Trainee Solicitor Opportunities

During the SQE transition we are still considering applications for traditional training contracts for those who have chosen to take that route. The start date for the two-year training contract for the forthcoming application period will be in September 2027. We offer funding of £9,000 towards the fees for LPC courses which have not already been started at the time of acceptance of the offer of a contract.

Training at Sharpe Pritchard is much more than a rotation around departments. As a Sharpe Pritchard trainee solicitor, you will start your QWE with a bespoke training induction. Over a two week period, you will not only have an opportunity to get to know your fellow trainees but you will also receive an introduction to the firm, learning about how we work and about our core legal practice areas and disciplines, particularly in some of our specialist areas which are not covered fully in the GDL, LPC or SQE. This tailored programme will ensure that you are able to hit the ground running in your first seat.

We aim to provide legal experience in all core areas of our practice: commercial contracts and procurement, dispute resolution, employment, planning and parliamentary, real estate, construction, infrastructure and ICT and data.  Trainee solicitors usually experience four seats at the firm and are given the opportunity to express preferences throughout.

Our trainee solicitors are sometimes given the opportunity to go on secondment with clients, usually for part of the working week. This gives invaluable exposure to and experience of our client organisations which include central government, and local authorities.

We are a leading firm working across the UK. We have a national reputation for our work for public sector bodies and for private sector clients who need advice on public law issues.

A significant number of the firm’s partners and departments are highly ranked in Chambers and Legal 500 as leading experts in their fields. A great deal of the work we do has a high public profile and is of high value and our clients include central government departments, local authorities and local authority companies, non-departmental public bodies, charities and commercial clients.

A significant proportion of the firm’s work is non-contentious commercial work, including procurement. This includes work in ICT, infrastructure, outsourcing, construction, health, education and general public authority contracts.

Our real estate team deals with a range of property transactions and high-profile redevelopment work, including compulsory purchase.

Our dispute resolution team deals with all types of claims, including construction disputes, procurement challenges, housing and other general litigation. We have a nationally recognised judicial review, injunction and statutory appeals practice, frequently appearing in the higher courts. We also have a thriving employment practice.

Our planning team undertakes work mainly for planning authorities, often involving complex major schemes, and our parliamentary team works with the planning and real estate teams on infrastructure authorisation projects and advising on legislation procedure and general public law.

We believe the best organisations are those that listen to their employees from across the business. We hold regular all-trainee meetings and there are regular staff briefings to keep staff up to date on key developments within the firm, supported by regular newsletters and we actively respond to firm-wide engagement surveys. We are proud to have received a 2 star “outstanding” rating every year since 2022 for our employee engagement from Best Companies. We have an active social and CSR committee who put on social and charity events across the year.

We offer meaningful flexible work with the ability to work from home and offer meaningful work/life balance.

We have a Wellbeing Leadership Group with members from across the firm. Members include our Managing Partner, Head of Business Operations, as well as other partners, trainee solicitors and business support. The Group’s purpose is to promote and champion positive mental health and wellbeing within the firm. One of the group’s first responsibilities is to drive the implementation of the Mindful Business Charter at the firm. For further information on our Wellbeing strategy please click here.

It is central to our values that our teams reflect the diverse community around us and that everyone at Sharpe Pritchard can be themselves and bring their authentic selves to work.

We are proud that the firm has a long history of gender equality at every level in the firm and that we buck the trend within professional services in having achieved gender balance in partnership for a number of years but we want to do even better. Achieving true equity, diversity and inclusion is a core aim at Sharpe Pritchard and we very much welcome applications from all sections of our diverse community, irrespective of race or racial group, sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity, religion or belief, age or disability.

To find out more please visit our dedicated Equality and Diversity Page.

You must be bright, and an effective communicator with good negotiation skills. You will have the ability to work independently as well as in a team and you will have good decision making and organisation skills.  You will have demonstrable research, analytical and drafting skills.  You must have a genuine, demonstrable interest in public sector work.

Applicants need to either be a law graduate or have completed the conversion course/post graduate diploma in Law prior to joining us and enrolling for the SQE1 course.

You can find the full job description here.

Applications should be made through the allhires portal here

The recruitment process consists of three stages:

Stage 1 – Application form review.

Applications are initially reviewed against objective criteria by HR and Partners. Checks are made for AI generated responses.

Stage 2 – Watson Glaser Test.

Long-listed candidates are required to complete a Watson Glaser Test.

The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal assesses the individual’s capability for critical thinking – a discrete skill distinct from, but not independent of, overall intelligence. It is available online and contains 40 items drawn from an item banked and candidates have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the test.

You can find some top tips for completing the test here

Stage 3 – Interview and written test

Short-listed candidates (approximately 10 candidates) are selected for an interview. Selection is based on the Watson Glaser result and an assessment of the information contained in the application form.

Interviews will be held in March. Two or three partners carry out the interview and there is a short written test.