We are a distinctive law firm, with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our international clients. Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet their most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us. While many of our practice areas can be found at other firms, our unique mix cannot.

As a trainee you could be working on major corporate transactions, commercial litigation or private capital matters, or working for private clients on their most complex affairs.

We recruit people to build careers for the long term. We know each other personally which means we work together with more cohesion, and less formality. Our culture is entrepreneurial, challenging and supportive, and we are a place where everyone, at whatever level, can thrive. 

Vacation scheme

Are you looking to gain real insight into life as a City lawyer and put legal theory into practice? Join us for a two-week vacation scheme and find out about life at Macfarlanes by working alongside colleagues who are experts in their field.

Scheme dates:

Spring vacation scheme: Monday 13 to Friday 24 April 2026

Summer vacation scheme: Monday 22 June to Friday 3 July 2026

What to expect: the scheme

During the scheme, you won’t just be observing – you’ll be fully immersed in the work. One day, you might draft a letter to a client and refine it with guidance from an associate or trainee. The next, you could be researching a live legal issue or sitting in on a client meeting to see how our lawyers provide advice in real time.

Alongside your daily tasks, you’ll participate in a two-week mock transaction, giving you the opportunity to develop negotiation, teamwork, and strategic thinking skills in a realistic commercial setting.

You’ll also engage in:

• introductory sessions covering a range of our practice areas
• insights into our business development and international strategies
• an introductory session with our Inclusion and CSR team
• networking opportunities with partners, associates, trainees, and other colleagues
• a one-to-one meeting with an associate to discuss life beyond the trainee role
• socials with your fellow participants, trainees, and the early careers team

In your second week, you’ll take part in the assessments for our training programme – your opportunity to secure a place on a career path that’s meaningfully different.

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from students in their penultimate year of university and beyond. Whether you're studying law or another subject, we’re looking for individuals who bring critical thinking, drive, and a strong commercial mindset.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early to avoid missing out.

What to expect: the application process

Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll be invited to complete our immersive online assessment, designed to reflect life at Macfarlanes. You’ll work through scenario-based tasks across our key practice areas: corporate and M&A; banking and finance; private client; and litigation and dispute resolution. This isn’t just a test; it’s a chance to showcase your judgment, problem-solving, and critical thinking – essential skills for any future Macfarlanes lawyer.

If successful, you’ll progress to the second-stage assessment: a dynamic job simulation where you’ll join a fictional project team and respond to commercial scenarios in real time. It’s your chance to demonstrate how you think, communicate, and collaborate in a setting that closely mirrors what trainee life is really like here. We want to see how you approach real-world challenges, so our advice is simple: be yourself and answer honestly.

Both assessments were designed in collaboration with our lawyers to reflect the kind of work we do and the skills we value most. They’re not just about helping us discover your potential – they also give you an authentic glimpse into what it’s like to be a trainee solicitor at Macfarlanes. That way, you can decide if this is the right career path and firm for you.

To prepare, we recommend exploring the practice questions on Cappfinity’s preparation hub so you can approach the assessments with confidence.

First-year insight scheme

Are you ready to step into the world of commercial law? Our first-year insight scheme offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience at one of the City’s leading law firms.

This immersive four-day scheme is the perfect springboard to our vacation scheme and training programme – giving you a head start in your legal career.

Scheme dates: Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April 2026

What to expect: the scheme

Across four action-packed days, you’ll take part in:

A group negotiation exercise – sharpen your negotiation skills and learn how to think on your feet in a realistic commercial scenario.

An application skills workshop – our early careers team will walk you through our application form and share insider tips to help you stand out from the crowd.

A seminar from our learning team – gain an insider’s view of how law firms operate and make money, helping you understand the commercial drivers behind our work and the wider legal market.

Lunch and socials with associates and trainees – enjoy an informal opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and hear what life is really like at Macfarlanes.

Speed networking across all our practice areas – meet fee earners from across the firm and discover the breadth of our work.

Work shadowing a trainee – step into the shoes of a Macfarlanes trainee solicitor and experience first-hand the variety and pace of their day. You might sit in on a client call, assist with legal research, or review a draft agreement.

By the end of the scheme, you’ll leave with:

A deeper understanding of our practice areas and the role of a trainee solicitor

New skills and insights to strengthen your future applications

First-hand experience that could be your first step towards securing a place on our vacation scheme or training programme

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from students in their first year of a three-year degree, or the second year of a four-year degree. Whether you're studying law or another subject, we’re looking for individuals who bring critical thinking, drive, and a strong commercial mindset.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early to avoid missing out.

What to expect: the application process

Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll be invited to complete our immersive online assessment, designed to reflect life at Macfarlanes. You’ll work through scenario-based tasks across our key practice areas: corporate and M&A; banking and finance; private client; and litigation and dispute resolution. This isn’t just a test; it’s a chance to showcase your judgment, problem-solving, and critical thinking – essential skills for any future Macfarlanes lawyer. We want to see how you approach real-world challenges, so our advice is simple: be yourself and answer honestly.

Designed in collaboration with our lawyers, the assessment reflects the work we do and the skills we value most. It’s not just about helping us discover your potential – it also gives you an authentic glimpse into what it’s like to be a trainee solicitor at Macfarlanes. That way, you can decide if this is the right career path and firm for you.

To prepare, we recommend exploring the practice questions on Cappfinity’s preparation hub so you can approach the assessments with confidence.

At Macfarlanes, we pride ourselves on providing a learning experience that is meaningfully different. What sets us apart? Above all, it is our unwavering commitment to the development of our trainees, which is woven into every aspect of life at the firm. We see our trainees as the future of the firm, and we invest accordingly – in your growth, your potential, and your success.

Key information

Scheme dates: September 2028 intake

Applications open: Monday 5 January 2026

Application close: Friday 26 June 2026

First-year salary: £56,000

Second-year salary: £61,000

Qualification salary: £140,000

About the scheme

During the two-year training programme, you will rotate across four departments, experiencing high-profile deals and being trusted with responsibility from the outset. Our training programme combines hands-on experience with first-class education, ensuring you're fully supported from your first day through to qualification and beyond.

It starts with selecting ambitious individuals

We look for a combination of character, drive and intellectual curiosity – these are the qualities that enable you to deliver more for our clients and fulfil your potential when it comes to your career.

Dealing directly with clients

We work with some of the world’s most high-profile organisations and business leaders. Through close partner support, you learn to deal directly with clients and to work on complex transactions.

Providing a breadth of learning

We handle a broad range of matters, from corporate, real estate and litigation to private client. In addition, our work has a substantial international dimension. This means wider exposure for you and greater insight into the issues facing our clients.

Giving the support you need to thrive

We give you all the support you would expect from a leading law firm, along with the benefit of regular reviews and close mentoring from partners.

Induction

Induction marks the start of your training programme. During this week you receive training from people across the firm to equip you with everything you need to know before starting your first seat.

Seat rotation

During your training programme, you spend four six-month periods, known as seats, in four areas. These seats combine hands-on work with formal lectures and seminars, mostly by partners and senior associates. Many trained at the firm so know exactly what you need to learn.

You have the opportunity to submit your seat preferences every six months, and we do our best to ensure you get to work in the seats that most interest you. In each seat a partner or senior associate supports and supervises you.

Feedback and mentoring

To help gauge your progress, you have mid-seat and end of seat reviews.

We allocate a partner principal to you throughout your training programme. We also divide trainees into small “constituency” groups. This gives you direct, regular access to your own trainee solicitor committee partner, who can discuss any issues you may have.

You have two reviews per seat. The mid-seat review takes place around three months into each seat, and you meet with both your partner principal and trainee solicitor committee partner to discuss how your seat is going so far and your development points. The end of seat review takes place in the final few weeks of your seat. All these steps are in place to ensure you feel supported throughout your training programme.

You may be surprised how quickly you feel part of the team, and how soon people at all levels know your name and value your contribution.

The firm has partnered with BPP to design a bespoke programme that goes beyond helping you pass SQE assessments.

This year-long course includes everything you need to ensure you are fully prepared to work in commercial practice. You complete modules that are bespoke to Macfarlanes. The programme combines classroom and digital learning to embed knowledge and uses business simulation exercises to help you apply your knowledge in realistic practice scenarios. Macfarlanes future trainees are required to pass all SQE exams (including the Macfarlanes Essential for Practice modules) on the first sitting.

All elements, including the bespoke Macfarlanes modules, are paid for by the firm. We also continue to provide additional financial assistance in the form of a £18,000 grant during this time.

During your SQE preparation course, you also attend regular seminars from the firm, where you hear from fee earners in our practice areas. These sessions help build your legal knowledge and inform your seat choices. You are also invited to social events at the firm so you can start building your network before you join us.

SQE timeline (for training programmes due to start in 2028):

Spring/summer 2026 – receive your training programme offer from Macfarlanes.

Summer/autumn 2027 – begin studying for the SQE with BPP.

Autumn 2027 – sit the SQE1 examination.

Spring 2028 – sit the SQE2 examination.

Spring/summer 2028 – study Macfarlanes Essential for Practice modules.

Summer 2028 – sit the Macfarlanes Essential for Practice examinations. 

Autumn 2028 – complete Macfarlanes trainee induction and begin training programme.

You start your two-year qualifying work experience from September 2028.

If you studied a non-law subject at undergraduate level, you have to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) at BPP. This will be in the year between receiving your training programme offer and starting your studies for the SQE. For those candidates completing the PGDL, you need to achieve a commendation or above on the first sitting. As with the SQE preparation course, the firm covers your fees, and you receive a £13,000 grant.

For more information about our training programme or the financial assistance available, please contact our early careers team.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture throughout the firm, from entry level to partnership.

It is about recruiting, retaining and promoting all groups in the firm fairly, and we have invested in our processes to ensure that everyone has the same chance to develop and advance. An inclusive, forward-thinking culture also enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients. 

Find out more here. 

The Macfarlanes bursary

Macfarlanes is committed to removing financial barriers that can hinder students from accessing the legal profession. The Macfarlanes bursary is a financial support package open to socially-mobile undergraduates attending any UK university.

We have designed the bursary to account for the financial demands of being a university student and prospective trainee solicitor.

There are three grants available.

Technology grant: for those who need support accessing technology.

Accommodation grant: for those participating on our first-year insight scheme, vacation scheme and upReach professional experience week.

Participation grant: for working students who cannot afford to miss work to attend a Macfarlanes.

Find out more here.

PGDL and SQE course and exam fees covered by the firm.

Maintenance grant for PGDL students: £13,000.

Maintenance grant for SQE students: £18,000.

• Litigation
• Corporate & M&A
• Private client
• Banking & finance
• Tax
• Private funds
• Real estate
• Commercial
• Competition
• Derivatives & trading
• Financial services
• Regulated funds & ESG
• Employment
• Private client property group
• Reward

• Corporate & Commercial

• London

• London

• BPP Legal Advice Clinic
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• FareShare
• Lawyers Without Borders
• Legal Advice Centres
• North London Cares
• St Hilda's Legal Advice Service
• The National Pro Bono Centre
• University of London Refugee Law Clinic

• Bright Network
• Business Disability Forum
• Disability Confident Leader
• Future First
• Inspire Mentoring
• Legal CORE
• PRIME
• Rare Recruitment
• Social Mobility Foundation
• Stonewall
• The 93% Club
• upReach