Training Contract 2024

Shoosmiths is one of the UK's fastest-growing national law firms operating from 13 locations including Solent, Belfast, Reading, London, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

An innovative practice and the first top 50 law firm to achieve “Platinum Standard” Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm. The lack of barriers between departments, a real lack of hierarchy, zero tolerance for arrogance and pomposity all make Shoosmiths a fantastic place to work.

We are committed to giving our people the responsibility, confidence, recognition and support that they need to develop and succeed in their careers. This was recognised when we were awarded the best recruiter for a National/Large Regional Firm at the LawCareers.Net Training and Recruitment Awards 2019 and 2020.

About the role

Over a two year training contract at Shoosmiths, you will complete four six-month placements, usually based in one or two office locations. We also offer the opportunity for trainees to be seconded to the in-house legal team of one of our clients, which provides an invaluable insight into the client's perspective.

There's nothing like diving straight in and having a go and, while we would not ask you to do something that you were not comfortable in tackling, we expect you to relish the opportunity to get experience of real cases and deals from the start. In our opinion, it's the best way to learn. Your experience will be built around a practical workload learning from expert lawyers, complemented by technical and business skills training.

As a trainee at Shoosmiths you will be encouraged to get involved in a variety of activities, such as business development, creating innovative initiatives to drive efficiency, networking with other young professionals and charity-related activities. We see these events as a great way for you to develop valuable skills for the future.

Eligibility

We accept applications from law students from their penultimate year of university and non-law students from their final year of university. We also welcome applications from graduates and postgraduates in any discipline.

Salary  

• In the regions: £28,500 (1st year) £29,500 (2nd year)
• London: £39,500 (1st year) £40,500 (2nd year)
• Scotland: £26,500 (1st year) £27,500 (2nd year)

To find out more about our training contracts, read trainee profiles or watch our #ShoosmithsLIVE video series please go to our website https://www.shoosmiths.co.uk/careers/careers-early