Who we are

Debevoise & Plimpton is a leading international law firm with market-leading practices with offices in New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. The London office works on many of the highest profile and most complex transactions in Europe and worldwide. We do this by virtue of our English and New York law expertise and our close integration with our other offices. Our clients look to us to bring a distinctively high degree of quality, intensity and creativity to resolve legal challenges effectively and cost efficiently. The firm’s culture fosters a collaborative approach across disciplines and regions, and, as a result, clients benefit from the dedication, cohesiveness and superior quality that we bring to all of our work worldwide. 

What we do

In developing our practice in London, we have sought to replicate the core strengths of our practice worldwide. Our focus is on private equity, insurance, international disputes and investigations, financial institutions, M&A, finance, capital markets and tax.

We offer three two-week placements throughout the spring and summer months. Candidates are eligible to apply if they are in their penultimate year of a law degree, final year of a non-law degree or beyond. Vacation scheme students will receive £500 per week. We recruit all of our future trainees from the vacation scheme.

One of Debevoise’s basic principles is that each of our associates should become ‘well rounded’ lawyer – an effective counsellor, advisor, and advocate – who can combine specific legal knowledge with the ability to deal with a broad range of situations. We believe that lawyers best develop their skills through a combination of formal training and on-the-job experience, in a respectful and collegial environment. The two years are split into four six-month seats and trainees have the opportunity to gain experience in at least three distinct areas of law with a mandatory seat in litigation/arbitration. Trainees may have the opportunity to spend time in the Hong Kong and Moscow offices. Also, second year trainees complete a three-week business and finance education program (mini-MBA) at Columbia Business School, New York. 

Our 2026 trainee cohort will complete the SQE. 

We partner with The University of Law for the SQE. Full tuition fees are paid, together with a maintenance grant of £15,000 per year.

• Corporate
• Litigation
• Tax
• Finance
• Funds
• Competition
• Insurance
• Regulatory affairs

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Practice

• New York
• Washington DC
• San Francisco
• London
• Paris
• Frankfurt
• Hong Kong
• Shanghai
• Tokyo
• Luxembourg

• Aspire Foundation
• Free Representation Unit
• i-Probono
• PILnet (Public Interest Law)
• TrustLaw Connect
• UnLtd

• SEO London