Training timeline - London

The journey from application to qualification. Our relationship with our trainees starts long before their first day of their training contract.

Here we explain the step-by-step process.

1. Apply for a vacation scheme
A vacation scheme is a great introduction to life as a trainee at Herbert Smith. We recommend that law students apply in their penultimate year and non-law students apply in their final year. Existing degree holders should apply two years before you wish to start with us. If your application is successful, you will be invited to our London offices where you will be asked to review a short case study before being interviewed by two partners. You will then be given a tour of the firm’s offices by one of our current trainees.

2. Attend a vacation scheme or an open day
During the scheme you will work with a partner or associate and be given real client work. You will be involved in workshops and presentations to give you an insight into the breadth of practice areas across the firm. Most vacation schemes are in our London office, with some opportunities in Berlin, Brussels, Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris and Tokyo. If you are unable to attend a vacation scheme, we also hold open days throughout the year, designed to give a snapshot of the firm. Here you will meet partners, associates and trainees from all areas of the firm.

3. Apply for a training contract
We recommend that law students apply in their penultimate year and non-law students apply in their final year. Existing degree holders can apply at any time.

4. Attend a training contract interview
Most interviews take place during September and October, though eligible candidates can be interviewed throughout the year. If your application is successful, you will be invited to our London offices where you will be asked to review a short case study before being interviewed by two partners. You will then be given a tour of the firm’s offices by one of our current trainees.

5. Become a future joiner
From the moment you accept a training contract with us, you become part of the firm. As a future joiner we involve you in the life of the firm by keeping in regular contact and inviting you to events throughout the year.

6. If you are a non-law degree holder, start one-year Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
This is the conversion course for non-law degree holders in the UK, international degree holders or people holding qualifications deemed to be equivalent to an undergraduate degree. The course is the first stage of your academic training towards becoming a qualified solicitor.

We ask all our GDL students to attend one of the BPP branches in England. We support you during this time by paying your fees and providing a maintenance grant.

7. Apply for a place on the Legal Practice Course (LPC)
The LPC is a vocational training course that will help you develop greater awareness of the fundamental legal and practical skills required by lawyers working in a firm such as Herbert Smith. It covers areas such as the application of contract and company law to clients, the conduct of negotiations and legal drafting.

8. Attend the LPC
Herbert Smith supports an innovative LPC run by BPP Law School in London, which is specifically designed to prepare our future trainees for life in a major City law firm. The course is designed to help you learn how to handle corporate and finance deals, real estate transactions and commercial dispute resolutions. Our client-focused model will also expose you to a number of specialist areas including EU/competition, employment, private equity and tax law. We support you during this time by paying your fees and providing a maintenance grant. During the year you will be invited to our offices on the LPC firm days to learn more about us and our different practices.

9. Your training contract
Herbert Smith is well known for the quality, balance and variety of its training contract. During the two years you will rotate around four seats, each lasting six months. You can also apply for a secondment to a client such as BSkyB, Coca-Cola, or Credit Suisse, where you would work as an in-house lawyer, or you could apply to work in one of our international offices.

10. Your future career
As an associate, you will be supporting and working alongside colleagues and clients. Should partnership be your ultimate goal, this could happen within seven or eight years. There will also be opportunities for international or client secondments, and our “of counsel” and PSC (professional support consultant) roles are genuine alternative career paths for senior associates and PSLs (professional support lawyers) who are looking for ongoing challenges and interesting work but do not want to become partners.