Trainee Solicitor Graduate Scheme 2024

Hello and welcome to EMG,

We are a friendly, modern and award winning law firm. For our clients, we offer clear, practical advice on all legal issues and a shoulder to lean on if times are more testing.

These are exciting times for EMG Solicitors, we have demonstrated a year on year growth across all departments and we have ambitious plans for the future.

Our trainee solicitor programme has been established to help grow and nurture the next generation of legal professionals to support our continued growth.

So who are we looking for?

"I want to work with people who have a real passion and desire to develop their career with a progressive and growing law firm based here in the North East of England. We are looking for more than someone who will just ‘do the job’ – we like people who embrace the culture of the firm both in how we work and how we play.

We try to create an environment where people enjoy coming to work and gain satisfaction from being part of a team that aims to provide the best possible service for the client and looks after each other.

If you like what you read and you feel you are the type of person we are looking for, please submit an application and I look forward to meeting you."

Best wishes, Emma

EMG Solicitors is an award winning, Legal 500 boutique law firm with offices across the North. We provide a range of legal advice to both private individuals and businesses across the region and nationally. We provide the legal support that our clients require in order to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams and everything in between. We specialise in Court of Protection, Deputyships, Family Law, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial Property, Litigation & Disputes and Wills, Trusts & Probate services.

Our Trainee Pledge

We value all our employees and invest in the development of legal talent. As a trainee with EMG Solicitors you will be given the opportunity to train in four different seats each for a period of 6 months. During this time, you will have client contact from the start, you will have a designated mentor within the firm and we will ensure you have the appropriate technical training as well as the opportunity to attend some of the off job training we offer.

Our vision, mission and values

Our vision statement is: Supporting clients. Protecting assets. Changing Lives

This vision is underpinned by our mission statement and values:

Providing the legal support our clients require to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams and everything in between. At EMG Solicitors we believe in equality. Our passion is not only in providing exemplary legal services but also in making a meaningful contribution to our community and the charitable causes we support.

We pride ourselves on delivering excellence and we have a culture of honesty and transparency in how we work, both with each other and with our clients.

We are ambitious, we think big and are pro-active in how we support our clients and each other, but as importantly as all of this we value having fun and being happy.

Our clients

We work and support a wide range of clients both commercial and private across a number of different areas including:

• Commercial Property
• Court of Protection
• Disputes and Litigation
• Education Law
• Employment Law
• Family Law & Family Mediation
• Residential Conveyancing
• Wills, Trusts and Probate

What we look for in a trainee solicitor

At EMG we like our trainees to stand out from the crowd. We are looking for talented, highly motivated and hardworking candidates. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are a must.

We want our trainees to have a continual desire for self-development and a commitment to excellence.

We expect our trainees to engage with social events within the firm and be strong team players. Our success is based upon our team ethos and this is an area we continue to nurture.

Our Trainees should live and breathe our values, demonstrating them in their everyday lives both in and outside of work.

What we offer a trainee solicitor

Your training contract with EMG Solicitors will offer you a range of opportunities to immerse yourself in a progressive and growing legal firm.

Our newly developed Emerging Talent Programme specifically for our Trainee Solicitors will provide you with valuable training on future leadership skills and help you to become a well-rounded Solicitor.

You will have the opportunity to work and train alongside highly proficient and experienced legal professionals within an open and friendly environment which prides itself on teamwork.

As well as developing your legal skills you will also receive technical and administrative training and support.

We will support you with networking opportunities and help you develop those all-important networking skills to be able to build your client base during your training contract and beyond.

EMG offers a financial package and employee benefits package which rewards you for your hard work and commitment.

Our graduate recruitment process

We advertise our training contracts through April and May with a view to recruiting trainees who are in their second, third or final year of study but our applications are also open to those who have already graduated.

Applications should be made through CV and covering letter, once the application deadline has passed we will then move onto the screening process. At this point all applicants will hear back from us regardless of whether or not they have been successful, applicants who have been successful will be invited to the first stage of the recruitment process which will be an assessment day.

The assessment centre date for this year will be Tuesday 18th June 2024.

Following the assessment day the final stage of the recruitment process will be a final interview with our Managing Director, after this the successful candidates will be offered a training contract and will be invited to discuss the program and meet other members of the team. Candidates who have not been successful will be contacted and given feedback on their applications, should this be requested.

The dates for final interviews this year will be week commencing 1st July 2024.

Successful candidates will be contacted by the People & Culture Team on a regular basis to ensure we keep you engaged with the business right up until you start with us. You may also be invited to firm events throughout the year where appropriate.

Application advice

Our graduate recruitment scheme for September 2026 intake is now open, please ensure you would be available to attend the assessment centre date and final interview date if successful in the first stage of recruitment.

Your cover letter should tell us about you, why you are interested in a career in law and why you are applying to EMG Solicitors. You should also include any other information which you think may be relevant to your application. Please ensure that your cover letter is no longer than one side of A4 and address it to Ian Burke – Head of People & Culture, graduates@emgsolicitors.com.

We recommend that your CV is no more than 2 sides of A4. The information included should be factual – tell us what you have done, where and when. You should include details of everything you have been involved with, whether or not these activities are related to a career in law. We want to understand your journey and how you spend your time outside of your studies.