Pinsent Masons are proud to offer a 2-year programme for trainee lawyers, providing you with the opportunity to gain experience in a variety of practice areas and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the legal profession. Our training contract is designed to provide you with a solid foundation for your future career, and includes mentoring, training, and support to help you reach your full potential.
The firm has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and work with organisations such as the 10,000 Interns Foundation, Aspiring Solicitors, Bright Network and The Lawscot Foundation to encourage and support applications from individuals of all backgrounds.
Candidates typically make applications 2 years in advance of the programme.
Eligibility requirements
- 120 UCAS points or above from your best three A-levels or equivalent.
- 2.1 degree or above already gained or predicted to achieve.
You must intend to apply to the Institution of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) for a place on the Solicitors Course or to be completing the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) to enable you to commence a training contract in September 2026.
You must also meet one of the following:
- You have reached the penultimate year of a law degree or beyond
- You have reached the final year of a non-law degree or beyond
- You have already graduated
If you don’t meet the above minimum academic criteria but you have mitigating circumstances, there’s an opportunity for you to include this information in your registration form.
What we look for
A focus on detail
With a conscientious approach, you’ll have the ability to read and absorb large amounts of reference material and spot errors quickly.
An interest in business
We’re a purpose-led, professional services firm, with law at the core, so you’ll have a genuine interest in how business works.
Intellectual capability
You’re able to learn new skills and concepts quickly and apply them effectively. You’re curious and open-minded, seeking feedback and opportunities for improvement.
Social adaptability
You’re comfortable engaging and openly communicating with people from different backgrounds and experiences to your own.
Drive
You have a genuine passion for excellence, and the drive, determination and positivity to go above and beyond to achieve your goals.
Personal responsibility
You understand that taking responsibility for your successes and acknowledging when things go wrong helps you improve and develop.
Positive impact
With the confidence to express your own opinions and assert your point of view when necessary, you’ll be a compelling and persuasive communicator.
Organisation
You have a clear sense of what is important and plan your tasks and activities, prioritising the most important ones, and managing your time and resources efficiently.
Salary expectations
Our trainee salaries are subject to review on an annual basis. The salary rates as of August 2024 are as follows:
Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds
- 1st year: £32,000
- 2nd year: £34,500
- Upon qualification: £63,000
London
- 1st year: £49,500
- 2nd year: £54,000
- Upon qualification: £97,000
Sponsorships
We're committed to hiring the most talented people, regardless of your background. That's why we'll cover your postgraduate legal education tuition fees and offer you a fair maintenance grant. Currently, we have an exclusive partnership with the University of Law and all of our sponsored future trainees take the PGDL and/or LLM SQE course at one of their locations.
Key dates
- Applications open: Monday 2 September 2024
- Applications close: Wednesday 18 December 2024
*London applications close: Wednesday 6 November 2024 - Programme start: September 2027
- Programme duration: 2 years
What is the application process?
The below shows the typical recruitment process for our Early Talent programmes in our UK, Dublin, Johannesburg and Dubai offices.
- Registration & application form: Tell us about yourself, your academic history and your employment history where applicable. We also gather information about you to support our contextualized recruitment approach.
- Online blended assessment: The next stage of the recruitment process will involve completing our online blended assessment. This blended assessment incorporates situational judgment questions, a written case study and a short recorded video interview allowing us to see how well you would perform in different scenarios.
- Assessment centre: If you pass the online blended assessment, we’ll ask you to book a place at one of our in-person assessment centres. You will complete three exercises over the day – This will include a one-to-one interview, a business simulation exercise and a case study.
- Offer: Whatever the outcome, we’ll let you know as soon as we can after the assessment centre. If you display the key attributes we are looking for and perform well throughout the assessment, we’ll send you an offer and talk you through the onboarding process.
Qualification and beyond
The NQ hiring process is centrally coordinated and involves interviews and technical skills tests. Our Graduate Development team collaborate with the business to determine which roles are available and distribute a list. You’ll be able to submit an application for a small number of vacancies across the firm’s office network. The result will depend on your performance at assessment and throughout your training contract. This gives you every opportunity to advance your career in your preferred area of law.
How to apply
Please click on Apply Now to begin your application. Once you have registered an account, you will need to complete the following before the application closing date:
- Registration form
- Application form
- Online blended assessment
Once you have submitted all of the above, our recruitment team will review your application and blended assessment and will be in touch in due course regarding your outcome.
