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Baker McKenzie

40 vacancies
80 trainees
1400 partners
13132 staff

With a presence in all leading financial centres and a strong international client base, Baker McKenzie is the world’s leading global law firm.

Watch now
LCNLIVE London 2022 - Question time: life as a trainee

At our LawCareersNetLIVE London event on 2 December 2022, 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.

 
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Remember to cite LawCareers.Net on your application form if you apply to Baker McKenzie.

More info

Please complete an application form online at uk-graduates.bakermckenzie.com. You will be asked to answer a series of questions that will enable us to understand your interest in Baker McKenzie and commercial law. We want to get a feel for you as an individual, your achievements, and also to see what knowledge and enthusiasm you have for business.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment centre where you will take part in a group excercise, partner interview with case study as well as an associate interview.

Want to meet Baker McKenzie and find out what it’s like to work at a commercial law firm? Apply now to LawCareersNetLIVE.


Applications to

The Graduate Recruitment Team

Method of application

Online Application Form

Method of assessment

  • Assessment centre
  • Partner interview
  • Psychometric testing
  • Video interview

With 76 offices in 47 countries, and a presence in all leading financial centres, Baker McKenzie is the world’s leading global law firm. Our strategy is to provide the best combination of local legal and commercial knowledge, international expertise and resources. Our trainee solicitors are a vital part of that strategy, exposed to the international scope of the firm from the moment they start. There is also the possibility of an overseas secondment, recent secondees have spent time in Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore, Johannesburg and Hong Kong


Types of work

London is home to the firm’s largest office where Baker McKenzie has been well established since its opening in 1961. With more than 400 lawyers, we have a substantial presence in the legal and business community. Providing a full service offering, we deliver high-quality local solutions across a broad range of practices and offer global advice in conjunction with our international offices. Our client base consists primarily of venture capital funds, investment banks, technology powerhouses and household name brands.

And as a firm with a very strong international client base, we have considerable expertise in acting on, and coordinating, complex crossborder transactions and disputes.

Our corporate and finance teams regularly advise on, and co-ordinate, complex, cross-border transactions for our clients. As a full-service office, we cover all the practices expected of a major law firm in the UK, many of which are acclaimed and market-leading.

To find out what it is like to work at Baker McKenzie read the firm's Meet the Lawyer profile.

Our vacation schemes aim to give students who are interested in a career in the legal profession a taste of what it is like working for an international law firm.

Each vacation scheme comprises two seats. We provide training sessions to help you familiarise you with some of our typical transactions, as well as to help you develop a range of key skills. You will also have the opportunity to attend departmental and client meetings and court hearings, and there will be plenty of social events to enable you to find out more about the firm from current trainees.

The firm aims to recruit 40 individuals looking to commence their SQE qualifying work experience training contracts in either September 2024 or March 2025. 

The two-year training contract comprises four six-month seats which include a corporate and a contentious seat, usually within our highly regarded dispute resolution department. We also offer the possibility of a secondment abroad or with a client. During each seat you will have formal and informal reviews to discuss your progress and regular meetings to explore subsequent seat preferences.

Your training contract commences with a highly interactive and practical induction programme which focuses on key skills including practical problem solving, presenting and the application of information technology. The firm’s training programmes include important components on management and other business skills, as well as seminars and workshops on key legal topics for each practice area.

Trainees joining the firm prior to September 2024 will join via the LPC route. The fast track LPC is an LPC course which, in partnership with BPP, has been specifically tailored to the needs of our firm and our trainees, with the aim of giving you the best possible start to your legal career. 

Trainees joining the firm in September 2024 and March 2025 will join via the SQE route. Before trainees can start their qualifying work experience training contract, trainees will need to complete our tailored SQE1 and 2 prep courses and exams with Barbri, Baker McKenzie's chosen provider. 

During the SQE1 prep course, trainees will have learning coach support and oppourtunities to attend face-to-face 'Prep for Success' workshops. Trainees will sit several practice exams prior to undertaking the actual SQE1. The SQE2 prep course provides practitioner expertise on practical transactions and legal skills. In addtion to SQE1 and 2, trainees will take part in our practice group overview practical workshops to build commercial awareness, client relationship skills and soft skills to ensure they are fully prepared ahead of their qualifying work experience.  

For both the GDL and LPC+, we will pay your course fees, together with a maintenance grant towards living expenses. The maintenance grant is £8,000 for the GDL and £10,000 for the LPC. 

For the SQE we will pay for the preparation course, exams and provide a maintenance grant of £10,000. 

 

  • Commercial litigation
  • Intellectual property
  • Technology & media
  • Employment
  • Private client
  • Commercial property
  • Commercial
  • Corporate M&A
  • Banking & finance
  • Capital markets
  • Private equity & funds
  • Restructuring & insolvency
  • Tax
  • Competition
  • Energy
  • Corporate & Commercial

Practice Areas

Extra info

100 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6JA
Phone: 020 7919 1000
Email: [email protected]
Web: uk-graduates.bakermckenzie.com
Work placement: Yes
Number of work placements: 45
Minimum qualification: 2.1 or equivalent
Start salary: £50,000
Fees paid for:
  • CPE/GDL
  • LPC
  • SQE
Training contract applications: 828 (2021)
Retention rate: 85% (2021)
Partner diversity:
  • 70.2% male (2020)
  • 29.8% female
  • 0.0% N/A
Lawyer diversity:
  • 48.6% male (2020)
  • 51.3% female
  • 0.1% N/A
Has client secondments: Yes
Client secondments:
  • Banks
  • Energy companies
  • Media and TV organisations
  • Pharmaceutical companies
Has overseas secondments: Yes
Overseas secondments:
  • Brussels
  • Budapest
  • Dubai
  • Hong Kong
  • Johannesburg
  • New York
  • Palo Alto
  • San Francisco
  • Sao Paulo
  • Singapore
  • Sydney
  • Tokyo
  • Washington DC
  • London
  • Benefacto
  • Prisoners’ Advice Service
  • Victim Support
  • Afro-Caribbean Network
  • Aspiring Solicitors
  • Black Lawyers’ Directory
  • Black Solicitors Network
  • Bright Network
  • Business Compact
  • Career Academies
  • City Solicitors Horizons
  • DiversCity
  • Lawyers in Schools
  • Mindful Business Charter
  • MyPlus Consulting
  • Pathways to Law
  • PRIME
  • Rare Recruitment
  • SEO London
  • Social Mobility Foundation
  • Stonewall
  • StreetLaw
  • Sutton Trust
  • Working Families