It is not just law at Travers Smith. We treat our clients’ business as our business, their dispute as our dispute, their challenges as ours.

We act for publicly listed and private companies, private equity and financial sponsors, and other business enterprises involved in large and complex UK and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes.

Our clients know that, wherever in the world they or their ambitions lie, we will work as one of their team to get things done. And they know that we will do so in a straight-talking, thoughtful and open way.

Diversity and independence of thought are key to our success. We know each other well and we know that we get the best results when we act as a team – not just within our individual departments, but right across our firm where we welcome views from everyone. 

The firm’s comprehensive training programme ensures that trainees experience a broad range of work. All trainees sit with partners and associates, which ensures a refreshing lack of hierarchy and unparalleled opportunities to learn by osmosis from some of the most senior people at the firm. It also means that trainees receive individual and extensive training from experienced lawyers and can look forward to client contact, and the responsibility that goes with it, from day one. 

During the two-year training contract, trainees spend six months in one of our corporate departments and another six months in either the dispute resolution or the employment departments. The firm offers you a choice for your other two seats in two of our other specialist teams. Trainees may also have the opportunity to spend six months in the firm’s Paris office.

Travers Smith is a collaborative firm – we treat each other with respect and encourage our people to be themselves. We are very proud of the close-knit, supportive and non-hierarchical culture this creates.

Our Winter vacation scheme is a one week virtual scheme. A day in the office is also expected, but not yet confirmed, on 6 December, so please be aware of this date.

During Summer 2022 we will hold 3 Vacation Schemes – each will run for one week and will be an in-person scheme at our office in London. 

Vacation Scheme students will be paid £750 for completing the week.

The work will include attending meetings, drafting documents and letters and carrying out research. We extend our internal seminar programme to include a number of talks, case studies and negotiating exercises specifically for students to give an authentic taste of a City lawyer's work. There are also working lunches and informal evening events.

The exact dates of each scheme are 20 June – 24 June, 27 June – 1 July, and 4 July – 8 July. 

We understand that due to the current Covid-19 situation some of you may be more cautious than others about attending in person schemes, therefore, if there are enough requests, one of the in-person schemes may be held virtually. Although this will be solely based on demand. 

Applications opened on 11 October 2021 and will close on 17 January 2022. Interviews will only be allocated once all applications have been processed (around mid-February). 

Please note our interview process will be held virtually and run by a senior member of our Graduate Recruitment Panel. For more information on the panel please visit out recruitment team webpage.

First year: £50,000

Second year: £55,000

Benefits include private medical and permanent health insurance, life assurance, health screening programme, onsite physiotherapy, dental insurance, pension scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, subsidised café/restaurant, subsidised gym membership and season ticket loan.

We’ll give you responsibility from day one – you will quickly find yourself on the phone to clients, in meetings and handling your own work with all the guidance you need. As such, the firm looks for people who can combine academic excellence with plain common sense; who are determined, articulate and able to think on their feet; who are self-motivated and have a healthy sense of humour.

A law degree is not a necessity – nearly a third of our current trainees did not study law as an undergraduate.

Apply online via our website at www.traverssmith.com for a training contract commencing in either September 2024 or March 2025.

This year we will largely recruit for training contract 2024 from our vacation schemes. Any spaces that are available after the vacation schemes will be filled by direct training contract applicants. This direct training contract process will open in August 2022, only to the extent there remain any available spaces after our winter and summer vacation schemes. Any updates will be available on our website and social media channels.