Training Contract & Vacation scheme - 2027 & 2025 - Mills & Co

Application deadline: Vacation scheme 31 January 2025

Application deadline: Training Contract 30 June 2025

Trainee Solicitor vacancy 2027

Many of our Directors and solicitors have completed training contracts with Mills & Co and we see our trainees as the future of the firm. As a trainee you will work with three or four Directors, gaining experience in several different areas of law: shipping litigation, international trade, commercial contracts, sale of goods and ship finance. 

Most of your training will be work on actual cases, under supervision. Typical trainee tasks include reviewing documents, carrying out legal research, giving advice to clients by telephone or email, participating in meetings, drafting pleadings, and assisting with trial preparation. You will move on to more complex work and build your knowledge and skills base as your training contract progresses. 

Our starting salary for 2024 was £33,000. We also provide private health care and thirty-four days of annual leave (including bank holidays). We also have a pension scheme and a private health care plan. We sponsor successful candidates through future PGDL and LPC/SQE studies, paying the fees for the courses/exams, subject to certain criteria and conditions.

We are looking for: 

• Academically bright individuals 
• A 2:1 degree or above (not necessarily in law) 
• An appetite for challenging, stimulating work 
• Commercial awareness 
• Excellent time-management and communication skills 
• Ability to work well within a team 
• Flexibility and the ability to thrive under pressure 
• A genuine interest in shipping law 
• Commitment to a long-term job in the North East 
• Additional languages and previous experience of seafaring are desirable qualities, but not required. 

Our next vacancies are in 2027. The closing date for applications is 30 June 2025. 

Vacation scheme 2025

Get the inside track

We offer week-long vacation schemes for university students and prospective trainees. During the week you will sit with one of our Directors, experience the work we do for yourself, and attend internal seminars and social events.

During vacation schemes the firm will arrange and pay for accommodation for students who do not live locally and will pay travel expenses from within the UK. A subsistence allowance is also paid. Applications for 2025 must be submitted by 31 January 2025. A total of six placements will be offered between Easter, June and July 2025. We will notify the successful applicants in February 2025.

To apply for any of our current vacancies, please send your CV and covering letter to Tamsin Neale, our Office Manager. You can also contact Tamsin if you’d like more details of our vacancies, how we work, or what we provide.