Yes, starting from 2020, Fladgate will recruit trainees solely through our new vacation scheme - in response to feedback we collate from graduates students.

Our key dates are as follows:

• Online applications open: Thursday 29 October 2020
• Online applications close: Midnight on Sunday 31 January 2021
• Psychometric Test: sent out in February 2021
• Assessment exercises will take place week commencing Monday 29 March until Friday 9 April

2021

Summer Vacation Schemes:

• Week commencing 14 June 2021
• Week commencing 21 June 2021
• Week commencing 28 June 2021
• Week commencing 5 July 2021

Training contract offers – made shortly after completion of the vacation scheme

As a general rule we have six to eight trainee vacancies per year and we recruit two years in advance.

Our application process opens in October and closes in January.

Yes. We are open to receiving applications from both law and non-law graduates. We are looking for strong commercial awareness and a commitment to a career in the legal profession. As we recruit two years in advance, you will have plenty of time to complete your GDL and LPC prior to joining. Many of our trainees and lawyers chose not to study law at undergraduate level and went on to complete a GDL.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced that the SQE, a new route to qualification, will come into effect from 2021. We’ll continue to offer training contracts through the current route up to September 2021. This means that, as things currently stand, anyone due to start a training contract with us in 2023 will not be affected by the changes.

We will continue to liaise with the SRA and our course providers to keep up to date with the latest changes and new SQE requirements whilst maintaining comprehensive training for our future trainee solicitors.

We recommend anyone applying for our vacation scheme and training contract keeps updated on the changes through https://www.sra.org.uk/

We like to see a consistently strong academic record. However we review each application on its merits and will take into consideration mitigating circumstances. Where academics fall short of a 2:1 (or equivalent) we would expect to see that you have met the criteria of our selection process in other ways; for example commerciality and work experience. Competition for a place on our vacation scheme is high, so take time to make your application the best it can be and try to stand out from the crowd.

Yes, we offer sponsorship for the GDL and/or the LPC and an additional maintenance loan of £6,000 (London) or £5,000 (regional).

Our exclusive provider is the University of Law, Moorgate. We will however show flexibility where London is not a feasible location due to personal circumstances. If you are already enrolled with another course provider, upon acceptance of our offer we would ask that you contact the course liaison officer and request to be removed from their programme. We will then provide you with all the necessary information to get you enrolled with the University of Law.

We feel it is important that our future trainees cover our core areas of business during their LPC. Our required electives for sponsored individuals are: Advanced Real Estate, Commercial Dispute, Resolution and Mergers and Acquisitions.

No, it is not essential that you have studied our preferred electives when previously completing the LPC. While it may enhance your understanding of our core business, we take a sensible approach and review each application on a variety of other factors. It would however be important to demonstrate a keen interest and desire to specialise in one of our core areas.

Yes, you can study the LPC part time if you are able to complete the course by the specified start date with us. Your maintenance loan will be expected to cover the duration of your course.

Unfortunately we are unable to reimburse GDL or LPC fees retrospectively.

While we accept applications from all nationalities, unfortunately we do not offer visa sponsorship and would expect candidates to provide proof of their eligibility to work in the UK before joining us.

We update our website regularly with vacancies and would encourage applicants to apply for paralegal roles regardless of the outcome of their training contract application.

Yes you can! We will contact candidates individually to confirm if you have been successful / unsuccessful in your application but you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates regarding dates, deadlines, useful articles, blog posts and Fladgate social activities.

The day starts with a ‘meet and greet’ over coffee and biscuits. After registration and a welcome speech from members of our partnership board and training principals, you will be divided into teams and given instructions as to the timetable for the day.

The day will include written exercises as well as group tasks which are not something you can prepare for in advance.

The most popular part of our assessment day is the ‘networking lunch’ which is heavily attended by the firm’s partners. We always make sure you have been given the opportunity to eat before networking so that you can avoid that awkward dilemma of trying to refuel while talking!

You will hear from us very shortly after the assessment day regardless of the outcome. If you have been successful you will be invited to attend one of our four vacation schemes weeks which are held throughout June + July.

We understand the importance of constructive commentary to promote personal growth and development and will always provide feedback on an individual basis following an assessment day or vacation scheme if requested.

If you would like to receive feedback, please notify us so that we can arrange a mutually convenient time for a telephone call with a member of the HR team who will answer any questions you may have.

Yes. So long as you can provide us with a receipt, we will reimburse up to £100 for the assessment day. You will complete an expenses form on the day of attendance and shortly afterwards you will be sent a cheque.

We are very keen to keep in touch with all of our future trainees prior to you joining us. We host many events throughout the year and regularly offer opportunities to meet our current trainees and NQs. You can also keep up to date with all things Fladgate by following us on Twitter (@Fladgategrads).

We plan a full induction programme to get you up to speed. We ease you in gently with a ‘who’s who’ of the departments and support teams as well as taking you on a tour of the building to get your bearings.

You will meet with our training principal, as well as your first seat supervisor who will guide you through what you can expect from your training contract as well as what will be expected of you as a first year trainee.

We also have a very active social calendar. Our second year trainees take the new joiners out for lunch on their first day and impart some words of wisdom for the annual Fladgate treasure hunt which you will be arranging (this is now infamous within the firm…no pressure!).

Our core seats are within corporate, real estate, dispute resolution and finance, funds and regulatory.

We will always take into consideration your personal preference when deciding on your remaining seat, which can either be a repeat of an old favourite or in one of our more specialist areas such as employment or CSI. This is of course always dependent on a business need and circumstances at the time.

A training contract with Fladgate is not about sitting at your desk all day. We actively encourage employees of all levels to further themselves in both personal and professional development. We regularly hold “lunch and learn” sessions attended by entire departments (including partners) with both internal and external speakers discussing hot topics and legislative updates. We also have fantastic IT training with LTC4 qualifications becoming compulsory across the business.

Externally, all of our trainees attend the Professional Skills Course which covers the practical application of your legal skills in a working environment.

While some of our clients are large FTSE 250 companies, many are entrepreneurial owner-managed businesses and as such we do not offer secondments during your training contract. We have a fantastic team of partners and PSLs on hand to offer you the best training and top quality work right here at our offices.

Formal appraisals take place every three months (mid and end of seat). However, we like to maintain dialogue and operate a very ‘open door’ policy when it comes to supporting and encouraging our trainees. Feedback is not just a one way process; we like to hear from you too!

Absolutely! While we do not have international offices, over 40% of our revenue is from international work and many of our lawyers utilise their language skills regularly. We currently have 26+ languages spoken at Fladgate.