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London Overview
Willkie is an international law firm of approximately 1300 lawyers in 16 offices in six countries. We provide English and US legal advice to UK, US and international market-leading public and private companies, investors and financial services institutions. We provide innovative, integrated legal and business solutions to companies and individuals across a wide spectrum of business areas, countries and cultures.
Willkie’s London’s office was founded in 1988 and is widely recognised as one of the leading transactions and disputes law firms in the UK. Our principal areas of work in London are: asset management, capital markets, competition & antitrust, competition litigation, litigation and investigations & enforcement, corporate insurance, finance, international arbitration, private equity, strategic capital and restructuring, and tax.
Our team has grown to over 140 lawyers and over 40 partners. We regularly handle some of the most high-profile and complex international transactions and disputes in the market. Many of our lawyers are recognised as leaders in their field by the leading legal directories and third party publications and bring decades of experience to our clients’ businesses. Working closely with our colleagues in Europe and the U.S., we are committed to using our knowledge of the law to promote or defend our clients’ interests in the UK and beyond.
Willkie’s London office was recognised as a market leader in the 2026 edition of The Legal 500 UK guide. With 15 practice area and 19 individual lawyer rankings, more than 90% of Willkie’s practice groups in London and approximately 50% of the office’s partners were recognised for excellence in the law. Willkie London also earned 8 Practice Area and 23 Individual Rankings in Chambers UK 2026. Willkie has been shortlisted for "International Law Firm of the Year" and "Private Equity Team of the Year" at the 2026 Legal Business Awards. At the Legal Business Awards 2024, the firm was recognised as “Highly Commended” in the US Law Firm of the Year award category for its growth as a market leader, achievements in the law and high-profile mandates.
Hear from our Managing Partner, Peter Burrell.
Learn about our approach to graduate recruitment from our Training Principal, Jane Scobie.
Willkie's London training contract programme is structured around four six-month seats, giving trainees exposure to a range of contentious and transactional practices. Trainees will complete both a contentious seat (litigation, competition litigation or international arbitration) and a corporate seat (private equity or corporate insurance) during their training contract. For their remaining two seats, trainees can choose from any of the firm's other practice groups: asset management, capital markets, competition and antitrust, competition litigation, corporate insurance, finance, international arbitration, litigation, private equity, restructuring and tax.
Our practice group teams are small, and trainees will work in nimble teams alongside partners and associates from day one, taking on a high level of responsibility from an early stage. Trainees share an office with their supervisor, ensuring involvement, coaching, and continuous feedback throughout their seat. Trainees also have one-to-one support from our dedicated trainee development and learning and development teams to help them thrive during their training contract.
We are proud to have retained all, 100%, of trainee solicitors in 2026, with all qualifying trainees accepting permanent positions with the firm. This reflects our commitment to developing and investing in our trainees, and the supportive, high-quality training environment we provide.
It’s an exciting time to join Willkie London. It is the fastest growing law firm in London – with headcount more than doubling since 2019 – and we are looking for self-starters who want to contribute to a dynamic, growing workplace, and who have a genuine interest in Willkie and our clients.
Applications for our Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes 2027 open on Monday, 7 September. Apply here: https://willkie.hr.candidats.io/roles
We are proud of our vacation scheme at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and we offer structured work experience involving exposure to the day-to-day realities of a trainee solicitor. Throughout the scheme, our participants are treated like a trainee, and will attend practice area talks, training sessions, networking events, and social events with our lawyers.
We exclusively recruit our trainee solicitors through our vacation schemes, and this year we are hiring students to start their training contract in September 2028 and September 2029.
We welcome applicants from all universities and degree disciplines. We are looking for candidates with strong academics and a desire to work in commercial law. Our minimum university academic requirements are a 2:1 at undergraduate level (and a postgraduate degree, if applicable).
Should you have any further questions, please read our graduate recruitment brochure or contact Hannah Booth, Graduate Recruitment Manager, at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com
We are hosting numerous recruitment events and insight days from September – November 2026 so you can find out more about the work that we do, develop your commercial awareness, meet our people, and take part in networking sessions.
View, and sign-up to, our recruitment events here: https://willkie.hr.candidats.io/events
First Year Insight Day 2027
The Insight Day will be held at our London office on Wednesday, 14 April 2027. Those in their first year of a law degree, or in their second year of a non-law degree, are eligible to apply.
During the Insight Day, we will give you an overview of the firm, an introduction to life as a trainee solicitor at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in London, an overview of our largest practice areas, and you will get to meet our lawyers and make meaningful connections.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to come to the firm and learn more about our highly regarded training contract, especially how we can support you through your application process and development as a trainee solicitor.
We will provide lunch and cover public transport costs.
Applications will open on 26 October 2026. The application deadline is Monday, 25 January 2027 and you can apply here.
Inclusion is at the heart of Willkie’s values, in our London office and at the firm generally. 2023 saw the re-launch of our Working Group in London and the appointment of partner Kirsty Maclean to lead our initiatives in London, supported by a working group which represents partners, associates, trainees, paralegals and business professional staff. This re-invigoration represents a step-up in energy and support of our inclusion efforts.
Affinity Groups
We have numerous active affinity groups, aimed at promoting inclusiveness and community in London. Groups include members representing the LGBTQI+ community, parents, the Jewish community and those with minority ethnic heritage. We also have the London Chapter of the Women’s Professional Development Committee (WPDC). The WPDC was established more than a decade ago to offer professional development programmes and guidance to ensure that Willkie provides a rewarding and empowering experience to women at the firm.
Our lawyers and business service staff are also members of Willkie’s firm-wide Inclusion Committee, established approximately thirty years ago. The Committee continues to host its highly successful Speaker Series, with external speakers including Dr Angela Neal-Barnett and Dr Tyrone Howard. Topics covered have included strategies for handling the impact of racism, trauma, stress, and anxiety; inclusion and anti-racism (including rules of equity, allyship and building an inclusive workplace); and race and immigration in the UK.
Mentoring
Trainees, paralegals and associates benefit from our mentoring programme. Trainees are assigned one partner and two associate mentors each year, with mentor pairing rotating each year until associates reach 6PQE. Our mentoring programme provides the opportunity for our people to enhance their visibility and benefit from career guidance and practical advice from other professionals across several practice areas.
GROW Mentoring
Willkie London is delighted to partner with GROW, a registered charity which works with aspiring lawyers (67% of whom are socially mobile and 51% from an ethic minority background) through one-to-one mentoring. Some of our London partners, associates and trainees have volunteered to mentor one or two GROW candidates and support them through their application processes.
Pro Bono
Willkie regularly partners with a number of clients to support myriad nonprofit organisations. These organisations are dedicated to a wide array of causes, including education, immigration and providing support to underprivileged communities. Our London office encourages our lawyers to introduce new pro bono matters to the firm. Partnerships include:
- Rainbow Migration;
- IPSEA;
- Imperial College/Bloomberg Cleantech Accelerator Programme, for which Willkie was shortlisted in the “Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership” category for the LawWorks 2021 UK Pro Bono Awards, and;
- A4ID
Sustainability
For more than a decade, Willkie has implemented myriad initiatives to reduce our environmental impact. In May 2023, Willkie committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across all office operations by 2050. In January of 2025, Willkie took this commitment a step further by formally committing to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), with the intent to submit our long-term emissions reduction transition plan for verification in 2027. This commitment will aid us in the creation of a fully formed decarbonization plan with time-bound milestones, resulting in a strategic and transparent approach to addressing and combatting climate change.
Applications
How do I make an application for a vacation scheme and a training contract?
The application process opens on 7 September 2026 and will close on 7 December 2026. Please head to the ‘Vacation Schemes’ page to make your application.
We do not accept any applications after the deadline.
Please note that we only recruit trainee solicitors via our vacation schemes and do not accept direct training contract applications.
Do you recruit on a rolling basis?
We do not recruit on a rolling basis as two of our application stages (written exercise and partner-led interview) will not take place until after the application deadline. However, we review written applications within fifteen working days and let you know if you have progressed to the second stage of the process (video interview). It is our strong recommendation that you only submit your application when you feel it is ready rather than submitting it as early as possible.
How long will it take to hear from you?
We will review your application and get back to you within fifteen working days (three weeks), but please note this may take a little longer over the Christmas period.
What are your academic criteria?
We welcome applicants from all universities and degree disciplines (law and non-law) and we are looking for consistently strong academics, with a 2.1 at undergraduate level.
Willkie is proud to use Rare’s Contextual Recruitment System. Partnering with Rare means social mobility measures and educational data are embedded into our recruitment process. This means we will better understand your academic achievements.
I studied a non-Law degree, does this put me at a disadvantage?
Not at all. We welcome applications from all degree disciplines and you don’t need a background in law to thrive in our application process.
Do you consider work experience as part of the applications?
Yes, we ask for up to five work experiences that you think are most suitable to the trainee role. You can then draw on your work experience to answer the suitability questions at the end of the application.
What adjustments can be made to the application process if I have a disability or long term health condition?
We are happy to make adjustments to a candidate’s individual requirements, in regards to any part of our application process. Please contact Hannah Booth, our Graduate Recruitment Manager at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com to discuss, in confidence, your individual circumstances.
I have mitigating circumstances. Where can I include them?
There is a mitigating circumstances section on the application form. If you prefer, you can email Hannah Booth, our Graduate Recruitment Manager at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com instead.
Can I apply for a vacation scheme if I have accepted a training contract elsewhere?
No, you are not able to apply if you have accepted a training contract, or its equivalent, elsewhere.
The Training Contract
Do you offer sponsorship for legal studies including the PGDL and SQE?
For those who have accepted a training contract with us, we offer full sponsorship of the SQE at the University of Law which covers course fees in full and a £20,000 maintenance grant, pro-rated.
We are partnering with University of Law to deliver market-leading qualifications that we believe will prepare our future trainees for practice. All future trainees will study the LLM Legal Practice, which incorporates preparation for SQE 1 & 2 as well as the SQE Plus, an enhanced programmed designed to go beyond the standard SQE syllabus to ensure our trainees can be confident in their ability to hit the ground running.
Future trainees who have not studied law in England and Wales will take the nine-month Postgraduate Diploma in Law, before the LLM Legal Practice, to ensure they have a solid academic foundation in law.
Do you provide a maintenance grant for the SQE?
Yes, if you accept an offer of a training contact with us, we will pay for your course fees in full and provide a maintenance grant of £20,000 per annum (pro-rated) in each year of study.
How many trainees are in each intake? When do they start?
We have up to eight trainees each year and our trainees start in September of each year.
Can I contact the graduate recruitment team?
Yes, please email Hannah Booth, our Graduate Recruitment Manager at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com.
Will I be able to go on secondment to client or to another Willkie office?
We currently do not offer international or client secondments at the trainee level, however we offer international and client secondments at the associate level.
Can I get involved with pro bono work?
Yes, absolutely! There are many ways to get involved, please see the Inclusion & Pro Bono section for more details.
Our Brochure
Our brochure gives more information on our practice areas in London, and contains videos with some of our partners and associates in London about life at Willkie.
Should you have any further questions, please contact Hannah Booth, Graduate Recruitment Manager, at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com
