Vacation scheme & Training Contract - 2025 & 2027 - Howes Percival

Key dates

Vacation scheme - deadline 31 March 2025. 

Vacation schemes in Leicester, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Norwich begin in June/July 2025.

Training Contract - deadline 20 June 2025.  

Please apply early—if we have enough suitable candidates to invite to our assessment centres we may bring the deadline forward.

Vacation scheme

The vacation scheme is a chance to experience the working environment of a successful regional commercial practice. It’s also an opportunity to show us your potential as a future trainee—many of our current and past trainees started by doing a holiday placement with us before joining the firm.

Successful applicants will spend one week at a chosen office discovering each of its different disciplines, including corporate commercial, employment, litigation and commercial property.  You will work with current trainees and qualified solicitors and learn what training might entail. We aim to get you involved in client meetings, hearings and seminars.

As with all firms, places on our work experience scheme are limited in number. 

Training Contract

Our two-year graduate programme comprises four six-month seats, each in a different department. You will usually have the opportunity to gain experience in at least two of our offices. At present, we recruit trainees for East Midlands (Leicester, Northampton and Milton Keynes offices) and East Anglia (Norwich and Cambridge offices) separately. This is primarily based on geography and commuting. If East Midlands trainees request a seat in Cambridge, for example, we always try to be flexible.

In some instances, we offer secondments with our clients, where you would work in-house gaining valuable commercial experience.

During the training you will also complete a professional skills course. The core modules and electives are provided by external trainers and take place in either Leicester or Norwich (off site).

Learning how to build a business

We firmly believe in developing your marketing skills early on as part of the training programme. Trainees will attend client events hosted by the firm, such as seminars and seasonal parties, as well as external marketing events and events hosted by our clients. 

Senior lawyer guidance

A training principal will oversee your training, but you will report directly to a partner or senior fee earner. After three months and again at the end of your seat you will be formally appraised by the partner training you. You will also be appraised by the training principal who will discuss your ambitions and aspirations for the future.

Recruitment process

We seek to recruit the best people from every background, regardless of their personal circumstances. To aid that objective, we recently adopted the Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) from recruitment software firm Rare. The system allows us to understand each applicant’s achievements in the context in which they have been gained. As a filter it is only ever used to screen people in, not out, and under no circumstances are candidates ever marked down for supplying this information. 

If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an assessment day in late July or early August. The assessment lasts for approximately half a day and includes an interview, presentation and a number of tests.

If you are successful following the assessment day, we will aim to inform you either the same day or as soon as possible afterwards.

Click apply to find out more