Your partner in success

Our training contract provides an environment where junior lawyers can excel and be challenged, in a supportive environment. As part of the onboarding process, new trainees will be part of a structured induction programme designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to begin their training contracts effectively. The programme includes an introduction to the firm's culture, values, practice groups, HR initiatives and professional development, as well as practical training sessions and skills-based workshops.
 
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.
 
First-year trainees earn £60,000, rising to £65,000 in the second year, with a newly qualified salary of £180,000. Other benefits include 25 days' annual leave, private medical and dental insurance, a health and wellbeing allowance, and an employer pension contribution. The firm also provides perks such as an annual ski trip and biannual European retreats. 
 
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. 

About our vacation schemes
 
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. We exclusively recruit our trainee solicitors through our vacation schemes, and every participant will be considered for a training contract. This year, we are hiring students to start their training contract in September 2028 and September 2029.
 
We recruit trainees exclusively through our vacation schemes which run in spring and summer of each year. Our applications open on 7 September and close on 7 December – click on the ‘apply here’ tab below for more details about the application.
 
Each scheme runs for two weeks, and during that time our participants will work alongside our trainees, associates and partners on real, meaningful work and will assist on live matters. Participants will sit in two different practice groups, giving them the chance to experience two distinct areas of the firm, and they will share an office with their supervisor. They will also be supported by a trainee buddy and the graduate recruitment team. 
 
Our vacation schemes are designed to give our participants a genuine insight into who we are, what we do, and what life as a trainee at the firm looks like. 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 have 20 places on our vacation schemes and we will allocate participants to a scheme at the offer stage, taking your individual circumstances into account. We have some flexibility with start-dates, and this year we are recruiting for September 2028 and September 2029. 
 
You will be paid £750 per week to cover your expenses.
 
Apply here

To make an application for our spring and summer vacation schemes 2027, please click here. Our applications will close on Monday, 7 December 2026.
 
If you are a penultimate-year law student, all final year undergraduate (law and non-law), a graduate, post-graduate or career changer, then you are eligible to apply.
 
It is an exciting time to join Willkie Farr & Gallagher in London. The office is growing and we are looking for self-starters who want to contribute to a dynamic workplace, who have a genuine interest in Willkie and our clients. You will be part of small, nimble teams and work on high quality matters, so it is important that you are motivated, collaborative and able to pick things up quickly as you will receive a great breadth of work from the outset.
 
Should you have any further questions, please contact Hannah Booth, Graduate Recruitment Manager, at graduaterecruitment@willkie.com
 
Application information
 
We welcome applicants from all universities and degree disciplines. We are looking for consistently strong academics, and our minimum academic requirements are as follows: a 2:1 at undergraduate level, a commendation at postgraduate level, and a first-time pass for any legal qualifications, such as the SQE.
 
Our application process takes place in four stages. Please note only those successful at each stage go forward to the subsequent stage:

• Online application form;
• Video interview;
• Written analytical exercise: to ensure fairness, the written exercise is marked by at least two different associates from Willkie’s London office. Neither ‘marker’ would have seen, and will not see, any applications or video interviews and each exercise is marked on a name-blind basis; and
• Partner interview: our interviews are conducted on a CV-blind basis, and will include suitability questions and a commercial case study

Applications and video interviews are reviewed on a rolling basis. Successful candidates will be held until all applications have been reviewed, then invited to the written exercise stage in January. Partner interviews will follow in February.
 
Willkie is proud to use Rare’s Contextual Recruitment System, meaning social mobility measures and educational data are embedded into our recruitment process. This allows us to better understand your academic achievements.

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. Our open-access events are listed below and we look forward to meeting you.

September 2026

• Wednesday, 2 September from 2 – 5pm
  • Legal Cheek x Virtual Law Fair (virtual event) – sign up on the Legal Cheek ‘Events’ page
    • Virtual Law Fair – Willkie Farr & Gallagher:
      • Visit our booth and meet our trainees and graduate recruitment team
      • Opportunity to ask questions about our practice areas, training contract, vacation schemes, and the application process

October 2026

• Wednesday, 21 October from 2 – 4pm
  • Legal Cheek x Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (virtual event) – sign up on the Legal Cheek ‘Events’ page
    • Life at a US Law Firm: Willkie Farr & Gallagher:
      • Market Trends 2027 – Senior Partner Panel
      • Life as a Junior Lawyer – Trainee and Associate Q&A Panel hosted by Legal Cheek
      • Networking with Associates, Trainees and Graduate Recruitment

November 2026

• Wednesday, 18 November from 2 – 4pm
  • The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) (virtual event) – sign up on the TCLA ‘Events’ page
    • Life at a US Law Firm: Willkie Farr & Gallagher:
      • Lifecycle of a Litigation Case
      • Life as a Junior Lawyer – Trainee Q&A Panel hosted by TCLA
      • Applications Masterclass

April 2027

• 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.
  
  Application deadline is Monday, 25 January at 23:59 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.