About Slaughter and May
Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm, recognised for our exceptional legal service, commercial awareness and commitment to clients. We are trusted advisers to some of the world’s largest companies, advising on complex, high-profile and often ground-breaking transactions, and our forward thinking and innovative approach complements the best-in-class advice on which our reputation is built.
Whether you join us as a trainee solicitor or solicitor apprentice, you will be trained to advise on the full range of work within the practice areas you experience during your training and on qualification. Working across a broad variety of matters in each seat, you will develop the deep expertise, commercial judgement and independence of thought needed to deliver the landmark work for which we are known. From the outset, you will work with leading law firms around the world and will build strong relationships with clients through direct exposure to international and cross-border matters. You will do so in a collaborative and inclusive culture where excellence is achieved through collective effort and shared expertise.
Our training contract
Our training contract is designed to offer you the breadth of experience and training needed to advise on the full range of work within the practice areas you experience during the two years and on qualification.
During your time at the firm, you will spend time in different practice areas, known as ‘seats’. In each seat you will share an office with a partner or associate (your ‘supervisor’) who will guide you and ensure that you are actively involved in their work and the work of the group. You will be given responsibility from an early stage and the opportunity to work alongside partners, who, together with other team members in the firm, provide mentoring and individual support.
All our trainees complete at least two six-month seats in our Corporate and M&A and Financing groups. Subject to gaining some contentious experience, your remaining time can be divided into two or three specialist areas, for example, Disputes and Investigations, Competition, Real Estates and Projects.
Our overseas offices and longstanding relationships with leading law firms around the world mean there are also opportunities for trainees to apply for a secondment in their second year; this can either be an international secondment (to destinations such as Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong), or a client secondment located in and around London.
What do we look for
For our training contracts, we are looking for law and non-law candidates with a strong 2:1, ideally a minimum of 65% and above in the majority of your modules for each academic year completed, at undergraduate level and AAB (not including EPQ) or equivalent at A Level.
Our trainees come from a range of universities – it is the quality of the candidate, not the university that is important to us.
Across all of our opportunities, we are looking for candidates with:
- a sharp intellect
- drive and an interest in commercial law
- commercial awareness
- communication and interpersonal skills
- resilience and resolve
- independent thought and curiosity
- a range of interests outside of the law
- a good sense of humour
- a willingness to take on responsibility
We use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System for all of our opportunities. The system helps us to identify high potential candidates by putting applicants’ grades and achievements in the context of their social and educational background.
Who can apply?
For this vacancy, we are looking for law and non-law finalists and graduates. Applications for our September 2029/March 2030 Law intake for penultimate year law students will open in June 2027.
We have approximately 80 - 85 vacancies for trainee solicitors each year.
We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, gender reassignment, age, religion/belief or marital status.
How to apply
To apply, you will be asked to complete an online application form and attach a CV and cover letter. You can find out more about the application process here.
Applications close on 13 November 2026. We encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible during an application window – training contract offers are made on a rolling basis.
