Trainee Recruitment
The two-year training contract will probably be two of the most important years within your legal career. At Seddons we will aim to give you a varied and hands on training environment that will ensure that your legal knowledge, confidence and skills develop as you move through each training seat.
We will guide you as quickly as possible through the transition from inexperienced student to practised professional, encouraging your individual talents every step of the way. We will help you to emerge from your training contract confident and familiar with all aspects of what it means to work in a professional modern practice.
We are not just looking for trainee solicitors, but future solicitors and partners. Where possible we will retain trainees following qualification, although decisions are made according to business needs.
Candidate Criteria
We usually offer up to two trainee opportunities each year, taking one student in September and the second in the following March.
If you wish to apply to Seddons for a Training Contract position, please submit your application between before 31 December 2011. Your application must be made using our Application Form and attaching a copy of your CV.
Shortlisted Candidate Assessment
Each year our selection process commences in January, following the application closing date. We prefer applications from degree holders with a 2:1 class and above and we are happy to receive applications from law and non-law graduates. However, your education is only a small part of your application.
We are searching for Trainee Solicitors who can add or develop the skills we already have within Seddons. You should be able to demonstrate that you not only possess the academic ability, but also be able to show that you are strong communicator, have a strong sense of team focus, the ability to adapt to changing pressures and the commercial understanding to support our clients and become a valuable and reliable lawyer.
We want to see applications that demonstrate your strong academic success, but also include work experience and personal interests that have both stretched and challenged you throughout your education and working life.
From the initial selection process, we invite between 15 and 30 candidates to attend stage one of the interview process, subject to the quality of the applications in any one year.
Once the first interviews have concluded, we will usually invite around eight candidates to return to meet a panel of Partners. You will also be asked to complete a short written test which will provide us with extra information regarding your legal skills and approach.
Following this final stage, we will review each candidate in detail and our decisions are usually communicated to all second round interviewees within two weeks of the process being completed.
During the Training Contract
The training contract is usually split in to four separate seats of six months. Most recently, we have offered seats in; Corporate; Employment; Litigation; Private Client and Property. We are constantly reviewing the seat options to ensure that trainees work within busy departments. This ensures that you not only receive a varied training contract, but you will also experience quality and hands on experience enhancing your skills and development.
We recognise the benefit of trainees experiencing different areas of law during their training period and the Training Principal will make final decisions based on business needs and your development needs. Where possible, we will accommodate individual requests to work within a particular department.
In addition to the practical experience gained in each seat, you will be put through external Professional Skills Courses in order to meet the requirements of the SRA for Trainee Solicitors.
Because you will move around the firm during your training contract, you will quickly get to know everyone in the office. Equally, you will be encouraged to get involved in other events and projects, which will help to build strong relationships with your colleagues and help you become more involved in the practice as a whole.
We regret to advise that we do not offer financial support to prospective trainees for pre-training education and expenditure.