Shoosmiths is a law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses.

We’re not different in what we do, but in how we do it. Every client faces unique challenges, and we tailor our expertise, energy and ideas to deliver results that truly matter. We’re known for being close to our clients, listening actively and thriving on their challenges.

We have grown into a £217.2m turnover firm, a reflection of the way we work and the results we deliver. Our clients speak for us. From Mercedes-Benz and Octopus Ventures to Travelodge, FTSE 250 companies and ambitious growth businesses, our commercial client list says it all.

We combine a “can-do” ethos with values that go beyond words. Whether it’s pricing, working styles or fresh ideas, we adapt to each client’s needs to make a real commercial difference.

Shoosmiths’ national teams are independently recognised for their legal expertise. In the Legal 500 UK 2025, we are ranked across over 120 practice areas with 34 top-tier rankings. Chambers UK 2025 also ranks 79 of our practice areas, with 17 in Band 1 and 158 of our lawyers were individually recognised for their exceptional contributions.

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

Our DISCOVER vacation placement and mentoring programme is an exciting new work experience programme aimed at high achieving applicants from under-represented groups in the legal profession.

DISCOVER supports our diversity, equity and inclusion goals, taking a conscious, purpose-led approach. By introducing this placement Shoosmiths is driving  progress in the diversity of our trainee cohorts and helping to address the wider challenge in the profession.

In advance of your placement, you’ll be matched with a professional mentor who will prepare you for your placement. They will act as a mentor throughout the placement, providing your with ongoing support right up to the training contract assessment centre and beyond.

On the one-week placement itself, you’ll experience a week in the life of a trainee solicitor, which will include real responsibility, working on case files, and attending meetings. Your week will be filled with a programme of learning – supported by your whole team, but a trainee solicitor will guide you through the working week and will answer any questions you may have. You’re likely to spend time with one or two teams, in one office, over the duration of your placement.

In addition to this, we will task you with completing a business development project which will help you to develop and showcase your innovative thinking. 

We know you will have lots of questions, so there will be opportunities for you to get to know our people and spend time with them in a social environment too.

To find out what it's like to undertake the DISCOVER placement at Shoosmiths read the firm's Vac Scheme Insider report.

There's nothing like diving straight in and having a go and, while we would not ask you to do something that you were not comfortable in tackling, we expect you to relish the opportunity to get experience of real cases and deals from the start. In our opinion, it's the best way to learn. Your experience will be built around a practical workload, complemented by technical and business skills training. Over the two years, you would usually complete four six-month placements around the firm. From time to time we also offer the opportunity for trainees to be seconded to the in-house legal team of one of our clients, which provides an invaluable insight into the client's perspective.

Induction

Before all the real work starts we run a week-long induction for our new trainee solicitors where we give you the opportunity to learn about Shoosmiths away from the office and to build friendships that will last through your training contract and beyond. This week is a really enjoyable way to start your employment with us before heading off to your individual departments.

Away from the desk

As a trainee at Shoosmiths you will be encouraged to get involved in activities away from your desk, such as business development, networking with other young professionals and charity-related activities. We see these kinds of events as a great way for you to develop valuable skills for the future and we also encourage trainees to come up with their own ideas and to run with them. 

If you receive a training contract offer for one of our English offices, and you are a law candidate you will need to complete either the LPC or SQE before your training contract (QWE) commences. 

If you receive a training contract offer for one of our English offices, and you are a non-law candidate who has not yet completed the GDL/LPC, you will need to complete the PGDL and the SQE before your training contract (QWE) commences.

If you would like to include the LLM element into your LPC or SQE, then we are supportive of this.

Further information will be shared on the firm's website.

Shoosmiths is committed to nurturing talent and developing expertise through providing relevant vocational and professional apprenticeships to provide everyone with an opportunity to develop to their full potential.

Whether university isn’t the right path for you, or you are keen to start working straight away, our solicitor apprenticeship programme gives you to a great alternative route to qualify as a solicitor.

Through our apprenticeship, you’ll gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills you need for your immediate job and future career all whilst gaining a professional qualification.

This will be achieved by completing a six-year apprenticeship spending 80% of your time (four days a week) working at Shoosmiths learning from our expert professionals and tackling real-life legal challenges. Simultaneously, you'll dedicate 20% of your time (one day a week) to studying relevant legal subjects and developing essential skills with our training provider.

In the workplace, you will carry out supervised work-based learning in order to meet the SRA’s competence statement and will produce a work-based assessment portfolio. In addition to examinations throughout the apprenticeship, there will also be an SRA centralised assessment that you will need to pass to qualify as a solicitor, The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

You will study a range of modules online and face-to-face covering the subjects currently required by a qualifying law degree as well as vocational practice areas and skills.

The modules you will study will be based upon those modules which typically make up a law degree such as introduction to practice; English legal systems and research; contract law; public law; criminal law; tort law; land law; and equity and trusts. You will also study those modules which typically make up the Legal Practice Course such as business law and practice; property; litigation; wills and administration of estates.

You will receive support and guidance from us throughout your whole apprenticeship. In each team you will have a dedicated line manager, and you will also be paired with a buddy to help you settle into life at Shoosmiths.

You will also benefit from a student manager and personal tutor from our training provider. Your student manager is your dedicated point of contact throughout your apprenticeship, and their main role is to support you and monitor your progress in completing the requirements of the apprenticeship. Your personal tutor will meet with you when you attend face-to-face teaching sessions, and will assist you with compilation of your portfolio of workplace evidence and help you to identify how that evidence links to the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the solicitor apprenticeship standard.

Our ambition is to build a diverse workforce that reflects all backgrounds and identities, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues. We use three pillars to plan and execute our strategy; accountability, opportunity and community and have included examples of how we deliver against these aims. Our annual impact report shows more detailed measures of our progress.

Shoosmiths will offer financial support towards your future postgraduate studies (PGDL, LPC or SQE or equivalent). Full details are provided with your offer of a training contract.

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