Training Contracts

Our Training Contract

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Our Training Contract is designed to give you the best opportunities and support alongside high quality work.

We offer UK Training Contracts in our London, Cheltenham and Guildford offices.

Regardless of whether you have done the LPC or SQE, our Training Contract is designed to give you the best possible training with the firm and encourage you to develop the key legal, business and interpersonal skills to enable you to become a successful lawyer.

For more information about post-graduate studies such as the Post-Graduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), please see our Post-Graduate Studies page.

Keeping in touch with you before you join

As we recruit two years in advance, the Early Talent team will keep in regular contact with you before you start and throughout your training contract. We organise Early Talent events throughout the year for our current and future trainees which provides a great opportunity to network and get to know those you will be working with. By the time you join us, you’ll recognise a few familiar and friendly faces, and it will already feel like home!

Your Induction

You will start your Training Contract in August/September with an induction week in the London office – you’ll receive talks and training from different business areas and get to know the rest of your cohort. From week 2, you’ll start working in your first designated practice area with support from our Knowledge Development Lawyers who will give you practice area specific training designed to get you started in your first seat.

Please note, if you are following the LPC route, you’ll undertake an external 2-week course to cover the core modules of the Professional Skills Course (PSC) modules prior to our internal induction week. You’ll then undertake PSC elective modules during your Training Contract to ensure you have covered the hours required by the SRA.

Seat Rotations

For both the LPC and SQE routes, you’ll rotate around the business across your two-year programme, giving you the opportunity to experience a range of different practice areas and engage in high level work with both private and commercial clients. At present the current rotation format is 4 x 6-month rotations. Before each seat rotation you will be asked which areas you are interested in working in and we will try to accommodate your preferences as much as we can. We do this through a series of conversations with our Early Talent team so we can understand your motivations and what areas of law you are interested in. You then submit formal seat preferences, and we work through so that everyone can have a range of choices across the 4 seats.

The different areas of law that trainees may experience during their training contract include (please note this varies by office):

Business Advisory and Transaction Services:

Construction, Real Estate and Disputes:

Litigation and Dispute Resolution:

Private Client:

Wider Support and Development Opportunities

For each seat you will be assigned a dedicated supervisor who will work with you to ensure that you continue to receive a broad range of quality work and that you are developing the required skills and knowledge as you progress through your seats. As well as on-going feedback you will have mid and end of seats reviews where you can formally discuss your development. You will also be allocated a mentor who will be there to support and guide you through your training contract.

We actively encourage our Trainees to do a secondment either internationally, to a client, or internally to our Responsible Business and ESG team. These opportunities help you build a wider skillset and see things from a client’s perspective or enhance your international outlook by gaining exposure to work in a different jurisdiction. Secondments vary depending on business need, but our current client secondments include a private equity fund manager, a commercial bank and an in-house commercial team for one of our large construction clients. Our international secondment opportunities include Zurich, Geneva, Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris and Luxembourg.

We also encourage you to get involved beyond the day-to-day work through our Responsible Business activities, whether that’s through our pro-bono practice, volunteering with our CRS Foundation, or getting involved in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. As part of your Training Contract, you’ll take part in some of our Pro-Bono Clinics. This could include our Social Housing, Employment or Family law clinics, working on Disability Benefits appeals, or assisting with the Windrush Legal Initiative programme. You can find out more in our Responsible Business report.

Your legal training will also be supplemented by our CRS Business School which has specific development programmes for each stage of your career, including the Ignite programme which is designed for Trainees to build professional and commercial skills. As part of the Ignite programme, you’ll cover modules from personal effectiveness and organisation to managing your career. You’ll even learn about the commercial side of a law firm. You’ll receive further coaching and mentoring support to further your development.

As part of our Sports and Social Committee offering, you could get involved with a range of additional activities from football or netball to yoga or tennis. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, it doesn’t matter – it’s about connecting with your colleagues and taking part.