Training
Contracts
Your experience will include exposure to seats across different divisions, kick starting your career with leading industry insight.
THE LAW IS CHANGING AND YOU'RE EXACTLY WHO WE NEED TO LEAD THAT CHANGE.
You’ll receive training that’s tailored to your needs and interests while gaining a first-hand insight into life at one of the UK’s most respected law firms. You will be supported by some of our brightest minds and challenged with meaningful work, helping you develop the connections and skills you need to become a trusted lawyer.
Key skills we are looking for during the application process:
- Attention to detail
- Career motivation
- Team work
- Analytical skills
- Decision making
- Commercial awareness
- Knowledge of Addleshaw Goddard
Key Information
Intake:
- England: March and September
- Ireland: January / May (pre-seat)
- Scotland: September
Duration: 24 months
Locations:
- England: Leeds, London, Manchester
- Ireland: Dublin
- Scotland: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Entry requirements: 2:1 degree
Training Contracts - What Can You Expect?
We offer training contracts in Aberdeen, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester. Successful applicants who sign offers with us will be made to feel part of the firm before even stepping foot in our office. The Early Careers team will keep in touch with you on a regular basis, ensuring you have the support you need while waiting to join the firm. As a future trainee of the firm, you will be invited to social events where you can start developing your networking skills and meet various people in the business, attend webinars and talks on different topics so you can keep on top of what is happening in the firm.
Your first day
On your first day of induction to the firm, you will have the opportunity to meet and get to know the rest of your cohort. The induction programme is a mix of key skills and development training to ensure you feel empowered to begin your training contract in your departments, networking, team building activities and socials.
The Training Contract / Traineeship
Throughout the training contract/internship, we will work with you to understand our business and develop the skills to become a successful solicitor of the future. During your time with us, you will complete four, six-month seats within our 4 divisions to allow you to gain a broad experience and good understanding of the work we do. You will receive departmental as well as personal development training throughout your training contract to equip you with the skills to deliver quality work. You will also be given the opportunity to apply to spend one of your seats on secondment to either one of our clients or to one of our Non-UK offices. We also offer our Ireland based trainees the opportunity to do a pre-seat with us before beginning their PPC studies.
Inclusion
Inclusion at Addleshaw Goddard is an important and key strategic area for us and the Early Careers team work hard at ensuring that our trainees experience an inclusive culture. We offer our UK based second seat trainees, who self-identify with one of the diversity strands (Race & Ethnicity, Disability, LGBTQ+ and Social Mobility), the opportunity to join a trainee solicitor talent development and mentoring programme which is run by an expert external consultant. It is a fully immersive practical business skills programme which aims to explore key themes through the lens of diverse trainees. It will equip you with the tools and techniques needed to reach your full potential.
Support
Every trainee has the ability to tap into the various mechanisms of support to ensure their experience as a trainee is a valuable one. Our trainees have regular one-to-one meetings with the Early Careers team to talk about their seat choices, where their interests lie and when they qualify. Each trainee is provided with a buddy and mentor when they join the firm who help them navigate life as a trainee in an international law firm. Our trainees can also make use of our employee assistance programme and mental health champions should they need any additional support to assist them in meeting their potential and thriving at Addleshaw Goddard.
Sponsorship
England
We have partnered with BPP University to provide our PGDL/ LPC and SQE training to our future trainees. Our trainees joining the firm in 2024 will complete the SQE with BPP University before starting their training contracts with us. Our non-law grads will commence the Law Foundations Course before joining their law-grad counterparts on the SQE1 & 2 prep courses.
Scotland
We sponsor the costs of the diploma at a University of your choice and the diploma is normally done the year preceding the start of the training contract.
Ireland
We sponsor the costs of your PPCI & PPCII which is done as part of your traineeship.
We also pay maintenance grants to our UK future trainees during their studies, currently these are set at £7,000 for London and £4,500 for Leeds, Manchester and Scotland trainees. Our maintenance grants payment amounts are currently under review and will likely increase in 2023. Our Irish trainees receive a monthly salary during their PPC studies.
Application dates & eligibility
To be eligible to apply for our training contract or Traineeship vacancies you need to be at the following academic stage or later:
England
- Penultimate year of a law degree
- Final year of a non-law degree
Scotland
- Final year of a law degree
- Be in Year 1 or 2 of the accelerated LLB course
Ireland
- You must have completed, or be in the process of completing your FE1 exams.
- You need to be ready to join us for a pre-seat in Spring 2023 before starting the Professional Practice Course (PPC) in September 2023.
Application dates:
England & Scotland: 1 April – 31 July 2023
Ireland: 29 September – 31 October 2022
Secondments
Our trainee secondments are an important part of our training contract programme. Our trainees have the opportunity to apply to complete one of their seats at either one of our clients or at one of our Non-UK offices.
We currently offer secondments in our Dubai, Oman, Singapore or Paris office. These secondments are a great opportunity to better understand our work, build relationships with colleagues in another offices and experience life in another city.
Trainees who are selected to complete a secondment at one of our clients, will learn about some of the FTSE 100 companies and household names we work with. We have recently organised secondments in London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh.
THE SQE
The way to become qualified in England & Wales has changed. Our 2024 trainee cohort will be AG's first group of trainees who will work towards qualification through the SQE route.
We have partnered with BPP University to offer our future trainees a comprehensive suite of preparation courses to give them the best opportunity to complete the SQE assessments. Our Law graduates will complete the preparation courses and SQE 1&2 assessments the year prior to their start date, and once the SQE 2 assessment has been taken, will join the Firm for their qualifying work experience period. For all non-law graduates, they will complete the Law Foundations Course before joining the rest of their cohort on the SQE preparation courses.
During the Qualifying work experience period, trainees will gain experience in 4 x 6 month seats in the business, which could include a secondment to one of our clients or Non-UK offices. Full course funding will be provided to those completing the Law Foundation course and the SQE and we will also provide a competitive grant to support future trainees while studying towards the SQE.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application Form
Candidates who wish to apply to us must complete the relevant online application form.
Voice Interview
On successful screening of your application form, you will be invited to complete a voice interview which 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 - partner interview, proof reading exercise, group assessment and briefing exercise.
Ireland - partner interview, proof reading exercise
Why join Addleshaw Goddard?
Our success has been built by people from the widest range of backgrounds, locations and perspectives. Are you up for the challenge? Find out why Addleshaw Goddard is the right next step for you.