Early Careers
But it’s not just about providing award-winning, cutting-edge advice, it’s about our relationships with each other.
Our offering is unique. Yes, you will get to work with some amazing clients or may be seconded to one of our clients or international offices, you will also work with some incredible people who are industry experts in their field.
We believe in giving you maximum exposure and a variety of experience, which is essential if you are to become the lawyer of tomorrow and be a trusted advisor to your clients.
We have a number of programmes and opportunities available for students, whether you're in school or university. With trainees and apprentices based in our Belfast, Birmingham, London and Manchester offices, you can be sure that you will join a hard-working, friendly and professional network.
Scroll down to find out more.
Upcoming events
Insight/Friends & Family scheme - Register now
- Date:
7th August
- Time: 11:00-14:00
- Location: Fieldfisher London office
Our Programmes
The ‘First Steps with Fieldfisher’ programme has been designed for first year students or those in their second year of a four year course.
This two day programme will give you an insight into a career at Fieldfisher and put you in a strong position to apply for any other Early Careers programme in the future.
Day one
You’ll learn more about us, our culture, work and strategy. You will also attend workshops that will help you develop your personal and professional skillset.
You will also have a number of opportunities to socialise with our Fee Earners through networking events and an evening social.
Day two
You'll shadow a Trainee or an Associate, gaining real life experience and opportunity to ask questions to a Solicitor in a top 50 commercial City Law Firm.
Requirements:
- Applicants must be a first-year student or a student in their second year of a four year course.
- On track to achieve a 2:1 in any degree discipline.
Recruitment process:
- Complete an online application form
- Complete our online strengths assessment
This programme is recruited for on a rolling basis and final outcomes may be communicated before the application deadline.
Please contact our dedicated Early Careers Team if you would like to discuss any adjustments to the application process.
Applications are currently closed.
A diverse workforce is fundamental to our success as a firm, not only financially, but to ensure our people feel comfortable and valued in their role.
We are committed to breaking down barriers and providing clearer access to a career in Law.
The Diversity Access Scheme is a paid two-week programme, aimed at students currently under-represented in Law.
Not your traditional vacation scheme, this programme includes the opportunity to be seconded to a client, to find out what it's like working at a top 50 City Law firm as well as an in-house legal team.
Across the two weeks you will get a good understanding of what it’s like to work here, develop your skill-set and attend social events, as well as gain a real-life insight into the type of work you may be asked to support as a future trainee.
Ahead of you joining, you will be invited to a series of workshops, which will help with the transition to the workplace. You will also be allocated a mentor – a current trainee or newly qualified solicitor who is there to answer all your questions.
By attending this programme, you will be in a strong position to apply for a training contract.
Under-represented student groups accessing the legal profession include, but are not limited to:
- Students from a minority ethnic community
- LGBTQIA+ students
- Students with a disability
- Neurodivergent students
- State educated students.
- First generation to attend university.
- Requirement for financial assistance, not available to you through any private means, in order to be able to continue your education
- Refugee and Asylum seeker status
Requirements:
- Be on track to achieve or have achieved a 2:1 in any degree discipline
- Be from a background that is under-represented in the legal profession.
Recruitment process:
- Complete application form
- Complete online strengths assessment
- Attend virtual Assessment Centre
We have designed our application process to be rigorous but fair. This programme is recruited for on a rolling basis and final outcomes may be communicated before the application deadline.
If you would like to discuss any adjustments to the application process please contact the Early Careers Team
Applications are currently closed.
Your training contract is the start of the journey to becoming an exceptional lawyer and trusted business advisor.
As a Fieldfisher future trainee, you will be joining a hardworking, friendly and professional network, working one some of the most exciting cases and learning from the top legal minds in a diverse range of sectors.
Beyond your Offer
We will keep in touch with you from the day you accept our offer to the day you join. We will continue to build our relationship with you, invest in your skill development and provide opportunities to grow your network.
Before you start your Training Contract, we will support you through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PDGL) if required.
You’ll also be assigned a buddy - a current trainee who will have been in your position not long ago. They’re there to answer all your questions – so don’t feel shy – they’ll know exactly how you’re feeling.
If that isn’t enough, your dedicated Early Careers Team will be on hand to support you through your training contract journey.
Seat Allocation and Secondments
Throughout the two years of your Training Contract, we will work closely with you to ensure you have the support and training to reach your full potential - you won't find yourself next to the photocopier all day.
You will complete four seats each six-months in length, from a diverse range of departments from Real Estate to Personal Injury from Finance to Technology. We do not have any compulsory seats, but we do encourage trainees to experience the departments that make the firm who we are today.
Trainees are able to apply for a client or international secondment from the second seat. International secondments are enriching experiences that provide you with an awareness of cultural and regional differences, which is especially important as the majority of the work we do is cross-border and international.
We currently offer international secondments in three offices - Berlin, Silicon Valley and Vienna.
Supervision and Feedback
In every seat, you can look forward to working with a supervisor who will be a Senior Associate, Director or Partner with a huge amount of legal experience. It is their job to make sure you get the best experience in every seat, by providing you with a variety of client work and being on hand to offer all the support and guidance you need.
Regular feedback is vital to your growth and development. Regular meetings with your supervisor and the Early Careers Development Manager are built into each seat rotation, to ensure that you are staying on track and receiving the support that you need.
After you've completed your training contract, you’ll have the technical skills, industry-recognised qualifications and the experience to become an exceptional lawyer.
Reward & Benefits
Our reward and benefits package is designed to provide you with everything you need on the lead up to and during your training contract.
Law School sponsorship
Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL): Although it is no longer a regulatory requirement, all trainees with a non-law degree will study towards the PGDL before commencing the SQE.
We will pay your course fees and provide a maintenance grant of £8,000.
Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE): from September 2021, everyone looking to pursue a career in Law will need to pass the Solicitor's Qualifying Examination (SQE) and all future Trainees will undertake the SQE path to qualification.
We are proud to be working with The University of Law and have designed a Fieldfisher specific SQE preparation programme, which includes an additional set of four modules, which will provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to have a well-rounded training contract and a long lasting career with us.
We will pay your course fees and provide a maintenance grant of £8,000.
More information on the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and the SQE can be found on the SRA website.
Applications are currently closed.
We are looking for post A-level students dedicated to a career in Law to join the Firm in September 2024.
The Solicitor Apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity 'to earn whilst you learn' and become a qualified lawyer in England & Wales.
Our structured programme is approximately six years in length and combines paid work experience with part-time study for a professional qualification.
During the first four years, you will work with one team, developing your legal knowledge, building your academic knowledge of the law as well as developing your internal and external network.
In the final two years you will join the trainee solicitor intake and commence four additional seat rotations, each of six months.
Throughout the six years you will be working for four days per week and spend one day studying with The University of Law.
Please contact our dedicated Early Careers Team if you would like to discuss any adjustments to the process.
Applications are currently closed.
Salary & Benefits
|
London |
Birmingham |
Manchester |
Apprentice starting salary |
£25,000 |
£21,000 |
£21,000 |
Trainee starting salary |
£46,000 | £30,000 |
£30,000 |
Newly Qualified Salary |
£95,000 |
£65,000 |
£65,000 |
Maintenancegrants for Post Graduate Studies
All our future trainees attend The University of Law for their GDL and SQE studies. Future Trainees who study a degree other than Law will also study for the Graduate Diploma in Law (pGDL).
These qualifications can be taken at any branch of The University of Law, but most of our trainees join a cohort of fellow Fieldfisher trainees at the Moorgate campus.
We cover the fees for both qualifications and we offer the following maintenance grants:
GDL: £8,000
SQE: £8,000
Additional benefits
- Flexible benefits - Life assurance, Travel insurance, Income protection, Critical illness cover, Dental cover
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Interest free season ticket loan
- Pension scheme - new employees receive 4% matched contribution by default. You can increase contributions, and the firm will match to 5%.
- Medical insurance
Training Contract Application process
As a Firm, our ability to deliver the quality of advice and service our clients expect relies on the quality of our people and it is important to establish that we're the right fit for each other.
Taking this into account, we have introduced a strength-based recruitment process which will allow you to be more authentic throughout the process and demonstrate your skills set. We look for a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (any degree discipline) and someone who shares the same passion and values as Fieldfisher.
We have designed our application process to be rigorous, yet fair.
Parts of our recruitment process are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we would encourage an early submission if possible.
As highlighted below, there are several stages to our application process, but our dedicated Early Careers Team are on hand throughout the entire process to give you all the help and support you need.
Selection process:
- Online application form
- Online strengths assessment
- Phone interview
- Assessment centre (in person)
- Partner Interview
Key contacts
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Manchester, England
- +44 330 460 7316
- Email Victoria
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Belfast , Northern Ireland
- +44 330 460 6490
- Email Eve
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Graduate brochure
Download our graduate brochure which outlines our training contract programme.
Download
School leaver brochure
Download our school leaver brochure which outlines our solicitor apprenticeship programme and selection process.
Download
Testimonials
Throughout my training in Manchester, I felt supported to take on new challenges which were entirely outside my comfort zone. A career in law requires you to be resilient, and learning in this environment teaches you to constantly develop and grow. It was a steep learning curve – which was great fun, and the feeling when you get great feedback or a good result makes it all worthwhile. Training at Fieldfisher not only strengthens your knowledge and experience, but helps you to develop your wider skill set to equip you to handle a whole range of new situations as they arise.
Fieldfisher appealed to me because as well as having a good reputation in solid traditional areas such as property, company/commercial and technology, they also dealt with claimant side Personal Injury/ Medical Negligence and had a strong Regulatory Practice which are less common in City Law Firms. I thought they were also an indication of the Firm's general approach and social conscience – there is room for all. I really enjoyed my time as a trainee – I was given a broad range of experience and made some great friends who I still see regularly - many are still at the Firm. I qualified into the Real Estate Team in 1994. The learning curve was steep, but my colleagues and the clients were really nice…so nice in fact, that when I left the Firm in 1996 to travel, I kept in touch with colleagues and clients alike, and was delighted to be able to re-join when I came back to the UK in 1998. What I do is tangible - I see and visit properties I have bought, sold and let every day – wine bars, restaurants, shops, hotels, offices, new developments... I tend to act for occupiers of properties, whilst other colleagues in the team act more for landlords or deal with property related disputes, planning, construction, property finance and energy. We deal with single properties and transactions involving hundreds of properties. We also work closely with other teams in the Firm (such as tax, corporate, franchising and employment) as most businesses have property interests. Since becoming a partner in 2002 I have also had the pleasure of looking after new trainees who join our team.
I was drawn to a career at Fieldfisher because of the quality of the training, the culture of the firm and the strong emphasis on diversity. I secured a vacation scheme through the Diversity Access Scheme, and after that I accepted a training contract at the firm. As a trainee, the work can often be challenging. However, Fieldfisher has a great culture which means everyone is happy to help you when needed, your contributions are genuinely appreciated and you are valued not just as a professional, but as an individual too.
I joined Fieldfisher as a solicitor apprentice to study and work on a six year apprenticeship with no previous legal experience. Throughout my apprenticeship at Fieldfisher my knowledge and confidence has grown through the support of fee earners who take the time to understand the apprenticeship and assist on any queries I have. With work-based learning I am able to gain real life experience as well as being able to match the studying with everyday work tasks. As an apprentice you must be able to find the right balance of work and study. At Fieldfisher you are well supported in everything you do and the firm is one that truly invests in your future as a qualified solicitor.
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