Work Experience

Our four-day programme offers first-hand insight into the world of commercial law, and will see you spending time in a variety of different teams, as well as attending a number of skills workshops.

During our scheme, you will spend your first two days attending various workshops including, but not limited to: 

• Overview of the Various Routes Into Law 
• Application Top Tips
• Building Commercial Awareness 
• Demonstrating Analytical Thinking  

You will then spend your next two days shadowing a member of our team at Lewis Silkin.  Ahead of you joining us, you will be given the opportunity to let us know which teams you would like to shadow. 

With the exception of the “Routes into Law” session, the workshops will focus on transferrable skills, making the scheme beneficial for students who are interested in both our legal and business services teams.  

Our work experience scheme is aimed at sixth-form students (Year 12 and Year 13). All candidates must have the right to work in the UK. 

We will be looking for candidates who express enthusiasm and interest in the legal sector, whether this is towards a future career as a lawyer, or a career supporting a legal practice. We are making every effort to make our work experience as inclusive as possible.  

Due to the nature of the programme, the scheme is not suitable for candidates over 18.

In the absence of a formal work experience programme, we would encourage interested candidates to visit our Trainee website where you can find information about how to “meet us” by finding out about the various events our trainee recruitment team are attending, including our Open Evening. You will also find a variety of helpful resources, including hints and tips from our current trainees. Candidates who are successful at securing a place at our Assessment Day will be invited to attend a two-day workshop – this is being trialled in London this year, with a view to develop the workshop program and expand to further offices in the future.

Please note, we have now filled all spaces for our 2024 work placements and are no longer accepting new applications. We will be updating our website with further information on our 2025 placements in the near future.

We ask that you complete a short application form, explaining your interest in a career in law (or a relevant business services function), via our online recruitment system. Further details on how to apply can be found here. 

In your application, you will be asked to let us know why you are hoping to gain work experience at our firm. You will be given up to 500 words to do this.

It would be great for you to use this word count to go through some of the following areas that apply to you:

• Your career ambitions
• What being a solicitor means to you/what working in a law firm means to you
• Are there any specific areas of Law or Business Services that you are interested in?
• What will you bring to Lewis Silkin?
• What do you hope to get out of the scheme?

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, but must be submitted at least one month ahead of your preferred placement start date.  

We will be running three four-day placements throughout the year in our London office. We have plans to extend the offering to our regional offices in the future.

The dates of the placements are arranged to align with common half-term dates. When applying, you will see the specific dates and can select your preferred dates within the application form.

Each student will receive a £50 pre-paid voucher for work essentials (e.g., appropriate clothing) ahead of your placement with us. We will also arrange any relevant travel, which will be pre-booked through our travel booking system. You will also be able to expense reasonable lunch costs.

We are a member of PRIME, a UK alliance of law firms and legal departments, who are committed to improving access to the legal profession. As part of our membership, we host a number of students for a period of work experience in conjunction with the Social Mobility Business Partnership. Further details can be found on the PRIME website.

We appreciate that completing work experience whilst still in full-time education can be tricky, but that gaining exposure and insights into the legal industry at a young age is invaluable. For this reason, we will be hosting two “insight afternoons”. During these afternoons, you can hear from our legal experts, as well as our talent acquisition team, on advice for moving into a legal career.  

There will be no application required and those interest will simply just need to register there details here.

We will then reach out with further details. Wherever your based, and whatever stage of your legal career you're in, you may attend one of the sessions for further insight into life at Lewis Silkin.  

The sessions are ran virtually twice a year. The next session is due to be on the 7th March 2024. To register your interest, you can sign up here. 

The next session after that will be in November 2024.

Join us in our London office for the opportunity to meet some of our team and current trainees. This will provide a great insight into our training contract, and will be followed by a networking event.  To sign up, click here.

Join us in our London office for the opportunity to meet some of our team and current trainees. This will provide a great insight into our apprenticeship scheme, and will be followed by a networking event.  

To sign up, click here.