Placement Schemes & Internships
With Placement Schemes in the UK and Internships in Ireland, there's lots of opportunities for you to discover what it’s like to work at Addleshaw Goddard.
Experience our culture for yourself
With a Placement Scheme or Internship you will get to know the everyday life of an Addleshaw Goddard trainee. You will join a department, be supervised by an experienced solicitor and have a trainee buddy help you throughout your placement.
Your time with us is a chance to get to know our people and our culture while working in our business and getting involved in real life trainee work for clients.
Placement Schemes are offered in England & Scotland and Summer Internships are offered in Ireland.
We offer week-long Easter work placements in London, and two-week summer work placements in Leeds, London and Manchester.
At the end of the Placement Schemes we offer Training Contracts to successful students.
Please note we accept one application per intake year. Therefore you can only apply for one location so please ensure you have decided where you would like to be based before applying.
Candidates who are within their penultimate year of a law degree or final year of a non-law degree, or beyond, and are on track for or have graduated with a 2:1 or above are eligible to apply. Please note that we consider applications from those who have received a 2:2 with mitigating circumstances.
Key Information
When to apply:
Applications will open on the 1st October 2024 and close at 5pm on the 6th January 2025.
Dates of schemes:
London Easter - 7th - 11th April 2025
Leeds summer - 23rd June - 4th July 2025
Manchester summer - 30th June - 11th July 2025
London summer - 14th - 25th July 2025
We offer week-long Easter work placements in Edinburgh, and two-week summer work placements in Edinburgh/Glasgow and Aberdeen.
At the end of the Placement Schemes we offer Training Contracts to successful students.
Please note we accept one application per intake year. Therefore you can only apply for one location so please ensure you have decided where you would like to be based before applying.
The placement scheme is open to third or fourth year LLB students in Scotland, first or second year of Graduate LLB and LLB graduates. Please note that we consider applications from those who have received a 2:2 with mitigating circumstances.
Key Information
When to apply:
Applications will open on the 1st October 2024 and close at 5pm on the 6th January 2025.
Dates of schemes:
Edinburgh/Glasgow Easter - 7th - 11th April 2025
Edinburgh/Glasgow summer - 2nd - 13th June 2025
Aberdeen summer - 2nd - 13th June 2025
We offer 4 week-long Summer internships in Dublin.
At the end of the Internship we offer Training Contracts to successful students.
Please note we accept one application per intake year.
This year we are also running a direct training contract recruitment process for 2025 and 2026 in Dublin. Please see the vacancy page for more information.
In order to apply for this opportunity, you need to:
- be on track to graduate with or have graduated with a 2:1 (whether predicted or obtained). Please note that we consider applications from those who have received a 2:2 with mitigating circumstances.
- be ready to join us for a pre-seat prior to starting the Professional Practice Course (PPC) in January 2027.
- have passed all FE-1s prior to joining us for your pre-seat.
Key Information
When to apply:
Applications will open on the 1st December 2024 and close at 5pm on the 10th February 2025.
Date of summer internship:
9th June - 4th July 2025
Our Office of the General Counsel (OGC), the Firm's internal legal team, is seeking trainee solicitors for 2026 and 2027. Successful applicants will take part in our placement schemes in Leeds, London or Manchester and will be assessed for a training contract during the scheme.
The OGC advises the Firm on its professional and regulatory obligations and provides support and guidance across a range of areas. A training contract within the OGC will give you a broad range of experience and your two-year training contract will cover four seats in any of the following areas: commercial and regulation, conflicts and escalations, financial crime and sanctions, data protection and claims and complaints.
We offer week-long Easter work placements in London, and two-week summer work placements in Leeds, London and Manchester.
Please note we accept one application per intake year. Therefore you can only apply for the OGC placement scheme or one of the other placement schemes. You can also only apply to one location so please ensure you have decided where you would like to be based before applying.
Candidates who are within their penultimate year of a law degree or final year of a non-law degree, or beyond, and are on track for or have graduated with a 2:1 or above are eligible to apply. Please note that we consider applications from those who have received a 2:2 with mitigating circumstances.
Key Information
When to apply:
Applications will open on the 1st October 2024 and close at 5pm on the 6th January 2025.
Dates of schemes:
London Easter - 7th - 11th April 2025
Leeds summer - 23rd June - 4th July 2025
Manchester summer - 30th June - 11th July 2025
London summer - 14th - 25th July 2025
APPLICATION PROCESS
Registration Form and Critical Thinking Test
Candidates who wish to apply must complete the relevant online registration form. Once this is submitted to us you will be sent the critical thinking test to complete. Both these elements must be completed before you can be considered to progress to the next stage of the process. The test will take 20-30 minutes to complete.
Candidates will have access to practice tests prior to completing the live test. We STRONGLY recommend you take the time to undertake the practice tests.
Please note that both the online registration form and the critical thinking test must be completed by 5pm on the day of the specified application deadline.
Voice Interview
Candidates who progress to the next stage of the process will be invited to complete a voice interview. This can be recorded at a time and location convenient to you.
Assessment Centre
Successful applicants will be invited to our offices for further assessment and to meet us in person. The assessments comprise of:
UK – proof reading exercise, group assessment, briefing exercise and Partner interview.
Ireland – proof reading exercise, group assessment (direct training contract route only), briefing exercise and Partner interview.
KEY SKILLS
Key skills we are looking for during the application process:
- Attention to detail – it is important to avoid making mistakes, for example spelling, punctuation, grammar and other typographical errors. Spotting errors and ambiguities and correcting them is one way that you can show us that you have this skill in our process.
- Commercial awareness – this is staying up to date on developments in the business and commercial world and considering how this might affect our clients. It's something that you develop over a period of time.
- Career motivation – show us that you are committed to starting your legal career in commercial law and at Addleshaw Goddard. Remember that you may need to articulate that in the voice interview or assessment centre.
- Teamwork – we have a collaborative culture so it's important that you can work well with others. Show us that you can listen, communicate and share ideas. This is something that will be assessed in the group assessment in the assessment centre although you may be asked about teamwork in other parts of the process.
- Analytical skills – as part of the assessment centre, you'll be asked to participate in a partner briefing exercise. This involves reading a pack of documents and discussing your ideas and findings with the partners. You'll be asked to give your opinion on what course of action you'd advise the fictional client to take and your reasons why. Show us that you are able to analyse the information and take several different factors into consideration.
- Decision making – show us that you can draw reasonable, logical conclusions in your decision-making process.
- Knowledge of Addleshaw Goddard - do your research finding out about the type of work that we do, who our clients are and what our values are is a good place to start.
In order to apply you will need to submit an online registration form. Once this has been submitted to us you will be sent a critical thinking test to complete.
Please note that both the online registration form and the critical thinking test must be completed by 5pm on the day of the specified application deadline.
What are we looking for?
In the registration form, selection is based on strong academics, motivation and attention to detail. Our minimum entry requirement is a 2:1 degree, although we do consider applications from those with a 2:2 degree with mitigating circumstances.
In the critical thinking test we are looking at your ability to conceptualise, apply, analyse and evaluate information in order to reach a meaningful conclusion. These are the skills you will need as a solicitor.
Top tips
- Make sure your registration form is free from errors. We often see forms that include typos, have issues with spelling, punctuation and grammar. Complete all sections of the form to the best of your ability and ensure you have provided the necessary information.
- There's space to provide any additional information in regards to your application. If you have any mitigating circumstances, we strongly encourage you to include this information.
- If you have a disability or long-term health condition, we'll provide any adjustments and/or support that you need during the recruitment process. Please let us know in your registration form if you would benefit from any adjustments and email us earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com
- Make use of the practice tests you will receive for the critical thinking test. We give all candidates access to a full suite of practice tests they can use before completing the live test. Having the familiarity with the structure of the test and questions asked will put you in good stead for the real test.
- When undertaking the test we recommend you find a quiet, comfortable place where you will be uninterrupted with a solid internet connection. If you experience any technical issues during the test please take a screenshot of the issues and email earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com, without this we will be unable to assist you with your issue.
If you are successfully invited through to the second stage of our process, you will be invited to our voice interview.
The voice interview is different to a telephone interview, it's something that you would complete online in your own time. You'll be able to see yourself on the recording, but the Early Careers team will not be able to see this.
Before you start your interview, there is the opportunity to practice recording so that you can get used to the system and to check that your sound is working.
When you are ready to start your interview, the question will be played on video, when the video ends, the question will remain on screen in text form and you will have 30 seconds to think about the content and structure of your answer. You will then have two minutes to record your answer and you have one attempt. There are five questions in total.
The video interview should take around 15 minutes to complete, including practice time.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for people who have clearly researched the firm and who have an understanding of the type of work that a trainee will be required to do and an appreciation of the skills that they will need to have in order to succeed. There will also be an opportunity to demonstrate your commercial awareness.
Top tips
- Before you start the voice interview, we recommend that you find yourself a suitable place to complete the assessment, ideally a quiet spot with good internet connection, where you are unlikely to be disturbed. We know that some people may not have a suitable environment to do this at home although you could find a quiet spot in your local library.
- Use the practice time to familiarise yourself with the system and to make sure that your sound is working correctly.
- Make the most of your thinking time and the time to answer the questions.
- If you experience any technical difficulties with the voice interview, please take a screenshot of the error message and send it to earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com as we are unable to reset interviews without this.
- If you require any adjustments to the voice interview process, please do let us know as soon as possible.
If you are successfully invited through to an assessment centre for our placement scheme, you will be asked to complete a proof reading exercise, group assessment, briefing exercise and partner interview.
PROOF READING EXERCISE
The proof reading exercise is a timed 15 minute task.
What are we looking for?
You will be assessed on your ability to pick out any spelling, grammatical and factual errors that you find within the document within the 15 minute period. This requires you to pay close attention to detail whilst also working in a timely manner.
We include this activity within the assessment centre as it's something that you would frequently have to do in real life as one of our trainee solicitors.
Top tips
- Keep your eye on the time and try to work at a pace that means that you complete the exercise. If you don't reach the end of the document, you could miss out on a number of marks.
- Make sure that you know how many pages you need to review.
- Make sure that you know exactly what the task is asking of you.
- This is not a legal assessment and there are no red herrings.
BRIEFING EXERCISE
The briefing exercise is a includes preparation time and an assessment with two assessors. It typically involves:
- 30 minutes reading and preparation time
- Up to 10 minutes presenting time
- 20 - 25 minutes questioning/discussion time
For this part of the process we will provide you with a pack of documents to read through about a fictional client, making notes if you wish. You will then go into the assessment with two assessors, who will ask you to present to them on some key information, for example, the circumstances the client finds themselves in and the options available to them. You will then be asked various questions about the scenario.
It is important to note that this is not a test of your legal knowledge, it is a commercial based assessment.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for an analysis of the options available to the client, including the pros and cons of each. We are looking for a structured and logical approach. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your decision making and commercial awareness skills.
Top tips
- Approach this task as though you are a trainee. If this was a real task that was put in front of you, how would you approach it?
- Is there any missing information that might change how you would approach this?
- Avoid simply reciting what you have read. Try to apply some analysis.
- There is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer to this exercise, the assessors are more interested in your thought process and how you support the decision you have made.
- Don't be afraid to talk through your thought process.
GROUP ASSESSMENT
The group assessment typically involves:
- 10 minutes reading and preparation time
- 20 minute discussion time
- 10 minute presentation time
What are we looking for?
We are looking at your ability to work with other people. Do you listen to other people's contributions and take their perspective into account? Do you work with them to build and develop ideas? Do you communicate well with them and show respect? Can you work as part of a team to present your findings and ideas? All of these skills are important for trainee solicitors to develop so do your best to demonstrate these skills.
Top tips
- Remember to be respectful of the other members of your group and demonstrate active listening.
- In order to do well in a group assessment it is crucial that you contribute the discussion, but you do not need to dominate the discussion in order to succeed.
PARTNER INTERVIEW
The partner interview is a 30 minute assessment with two assessors. It typically involves:
- 5 minute introduction from your assessors
- 20 minutes of questions
- 5 minutes for you to ask questions
The questions are a mix of competency based, skills based, commercial awareness and career focus related questions.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for people who have clearly researched the firm and who have an understanding of the type of work that a trainee will be required to do and an appreciation of the skills that they will need to have in order to succeed.
Top tips
- Look presentable but please note this doesn't mean that you need to wear a suit and tie.
- Revisit your research that you have already done on the firm.
- The STAR technique (situation, task, action, result) can be really useful for competency based questions. Familiarise yourself with this in advance and practice how you would use this to answer a question in an interview.
Why join Addleshaw Goddard?
We work with nearly half of the FTSE 100 and many have been with us for more than 20 years. You'll get stuck in with big projects and on international brands from day one. Are you up for the challenge? Find out why Addleshaw Goddard is the right next step for you.