What is a training contract?
A training contract is a two-year placement that is undertaken by trainee solicitors after they finish their SQE. Trainees will spend two years getting a practical legal education overseen by senior solicitors at the firm.
What does the job involve?
As a Trainee Lawyer, You Can Expect Tasks To Be Very Varied. To Keep Things Simple, Here Are a List Of Tasks That You Can Expect To Encounter During Your Time At Clyde & Co
* Legal research
* Drafting documents as part of transactions and litigation, including facility agreements, witness statements and pleadings
* Communicating and meeting with clients
* Attending hearings and trials, taking notes where necessary
* Filing and serving documentation at Court and on the other side
* Document review
* Bundling documents in preparation for trial
Examples Of Trainee Duties And Responsibilities
* Assisting case-handlers with active files
* Upholding the firm's reputation at external events
* Developing legal knowledge by attending both internal and external training sessions
* Managing workload as well as getting involved in pro bono
About The Programme
We're proud to be partnering with the University of Law to delivery an exceptional and innovative LLM course incorporating SQE1, SQE2, as well as an SQE Plus programme that has been developed by our lawyers in collaboration with the University, and is bespoke to Clyde & Co. Not only you will be thoroughly prepared for all academic aspects of the SQE, the world-class teaching and exclusive resources will equip you with the fundamental skills and technical savvy essential to succeed as a lawyer at Clyde & Co.
Throughout your studies you will receive comprehensive and personalised support from your dedicated academic tutor, as well as a Trainee Buddy and a Mentor from the firm. We also have a year's programme of social events and engagement days for our Future Trainees, so you can get to know us and each other before your Training Contract begins. Once you have completed the 11 months study, you will join us to undertake your qualifying work experience (QWE) via a two-year training contract.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for those who are committed to a career as a solicitor at Clyde & Co as well as the following:
* Achieved an AAB at A-Level or equivalent (mitigating circumstances will be considered)
* Achieved a 2:1 in your undergraduate degree
What We Offer
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package as a newly qualified solicitor. You will also be entitled to a range of rewards and benefits:
* Private medical
* Pension scheme
* Group income protection
* Maternity and paternity pay
* Holiday purchase
* Season ticket loan
* Cycle to work scheme
* Gym subsidy
We'll make sure you have plenty of support throughout your programme - alongside having support from your dedicated supervisor, University of Law skills coach and tutor, you will also have regular one to one session with the early careers team and will be allocated a mentor from one of our newly qualified lawyers, enabling you to get peer-to-peer support and guidance. You can also look forward to a tailored induction programme and on-going internal training designed to ensure you have the skills, knowledge, and commercial acumen you need to become a well-rounded solicitor.
Apply now
We recruit for our training contracts exclusively through our vacation schemes in London/Guildford, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Applications for our vacation schemes open on 15th September 2025 and close on 5th January 2026.
Strengths Based Assessment
During our process we are assessing candidates based on the strengths that will deliver success in a role. This is great for the individual, doing work they love, and great for the employer, having team members who love what they do.
For more information, hints and tips please view our careers website.
Recruitment Process
We recruit our London and Scottish trainees via our vacation schemes and internal process.
We recruit our Manchester trainees via our internal process only.
Reasonable Adjustments
Please let us know if you need us to make adjustments or changes to the assessment process to help you best demonstrate your suitability for the role. We will do our best to accommodate your request. If you wish to discuss anything regarding the process, please contact Early Careers ).
You can find out more about the interview process and examples of adjustments we can put in place via this link.
The Firm
Clyde & Co has grown to become a leading global law firm in our core sectors. With a headcount of over 5,000 staff operating from over 60 offices and associated offices across six continents, we offer a comprehensive range of legal services and advice to businesses operating at the heart of global trade and commerce.
From developed to emerging markets, we aim to support our clients by putting the power of our globally integrated firm at their disposal with a range of seamless and efficient services and the very best, commercially minded, legal advice.
This, together with our sector expertise and regional understanding, allows us to help clients identify and manage risk and liability, navigate challenges, harness commercial potential and achieve sustained growth in today's complex and volatile business environment.
We are committed to being a responsible business which means taking responsibility for the impact we have on the environment and seeking to reduce it as much and as quickly as possible. It means taking responsibility for giving back and being a positive contributor to the communities in which we operate. And it means taking responsibility for fostering a truly diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace so that all our people can flourish and fulfil their highest potential, for the benefit of them, the firm and our clients.
Our Values
Our Values Are The Principles That Guide The Decisions We Make, Unite Us In Our Endeavours And Strengthen Our Delivery, For Our Clients And Our Firm. We
* Work as one We are a globally connected team of talented people who act with a firm-first mentality to achieve success
* Excel with clients We aim high and challenge ourselves to deliver unique excellence for our clients, keeping them at the centre of everything we do
* Celebrate difference We help each other to be at our best and believe our differences result in greater achievement
Act boldly We seek new opportunities, take action and learn as we go, recognising that curiosity drives our development and contributes to growth