Vacation scheme
You may find that this vacation scheme is the start of something much bigger; the beginning of a career where you'll help us define the future of law.
Training contracts
Smart thinking
Our trainees, like our lawyers, are united by their focus, their commitment, and their spark. So, with a small intake of around 20 trainees per year, we’re looking for graduates with specific potential. We’re looking for the brightest minds of tomorrow, with the determination to help our clients lead the way in extraordinary fields. Whether you’re a Law or a non-Law student, if you have what we’re looking for, we’ll support you to reach your potential as a brilliant future lawyer.
Great training
Our training contracts are structured to give you the experience you need to blaze a new trail in your career. Over the course of the two-year contract, you’ll move through four six-month seats in different practice groups, including:
- Construction and Engineering
- Corporate Technology
- Disputes and Investigations
- Employment, Pensions and Mobility
- Private Capital and Corporate Finance
- Banking and Finance
- Commercial Technology and Data
- Patents
- Private Client
- Tax and Incentives
- Private Equity
- Real Estate, Environment and Planning
- Restructuring and Corporate Recovery
- IP and Media
- Financial Services and Competition
All trainees take on a seat in either Corporate or Finance, and at least one seat must involve contentious experience. On the remaining two seats, you’ll be able to express your own areas of interest, so that over the course of the two years, you’ll find the areas that suit your growing expertise. We can also offer opportunities across our network of international offices, as well as client secondments that provide a keen insight into the industries of tomorrow.
Just as we partner start-ups to become the next leaders of industry, we support our trainees to become the next ground-breaking legal minds. So, your training doesn’t end with your training contract. We’ll keep helping you develop your career, with programmes like our Path to Partnership. Setting clear goals and advice on how to progress, we’ll help you move from Associate to Senior Associate; from Senior Counsel to Partner. Your future with us is as unlimited as your talent and determination, and we’ll support you to succeed.
What’s more, you’ll benefit from tailored coaching and personal development advice, as well as engaging in our Skills Training Programme. The programme offers more than 40 courses – on everything from client relationships to business development – and is designed to help you become a game-changing commercial lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question? Don't panic our FAQs should have them covered.
How to apply
To apply for a place on our summer vacation scheme, your journey with us will begin with an online application. We are proud to be using Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) which allows us to consider your achievements in the context in which they were gained. We understand that not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper – and we want to recruit the best people, from every background.
We are also a disability-confident organization. We want to ensure all candidates are supported and able to perform at their best throughout our assessment process. If you require support for any reason including if this relates to a disability or health condition, please do let us know. All information will be treated as confidential.
For the summer vacation scheme, if you're successful at passing first round screening you will be invited to complete an online game based assessment. This is a game-based psychometric test, which looks at your behaviour and approach to each task to highlight certain personality traits, such as your ability to innovate. After completion of the assessment you receive a personalised feedback report that details your strengths.
You don’t need any experience of tests to take the challenge, not even prior use of mobile games is required.
After successfully completing the games based assessment, your application will then go through further screening and if successful your assessment centre will take place during Spring time at our London offices.
The assessment centres are designed to be flexible and welcoming, testing your abilities in a friendly environment. With our half-day sessions, you’ll be able to attend either a morning or an afternoon centre, depending on your preference.
At the centre, you’ll take part in both a group exercise and a competency-based interview. The group exercise is a chance to showcase your teamwork, group debate and presentation skills. You’ll then attend your interview with one of our partners, as well as either a senior associate or a member of the Talent team. There, we’ll learn more about you, and you’ll complete a short exercise that demonstrates your commercial awareness.
When do I need to apply?
Our summer vacation scheme is the only way to be considered for a training contract and the deadline to submit your application is 13 January 2020. It is best to apply from your penultimate year of a law degree onwards or from the final year of a non-law degree onwards. For first year law students or second year non-lawyers we have a tailored first year insight programme, which is also open for applications and the deadline to submit your application is 31 December 2019.
Are you a trail blazer?
If you're looking for a career at the forefront of the industries of tomorrow, with clients spanning from the energy sector to the music industry, then it's time to consider a training contract at Taylor Wessing.
Apply todayWhy choose us?
Choose a firm working in trail-blazing sectors
We’re the firm for the graduate who chases tomorrow, and the student who’s ahead of the curve. Music streamers. Avid gamers. Green supporters. Taylor Wessing lead the field in areas you already build your life around. So with us, you’ll build a career that combines your passion with your legal intelligence, to support the industries that will change our world.
Choose a firm with a far-reaching international presence
We have +1,000 employees, including +300 partners, in 28 offices across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We’re constantly working to make sure we’re well placed for tomorrow’s industries, with offices from London TechCity to Silicon Valley.
Choose a firm with door-opening support and benefits:
At Taylor Wessing, we’re renowned for the support we provide to clients, and we’re equally proud of the support we offer to our trainees. With your drive and our phenomenal support package, you’ll open doors to become one of the brightest lawyers in your field. During your training contract, you’ll be legible for our benefits.
We want to support talent from the outset, so we’ll also offer you support as you transition from university
- We pay for upcoming tuition fees for the GDL and LPC (to be studied at BPP London; our chosen law school provider). During this period, we’ll also supply you with a £7500 pa maintenance grant.
- During your year at law school, you’ll be invited to regular Taylor Wessing social events, where you can meet and chat with current trainees.
- Our graduate recruitment team will maintain regular contact with you from the first application onwards, so that you’re well-supported and connected, from law school right through to the start of your training contract.
- When you begin your training contract, you’ll be matched with a buddy – a former trainee from your practice area – who’ll introduce you to colleagues and help you settle in.
Social and sporting events also make sure that you’ll be surrounded by new friends at the firm from the outset.
Are you tomorrow's talent?
Tomorrow’s Talent is a popular two-week work shadowing scheme for students aged 16-19 from less socially mobile backgrounds.
Find out moreGraduate recruitment team
Our graduate recruitment team is dedicated to ensuring a smooth and efficient recruitment process for all our graduates. If you have any questions about the summer vacation scheme or becoming a graduate at Taylor Wessing, please contact a member of the team or email us.
