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Applications for our 2026 Spring Forward Programme and Spring Open Days will open in October 2025.  

We encourage summer work experience applications as early as possible within our application window. Interviews are scheduled on a rolling basis.

Applications for our 2025 schemes are now closed. Applications for our 2026 schemes will open in September 2025. 

	Applications for our September 2027/March 2028 training contracts (for penultimate year law students, law finalists and law graduates) will open on Monday 2 June 2025 and close on Friday 4 July 2025.
	Applications for our September 2028/March 2029 training contracts will open in September 2025.

We encourage training contract applications as early as possible within our application windows.

If you are a law student studying in England and Wales, you should apply for a training contract in the summer of your penultimate year. If you are a law finalist or a law graduate, you can also apply during this summer application window.

If you are a non-law student, you can apply for a training contract in the autumn of your final year or as a graduate. If you are completing, or have completed, the Law Conversion Course (Post Graduate Diploma in Law – PGDL), you will be considered a non-law student.

If you are completing, or have completed, your undergraduate law degree at a university outside of England and Wales, we may require you to complete some modules of the Law Conversion Course (PGDL) and you would be considered a non-law student for the purposes of our application process.

Please visit the The route to qualification page for information about the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), the Law Conversion Course (PGDL), and our SQE preparation programme, the City Consortium Solicitors Training Programme (‘CCP’).

Although we typically recruit two – three years in advance of your firm start date, training contract offers will be made on a rolling basis and we are therefore unable to guarantee the availability of places as we progress with interviews. If you are made a training contract offer following your interview, there is a possibility that this may be for a later intake.

From time to time, we may have places available to start in an earlier intake than advertised. If you are eligible to start in an earlier intake, you should mention this in your application.

If you attend an interview with us, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions regarding start dates during your HR interview.

Find out more about the structure of our training contract here.

Applications for our 2025 Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme are now closed. Applications for our 2026 Programme will open in October 2025. 

Find out more about our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme and the application process here. 

You will be asked to provide some personal details and the following educational information on the relevant section of the application form:

• A full breakdown of your GCSE and A-level (or equivalent) results
• A full breakdown of completed module results for all undergraduate and postgraduate study you have completed to date (including first year results, even if they do not count towards your final degree classification)
• An end of year average result (percentage) for each year of undergraduate and postgraduate study you have completed to date
• If you have attended school and/or university outside of the UK and/or if your university doesn’t use a percentage grading system - an explanation of the grading system for the school and/or university you have attended.

There is also space on each section of the application form for you to provide details of any extenuating circumstances you have experienced, including a disability or long-term health condition, which have materially affected your results.

We recommend that your CV is no more than 2 sides of A4. The information included should be factual – tell us what you have done, where and when.

You must demonstrate evidence of an interest in, and commitment to, a career in commercial law through, for example, open days, virtual internships, virtual or in-person law firm events/university events such as law fairs or firm presentations, or legal work experience.

You should include details of everything you have been involved with, whether or not these activities are related to a career in law. We want to understand your journey and how you spend your time outside of your studies.

You can find more tips on preparing your CV in this video.

Your cover letter should tell us about you, why you are interested in a career in law and why you are applying to Slaughter and May. You may like to reference virtual internships you have completed or law firm events/university events you have attended to support this.

You should also include any other information which you think may be relevant to your application.

Please ensure that your cover letter is no longer than one side of A4 and address it to Janine Arnold, Head of Recruitment. You do not need to include your address or the address of the firm on the cover letter.

Strong applications will be authentic and personal to you. The use of generative AI to help you prepare your application may result in inaccuracies and a lack of originality and creativity.

You can find more tips on preparing your cover letter in this video.

Our work is intellectually demanding so we look for three good A levels (or equivalent) and a good 2:1 in your degree so far. If you are applying for any opportunities in your first year, we understand that you may not yet have any university grades to include in your application.

We are looking for you to have an interest in a career in commercial law, an understanding of what the firm does, and motivation and enthusiasm to find out more about working at Slaughter and May.

You don’t need legal work experience to apply for our work experience or training contract opportunities, but you must demonstrate your interest in this career and what you have done so far to research this through, for example, open days, virtual internships or virtual or in-person law firm events/university events such as law fairs or firm presentations.

Our clients need us to be their trusted legal advisers, so you need to have an interest in the commercial world and how business works.

Good verbal and written communication skills are a key skill for all of our lawyers to have, so it’s something we look for in our application and interview process. Our collaborative culture also means that we look for candidates who can demonstrate that they can work successfully in teams.

Our multi-specialist approach means that our trainees work on the full range of transactions on which the group they are sitting in advises, which is hard work. The support is always there, but there will be times when you are stretched and need to work long hours in order to deliver the exceptional service that we provide for our clients. We are looking for candidates who can show us they are resilient when dealing with the unexpected and can remain focused under pressure.

We value diversity and individuality very highly – different perspectives are crucial when it comes to providing innovative advice – so through our interview process, we will look for your ability to articulate and defend your point of view.

We are also looking for candidates who have a range of interests outside of a career in law, so please include these on your CV. They can also be used to demonstrate how you may have developed some of qualities and skills above that we are looking for.