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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 in their second year of university or beyond.
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.
Fairness and equality are at the core of our recruiment processes, and we believe that our assessment model will ensure every candidate is evaluated consistently, transparently, and based on their true potential, helping us to build a diverse and talented workforce for the future. From 2025, you will be asked to complete an applicaiton form and online asessment followed by a shortlisting process. If shortlisted you will be invited to an assessment centre and partner interview.
How to apply
www.birketts.co.ukFollow us on
Applications to
Ms Amy Barden
Method of application
Online application formMethod of assessment
- Assessment centre
- Partner interview
- Presentation
- Psychometric testing
Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based across our seven office localities; Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks.
We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally. Our business is divided into four principal practice groups: real estate, corporate services, dispute resolution and private client.
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.
We run a two week annual summer vacation scheme. It takes place in the last week of June and first week of July across all seven of our offices.
Our vacation scheme not only gives us the opportunity to see how you work, who you are and what you can bring to the firm but is also an opportunity for you to see what it is like to be a trainee at Birketts and start to develop the core skills needed to succeed in being a solicitor. Not only that, but by taking part in the vacation scheme you will automatically be considered for a training contract. In 2025 we hired 94% of our 2027 trainees through our vacation scheme.
On whichever 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.
Like our training contracts, our vacation scheme is an excellent offering. Not only are you experiencing genuine trainee style work, but you will get to see our outstanding culture first hand. 100% of our interns from our 2025 scheme rated our welcoming and friendly colleagues 5* and all of them said they would recommend our summer vacation scheme to a friend.
Our training contracts are structured to give our trainees a full and well-rounded training experience. With HR support from our specialist early careers team, dedicated early careers partners in each of our offices and bespoke training modules from our Learning and Development team, the support, guidance and learning opportunities that Birketts trainees receive is first class.
It is our firm belief that the best way for our junior lawyers to learn, is with hands on, direct experience without compromising on work/life balance. At Birketts, our trainees enjoy Top 50 level work, within a genuinely nurturing environment: a truly unique offering.
While you are with us, you won’t be bound to administrative duties, but you will be getting involved with direct client matters. Developing negotiation, drafting and networking skills under the supervision of more experienced lawyers..
But don’t just take our word for it, our 2024/2025 trainee cohorts rated our training overall A*, with further A* for peer support and work life balance with Legal Cheek.
We have an exclusive relationship with The University of Law. We believe The University of Law offers the most flexibility to accommodate for everyone’s study needs, whether that be full-time study, part-time study, online study from home or on campus, aligning with our firm culture.
We offer full sponsorship for the SQE Plus with The University of Law. This covers your SQE1 and SQE2 prep course and exam as well as the LLM Masters. Your studies will be front-loaded and mostly completed before you start your training contract with us.
If you are a non-law student, we sponsor the SQE Law Essentials course. Delivered by our provider, The University of Law this course is specifically tailored to prepare you for the SQE1 exam. Being shorter in length than the PGDL, the Law Essentials course allows you to take part in vacation schemes at the end of your second year of university, as opposed to historical third year, with your PGDL. However, in line with our person centric and flexible approach, we do offer part sponsorship of the PDGL to the value of the SQE Law Essentials course if you feel this would be more suited to you.
Our EDI objective is to foster an informed and inclusive culture where all our people feel a deep sense of pride and belonging and feel empowered to be themselves. Our people and culture committee plays a key role in delivering against this objective and aims to raise awareness, support and affect change, enhance quality and ensure all colleagues are treated, listened, and responded to equitably. We are keen to focus on increasing the representation of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups.
We have a growing number of Employee Led Networks which provide employees with a platform to connect, share experiences, and advocate for positive change within the firm, including the LGBTQI+ Network, Different Minds Network, Parental Network and Social Mobility Network.
We provide ongoing EDI information, education, and mandatory training for all employees. In additional to ‘formal’ training, we invite colleagues to share their own personal stories via our ‘Moment of Me’ intranet page. Subjects covered to date include Black History Month, A Day in the Life of a Dyslexic, Living with Fibromyalgia and Dealing with Pregnancy Loss.
We publish an annual diversity report which is available internally and externally; this report includes information concerning other protected characteristics, such as disability, ethnicity, and religion. We also monitor and report our gender pay gap information annually.
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 real estate
- Construction
- Administrative & public law disputes
- Construction
- Real estate utilities
- Public sector
- Corporate
- Banking & finance
- Employee incentives
- Commercial dispute resolution
- Property disputes
- Private wealth disputes
- Residential development
- Real estate finance
- Real estate investment
- Tax & trusts
- Charities
- Social housing
- Planning & environmental
- Clean energy
- Intellectual property
- Corporate & Commercial
Practice Areas
Extra info
Phone: 01473 232300
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.birketts.co.uk
| Work placement: | Yes |
| Number of vacation schemes: | 1 |
| Minimum qualification: | 2:1 and minimum of 120 UCAS points |
| First-year trainee salary: | £31,000- £34,000 |
| Second-year trainee salary: | £32,000 - £35,000 |
| NQ salary: | £51,500 - £70,000 |
| Fees paid for: |
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| Turnover: | £120,000,000 (2024) |
| Training programme applications: | 615 (2025) |
| Retention rate: | 89% (2025) |
| Partner diversity: |
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| Lawyer diversity: |
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- Bristol
- Ipswich
- Norwich
- Cambridge
- Chelmsford
- London
- Sevenoaks
- Cambridge
- Chelmsford
- Ipswich
- London
- Norwich
- Sevenoaks
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- LandAid
- LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group)
- Norfolk ProHelp
- Suffolk Law Centre
- Birketts Social Mobility Insight into Law Experience (SMILE)
