Michelmores is the destination law firm for the ambitious, the imaginative and the distinctive. We help enterprises and individuals navigate change to find a positive future.

Our collaborative, creative and commercial people focus on our clients’ futures, wherever they need us. We understand what today’s enterprises, individuals and families need to do to stay ahead, and that’s what we deliver.

It often starts with navigating the challenges of today, but where we really make a difference is in delivering ambition, success and impact for them tomorrow.

Destination 2030

We are committed to growing Michelmores into a more diverse and equitable business, with a visible strategic vision, Destination 2030.

Our clients face relentless change. The need for digital transformation to stay ahead. The need to introduce new operating models, create valuable partnerships, and to reconcile profit and purpose. But all of our clients have at least one thing in common: the need to plan, navigate and optimise their evolution towards a positive future.

In times of great change and uncertainty, our vision is to guide clients towards an enduring, sustainable and resilient future.

We are looking for leaders of the future when we hire future trainees. We recruit to retain and are excited to see some of our trainees now at partner level and others striving to be there.

Our vacation scheme is a week-long opportunity to experience our firm and culture first hand. You'll gain an invaluable insight into Michelmores, our people and our work, and it will help you to decide if we are the right firm for your training contract.

A quick guide to our vacation scheme:

You can choose to spend the week at our Bristol or Exeter office.

The scheme takes place in June and July each year.

You will sit within one of our legal teams for the week, work on a group project, attend talks and workshops and the week is focused on you building your knowledge and skills and finding out if we are the right firm for you.

You'll complete assessments at the end of the week in the hope that you would be offered a training contract at the end of the week. 

You will be paid the Real Living Wage.

You'll benefit from a great opportunity to build your network and find out about the firm.

It's a fantastic opportunity for you to find out who we are and find out more about what you are looking for in a firm where you want to kick start your career.

Our training programme combines excellent legal training with varied, high quality and challenging work, all within a flexible, supportive and collaborative environment.

Trainees are given responsibility and autonomy from day one. No two trainees are the same, so we give every trainee a tailored experience, reflecting their own ambitions, skills and approach. We’ll support you to complete seats which will help you to develop your skills, give you a broad and varied legal knowledge and align to your interests and future qualification area ambitions.

During your training contract you will work closely with partners and other leading lawyers and build strong working relationships with colleagues and partners across the firm.

Our expertise covers everything from corporate and commercial, to transactional real estate and development, from agriculture to construction, and from family law to complex private wealth work. We cover a range of sectors, including technology and innovation, consumer brands, public sector and the sustainable economy. We work with a variety of clients from multi-national firms to private individuals. You’ll have the chance to work with clients both nationally and internationally too.

Our training contract gives you the flexibility to experience the areas of law you’re interested in and tailor your seats if you know where you might want to qualify. You’ll get to experience both contentious and non-contentious, litigious and non-litigious seats. The four seats will give you the breadth of experience you need to go onto fulfil your potential and choose an area of law you love.

How it works:

Bristol or Exeter based training contract

Dedicated and fully funded London secondment, for those who are interested

Complete four six-month seat rotations

Get a say in the seats you do. No trainee journey is the same

Given 1:1 coaching by the training principal to support you with your seat choices and career aspirations

Have a tailor-made personal development programme

Given lots of support from a trainee buddy, supervisor, training principal and HR

Our current approach to the SQE, is that candidates who we offer training contracts to, will complete the SQE before commencing their two-year training programme with us. During the two-year programme you will continue to rotate around four teams as we have previously done with the traditional training contract. We believe having the two years with the rotational structure before you qualify will help you become the best solicitor you can be, by having a breath of knowledge and experience to help you when building your future career and to provide the best service to our clients. 

We also offer an alternative route to qualification for graduates (law and non-law degree graduates) through our graduate solicitor apprenticeship. During our two-and-a-half year to three-year apprenticeship you will combine working, earning and learning. You will work in the firm for four days a week getting your QWE, and spend one day a week completing the law essentials course (if applicable) and then go onto complete the SQE one day a week. At the end of the apprenticeship you are a fully qualified solicitor. This is an exciting alternative route to qualification we are offering. 

If you have already completed the LPC we will ask candidates to also complete the SQE2 ahead of starting your training contract with us so that all our trainees have the same level of experience before joining.

We also offer a school leaver apprenticeship for those who want to qualify as a solicitor without going to university. Our programme is seven years long split into two apprenticeships. Apprentices complete a two-year Level 4 Paralegal Apprenticeship, at this point you can choose to continue onto the solicitor apprenticeship or walk away with a qualification if you realise law isn't for you. You would go onto the Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship which provides you with the equivalent of a law degree plus the QWE and SQE qualification you need to qualify at the end of the apprenticeship. Across the apprenticeship you can expect to experience nine different teams within the firm, so you will have a fantastic idea of what you enjoy and where you want to qualify into.

Bringing our whole selves to work, everyday

At Michelmores, we believe our strength lies in valuing people as individuals and sustaining a culture where inclusion and a sense of belonging are paramount.

We constantly evolve to meet our clients’ and people’s diverse needs and allow everyone the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential, whilst being their true selves at work.

Our approach to Inclusion focuses on understanding our impact in terms of our people, our planet, the communities we work in and the clients we support. As a responsible business, we expect our people to act conscientiously and take a proactive approach to supporting each other and the wider community.

Above all, we know that our success rests on the collective strengths, perspectives, and contributions of our people. Our people will only thrive if they feel valued, understood, included, and listened to which is central to our people having a true sense of belonging at Michelmores.

Supporting everyone to reach their potential

Our people enhance our culture and are essential to our journey. We believe having people with different backgrounds and cultures is crucial to helping us to continue our success as we recognise how our people, and their diversity of thought makes us stronger.

We have a rolling campaign to raise awareness and open up conversations around inclusion to create a fair and equitable place for everyone.

We have initiatives focused on: social diversity, LGBTQ+, gender parity, gender pay reporting and diversity data. We are proud to have exceeded our gender target at partner level, our work in the early careers space to make law more accessible and the launch of our LGBTQ+ network plus our wellbeing and menopause champions. Find out more on our website.

We fully fund the completion of the PGDL (if applicable) and SQE with The University of Law. You will also receive a £7,000 bursary to support you whilst you are studying for the SQE. If you've already self funded the LPC or SQE we will reimburse you for this.

• Real estate:
• Projects & infrastructure
• Construction & engineering
• Planning
• Transactional real estate
• Property litigation
• Business services:
• Banking
• Restructuring & insolvency
• Commercial
• Commercial & regulatory disputes
• Corporate
• Employment
• Private client:
• Agriculture
• Disputed wills
• estates
• Family
• Private property & landed estates
• Tax & trusts & succession

• General Practice
• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial

• Exeter
• Bristol
• London
• Cheltenham
• Sidmouth

• Bristol
• Cheltenham
• Exeter
• London for a 6 month secondment

• Citizens Advice Bureau

• #10000BlackInterns
• Aspiring Solicitors
• Empowering Girls Network
• Lawyers in Schools
• Legal Apprenticeships
• Michelmores and VisionPath – Momentum
• Mindful Business Charter
• Pathways to Law
• PRIME
• Rare Recruitment
• Rotary – Empowering Girls
• Social Mobility Business Partnership
• Stonewall
• Sutton Trust