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Osborne Clarke LLP

35 vacancies
66 trainees
280 partners
1000 staff
At Osborne Clarke we turn our legal expertise into our clients' commercial gain by using our experience, expertise and imagination to give tailored, practical advice.
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Masterclass | Understanding legal practice: intellectual property

This LawCareers.Net masterclass, sponsored by Bristows LLP and Osborne Clarke LLP, discusses what it’s really like to work in intellectual property (IP). From patents to trademarks, find out what IP means, the kinds of work lawyers in this area undertake and the types of clients you’ll be dealing with.

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About you

We're looking for the qualities that make a great Osborne Clarke lawyer. The ability to listen, learn and collaborate; a passion for client service; a genuine interest in the business environment; a problem-solving approach; and – of course – the drive and motivation to succeed.

We have no minimum academic criteria, and use the Rare Contextual System to allow added appreciation of the context in which your academic achievements have been gained.

We welcome applications from candidates seeking a career change.


To apply

Candidates should complete an online application form which can be accessed through our website: join.osborneclarke.com. The deadline for summer 2025 vacation scheme is 15 January 2025. The training contract application deadline is 15 January 2025.

Want to meet Osborne Clarke and find out what it’s like to work at a commercial law firm? Apply now to LawCareersNetLIVE.


Applications to

Mrs Zoe Reid

Method of application

Online application form

Method of assessment

  • Assessment centre
  • Panel interview
  • Partner interview
  • Presentation
  • Psychometric testing
  • Written exercise

Osborne Clarke is a successful law firm with a global footprint and a clear strategic vision, working alongside interesting clients on their most vital matters. We are a firm that never stands still, that cares about its people, and invests in the future.

At Osborne Clarke the challenges of tomorrow are the focus of today. By zeroing in on digitalisation, decarbonisation and urban dynamics as the key areas transforming the way we live, work and do business, we've been able to hone our knowledge and expertise to the changes that will have the biggest impact for both our clients, and the world around us.

Legal expertise is at the heart of everything we do. But what makes us distinctive? For a start, you will get involved in truly fascinating work. The variety of our deals and the diversity of our clients provide an exciting and immersive commercial framework. This is a firm where fresh ideas are highly prized, and we're never afraid to take a view. We know first-hand what inviting a diversity of perspectives delivers – creativity, innovation and a truly inspiring workplace. That’s why there's no one type of Osborne Clarke lawyer. And why your story, your ideas and who you are matters from day one. 

To find out what it is like to work at Osborne Clarke read the firm's Meet the Lawyer profile.

The best way to really know if Osborne Clarke is the firm for you is to experience it all first-hand on our two-week summer vacation scheme. You'll get an insight into the day-to-day of a global commercial firm, soak up the culture and get to do real work with expert supervision. Like most things in life, you get out what you put in. Rather than observing us from the side-lines, we want you to take an active role in your experience with us. Which means that while you'll be given a comprehensive (and educational) programme to follow, you'll also be given the space – and encouragement – to take the initiative, dive in deeper to the areas that interest you, and truly make the most of your time with us.

As well as shadowing the lawyers and experiencing legal work up close, you'll take part in regular in-depth knowledge sessions with partners from across the firm, covering the most important themes impacting the legal industry and world at large. You'll also attend a selection of social events, giving you the opportunity to flex those networking skills. 

Your training at Osborne Clarke is exactly that: Yours. We offer a bespoke programme that evolves through continuous review and communication, created with your skills, ambitions and passions as the guiding principle. Following your time completing the SQE courses and examinations, you'll embark on two-years of different placements throughout the firm. These placements will give you the opportunity to broaden your skills through high levels of client exposure from the get-go. By the time you reach qualification you'll know what you want to do and be prepared – and inspired – to do it. And it doesn’t stop there. Unlike other training programmes, ours extends into your first year as a qualified lawyer, where you'll be given further support to develop specialist "future of work" skills and, if you haven’t already, experience a secondment.

Beyond ensuring that our future lawyers have all the legal and technical training to succeed, we're just as focused on what the human behind them needs. All of our trainees have a trusted support system that includes dedicated development managers and supervisors, mentors and a peer network active from the moment you accept your training contract offer. We also offer a flexible approach to connected working, with no expectation of five days in the office. 

Osborne Clarke is a successful law firm with a global footprint and a clear strategic vision, working alongside interesting clients on their most vital matters. We are a firm that never stands still, that cares about its people, and invests in the future.

Legal expertise is at the heart of everything we do. But what makes us distinctive? For a start, you will get involved in truly fascinating work. The variety of our deals and the diversity of our clients provide an exciting and immersive commercial framework. This is a firm where fresh ideas are highly prized, and we're never afraid to take a view. We know first-hand what inviting a diversity of perspectives delivers – creativity, innovation and a truly inspiring workplace. That’s why there's no one type of Osborne Clarke lawyer. And why your story, your ideas and who you are matters from day one. 

As a solicitor apprentice you will gain experience in all of our main legal specialisms: business transactions (corporate, commercial); projects, real estate and finance; litigation; and advisory (employment, pensions, and tax). Our programme is tailored to your individual needs and goals for qualification, and your responsibility will increase as appropriate. We ensure that our apprentices are well supported throughout the entire six-year programme; alongside individual support from our future lawyer development team, you will have a dedicated line manager in each department and buddied with a solicitor apprentice to help you settle into life at Osborne Clarke. You will also benefit from a student manager and personal tutor at BPP.

Diversity is one of the most highly prized attributes of Osborne Clarke.

But knowing that a diverse workplace doesn’t necessarily mean an inclusive one, we’re committed to uncovering our blind spots and making sure everyone enjoys the same opportunities regardless of who they are, who they love or where they come from.

Through our internal networks and alongside our partnerships with external organisations such as Stonewall and Rare we aim to highlight and address inequalities and ensure Osborne Clarke is a workplace that works for everybody.

We have an arrangement with BPP to teach both the PGDL and the SQE preparation courses to our future trainees.

We will pay candidates tuition fees provided that they are no more than half way through either course when they are recruited, along with a maintenance grant of £11,000 per course.

  • Tax
  • Incentives
  • Pensions
  • Employment
  • Competition
  • Corporate
  • Private equity
  • Financial institutions
  • Commercial litigation
  • Property litigation
  • Restructuring
  • Insolvency
  • Banking
  • Real estate
  • Planning
  • Projects
  • Commercial
  • IP litigation
  • Commercial
  • Private client
  • Corporate & Commercial
  • General Commercial
  • Niche

Practice Areas

Extra info

One London Wall, London, EC2Y 5EB
Phone: 01179173484
Email: [email protected]
Web: join.osborneclarke.com
Work placement: Yes
Number of vacation schemes: 70
Start salary: £48,000 (Bristol) £49,050 (Reading) £54,500 (London)
Fees paid for:
  • PGDL/GDL
  • SQE
Turnover: £98,200,000 (2012)
Profit per partner: £406,000 (2012)
Training programme applications: 1,086 (2014)
Retention rate: 96% (2020)
Partner diversity:
  • 72.0% male (2024)
  • 28.0% female
Lawyer diversity:
  • 43.0% male (2024)
  • 57.0% female
Has client secondments: Yes
Client secondments:
  • Banks
  • Consultancies
  • Energy companies
  • Investment and asset management
  • Media and TV organisations
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Bristol
  • London
  • Reading
  • Asylum Support Appeals Project
  • Legal Advice Centres
  • South Westminster Legal Advice Centre
  • TrustLaw Connect
  • Z2K
  • Zacchaeus 2000 Trust
  • #10000BlackInterns
  • 10000 Able Interns
  • Black Solicitors Network
  • Breaking Barriers
  • Bright Network
  • City Parents
  • GROW Mentoring
  • IntoUniversity
  • Legal Apprenticeships
  • Mindful Business Charter
  • MyPlus Consulting
  • Pathways to Law
  • PRIME
  • Rare Recruitment
  • Social Mobility Business Partnership
  • Social Mobility Foundation
  • Stonewall
  • STRIVE
  • Sutton Trust
  • The 5% Club
  • The 93% Club
  • upReach
  • Working Families