Stephenson Harwood is a full-service international law firm, with over 250 partners and over 1,500 staff worldwide. We act for a wide range of listed and private companies, institutions and successful entrepreneurs.

Locations

We have eleven offices across Europe and Asia: Al Khobar, Athens, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Paris, Riyadh, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore. Through our network of offices and strong local law firm relationships, we offer clients commercially-focused legal advice across the globe.

Areas of work

Commercial litigation; commercial, technology and data; corporate; employment, pensions and private wealth; finance; intellectual property; marine and international trade; private equity; and real estate and projects.

Pro bono

Our pro bono work is embedded into life at Stephenson Harwood, and trainees and apprentices can complete seats in the pro bono team as well as being seconded to pro bono clients. You can find out more about the pro bono work we do here.

Who should apply

Firstly we look for a quick intellect. As well as at least a 2.1 in any subject area plus a minimum of ABB at A level or equivalent, you'll need strong analytical skills, sound judgment, imagination and meticulous attention to detail. Also vital are the communication skills to be persuasive and build rapport, plenty of drive and determination, plus a keen interest in business.

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

Vacation schemes in our international law firm

Here at Stephenson Harwood, we pride ourselves on delivering ground-breaking deals across the globe. Whilst it’s no surprise that delivering pioneering, hugely influential and incredibly complex multi-million pound deals can be extremely pressurised, what makes Stephenson Harwood different is the open, friendly and honest culture in which we deliver them. Joining us on a vacation scheme is the perfect way to sample our culture and the way we work, so you can get a real feel for whether we’re the right firm for you.

Our vacation schemes will give you a taste of life at Stephenson Harwood. We’ll make sure you’re involved in quality work and will try to help you experience the areas of law you’re particularly interested in. Typically, you'll spend one or two weeks in our offices, sitting with qualified lawyers and tackling case work. You'll also benefit from an organised programme of interactive sessions, talks and social events. On your first day, we'll assign you a buddy – a current trainee who'll help you settle in, answer your questions and give you an honest overview of what it's like to work for us.

A vacation scheme gives you a great opportunity to talk informally to existing trainees, lawyers, partners and the graduate recruitment team to find out why law and Stephenson Harwood are such attractive career options. What’s more, we’ll pay you the London Living Wage.

The deadline for applications for the spring and summer placement schemes: 8 January 2027.

Apply online at: Early Careers | Stephenson Harwood

Here at Stephenson Harwood, we take on just 25 trainees per year. Join us and not only will you be a valued member of our diverse, global team, you’ll have a real opportunity to make your mark on the future of our firm.

There’s a lot to look forward to as a trainee at Stephenson Harwood: top quality global work across a range of sectors, an environment that balances cutting-edge work with a respectful, friendly culture, and the chance to prove yourself on an international secondment. We work in small teams, so every person is critical – that’s why we’ll expect you to work to the best of your ability every day.

Our training is not only structured and practical but highly personalised, so you’ll have everything you need to develop along a career path that’s absolutely right for you. Following a week’s intensive induction and a comprehensive post-induction programme, you’ll complete four seats – each six months long – across different practice areas. We ask for your preferred choices so we can accommodate them wherever possible.

Whatever the practice, you can expect extensive exposure to our clients and stimulating, cutting-edge projects. You could find yourself working on anything from a high-profile, multimillion pound financial litigation case to a ground-breaking M&A deal. You could even spend time on secondment at a client’s office, absorbing a totally different business culture first-hand. We also encourage our trainees to apply to gain experience overseas in our Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore or Seoul offices. 

We’re driven, ambitious, inquisitive and dedicated to always doing our best, so naturally, we’ll expect the same from you.

Have you got what it takes?

Apply online at: Early Careers | Stephenson Harwood

Outside of the office

At Stephenson Harwood we aim to strike a balance between work and life outside of work. During the course of our work we enjoy taking the opportunity to entertain our clients and develop our relationships with them in a variety of settings. We're also active outside of work, and we enjoy subsidised gym membership and firm-wide activities such as cricket, golf, football, netball, hockey, tag rugby, yoga, fun runs and many more.

We also receive concessions to more than 200 galleries and museums, and privilege seats for concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.

Benefits

Benefits include subsidised membership of heath clubs, private health insurance, pension, dental health scheme, private GP services, critical illness cover, health screening, life assurance, season ticket loan and subsidised café.

Salary

We offer an excellent salary and benefits package. Your starting salary would be £50,000, rising to £55,000 after one year, and to £105,000 at qualification.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority announced that the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) will be a mandatory route to qualification for all future solicitors from 2021. A future trainee who is yet to complete either the LPC or the SQE will be required to complete the SQE regardless of eligibility to complete the LPC under the SRA’s transitional arrangements

The Stephenson Harwood Solicitor Apprenticeship offers you the chance to work on deals with international clients while completing your studies at BPP Law School. The course combines online and face-to-face learning, with one day each week dedicated solely to your studies. You could find yourself working on anything from multi-million pound financial litigation to a ground-breaking M&A deal. You could even spend time on secondment at a client’s office or one of our international offices in Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, or Seoul.

Our people are our firm so investing in your professional development is a priority. Our approach is not one-size-fits-all, with regular development reviews to identify your strengths, pinpoint areas for improvement and give you the chance to discuss your career objectives.

As well as a starting salary of £30,000 a year, you'll receive a grant of £5,000 on starting your apprenticeship to assist you with the costs associated with the start of your professional life. Our apprentice salaries increase by £5,000 in each year of the apprenticeship. 

We’re driven, ambitious, inquisitive and dedicated to always doing our best, so naturally, we’ll expect the same from you.

Have you got what it takes?

Apply online at: Solicitor Apprenticeships | Stephenson Harwood

Applications will open on Monday 5 October 2026, and close on Friday 8 January 2027.

Our vision is to be known as an inclusive and diverse firm, where all our people feel they can be themselves and thrive at work.

Our people are our biggest asset. We want Stephenson Harwood to be a place where colleagues can do their best work in a team that values the unique contributions that they bring. That is how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit.

We partner with a range of organisations who help us to create an inclusive workplace. Our partner organisations include Stonewall, The Business Disability Forum, The Valuable 500, Aspiring Solicitors, Rare Recruitment and many more.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application process, please do get in touch via email or telephone.

We cover the cost of tuition with BPP and exams for both the PGDL (if required) and the SQE. Our PGDL maintenance grant is £12,000 and our SQE maintenance grant is £18,000

• Commercial litigation
• Corporate
• &nbsp
• Employment
• Pensions & private wealth
• Finance
• Marine & international trade
• Real estate & projects

• Corporate & Commercial

• Al Khobar
• Athens
• Dubai
• Hong Kong
• London
• Madrid
• Paris
• Riyadh
• Seoul
• Shanghai
• Singapore

• Dubai
• Hong Kong
• London

• Aspiring Solicitors
• Black Lawyers Matter
• Breaking Barriers
• Business Disability Forum
• Disability Confident Leader
• Diversity Access Scheme - Law Society
• InterLaw Diversity Forum
• Legal Apprenticeships
• LGBT Leaders
• MyKindaFuture
• MyPlus Consulting
• PRIME
• Rare Recruitment
• Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
• Stonewall
• The Valuable 500