We are Gateley: a commercially minded, entrepreneurial group which brings together legal and business professionals to solve problems for our clients. 

Since arriving as the new kids on the block all those years ago, we’ve earned our stripes in the legal industry, building a leading name and a revered reputation. 

We provide legal and business advice to clients of all sizes, from the up-and-comers to the big hitters. We have grown significantly over the last few years – our turnover has grown from £53.8 million in 2014 to £109.8 million in 2020. And we are hungry to grow further, both organically and through acquiring additional complementary businesses that support our clients. 

Why join us? 

Forward thinking, straight talking, we provide a stimulating and rewarding environment for people who are looking for a new challenge. Our people thrive on being pro-active, bringing energy and implementing ideas. We work hard and enjoy what we do. Our culture, our Gateley Team Spirit, underpins everything that we do:  

• we work together, collaborating to bring out the best in each other; 

• we are forward thinkers, motivated by change and doing things differently; 

• we have room to breathe, supported to bring the best of ourselves to work; 

• we are trusted to do, encouraged to use our professional experience to deliver a great service to our internal and external clients; and 

• we are ambitious for success, quietly confident and never boastful. 

We recognise the importance of creating a rewarding place to work. As a Plc we are uniquely positioned to offer equity participation for all individuals. You can become a Gateley shareholder and share in the success of the business. Over 57% of our colleagues have done just that through one of the three share schemes which are available to all employees across the group.

What’s it like to train at Gateley Legal? 

It all starts with a 2-week induction where you meet the rest of your trainee cohort and begin to build a network of contacts across the Gateley group. We will help you get up to speed with life at Gateley and you will begin your legal skills training, enjoying several social events along the way! 

You will complete four six-month seats during your two-year training contract. From day one in your first seat, you will be given as much responsibility as possible and will play a crucial role in your team. You will have opportunities to work directly with clients allowing you to build your client-care and communication skills. 

You will receive supervision and mentoring from highly experienced solicitors complemented by soft-skills development, IT training and technical training from our learning & development team and professional support lawyers who will provide technical training. 

Our Professional Skills Courses, run by BPP University, will also develop your technical and soft skills. 

Your progress and performance will be discussed regularly with you as well as more formally at your mid and end of seat reviews. 

We recruit our future trainees directly from our vacation placements. Over two weeks you will get the opportunity to meet different people at Gateley and explore whether we are the right business to help you begin your legal career.

During the vacation placement, you will gain paid hands-on experience to decide whether a career in the law seems right for you. You will work with a mix of lawyers across several practice areas so you can explore different specialities and gain a glimpse of what your professional life could be like as a qualified solicitor. During the placement, you will be supported by a trainee buddy and our graduate recruitment team. 

It’s a fun two weeks with social events so that you can get to know our culture and what life is really like as a trainee within our business. 

Vacation placement students receive £300 per week when joining us in one of our Gateley Legal offices. 

The September 2019 starting salary for first-year regional trainees was £27,000, increasing to £28,500 in the second year. The September 2019 starting salary for first-year trainees in London was £35,000, increasing to £37,000 in the second year. 

Benefits:

• Life assurance

• Single private health cover

• Rail/bus travel scheme

• Share scheme

• 2:1 predicted or attained in your undergraduate degree. 

We understand that individuals may have reasons for mitigating circumstances and there is a section on our application form where you can detail these.