Legal work experience is not mandatory. Our application form allows you to provide up to 5 of your most relevant experiences. This can be anything you’ve done, such as employment, work experience, placements, volunteering, sports activities, positions of responsibility etc.
Introduction
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.
You must also meet one of the following:
- You have reached the penultimate year of your LLB in Scots Law or beyond
- You have completed a non-law degree and you are now in the 1st or 2nd year of your accelerated LLB in Scots Law or beyond
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.
- Applications open: Monday 2 September 2024
- Applications close: Wednesday 18 December 2024
- Programme start: September 2027
- Programme duration: 2 years
Our Trainees salaries are subject to review on an annual basis. The salary rates as of August 2024 are as follows:
- 1st year: £32,000
- 2nd year: £34,500
- Upon qualification: £63,000
Financial 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. Applicants for our Scottish offices must undertake their diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP) prior to commencing their training contract.
Visa sponsorships
For those applying for a training contract should note that due to the current general salary threshold requirement for sponsorship under the skilled worker visa, Pinsent Masons are only able to sponsor trainee solicitors employed in our London office.
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.
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01. 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.
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02. 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.
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03. 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.
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04. 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
To start your application, please click on apply now. 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 alongside your online blended assessment and will be in touch in due course regarding your outcome.
Frequently asked questions
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Do I need legal work experience to apply?
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I've already graduated, can I still apply for a training contract?
Yes, if you have already graduated from an LLB or a non-law degree then you are eligible to apply.
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Do you sponsor international students?
We welcome applications from international students however a condition of accepting our offer is having the legal right to work in the U.K. We will work with candidates on a case-by-case basis, subject to current immigration legislation.
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I'm a career changer, can I still apply?
Yes, we welcome applications from individuals who have had previous careers. We often find career changers bring significant transferable skills and a unique perspective.
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