Slaughter and May is one of the world’s leading international law firms with an extensive corporate, commercial and financing practice. The specialist groups, including Tax, Competition, Financial Regulation, Dispute Resolution, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Intellectual Property, Commercial Real Estate, Environment and Pensions and Employment, complement these main activities.

The firm is organised into groups which undertake a general spread of work encouraging lawyers to work on an extensive range of financial and commercial matters as well as developing an expertise in specialist areas. Much of the work spans the globe, with transactions involving the firm’s overseas offices as well as leading independent law firms in other jurisdictions.

Training structure

During the two-year training period, trainees gain experience of a broad cross-section of our practice, taking an active part in the work of four or five groups, sharing an office with a partner or experienced associate. Most trainees spend two six-month seats in the Corporate, Commercial and Financing groups. Some trainees opt to spend part of their time in the Competition or Financial Regulation groups. Many also have one seat in the Commercial Real Estate group. All trainees are asked where they would like to spend the remaining time. This is usually divided between one or two specialist groups and, should they wish to do so, six months abroad. Our overseas offices and close working relationships with leading independent law firms in other jurisdictions mean there are many opportunities to work in places such as Amsterdam, Auckland, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, New York, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Stockholm and Sydney.

Your qualities

Our work is intellectually demanding and we look for trainees of the highest calibre. As well as having a strong academic background, our lawyers need to have plenty of common sense and the willingness to accept responsibility. We are interested in applications from any source: almost 70 universities are represented among the lawyers who work in the firm. It is not the source but the quality of the candidate which matters to us.