Back to Solicitors

Birketts LLP

30-35 vacancies
50 trainees
118 partners
1000 staff
A full service, UK top 50 law firm, with over 1000 people in six office locations across the East of England, London and South East.
Watch now
LCNLive virtual trainee panel

At our LawCareersNetLIVE Virtual event on 5 and 6 December 2023, the panel of trainee solicitors provided insights into their experiences of the law firm application process, what being a trainee is really like and their advice for prospective candidates.

Remember to cite LawCareers.Net on your application form if you apply to Birketts LLP.

More info

We welcome applications from people with strong academic backgrounds with a minimum of a 2:1 degree (or be on course to achieve a 2:1) as well as good A-level results. Applications are welcome from both law and non-law students.  

You should be available to start a training contract in two years’ time, i.e. penultimate and final year law students, final year non-law students and graduates.

You should have strong interpersonal and communication skills coupled with a common sense approach. The ability to work within a team and using your own initiative is imperative.

All applications for training contracts should be made using our online application system.

You may then be asked to complete an online assessment to help identify your future potential.

We seek to interview between 40-50 potential trainees each year. You will be interviewed by two partners from the office you have applied and be asked to present for ten minutes on a topic of your choice.


Applications to

Amy Meyer

Method of application

Online application form

Method of assessment

  • Partner interview
  • Presentation

Birketts is a full service, UK top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 1000 people based in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally.

At all levels of qualification and experience our lawyers can expect to work for a wide portfolio of clients. We will ensure that you have the relevant training and support you need to achieve the best result for our clients, the firm and yourself.

We offer competitive salaries, bonuses and benefits packages, opportunities for flexible working and supportive, friendly working environments.

Vacation schemes are designed to provide an invaluable insight into life and work inside Birketts LLP.

We offer two-week vacation placements in our Norwich, Cambridge, Chelmsford and Ipswich offices.

On whichever scheme or office you join, you will have the opportunity to get under the skin of our business and get a genuine feel for what it is like to work here. You will get to participate in actual work with clients – which could involve anything from legal research to attending meetings or court. You will also attend training sessions and briefings on our practice areas to help you to better understand the breadth of our work.

We strongly encourage applications for the vacation scheme and information days as we often recruit 100% of our trainees through these schemes.

Completing a vacation scheme is an ideal opportunity to find out more about Birketts and our industry sectors. We offer two-week vacation placements across our six offices in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks.

Office you join, you will have the opportunity to get under the skin of our business and get a genuine feel for what it is like to work here. You’ll experience what we do day-to-day, and have the opportunity to work with partners and associates and contribute to live cases. The vacation scheme is also a fantastic way to network with colleagues outside of your team and start building relationships across Birketts. We offer a combination of presentations, training and other development opportunities and organise a variety of social events too.

We strongly encourage applications for the vacation scheme and information days as we often recruit 70% of our trainees through our vacation scheme.

We provide full sponsorship of the SQE through our chosen provider, The University of Law.

  • Corporate
  • Employment
  • Dispute resolution
  • Charities
  • Corporate tax
  • Regulatory & corporate defence
  • Shipping
  • Private client advisory
  • Family
  • Agriculture
  • Commercial property
  • Planning
  • Construction
  • Public law
  • Corporate & Commercial

Practice Areas

Extra info

Providence House, 141-145 Princes Street, Ipswich, IP1 1QJ
Phone: 01473 232300
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.birketts.co.uk
Training programmes offered:
  • Graduate legal apprenticeship
  • Solicitor apprenticeship
  • Training contract/QWE
Work placement: Yes
Number of work placements: 1
Minimum qualification: 2:1 and minimum of 120 UCAS points
Start salary: £27,500-£31,000
Fees paid for:
  • SQE
Turnover: £77,600,000 (2022)
Profit per partner: £194,028 (2016)
Training programme applications: 380 (2023)
Retention rate: 80% (2019)
Partner diversity:
  • 75.0% male (2023)
  • 25.0% female
  • 0.0% N/A
Lawyer diversity:
  • 33.0% male (2023)
  • 67.0% female
  • 0.0% N/A
  • Ipswich
  • Norwich
  • Cambridge
  • Chelmsford
  • London
  • Sevenoaks
  • Citizens Advice Bureau
  • LandAid
  • LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group)
  • Norfolk ProHelp
  • Suffolk Law Centre