Herbert Smith Freehills

Your Growth. Our Ambition.

Our trainee associates are the future, so it’s only right that we invest in them. When you join the Trainee Associate Programme at HSF, you’ll work on high-profile cases, network with prestigious clients, and undergo specialist knowledge, skills and mindset training. You’ll be elevated in your personal life too, with fantastic benefits and support networks designed to help trainees from a diversity of backgrounds. Your new career starts here. We recognise that talented people grow best by experiencing work which excites, challenges and stretches them whilst receiving the appropriate blend of support and structured learning to ensure they thrive. We believe that your growth will define our success as a firm. That’s why we’ve kept it front of mind when designing our Trainee Associate Programme. We only recruit our future trainees from our Vacation Schemes where students are assessed by their supervisors and given an assessed piece of work across your chosen two seats. We look at a combination of these assessments when making offers on our Trainee Associate Programme.

Who are Herbert Smith Freehills?

We’re a leading, full-service, global law firm delivering high-profile work that matters to our clients, on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, you don’t just watch from the sidelines here, you hit the ground running, make a difference and tackle the important issues. Join us and you’ll be involved in new situations and experiences and discover new skills to learn and apply.

Your Benefits:

 £50k-£120k salary

 25 days’ annual leave

 Cycle to work scheme

 Medical, dental, travel and gadget insurance

 Subsidised gym membership

 Pension contributions from Herbert Smith Freehills

 Interest-free season ticket loan

 Corporate discounts

Why Join Us?

Diverse

As well as ensuring we recruit from a range of backgrounds, we take a roughly equal split of law and non-law students. This diversity of experience and perspectives allows us to develop creative solutions to our clients’ problems.

Challenging

We created the Trainee Associate Programme to ensure our trainee associates are given the best opportunities to develop the skills they need to become a successful lawyer. Through our Business Skills Academy, trainee associates will be equipped with the business knowledge, skills and mindset they need to work on the biggest matters and deals with our clients across the globe. You’ll undertake structured learning and development, from interactive workshops to Professional Skills Course training. A partner will mentor you as you progress through your training contract, and in each seat, you’ll share your office with either a senior associate or a partner who's committed to supporting your personal and professional development.

Progressive

If you’re keen to develop client relationship skills and business growth strategies, you can join our entrepreneurial Trainee Business Development Committee (TBDC). The TBDC is a trainee-run initiative that empowers trainees to contribute to our business development strategies through networking with clients and building business development skills. You’ll get the opportunity to submit seat preferences before every rotation, including before your first seat, enabling you to tailor your training contract to your specific interests. You can also discuss your preferences with our dedicated trainee HR team.

Global

There are opportunities to undertake a client or an international secondment.

What we look for:

Personal leadership

You must demonstrate an interest in client relationships and building upon these. You should also be able to show us good active listening skills and persuasive skills to gain support for ideas.

Technical capability

As well as considered reasoning and a desire to learn, using initiative is a key skill for a trainee. Think about how you would seek out new opportunities in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role.

Intellectual capability

Academic excellence should be demonstrated through degree classification. While a minimum of a 2:1 is preferred, we take mitigating circumstances into account. There’s space on the application form to include these details and they will be taken into consideration throughout the application process.

Contributions to the team’s success

Communication skills are critical for trainees, think about examples where you’ve been able to bring about positive outcomes by communicating and collaborating with colleagues.

Working styles

You can demonstrate competency by giving examples of organisational skills and showing your ability to cope well under pressure.

Motivation for a career in law here

Think about why you’ve chosen to pursue a career in commercial law, and why Herbert Smith Freehills in particular.

How Do I Apply?

We only recruit our future trainee associates from our vacation schemes, and to be eligible for the schemes, you must be a graduate or in your penultimate or final year at university. When making our decision, we look at assessments made by supervisors and an assessed piece of work in each of the two seats. It’s really important to us that you have the combination of skills and potential that we’re looking for: it will enable you to become a better lawyer, build stronger connections with our team and hit the ground running when you start your career here.

The scheme gives you the chance to get to know us and see what life at Herbert Smith Freehills would be like before you make a decision about your career, so make the most of this opportunity. For those who are unable to attend a vacation scheme, please get in touch with the graduate recruitment team at [email protected] to discuss your individual circumstances, which we will consider on a case-by-case basis.

Your future. Our support.

Our vacation schemes are not just an opportunity to see the life of a trainee associate, it’s your chance to live it. Join us on the Herbert Smith Freehills summer vacation scheme and get your career started today. Explore our firm for yourself, build your connections and find your vocation with hands-on training from leading lawyers.

Who are Herbert Smith Freehills?

We’re a leading, full-service, global law firm delivering high-profile work that matters to our clients, on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, you don’t just watch from the sidelines here, you hit the ground running, make a difference and tackle the important issues. We have a responsibility to do the right thing and raise ambitions: for the firm, for our clients and for you. We invest in your experiences, well-being and development, knowing that the work you do will make a lasting impact on the firm. By combining perspectives and potential from diverse backgrounds, we offer our clients pioneering solutions, and with our innovative and inclusive culture, we’re building a reputation for excellence across legal disciplines, business sectors and continents. Wherever you are in your career, at Herbert Smith Freehills, your growth is our ambition.

Your Benefits:

£500 per week salary
Trainee buddy to support you

What you’ll be doing:
Our vacation schemes immerse you in our work, networks and the international world of law, so you
can find out whether life at the firm is for you.
You will:
Work directly with a partner or senior associate, delivering real work for real clients
Attend workshops and presentations covering all practice areas
Be invited to various networking events with partners, associates and trainees

What we look for:

Personal leadership
You must demonstrate an interest in client relationships and building upon these. You should also be able to show us good active listening skills and persuasive skills to gain support for ideas.

Technical capability
As well as considered reasoning and a desire to learn, using initiative is a key skill for a trainee. Think about how you would seek out new opportunities in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role.

Intellectual capability
Academic excellence should be demonstrated through degree classification. While a minimum of a 2:1 is preferred, we take mitigating circumstances into account. There’s space on the application form to include these details and they will be taken into consideration throughout the application process.

Contributions to the team’s success
Communication skills are critical for trainees, think about examples where you’ve been able to bring about positive outcomes by communicating and collaborating with colleagues.

Working styles
You can demonstrate competency by giving examples of organisational skills and showing your ability to cope well under pressure.

Motivation for a career in law here
Think about why you’ve chosen to pursue a career in commercial law, and why Herbert Smith Freehills in particular.

Key Dates

• Scheme runs: 8 – 19 April 2024
• Apply between: 1 September – 1 December 2023
• Assessment centres: January – March 2024 (open to penultimate-year students, finalists and graduates)

Trainee Recruitment 

We only recruit our future trainee associates from our vacation schemes, and to be eligible for the schemes, you must be a graduate or in your penultimate or final year at university. When making our decision, we look at assessments made by supervisors and an assessed piece of work in each of the two seats of your choosing. It’s really important to us that you have the combination of skills and potential that we’re looking for: it will enable you to become a better lawyer, build stronger connections with our team and hit the ground running when you start your career here.

The scheme gives you the chance to get to know us and see what life at Herbert Smith Freehills would be like before you make a decision about your career. So make the most of this opportunity.

For those who are unable to attend a vacation scheme, please get in touch with the graduate recruitment team [email protected] to discuss your individual circumstances, which we will consider on a case-by-case basis.

2023/2024 VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS

DIGITAL LAW GROUP VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, your ambition is yours too. Ultimately, a career with us is about embracing all you are and all you can be. Our firm will change with you and be changed by you, so we can achieve our ambitions together.

The Digital Law Group’s Virtual Experience gives you the opportunity to work on some of the technical problems that we tackle on a daily basis. You will learn about connected autonomous vehicles and smart legal contracts, and learn about what happens when technology goes wrong.   The modules contain challenging tasks that reflect the nature of the work carried out by the Digital Law Group. In real life, you would have the chance to discuss any issues with your supervisor and
colleagues, so you wouldn’t have to tackle the tasks alone. We also appreciate you have different levels of experience and knowledge and that some of you will not have studied law – that’s not a problem; all of the tasks (whether involving legal issues or not) can be tackled by applying general analysis and critical thinking skills. If this sounds interesting to you, come and participate in our Virtual Experience programme: we’d love to hear from you. Our virtual internships are a chance to develop legal skills and knowledge from the comfort of your home. Created in partnership with Forage, this multi-module course spans key areas of law and offers insight into the kind of work you might take on at HSF. We recommend setting 7-9 hours aside to complete each module.

APPLICATIONS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND
Your Growth. Our Ambition.

FINANCIAL SERVICES REGULATION VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, your ambition is yours too. Ultimately, a career with us is about embracing all you are and all you can be. Our firm will change with you and be changed by you, so we can achieve our ambitions together. The Financial Services Regulatory Virtual Experience gives you the opportunity to work on some of the technical problems that we tackle on a daily basis. You’ll learn about financial regulatory issues across various jurisdictions, what you need to do to notify regulators, how to prepare your client in the face of regulatory intervention, and how lawyers and clients work together to commercially approach the market when financial regulatory issues arise.  The modules contain tasks that are challenging and accurately represent the type of work undertaken by the Financial Services Regulatory Group. In real life, you would have the chance to discuss any issues with your supervisor and colleagues, so you wouldn’t have to tackle the tasks alone.

We also appreciate you have different levels of experience and knowledge and that some of you will not have studied law – that’s not a problem; all of the tasks (whether involving legal issues or not) can be tackled by applying general analysis and critical thinking skills. If this sounds interesting to you, come and participate in our Virtual Experience programme: we’d love to hear from you. Our virtual internships are a chance to develop legal skills and knowledge from the comfort of your home. Created in partnership with Forage, this multi-module course spans key areas of law and offers insight into the kind of work you might take on at HSF. We recommend setting 7-9 hours aside to complete each module.

APPLICATIONS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND
Your Growth. Our Ambition.

GLOBAL LITIGATION VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, your ambition is yours too. Ultimately, a career with us is about embracing all you are and all you can be. Our firm will change with you and be changed by you, so we can achieve our ambitions together. Every deal or transaction carries the risk of a dispute with it. Successful businesses require lawyers that can pre-empt the issues that may surface, take steps to minimise them and then react quickly and effectively when a dispute arises. Our ability to collaborate between offices and to quickly draw together large international teams means our clients benefit from 24-hour attention on time- sensitive matters. The Global Litigation Virtual Experience gives you the opportunity to work on some of the challenges that we tackle on a daily basis. You’ll learn about the various steps involved in dispute resolution and assist with a business development opportunity. The modules have challenging tasks that accurately reflect the work performed by our disputes teams. In real life, you would have the chance to discuss any issues with your supervisor and colleagues, so you wouldn’t have to tackle the tasks alone. We also appreciate you have different levels of experience and knowledge and that some of you will not have studied law – that’s not a problem; all of the tasks (whether involving legal issues or not) can be tackled by applying general analysis and critical thinking skills. If this sounds interesting to you, come and participate in our Virtual Experience programme: we’d love to hear from you. Our virtual internships are a chance to develop legal skills and knowledge from the comfort of your home. Created in partnership with Forage, this multi-module course spans key areas of law and offers insight into the kind of work you might take on at HSF. We recommend setting 7-9 hours aside to complete each module.

APPLICATIONS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND
Your Growth. Our Ambition.

INTERNATIONAL MERGERS VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, your ambition is yours too. Ultimately, a career with us is about embracing all you are and all you can be. Our firm will change with you and be changed by you, so we can achieve our ambitions together. During our International Mergers Virtual Experience program, you will immerse yourself in the type of work that we tackle every day. For example, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about legal drafting, commercial awareness, and how to work effectively under pressure. This programme gives you the chance to truly step into the shoes of an employee at our firm and explore a future law career in an immersive way.  We also appreciate you have different levels of experience and knowledge and that some of you will not have studied law – that’s not a problem! As long as you are interested in law, this programme is a great match for you.  If this sounds interesting, we’d love to hear from you! Join our Virtual Experience programme today and begin to master these skills first-hand. Our virtual internships are a chance to develop legal skills and knowledge from the comfort of your home. Created in partnership with Forage, this multi-module course spans key areas of law and offers insight into the kind of work you might take on at HSF. We recommend setting 7-9 hours aside to complete each module.

APPLICATIONS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND
Your Growth. Our Ambition.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

LEGAL OPERATIONS GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAMME 2024

Our Legal Operations team works with clients to help them find smarter ways to deliver legal
services while supporting our lawyers to achieve the same goals. Every graduate who joins our
Legal Operations team plays an essential role in providing the talent and skills we look for to take
our business further, all as part of one of the fastest-growing areas in the legal services sector.

The 18-month programme will see you gain experience in three different core areas within Legal
Operations. You’ll spend between four and five months in each area receiving more hands-on,
practical training and completing in-team assignments. You’ll get to work with experienced
professionals amongst different teams on client and internal matters, helping you develop skills
and contribute ideas. You’ll also be assigned a mentor to support your progression, and you’ll
have continuous development and training opportunities throughout the programme.

At the end of the course, you’ll have the chance to work in another team outside Legal Operations
for several weeks, whether in the practice, wider business, or on secondment with a client in a
Legal Operations role.

By the time your programme finishes, you will have undertaken core learning and gained valuable
experience working in different teams within Legal Operations. You’ll then become a Graduate
Analyst, and, assuming you complete the programme successfully, you’ll join one of our teams as
a Legal Operations Analyst.

We welcome applications from graduates in any discipline.

APPLICATIONS OPEN
1 September – 8 December 2023
Your Growth. Our Ambition.

Find out more and apply here.