on for the rest of your career.
On an international secondment, you’ll join a new team, experience life in a new city and see what the term "global law" really means. We currently offer trainees a secondment in Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Singapore. The world of law is your oyster.
Client secondments are your opportunity to sharpen your commercial edge as you understand how leading businesses work from the inside. It’s an irreplaceable chance to see the world through our clients’ eyes which will make you invaluable to other clients throughout your career.
What we're looking for
Intellect and intellectual curiosity
We challenge conventional thinking and that often means doing work with little precedent. You’ll need to be ambitious and able to look beyond the obvious to deliver something unique and exceptional. We also look for a strong academic record from GCSE onwards up to a 2.1 across your degree and above (or equivalent).
Commercial awareness
Clients need us to be their trusted advisors across their business. You’ll need to be comfortable speaking their language and interested in how business works.
Communication and interpersonal skills
When working with clients it’s important to be able to communicate in both a clear and concise way. Good verbal and written communication skills are a big part of being a successful lawyer.
Team working & building relationships
No one can do what we do alone. You’ll need to relish being part of a team, where everyone pitches in and achieves great things as a collective.
Resilience
You’ll have a rigorous attention to detail, be calm in the face of complexity and deadlines and happy to put in extra hours if that’s what it takes to deliver exceptional work. You’ll need to be comfortable adapting to new surroundings, respond to cultural nuances and tackle the unpredictable with confidence.
