First things first, there’s the formal training. Most departments run a series of sessions at the start of every seat which are delivered by partners, associates and knowledge counsel. These will introduce you to new areas of law, help you to become familiar with concepts which were previously unfamiliar and give you the necessary tools to throw yourself into the team’s work right from the off. This is underpinned by ongoing department-wide seminars, where members of the team share points of practice or their experiences on recent matters.

But there’s only so much you can learn in the classroom. That’s one of the (many) reasons why we operate our room-sharing system. As a trainee, you will share an office with a partner and at least one associate – enabling you to learn by osmosis. You’ll hear how the partner handles a difficult fee discussion with a client, how the associate deals with someone on the other side who is being very aggressive. You’ll find that, just by overhearing conversations around you, your soft skills and technical expertise improves leaps and bounds. And, most importantly, you’ll always have a wise old head nearby to answer any questions and provide you with the support you need to flourish.

The firm has historically been known as a corporate powerhouse, but our award-winning Dispute Resolution team has grown rapidly over the last five to ten years and is now one of the largest standalone departments. Over the course of the two year Training Contract, you’ll spend at least six months in one of our corporate teams and six months in one of our contentious seats (dispute resolution or employment). The other two seats will be spent in your choice of our other departments, ranging from finance to funds, technology & commercial contracts to competition, and real estate to regulatory. There is always one trainee in our Paris office.