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There is an opportunity to join the Edinburgh legal and company secretariat team at Standard Life Aberdeen in September 2021 for a two-year, Scots-law traineeship.

Our legal and secretariat team touches all parts of the business, supporting all of our growth vectors – Investments, Adviser and Personal – while playing a role in helping the company reach its strategic aims, protecting our reputation and looking after our clients’ and customers’ needs. This means trainees have a breadth of opportunity across many different kinds of legal work, including contracts for services, public company obligations, corporate transactions, and  client disputes.

We look for driven people with excellent analytical skills. An ability to see the bigger picture is important too – to help you to make balanced decisions, and communicate clearly with whomever you’re working with, regardless of seniority. From the day you join, we expect to give you the opportunity to be involved in a range of projects with seasoned professionals across all growth vectors.

Trainee Programme

The trainee programme normally includes a total of  between three and five trainees, combining secondees from principal legal advisers and our in-house trainee team. While you will report to the Head of the General Counsel’s Office, trainees rotate through four six-month seats, working flexibly across teams to meet our business partners’ needs in all of the growth vectors. We offer a well-rounded programme for a variety of substantive experience rewarded by a competitive compensation package with excellent benefits.

During your traineeship, you will work towards your entry qualification to the Law Society of Scotland. We will provide access to mandatory training under the PEAT 2 programme through one of our external firms and other providers, giving our trainees the ability to network more broadly in the Scottish legal community. There will also be talks and workshops from other teams, to provide insight into many different commercial and technical matters. This programme gives legal graduates the chance to initiate their career while gaining high-quality skills and experience.

About You

We are looking for motivated candidates with a commercial attitude who will have completed the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice by the start date and demonstrate:

  • Communication skills: Clear and effective written and verbal communication.
  • Team Work: Collaboration and breaking down boundaries when working with others.
  • Trust & Integrity: Work delivered with integrity and to high ethical standards.
  • Planning & Prioritising: Accomplish tasks efficiently, prioritising objectives based on relative value, importance, and urgency.
  • Attention to detail: Accuracy, consistency and organisation in work.
  • Analytical: Collection and analysis of information to facilitate and support decisions.

We value diversity in our workforce and welcome enquiries from everyone.

Please contact us if you have a disability which requires any adjustments to be made to any stage of the recruitment process. Our Early Careers team will be pleased to discuss your needs and ensure that these are accommodated.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.  We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.  Standard Life Aberdeen supports a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.