Training
Contracts
Your experience will include exposure to seats across different groups, 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 – 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 application 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, not just in our application form.
- 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 application 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 before starting your application. 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.
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
Please note we accept one application per intake year. You can either apply for our Direct Training Contract or Placement Scheme. You can also only apply for one location so please ensure you have decided where you would like to be based before applying.
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 £8,000 for London and £5,000 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.
ROUTE TO QUALIFICATION
The route to qualification in England & Wales has changed. The changes brought in by the SQE has meant that there is more flexibility around the way trainees can qualify as solicitors and we are now able to offer more than one route to qualification. Successful applicants can opt to qualify via the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship (if you have not completed the LPC or SQE) or via the traditional training contract.
The key information for each route to qualification is included on the following tabs.
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 and 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 Conversion Course before joining the rest of their cohort on the SQE preparation courses. For all graduates the SQE is an LLM awarded course.
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.
Any previous qualifying work experience can be used to shorten your training contract by up to a maximum of 12 months. Any qualifying work experience must be confirmed prior to you starting your training contract.
Full course funding will be provided to those who need to undertake the Law Conversion course and the SQE and we will also provide a competitive grant to support future trainees while studying towards the SQE.
The duration of the apprenticeship will be 36 months. In year one you will study and in years two and three you will undertake your training contract to obtain your qualifying work experience (QWE). From day one on the apprenticeship, you will be employed with the Firm. This includes the time you are studying and once you come into the business to work.
You will be paid a salary at the living wage rate in year one. In years two and three when you commence your training contract, you will be paid the relevant trainee salary rate.
Addleshaw Goddard will sponsor you through the SQE, this includes SQE prep and SQE assessments. SQE 1 and 2 prep and the SQE 1 assessment will be completed before you undertake your training contract. SQE 2 will be taken during the second year of your apprenticeship.
As soon as you start your apprenticeship, you will be known as a trainee. During the apprenticeship you will be treated as a trainee, there will be no differences between trainees irrespective of what route you are on. During your time in the business, you will complete 4 x 6 month seats.
Under the GSA route, you will not be permitted to use previous qualifying work experience to reduce the length of your qualifying work experience.
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
In order to apply you will need to submit an online application during the application window.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for people who have clearly researched the firm and show strong attention to detail. Our application form asks a range of questions such as information relating to your education, qualifications and work experience. There are also a series of application questions that relate to, for example, career motivation and commercial awareness.
Top tips
- Do your research before starting your application. A good place to start is to find out what work we do, what our sectors are, who our clients are, where we are based and what differentiates us from other firms.
- Make sure your application is free from errors. We often see applications that are littered with typos, have issues with spelling, punctuation and grammar.
- There's space to provide any additional information in support of 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 application if you think you would benefit from any adjustments.
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 types 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 or training contract, you will be asked to complete a partner interview, proof reading exercise, group assessment and briefing exercise.
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 types 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
- Know where you are going and arrive on time. Look presentable but please note this doesn't mean that you need to wear a suit and tie.
- Revisit your research that you did on the firm when you started your application.
- 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.
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.
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.
BRIEFING EXERCISE
The briefing exercise is a 30 minute 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.
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.