Shoosmiths expands trainee solicitor recruitment

National firm Shoosmiths has announced a major expansion in training contract recruitment and newly qualified solicitor vacancies.

The firm is increasing recruitment of new trainee solicitors from 22 to 30 annually, which will now be split into two intakes in March and September. For the next intake, most trainees (24) will start in September 2019 and six will join in March 2020.

In addition to more trainee solicitor vacancies, some trainees will also be based at the London office for the first time. Samantha Hope, the firm’s graduate recruitment manager said: “To ensure Shoosmiths is moving in the right direction, every three years we take a fresh look at our firm-wide strategy. With this comes a renewed focus on the number of trainees we recruit per year as we plan ahead for the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, and we are pleased to confirm this will include London as part of the ambitious growth strategy for that office.”

The increase in trainee recruitment reflects the firm’s ambitious plans for growth and anticipation of a higher number of NQ roles to be filled. Stephen Porter, national head of corporate, said: “Significant growth has been earmarked across all corporate specialisms at Shoosmiths, and our recent number of NQ recruits this spring shows that talent retention is a key driver for growth in the firm and will support a major recruitment drive across all areas.”