Applications for this job are now closed
Wouldn’t you prefer to train at a firm where you’re valued as an individual, instead of another face in a large intake of trainees?
At Winckworth Sherwood we recruit just eight trainee solicitors each year. We keep that number deliberately low to maximise the staff/trainee ratio and give you the best possible preparation for your future career. A career we sincerely hope will be with us.
As a trainee you will rotate through four departments in six month placements or ‘seats’. This will give you a solid grounding in various fields of law, helping you to identify the areas that interest you most.
Personal Attention
You’re here to make a name for yourself. Not the tea. From your first seat, you will be entrusted with real responsibility, and deal directly with clients. You may even manage your own files subject to suitable supervision. That’s not to say you’ll be handed more than you’re equipped to deal with. You will usually sit with a partner or senior solicitor and have access to the whole department’s expertise and support.
You will be given a bespoke training diary, which is reviewed regularly and there is a twice-yearly appraisal where your performance will be reviewed.
This is more than just legal training. Our well-established training programme means that on top of legal training you’ll get business skills training, including presentation skills, project management, networking and client development.
How does it all work?
To apply for a training contract at WS you need to apply for our Assessment Day.
All applications are screened by our Recruitment Manager, Ash Evans. We review applications using blind screening and contextualised recruitment. First round interviews are conducted by Ash via Microsoft Teams, Zoom or telephone if more convenient for you.
A shortlist of candidates is then given to our Training Partner to review. If you are successful at first interview you will be offered a place on our assessment day.
On the Assessment Day you will undertake group and individual tasks and will be assessed by partners at the firm. If successful, you will be invited to an interview with two of our partners later in the week. Once the partner interviews have taken place we will decide who to offer our eight training contracts to.
We will be holding two assessment days in July 2024.
How to Apply
For 2026 training contracts:
- Applications open on 7th December 2023
- Applications close on 29th February 2024
- Applications are screened after the deadline. We will hold two assessment days in July 2024.
- We accept applications from law and non-law undergraduates and graduates. We will not be reviewing any applications until after the closing date.
Requirements
We recruit 8 trainees a year and we pride ourselves on our high retention rate which means that most years we retain the majority of our trainees as NQs. Our trainees are usually from a variety of backgrounds, and each has the potential to thrive as a lawyer in our firm. You should be intelligent, personable, confident and committed.
You should have:
- A strong academic record both at school and university
- Attributes that demonstrate how you would make a positive contribution to the firm
- An empathetic approach to clients
- A clear business head
- Evidence of interests and success in non-academic pursuits
- The ability to think creatively and flexibly in a fast-paced and changing legal environment
Hints and tips for applying
- Please make sure you check your application for grammar and spelling mistakes
- Try to make your application stand out from the crowd by highlighting your skills and achievements inside and out of university. This is your chance to sell yourself!
- Think about why you really want to work for Winckworth Sherwood rather than any other law firm and make sure that this comes across in your application
