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More info
We review all applications and no longer use an online verbal reasoning test. The application includes your personal details, academics, work experience and a mix of research based and situational questions.
Within your application you can also advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider. In addition we use Rare contextual recruitment system when screening applications to increase greater diversity of backgrounds at entry level.
After your application has been reviewed and if you meet our benchmark, you’ll then be progressed to the next stage of our application process;
Assessment centre
The assessment centre includes a drafting exercise, business style role play, negotiation exercise and a 30 minute interview with a member of HR and or a senior associate. If applying to a vacation scheme and you are successful at this stage you will be offered a position, your application will be progressed to (3) vacation scheme, if applying directly for a training contract please refer to (4) partner interview.
3. Vacation scheme
The vacation scheme is 1-2 weeks in duration depending on what intake you are in. You’ll be provided with a trainee buddy and partner buddy for the duration of your time at BCLP. Throughout the vacation scheme you’ll be assigned various tasks, including at least one piece of written work to assess your drafting skills. The scheme will also include department workshops, an interview skills workshop, partner lunch and social events. We collect feedback from your buddies, they will include feedback including recommendation to recruit or not. Whilst on your vacation scheme you will also complete a (4) partner interview this will complete their assessment and determine if they will be hired or not.
4. Partner interview
The partner interview is scheduled for one hour, be expected to interview with two senior representative of the firm.
If successful at partner interview you’ll be offered a training contract – congratulations! Successful candidates will typically have four weeks to accept our offer.
How to apply
trainee.bclplaw.comFollow us on
Applications to
Graduate Recruitment
Method of application
Online Application FormMethod of assessment
- Assessment centre
- HR-led interview
- Partner interview
- Presentation
- Psychometric testing
- Written exercise
We are Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. If you're looking for the most invigorating and inspiring start to your career in law, there's no other firm quite like us.
BCLP is where 1,400 talented lawyers in 31 offices around the globe come together to provide clear, connected legal advice to high profile clients in every time zone. Unlike many other global law firms, we are truly one firm with one profit pool, rather than a Swiss Verein.
It's where cutting-edge technology meets true thought leadership and where everyone from the newest trainee to the most senior partner contributes to a culture that's friendly, supportive and hugely rewarding.
If you share our progressive attitude and fresh-thinking approach, BCLP is where your ambition meets the future of law.
Our two-week summer vacation schemes give you the chance to gain some first-hand experience of life at BCLP and the work we do. We run two each year at our London office – one in June and one in July – each for around 15-20 students. Here, you'll be very much part of the team, doing live work, and getting involved in everything from research and client meetings to court runs and presentations. Recent topics have included advising a charity on how they could help prevent the use of the death penalty in Sri Lanka, and delivering a mock M&A pitch to a client. You'll also get to attend a series of partner-led talks and workshops, have a sit down lunch with partners and meet regularly with your supervisor. It will all help to develop your skill sets and your knowledge of the firm. It is not all 'work and no play', there is a speed networking lunch and evening social events so you can network with people outside of your department.
We also offer a summer vacation scheme in our Hong Kong office, these are four weeks in length and take place in June and July. We invite up to five candidates per scheme and you will very much be viewed as part of the team. You will be given 'real work' which could be anything from attending a client meeting or call as well as listening to talks lead by partners where you can learn about the different practice areas on offer. All interns are asked to take part in our monthly ‘In the Know’ sessions where trainees and associates give presentations on hot topics relevant to their departments and the legal sector as a whole. We also give you a taste of the social life in Hong Kong with a series of 'happy hour' Friday drinks with some ping pong, a charity day out of the office, a dinner with partners, yoga Fridays and much more.
Our week-long insight scheme (for first-year law students and second year non-law students) provides a window into BCLP's work and culture. Through a series of talks and workshops, you'll learn what life is like in a major law firm and start to build the skill sets you need for a successful career in law. You'll also be assigned a trainee buddy and get to see what their day-to-day work involves. Impress us and you'll even have the chance to apply for a training contract before other candidates.
The firm is structured into four large departments: real estate, corporate, finance, and litigation and corporate risk. Trainees work on challenging projects from the outset and are given a high level of responsibility. A handful of our internationally renowned clients are names such as Deliveroo, Nike, Goldman Sachs, Heathrow, EDF, BT, Deutsche Bank, Tesco and eBay to name a few.
At BCLP we are fully committed to providing continual, high-quality training and support to our trainee cohort. We offer four seat rotations of six months, with flexible seat choices across all core departments and a wide range of practice areas in the business. Each trainee receives regular 1:1 support from the graduate recruitment team and the training principal, a partner mentor to provide wider career guidance and a designated supervisor within each department. Trainees have access to individual coaching and training from the learning and development team, as well as quarterly ‘Lunch and Learn’ updates. We aim to continuously improve our trainee experience and accordingly run a trainee discussion forum with representatives from each trainee intake to facilitate active information sharing between management and trainees. We also have an active trainee social committee to organise regular opportunities for trainees to get together outside of the office.
We currently offer international secondments in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Brussels. Trainees can also spend six months on a client secondment with names such as Argent, AIG, Goldman Sachs, MUFG Bank, Heathrow and Reprieve.
We sponsor your Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), as well as providing a maintenance grant for each course.
- Investment management
- M&A
- Corporate finance
- Technology & commercial
- Data privacy
- Tax advice & controversy
- Private client
- Commercial construction & engineering
- Planning & zoning
- Core real estate
- Banking
- Structured finance
- Energy
- Environment
- Infrastructure
- Transport
- Asset finance
- Real estate finance
- Restructuring & insolvency
- Real estate disputes
- Investigations
- Financial regulation & white collar crime
- Commercial disputes
- CDR/anti-trust
- Antitrust & competition
- International arbitration & construction disputes
- Commercial construction
- Construction disputes
- Labour & employment
- Office of General Counsel
- Risk & compliance
- Corporate & Commercial
- General Commercial
- In-house
Practice Areas
Extra info
Phone: 020 3400 1000
Email: traineerecruit@blplaw.com
Web: trainee.bclplaw.com
| Work placement: | Yes |
| Number of work placements: | 30 |
| Minimum qualification: | ABB at A level, 2.1 degree or higher |
| Start salary: | £40,000 |
| Sponsorship: | GDL & LPC+ |
| Turnover: | £246,000,000 (2012) |
| Profit per partner: | £660,000 (2012) |
| Starting salary: | £40,000 |
| Retention rate: | 83% (2012) |
| Partner diversity: |
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| Lawyer diversity: |
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| Has client secondments: | Yes |
| Client secondments: |
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| Has overseas secondments: | Yes |
| Overseas secondments: |
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- Abu Dhabi
- Dubai
- Brussels
- Berlin
- Frankfurt
- Hamburg
- Paris
- Manchester
- London
- Southampton
- Hong Kong
- Beijing
- Moscow
- Singapore
- Atlanta
- Boulder
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Colorado Springs
- Dallas
- Denver
- Irvine (Orange County)
- Jefferson City
- Kansas City
- Miami
- New York
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- Santa Monica
- St. Louis
- Washington DC
- Amicus
- Reprieve
- Sonali Gardens Legal Advice Centre
- Aspiring Solicitors
- Business Disability Forum
- DiversCity
- Pathways to Law
- PRIME
- Rare Recruitment
- Social Mobility Foundation
- Stonewall
- Sutton Trust
- Urban Lawyers Careers Conference
