BDB Pitmans was established in 2018 following a merger between legacy firms Bircham Dyson Bell (BDB) and Pitmans Law, bringing together over 300 years of legal expertise across five locations – Cambridge, London, Reading and Southampton.

Working at BDB Pitmans brings all the benefits of a top 60 firm including interesting work, varied clients and support for professional development. While our clients are at the heart of everything we do, we recognise that life outside of work is important too. What really sets us apart is our friendly, open and inclusive culture. People join and stay at BDB Pitmans as they get the benefits of challenging work in a supportive and professional atmosphere.

We welcome applications from both law and non-law students who are enthusiastic and genuinely interested in pursuing a career in law. We are looking for inquisitive people who have a willingness to take on tasks with a can do attitude. You will need to be a confident communicator and able to form and build on relationships with a variety of people including clients. We hope our trainees won’t just be here to train but to take our success forward as future partners.

We have up to 15 paid summer placements available each year. Our summer placements take place over two weeks in June and July each year. Currently they are based in our London and reading offices but you will have the opportunity to meet people from our Cambridge and Southampton offices and learn about the work they do.

The programme is for two weeks where attendees gain valuable experience with two departments. We aim to give as much practical experience as possible, plus the opportunity to see first hand how our solicitors and partners work. A range of activities are organised to make the programme insightful as well as enjoyable.

The closing date for summer 2022 is 31 January 2022. Please apply via our website.

We give you real responsibility from the start, along with the right level of support, to ensure you never feel overwhelmed. You will get to work on interesting, challenging and high profile work which you might not expect from a firm of our size.

You will complete four six-month seats and receive ongoing training throughout. In each seat you will have lots of client interaction working as an essential part of the team. Our training principal speaks to you to understand your seat preferences and there are opportunities for client secondments. You will learn a lot from your supervisor and the experts you will work with so that when you qualify you have the breadth of skills required to be an excellent solicitor.

Across our offices we offer trainees the opportunity to undertake four six month seats in the following areas:

Charities

Corporate

Commercial

Employment

Restructuring and insolvency

Private wealth

Real estate

Infrastructure and regeneration

Litigation

Family

Pensions

TBC

At BDB Pitmans, our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion sits at the heart of who we are as a firm. It affects all areas of law firm life, and strongly informs our approach to working with clients, partners, and the communities we serve.

We are passionate about ensuring we create a work environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and fully supported to be themselves. We celebrate diversity in all its forms, but we also recognise we have a long way to go. We are not afraid of asking difficult questions and making difficult decisions to ensure that we are taking the necessary and right steps to creating a truly equitable workplace.

Our ED&I work, though, goes beyond how we work with our colleagues. Our firm values – we act with respect, we work in partnership, and we find solutions – are deeply embedded in ED&I principles, and heavily inform how we approach client relationships, as well as external partnerships.

We have also taken steps to ensure that our ED&I and CSR work are closely aligned, whether that is through how we choose external partnerships, how we support our charity partners, our pro bono work, or our increased focused on areas such as social mobility.

We have a number of internal groups and networks aimed at supporting people across the firm. These groups include our D&I Strategy Group, Inclusion Champions and our Busines Impact Groups uncluding SHINE (race, ethnicity and culture group), BestSelf (LGBTQ+), Mind & Body (health, wellbeing & disability), Breaking Even (Gender equity group) and Balance (working parents and carers). These groups and networtks aim to be a source of support and information for everyone within the firm. 

In addition to this, we are proud to be a part of a wide range of external initiatives and partnerships such as 10,000 Black Interns, LeGal BesT, Aspiring Solicitors, the Halo Code, the Workplace Mental health Charter, The Pricnes Trust "Get Hired" initiative, Includability and Grace & Green. More information about our partnerships can be found on a website and social media.

BDB Pitmans LLP provides funding for GDL and LPC fees.

• Charities
• Commercial
• Corporate
• Crime (White collar)
• Employment
• Family
• Infrastructure & regeneration
• Litigation
• Pensions
• Private wealth
• Real estate
• Restructuring & insolvency

• General Practice
• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial

• London
• Cambridge
• Reading
• Southampton

• Brixton Advice Centre
• South West London Law Centres

• #10000BlackInterns
• Aspiring Solicitors
• Career Academies
• Includability
• Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter
• Legal Apprenticeships
• Prince's Trust Get Hired
• Uptree