Trainees

We do not specify which electives you should study however we do ask that you consider the areas we work in before you choose your electives.

Whilst the SRA allows QWE to be completed at the same time as SQE exams, our training contract is a formalised and structured programme, not just QWE, and it is a requirement that trainees have completed their studies in advance of joining us. Additionally, due to the intensive nature of the SQE and the fact you'll be managing a busy workload alongside this, we believe it is more beneficial to do this for wellbeing purposes.

If you do not currently have the right to work in the UK please provide full details of how you intend to qualify for this so that we can consider whether or not it is possible for us to progress your application. We will look at each application on a case by case basis. Any offer will be conditional on your right to work in the UK.

If you have already completed your courses, we do not mind where you studied. We ask all our sponsored students to attend BPP, although the location is up to you.

When we recruit, our focus is simply on finding the best candidate for the role - regardless of their background. We are looking for genuine passion and interest within our specialist sectors.

We want someone who is enthusiastic and motivated, possesses strong communication skills and is a team player who works for the benefit of all.

We do not have minimum grade requirements for either degree classification or A levels. On average, our trainees have achieved AAB at A level and a 2.1 in their degree, but these are not requirements for us. We also take any extenuating circumstances into account that may have impacted your grades and there is a section on the application form to input this information.

All GDL, LPC and/or SQE fees are reimbursed (or sponsored if you're yet to complete your studies), and you'll be awarded a £16,500 maintenance grant (£15,600 if outside of London) whilst studying the GDL/LPC/SQE. For more information on our benefits, please see more here.

Due to limited capacity within the team, we do not currently offer work experience or internships on an ad-hoc basis and our formal placements are only open to sixth-form students. We encourage you to keep an eye on any events we are running, including our Trainee Open Evening.

We currently hold a Visa Sponsorship license and therefore welcome applications from international students. As mentioned above, we will look at each application on a case by case basis.

At Lewis Silkin, we require all trainees to complete the entire two-year training contract, composed of 4 seat rotations. This wouldn't include experience from elsewhere.

No. Our trainees come from a variety of backgrounds and just under half (around 46%) of our trainees studied law at university. Applicants will not be at an advantage just for having attended Oxbridge or a Russell Group university. We look at applications holistically and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

You must have completed a degree before you are able to start your Training Contact. If you’re interested in qualifying as a solicitor but have not yet started a degree, take a look at our apprentice opportunities here.

Yes! We appreciate that legal experience can be very hard to come by. We believe everyone should have equal access to legal work experience and so we have partnered with PRIME to develop a Virtual Legal Work Experience Programme. Anyone can do it – there are no restrictions or even an application process. It’s been designed to provide an insight into what a career in law might look like, building legal skills and gaining an understanding of what it means to be a lawyer.

When reviewing applications, we’re looking for candidates who show real potential, assessing applicants on their transferrable skills rather than their legal knowledge.

Absolutely not. We want to know about you and your interests, or involvement in any activities that demonstrate the skills we are looking for. It doesn’t matter what those examples are, we’re solely focused on the skills you have gained. For example, improving your communication skills whilst volunteering in a local charity shop or working in a restaurant is equally as impressive as doing so whilst volunteering for a NGO in Africa.

If you have completed an assessment day and have been unsuccessful, you may reapply. We encourage you to show you have learnt from your experience and have taken on board the feedback we have provided during the process.

It is our preference that you will study the SQE route. However, at Lewis Silkin, we don't exclude candidates based on whether they have completed the LPC or SQE, or if they have or have not yet studied a PGDL, LPC, or SQE at all. If you are offered a training contract with us, we will discuss your individual circumstances with you.

Whichever route you would prefer, we recommend all future lawyers keep up-to-date on the changes through  https://www.sra.org.uk/

We advertise all our paralegal vacancies on our website. You can check for any suitable opportunities and sign up to receive alerts about new opportunities here.

Don't worry if you can't make it to one of our events, there are plenty of other ways for you to learn more about our firm. Although it’s a great way to find about us, your (non) attendance will not have a direct impact on your application.

Our Assessment Day dates are aligned as best as we can to ensure all candidates can attend as well as internal assessors. We are offering multiple dates for both our London and regional assessment days which can be found here. Due to the format of the assessment days, candidates must be able to attend in-person and unfortunately, we are not able to accept applications for candidates who cannot attend these dates or the Final Assessment Day.

We recruit two years in advance, so our Training Contract opportunities are open to all graduates, all final-year non-law degree students and all penultimate-year law degree students. Our applications are due to open on the 14th October 2024 for our 2027 cohort.

As applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis, all applications will need to be reviewed before any updates will be communicated. Candidates should not expect to hear back until all applications have been reviewed, which is due to be the end of January 2025. Please be patient with us, we always endeavour to get back to candidates as soon as we can.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive and limited resource in the team, we are unable to provide individual feedback on unsuccessful applications. However, we will publish general feedback on our website at the end of the recruitment process. You will receive individual feedback following both the assessment day and final assessment day.