Early careers
Eight-seat trainee associate programme
Freshfields’ unique eight-seat trainee associate programme gives you the freedom to explore and excel in diverse areas of law.
Throughout the two-year programme, you'll gain exposure to a wide range of legal disciplines, including commercial litigation and mergers and acquisitions, which covers corporate, finance, and real estate. Additional specialised seats are a chance to find your true passion, from antitrust and competition, to employment, incentives and pensions, tax, or intellectual property. You’ll move every three months, deciding yourself what you’d like to experience next (including staying where you are or moving back to a seat you’ve already been in.)
As a trainee, you can apply for a six-month secondment for the last two seats (six months), either to one of our 28 global offices (including Silicon Valley, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai) or one of our clients (including the Bank of England, Goldman Sachs and many pro bono clients.)
But you don’t need to make these decisions now: we provide insights into seats before joining and regular drop-in advice sessions ensuring you make informed choices.
As a trainee associate, most of your training will be on-the-job, working with partners and associates. Our open-door policy means you’ll always find someone to answer your questions.
You’ll start with a two-week induction with practical skills workshops and advice. After that, legal training on a departmental basis and business skills training sets you up to work productively, delegate and handle pressure.
Experience our work first-hand by applying for our workshops or vacation schemes. (Bear in mind that not securing a vacation scheme spot won’t hinder your application for the trainee associate programme.)
View our application process page for tips and guidance on applying.
What we offer
If you’re fluent in English and native in an Asian language, consider our London-Asia trainee associate programme. You’ll spend your first year in London, and the second in Hong Kong, qualifying as an England-and-Wales-qualified solicitor with one of our Asian offices.
Candidates studying in their penultimate year or beyond, who show curiosity and commercial acumen will undergo interviews, a writing exercise and a language test. Following a vacation scheme in both Hong Kong and London, you will spend time in the mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, and finance teams.
Freshfields is proud to be part of the City Consortium, offering the City Consortium Solicitor Training Programme (CCP) in collaboration with BPP Law School to prepare trainees for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
BPP Law School and our dedicated early careers team will support you throughout the programme. You will be studying alongside others joining Freshfields, but also developing a network of peers from consortium firms. The bespoke Plus Programme focuses on key areas of our practice and helps develop legal knowledge, skills and behaviours to make sure you are practice-ready.
Over 11 months at BPP's London Holborn site the CCP includes:
-SQE 1 Preparation Programme – business law and practice; dispute resolution; contract law and tort law; the legal system of England and Wales; property practice; wills and the administration of estates; criminal law and practice; and solicitors’ accounts.
-City Consortium Plus Programme – debt finance; equity finance; private acquisitions; commercial dispute resolution; and business, innovation and technology in law.
-SQE 2 Test Preparation – client interviewing; attendance note/legal analysis; advocacy; case and matter analysis; and legal research, writing and drafting.
-Non-law graduates will be required to take the Law Conversion Course (PGDL) before beginning the CCP and SQE exams.
QWE will replace the current period of recognised training, referred to as the training contract, as the work-based learning element of the route to qualify as a solicitor following the SQE. Freshfields will continue to retain the two-year period of training (via the trainee associate programme) as its form of QWE.
If you’re fluent in English and native in an Asian language, consider our London-Asia trainee associate programme. You’ll spend your first year in London, and the second in Hong Kong, qualifying as an England-and-Wales-qualified solicitor with one of our Asian offices.
Candidates studying in their penultimate year or beyond, who show curiosity and commercial acumen will undergo interviews, a writing exercise and a language test. Following a vacation scheme in both Hong Kong and London, you will spend time in the mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, and finance teams.
Freshfields is proud to be part of the City Consortium, offering the City Consortium Solicitor Training Programme (CCP) in collaboration with BPP Law School to prepare trainees for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
BPP Law School and our dedicated early careers team will support you throughout the programme. You will be studying alongside others joining Freshfields, but also developing a network of peers from consortium firms. The bespoke Plus Programme focuses on key areas of our practice and helps develop legal knowledge, skills and behaviours to make sure you are practice-ready.
Over 11 months at BPP's London Holborn site the CCP includes:
-SQE 1 Preparation Programme – business law and practice; dispute resolution; contract law and tort law; the legal system of England and Wales; property practice; wills and the administration of estates; criminal law and practice; and solicitors’ accounts.
-City Consortium Plus Programme – debt finance; equity finance; private acquisitions; commercial dispute resolution; and business, innovation and technology in law.
-SQE 2 Test Preparation – client interviewing; attendance note/legal analysis; advocacy; case and matter analysis; and legal research, writing and drafting.
-Non-law graduates will be required to take the Law Conversion Course (PGDL) before beginning the CCP and SQE exams.
QWE will replace the current period of recognised training, referred to as the training contract, as the work-based learning element of the route to qualify as a solicitor following the SQE. Freshfields will continue to retain the two-year period of training (via the trainee associate programme) as its form of QWE.
Salary and benefits
£50,000
Year one
£55,000
Year two
£125,000
Upon qualification
We offer 26 days’ paid holiday per year and an optional four weeks’ paid leave upon completing the trainee associate programme.
We also offer a range of lifestyle benefits including:
- Pension scheme
- Private medical insurance and on-site GP
- Dental plan (self-paid)
- Regular social events and sporting activities
- Range of services and discounts
- Cycle to work scheme
- Subsidised on-site restaurant and wine bar
Support available at Freshfields
Mentoring and supervision
Close support at Freshfields includes a main supervisor, who will guide you in work allocation, day-to-day tasks and reviews. A second supervisor, usually an associate, will be your buddy, providing regular check-ins and support.
Your trainee intake partner is your personal mentor, with regular catch-ups and valuable insights midway through the programme. Our early careers team provides one-to-one coaching to ensure continuous growth and development.
Financial support
When you join Freshfields' trainee associate programme and complete the Law Conversion Course (PGDL) and CCP, we provide a maintenance grant to cover living costs: £10,000 for the PGDL and £20,000 for the CCP.
For legal internships (such as with charities or NGOs supporting the rule of law and advocating for women, children, refugees, or other target groups), we provide a discretionary grant of up to £2,500.
We also offer extra mentoring and coaching support for future trainees from under-represented backgrounds. Upon acceptance into our trainee associate programme, you may also be eligible for tuition fee reimbursement on a discretionary basis.
Disability, long-term health conditions and neurodiversity at Freshfields
We provide support to any applicants who require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process and beyond.
Our FAQs page has more information for applicants requiring reasonable adjustments.
Mental health and wellbeing support
Freshfields’ flexible and collaborative agile working environment prioritises mental health and wellbeing support.
All colleagues can access appropriate support easily, including through our Mental Health Affinity Network and trained Mental Health First Aiders, who proactively spot signs of struggle and provide support.