Simkins LLP is a niche commercial law firm based in central London. We are best known for our work in the media and entertainment sector, but we also act for entrepreneurs and businesses in many other industries, including property, retail, professional services and finance. We pride ourselves on really getting to understand our clients’ businesses so that we can provide the best practical advice, specifically tailored to our clients’ needs. Our clients range from individual entertainers and entrepreneurs, through small and medium-sized enterprises, to the largest multi-national corporations.

We provide a full range of legal services: corporate, commercial, property, family, private client, employment and dispute resolution. Our specialist areas include intellectual property, contract law, defamation and privacy. Our entertainment industry expertise covers all industry sectors including music, film, television, theatre, book publishing, advertising and digital media.

Following interview, successful candidates will be invited to attend a work placement for one week at our offices at Lynton House, during which, candidates will be given the opportunity to workshadow lawyers within the firm and will participate in a number of practical, legal and analytical exercises. The firm will offer up to eight work placements. There will be one placement week in 2023 – it will take place in the week beginning 7 August 2023. Following the work placement, if you are successful, an offer of a training contract to start in September 2025 will be made at some time shortly after your attendance on the work placement.

Our practice is split into the following areas of law: civil litigation, commercial and company, employment, family, private client and property. During your training contract/qualifying work experience, you will be given the opportunity to work in at least three areas of law (known as training seats). Each training seat usually lasts for six months. 

At the beginning of your training contract/qualifying work experience, you will be assigned a training principle who will remain with you throughout your training contract/qualifying work experience. In each seat, you will be assigned a training supervisor, and will share an office with them. We conduct seat reviews at month three and month six of each training seat to assess your training and development needs, and to set and agree objectives for your next seat in line with the SRA's Practice Skills Standards.

You may also be asked to complete an ad hoc client secondment for up to three months. Alongside a competitive salary, our trainees are eligible for a range of benefits including a cash plan scheme, 24/7 access to a GP, an employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, meditation and well-being sessions, private health insurance, group income protection, death in service, pension, cycle-to-work scheme, payroll giving and season ticket loans.

With the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) as an alternative route to qualification, the way in which solicitors qualify is changing. Our recruitment programme to date has been based on the traditional route to qualification but we are in the process of transitioning to the SQE. Non-law graduates will be required to take a law conversion before embarking on SQE prep courses.  We will meet the cost of the SQE1, Essentials for Practice and SQE2 at our preferred supplier, BPP, provided that if you subsequently choose not to join us, you will be obliged to refund those costs to us. Once passed, candidates will join the firm for two years of qualifying work experience

We are fully committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion and we aim to recruit our trainees on the basis of their experience, abilities and qualifications alone. We are delighted to be working with Aspiring Solicitors as part of our drive to increase diversity in the legal industry. We also have a partnership with ReachOut, a mentoring charity that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds improve their career prospects. We don’t recruit directly from the ReachOut programme, but we do provide mentoring, an insight day and two spaces for candidates to attend our placement week to gain invaluable work experience.

If you are successful, our training contract offer will be conditional on you successfully completing the LPC passing each module on the first attempt. For those who have yet to take their LPC, we will meet the cost of the LPC at our preferred supplier, BPP, provided that, if you subsequently choose not to join us as a trainee, you will be obliged to refund those costs to us. We will meet the cost of your attendance on the compulsory Professional Skills Course which will take place during the course of your training contract. We will consider the cost of any required reattendance or resits at our discretion.

• Corporate
• Commercial
• Disputes
• Employment
• Family
• Private client
• Property

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial
• Niche

• London

• Aspiring Solicitors
• ReachOut