Training Contract - 2025 - Leathes Prior Solicitors

Application deadline 27 November 2024

Training Contracts

Our trainee solicitors are the future of Leathes Prior - 60% of our Partnership trained within the firm.

Led by our training principal Sarah Appleton, trainees make their journey across the firm supported by our partners and their teams.

We aim to design training contracts according to the individual trainee solicitor. Holding regular reviews, we discuss progress and use these discussions to plan the next seat. We believe it is important that this is kept flexible because every trainee solicitor is different and their journey with us is unique. 

Our trainees normally complete four seats across the firm, spending six months in each seat. At the point of qualification we do our best to retain every trainee solicitor and they do not just qualify to fill vacancies within the firm - the firm often expands to create positions for the right candidates.

Early responsibility

Our trainee solicitors are treated as important lawyers from day one which means the work which is given is on real matters and with real clients. Working alongside our partners and their teams, trainee solicitors are expected to be ready to face challenges and pressure early on to get the best out of their experience.

Firm-wide support

We are an exceptionally social firm and have won the ‘most sociable firm in the UK’ award for multiple years in The Legal 500 Future Lawyers survey. This and our other awards according to our own trainees can be seen on our Legal 500 Future Lawyers profile.  

The teams at LP all work closely together and trainee solicitors are encouraged to get involved in activities across all teams, not just the team where they sit. Aside from the work trainees take on to develop their legal knowledge and ability, they are also given opportunity to develop other skills by taking part in firm-wide events such as Sync the City.

Opportunity for growth

We are a full-service firm which means our trainee solicitors have a choice of eight areas to experience during their training contract. Our size allows us to provide close-knit support from lawyers of all levels and fantastic opportunities to progress and develop. During your training with us, you will have regular reviews and guidance with your supervisor, the training principal and the People & Culture Manager. You will also be paired with a qualified lawyer 'buddy' offering more informal support. Once qualified, our lawyers then pair up with a mentor who supports their career progression to Associate, Senior Associate and Partner levels.

Competitive Benefits

We have a wide range of benefits to offer our trainees from their very first day at LP including:

• Firm-wide bonus scheme which in the 2023/2024 financial year, paid each employee 10% of their annual salary as a bonus
• Healthcare cash plan
• Wellbeing support
• Free eye tests
• Annual flu vaccination clinic
• Enhanced parental leave
• Free breakfast and fresh fruit
• Free railcard
• Discounted bus travel
• Subsidised city centre parking
• Pension based on full salary and annual advice sessions
• Corporate discounts

In addition to the above we offer all of our future trainee solicitors the option to take up an interest free loan to help fund their LPC course fees.

How To Apply

There are two ways to obtain a training contract with our firm. The first option is to apply to spend a week with us during our Vacation Scheme weeks. Students that impress and show an interest in pursuing a training contract will either be invited to a follow up assessment with our trainee recruitment panel or offered a place at the next available Trainee Assessment Day.

You can also apply to attend our Trainee Assessment Day. We don’t like long application forms so all we ask for is a CV and a cover letter to tell us a little bit about you and why you want to train with us. The assessment day gives us the chance to get to know you and decide whether we can see you fitting into the LP team. Likewise, this day is a chance for you to meet us and see if LP is a good fit for you. 

We take all applications by email to recruitment@leathesprior.co.uk.

The application deadlines for the 2025 Trainee Assessment Day and Vacation Schemes are as follows:

Trainee Assessment Day - 27 November 2024

Easter Vacation Scheme - 26 February 2025

Summer Vacation Scheme- 23 July 2025

FAQs

I am a little further along in my studies and have started/ completed the LPC/ SQE course, will I be recruited for a 2026 start?

We encourage candidates to apply as early as possible to get a place on their preferred training year. Having said this, we do sometimes have a space available in the preceding years so do let us know if you wish to be considered for an earlier start.

I am not sure whether my grades will be sufficiently high, should I still apply?

Whilst we do like to see top grades we will not filter out applications purely based on this. That being said, we do receive high volumes of strong candidates so if your grades are lower, we would be looking to see something else on your application to make you stand out from others with stronger academics.  

Do you have a preferred LPC provider?

We do not have a preference so will let you make this decision. It will have no impact on your offer, nor will it affect the LPC loan we offer to successful candidates.

Can I study the LPC whilst completing my training contract?

We only make such arrangements for students who are already close to completing their LPC and who we invite to start with us in the same year. Our standard practice is to start the training contract after the completion of the LPC. The LPC is not an easy course and our trainees are given real client work from day one so this ensures that trainees are able to put 100% into their development at the firm and balance this with home life.

Do you have opportunities available for first year students?

Choosing your Training Contract is a big decision and if you are starting your search in your first year then we commend you for being so pro-active! Whilst our Trainee Assessment Day is aimed at second/third year students (or final year for non-law) we do take applications from first year students for our Summer Vacation Scheme week allowing students starting their applications at the end of year one to take part. We also encourage first year students not yet ready to apply, to connect with us on social media and stay in the loop with our news and events.  

Thinking about the upcoming Solicitor Qualifying Examination (SQE) route?

The SQE is a new way of qualifying as a solicitor and you can find more details on the SRA website. Whilst the transitional arrangements are in place, we intend to continue to offer our usual Vacation Scheme and Training Contract programmes. If you do have a particular interest in switching to the SQE route soon, let us know when you apply. We are flexible in our approach to how we train our future lawyers so if your application is successful we can explore this with you.

Further details of the renumeration package will be released to successful candidates upon the receipt of a training contract offer.