We are currently looking to recruit trainees to join us in September 2025.

It’s a little early to apply for a vacation scheme but you are welcome to apply for our Open Day. You can also speak to us at one of the universities or other law fairs we attend every year to find out more about the firm. Once you are in the penultimate year of a qualifying law degree or the final year of a non-law degree, you will be eligible to apply for a place on one of our vacation schemes.

We consider applicants from all degree disciplines. It varies year on year, but on average around 50% of our trainees did not study law at university.

In short, no. We recognise that not everyone will be able to do a vacation scheme and so not all our vacancies are filled via this route. That said, the vacation scheme is not only a way for us to get to know you but also a great way for you to learn more about the firm and decide if we are right for you. Typically, the majority of our places are filled by those who have been on a vacation scheme.

We typically offer 18 places each year.

Although we don’t require specific language skills, we are an international firm with an international client base. You will also do at least one seat during your training contract in one of our international offices. All of this means that language skills are useful to our business. Speaking a second language is not a requirement, however, and we provide language classes ahead of secondments if needed.

No. Being accepted onto the vacation scheme means you will automatically be considered for a training contract. You will have an interview towards the end of the scheme.

Applications for a vacation scheme are considered for a training contract at the same time, so we are unable to consider you again in the same year. If you are still interested in the firm, you are welcome to apply to us again the following year provided you have not previously made it to the assessment centre stage of the recruitment process.

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer work experience at the firm other than participation in one of our vacation schemes.

If you have not previously attended the assessment centre stage of our recruitment process then, yes, you are eligible to reapply to us. If you have attended an assessment centre and not been successful, however, you would not be eligible.

Please send an email to uktrainees@wfw.com and a member of the graduate recruitment team will be happy to speak to you to discuss what support we can offer.

There is a place on the application form for you to explain, briefly, individual circumstances relating to academics which you may wish to highlight to us. Applications are read as a whole.

Yes. We work with Rare and their contextual recruitment system allows us to understand individual academics in the context of how they were achieved.

We are obviously very aware that many exams and assessments in 2020 and 2021 took place in unprecedented and challenging circumstances and we will consider the impact of this when reviewing application forms. Our use of contextual recruitment will assist us with this, but please provide us with any details you feel may be relevant when completing your application form.

Please send an email to support@allhires.com for any technical queries. For queries relating to the content of the form, please email uktrainees@wfw.com.

Trainees joining us in 2025 will qualify via the SRA’s new route to qualification, the Solicitors Qualification Exam (SQE). Trainees will undertake SQE training with BPP, details of which will be provided at offer stage. We recognise that some candidates may have already started the Solicitors Qualification Exam pathway by the time they apply. There is a section on our application form where applicants can share details of this, if applicable.

For those starting their studies after they have accepted a training contract with the firm, we have appointed BPP as our preferred law school. If you have already completed your studies elsewhere, though, you are still welcome to apply to us.

Subject to the timings of when you accept a training contract with us, we pay full fees for both the PGDL and the SQE plus a maintenance grant for both. Maintenance for the PGDL is currently £10,000 for those studying in London and £9,000 for those studying outside of London. For the SQE, maintenance is up to £12,500, depending on location.

Yes, although the Firm has now adopted the SQE route to qualification, we are still able to accept applications from candidates with the LPC. Please note, however, that you will be required to undertake further study, details of which will be confirmed at offer stage.

Our approach is to invest in trainees as future partners of the firm and we aim to retain as many as possible on qualification. In recent years there have been at least as many qualification jobs available as there were candidates. Retention rates are typically high but do vary year on year. In 2022 we retained 78% of our trainees.

Yes. In most years there are NQ jobs available in one or more of our international offices. In recent years, trainees have joined Singapore, Dubai, Hanoi, Bangkok and Paris on qualification.

The firm has always had flexible and agile working policies in place and in 2021 we launched our new Agile Working Guidelines. Trainees are expected to be in the office at least 3 days per week in order to benefit from the more informal learning opportunities that inevitably come from this, as well as the social aspect of having your colleagues around you. There may be the opportunity to work from home during the remaining 2 days depending on client and business needs.