Remember to cite LawCareers.Net on your application form if you apply to Lewis Silkin.
More info
We offer training contracts in our London, Belfast, Cardif and Manchester offices. To apply for our training contract, you'll need to be in the second year of your degree and beyond.
When and how to apply
To apply you’ll need to complete an online application form via Candid. Applications open on 21 October 2026 and the deadline to apply is 21 December 2026. Further information is available on our website and social media channels.
What we look for
When we recruit, our focus is simply on finding the best candidate for the role - regardless of their background. We are looking for genuine passion and interest within our specialist sectors and someone who is enthusiastic and motivated, possesses strong communication skills and is a team player who works for the benefit of all.
When applying for our training contract, it can be tempting to tell us what you think we want to hear, and pretend to be someone you're not. However, the person we most want to hear from is the genuine 'you'. We want to get to know you, your experience, and what excites you about a training contract at Lewis Silkin. Likewise, we want you to get to know us in return.
Throughout the process, we will be looking to understand two fundamental points:
- Why you want to be a commercial solicitor
- Why you want to train at Lewis Silkin
You should view your application as an opportunity to introduce yourself to us, and highlight what makes you a strong candidate for our training contract, including an understanding and genuine interest in the firm’s work.
How to apply
lewissilkin.app.candidats.ioFollow us on
Applications to
Tiff Wiltsher (Early careers specialist)
Method of application
Online application formMethod of assessment
- Assessment centre
- Partner interview
- Presentation
- Written exercise
Successful businesses rely on a unique set of ideas and people. We help our clients protect and develop those vital assets, unlocking possibilities for future success.
From iconic brands and leading multinationals to pioneering start-ups, we are proud to work with a huge range of inspiring clients, helping them to turn their ideas into reality and get the best from - and for - their people.
Our people are not only exceptional at what they do, they also enjoy doing it and consistently give their best to a firm they’re proud to be part of. This stems from our firm culture and our ethos of bravery and kindness. That ethos runs through everything we do, from our approach to recruitment, business practices, and DEI activities to the day-to-day environment in our office and our relationships with clients.
With an internationally minded team of more than 800 working across key areas of law – plus strategic partnerships around the world – we’ve got both the combination and calibre of legal experts it takes to enable our clients’ businesses to thrive. Whether it is providing global employment law advice, managing a global IP portfolio or piecing together a multijurisdictional corporate transaction, we are able to have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
We won ‘Firm of the year 2026’ at the May 2026 Legal Cheek awards.
What we do
Our major practice areas include: digital, creative and commerce; corporate; data, privacy and cyber; dispute resolution; employment; immigration; investigations and regulatory; partnership; real estate; tax, reward and incentives; and trade mark and portfolio management.
Key sectors we work in include advertising and marketing; financial services; media and entertainment; professional services; retail, fashion and hospitality; sports business; and technology.
For more information on our sectors, visit our website here: https://www.lewissilkin.com/how-we-can-help-you/our-sectors
We do not offer vacation schemes. Candidates are invited to apply directly for a training contract in our London, Belfast, Cardiff and Manchester offices. For more information please visit our website and social media channels.
Sixth form work placements
Are you in you sixth form and interested in a career with Lewis Silkin? We run three four-day placements throughout the year in our London office. Further information can be found here: https://www.lewissilkin.com/life-at-ls/careers/work-experience
At Lewis Silkin, we require all trainees to complete the entire two-year training contract, composed of four seat rotations. Further information about the seat rotation process can be found here: https://www.lewissilkin.com/insights/2023/05/16/seat-rotations
Our trainee hub contains information on the seats you can work in as well as typical trainee tasks, the type of work you’ll do and the skills needed to succeed as a Lewis Silkin trainee: https://www.lewissilkin.com/life-at-ls/careers/trainees#stories
The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) is the new route to qualification and came into effect from September 2021. All candidates who have not yet started the GDL or LPC will be required to take the SQE route. If you already have the LPC, you won’t be required to do the SQE.
We don't exclude candidates based on whether they have completed the LPC or SQE, or if they have or have not yet studied a PGDL, LPC, or SQE at all. If you are offered a training contract with us, we will discuss your individual circumstances with you.
We recommend all future lawyers keep up-to-date on the changes through https://www.sra.org.uk/
Apprenticeships
If you’re passionate about a career in law, and want to get started by gaining genuine legal experience, working alongside lawyers who are specialists in their field – then a solicitor apprenticeship may be the route for you. Unlike a traditional law degree, apprentices get the chance to obtain practical, hands-on experience, and develop research, negotiation and client-service skills.
As an apprentice at Lewis Silkin, you’ll spend four days a week with us, and one day a week studying with your apprenticeship education provider. By the end of the apprenticeship you’ll have earned your Law LLB University degree, gained six years of experience, and be a fully qualified solicitor through the SQE route.
We recruit for our solicitor apprentices bi-annually. Applications for our September 2028 intake will open in September 2027. The apprenticeships will be available in our London office.
Further information can be found here: https://www.lewissilkin.com/life-at-ls/careers/solicitor-apprentices
Diversity and inclusion
Our firm is named after Lewis Silkin, whose story of social mobility continues to inspire us. His family were refugees from Lithuania and he was brought up in poverty, but qualified as a solicitor before becoming an MP and eventually sitting in the House of Lords. This history is at the core of our culture and our values and it drives our commitment to ensure that access to the legal profession is open and fair and that the profession itself is diverse and socially inclusive.
More broadly, we recognise that a more diverse and inclusive workplace allows for a plethora of ideas, thoughts and skillsets, a variety of points of view that can generate broader discussions and result in innovation, enhanced client service and a stronger and more cohesive team.
We are proud of the diverse range of people within Lewis Silkin and culture of bravery and kindness that allows individuals to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. All colleagues are encouraged to play a role in activities related to DEI or Responsible Business. A number of DEI groups are active across the firm - Gender, Age, Race and Ethnicity, Social Mobility, Lewis SilkOut (LGBTQ+), Disability, Wellbeing, and Interfaith – supported by our DEI Board and DEI & Wellbeing Lead.
Full financial support for GDL and LPC/SQE course fees and maintenance grants.
- Corporate
- Data, Privacy & cyber
- Digital, commerce & creative
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Immigration
- Intellectual property
- Real estate
- Corporate & Commercial
- General Commercial
Practice Areas
Extra info
Phone: 020 7074 8000
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lewissilkin.com/life-at-ls/careers/trainees
| Work placement: | No |
| Minimum qualification: | N/A |
| First-year trainee salary: | London – £49,500; Cardiff – £36,011; Belfast – £31,000; Manchester – £37,694 |
| Second-year trainee salary: | London – £54,000; Cardiff – £39,285; Belfast – £33,000; Manchester – £41,121 |
| NQ salary: | London – £90,000; Cardiff – £65,475; Belfast – £43,000; Manchester – £65,535 |
| Fees paid for: |
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| Partner diversity: |
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| Lawyer diversity: |
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| Has client secondments: | Yes |
| Client secondments: |
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- London
- Glasgow
- Oxford
- Cardiff
- Manchester
- Leeds
- Belfast
- Dublin
- Hong Kong
- Belfast
- Cardiff
- London
- Manchester
- Amicus
- Business in the Community
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Free Representation Unit
- Human Dignity Trust
- Inspire
- Legal Advice Centres
- London Legal Support Trust (LLST)
- Mary Ward Legal Advice Centre
- The Chancery Lane Project
- The National Pro Bono Centre
- TrustLaw
- Working Families
- BITC
- City Century
- Diversity Access Scheme - Law Society
- Inspire!
- Legal Apprenticeships
- London Living Wage
- Mindful Business Charter
- MyGWork
- Pathways to Law
- PRIME
- Rare Recruitment
- Social Mobility Business Partnership
- Stonewall
- Sutton Trust
- The Women in Law Pledge
