Placement scheme

You’ll experience a week in the life of a trainee solicitor, which will include real responsibility, working on case files, and attending meetings. You will be supported by your whole team, but a trainee mentor will guide you through the working week and will answer any questions you may have.

In addition to this, we will task you with completing a business development project which will help you to develop and showcase your innovative thinking.

We know you will have lots of questions, so there will be opportunities for you to get to know our people and spend time with them in a social environment too.

Why should I attend a placement?

Meeting people in-person, and spending time in our office will help you to get a real feel for the firm’s culture, which is why we’re pleased to be running our placements in-person again.

You will have the opportunity to hear first-hand what current trainees and lawyers think about the firm. It's a fantastic opportunity to network, get to know our people, and ask our trainees about their training contract and their advice on assessment centres. Most importantly, you will be able to introduce yourself to us and make a great first impression before you submit your application.

What else do I need to know?

Our in-person placements will run for one week, and you will be paid for your time. You can see the current pay rate on our FAQ page.

The recruitment and selection process includes an online application, and an online strengths based assessment. More information about what to expect in the application and assessment stage can be found on our careers blog. You cannot apply for a vacation placement without also applying for a training contract, which is why if you wish to complete a summer vacation placement at Shoosmiths, you will need to apply for the ‘combined summer placement and training contract application’.

You will be assessed on your placement, and if successful, you’ll be invited to attend an in-person training contract assessment centre. You will not need to submit an additional application at this stage.

We know that there are other things in your life which may mean you cannot make the placement dates, which is why a placement is not a requirement in our process, and you can apply directly for a training contract instead.

Apply now