Trainee solicitors

We are pleased to announce that applications for training contracts to start in September 2019 are now open and will close on 30 April 2019.

We have been offering training contracts for many years, often having two trainee solicitors employed within the firm at any one time. We view trainees as an investment for the future. A number of our partners and assistant solicitors trained at Longmores.  We are looking for people who would like to have a long-term future with us.

Our policy is to ensure that, as a trainee solicitor, you are fully integrated into our firm gaining a good understanding in a number of areas of law in line with Solicitors’ Regulation Authority requirements. Supporting solicitors and other staff, you will gain the benefit of their experience working in a fully supervised environment, whilst expanding your own experience and knowledge and honing your skills.

We encourage our trainees to get fully involved in marketing activities and business development, in addition to dealing with the day to day aspects of legal work.

Our ideal candidate

We look for applications from well rounded, commercially minded individuals. Success here means having the skills to apply knowledge creatively for our clients. We recruit on the basis of potential. In our experience key indicators of a trainee’s potential are:

• A strong academic background (2:1 degree level not necessarily in law). 

• Good written and oral communication skills

• Ability to assimilate information, analyse it, and translate that understanding

• Experience of working with others to achieve a task

• Willingness to accept feedback and learn from experiences

Preference is given to candidates who have demonstrated their enthusiasm for becoming a solicitor through relevant work experience and who have or who are willing to make local connections.

Structure of the training programme

Your training contract will consist of 4 seats of 6 months each, giving you the opportunity to gain experience in varied areas of law within our main practice areas of: 

• Dispute Resolution

• Employment

• Property (commercial and residential)

• Private Client (wills, trusts, probate, tax planning and the law relating to the elderly client)

• Family law

• Company Commercial

For each seat you will have a training supervisor who is a partner or a solicitor within that practice area. The nature of each seat is different but you can expect a range of experiences from assisting on large, complex transactions, taking clients’ instructions, drafting documents and legal research and you will be given more responsibility as you progress and build up your skills.

Throughout your training contract, you will be treated in the same way as a qualified solicitor in that you will have targets to achieve and systems to learn and follow. You will gain a thorough understanding of the law and practice of the seat you are in and to react quickly and responsively to clients.

Our Selection Process

We create a short list of candidates to invite to a first stage assessment interview which will take place in May 2019.

Final stage interviews will take place during June 2019.

Offers will be made to successful candidates in late June 2019.

To apply for a training contract to start in September 2019 please send your C.V. plus a covering letter to Su Turley, Head of Operations, by 30 April 2019 (contact details below). Applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be notified as soon as possible after that date.

Please note that due to the expected high volume of applications, we are unable to provide any feedback to unsuccessful applicants. If you have not received a response by 15 May 2019, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

What our staff say about training with us

Miranda Mulligan

I joined Longmores in 2014 as a trainee solicitor having worked as a paralegal in a City firm. Longmores has a friendly and collegiate environment where trainees often work closely with partners and have the opportunity to assist in complex matters, building up their experience until they can start running their own matters under supervision. This close contact with partners and other solicitors means that you quickly build up your skills and confidence and also feel that you are a valued member of the team from day one of your training contract.

I qualified as a solicitor in 2016 and have stayed on at Longmores within the Employment department upon qualification. Joining the firm as a trainee is a great opportunity to gain an insight into the firm and the training contract structure provides the opportunity for trainees to experience a minimum of four different practice areas which gives trainees the opportunity to experience a variety of work from private client matters to large commercial transactions and disputes. Longmores values its trainees and there are plenty of opportunities for trainees to become involved in more than just the day to day work and trainees are encouraged to become involved in seminars and other training events. Working in a county town firm provides all the benefits of training at a larger firm, including working on high value matters for national and international businesses, but provides a greater work life balance.

Contact Details

Email: [email protected]

Address: 24 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts, SG14 1HP

Tel: 01992 300333