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Bates Wells

Bates Wells

Next deadline

Solicitor Apprenticeship Open Evening · 19 Nov 2026

(59 days)

Apply now
In their own words

We champion better business and look to make a positive mark on it.

Snapshot

Firm type

National

UK offices

London

International offices

Not disclosed

Training contract places

6

Vacation scheme places

8

First-year salary

£44,000

Second-year salary

£46,000

Newly qualified salary

£76,500

Trainee retention

67%

SQE support

Full SQE1 and SQE2 funding and maintenance grant.

Visa sponsorship

Yes

International secondment

No

Client secondment

No

Guaranteed secondment

Not disclosed

Recruitment route

Direct training contract and vacation scheme

Rolling recruitment?

No

Seat structure

4 six-month long seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

No

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, but they are not guaranteed

Trainee salaries review

Annually

Non-law applicants

Actively encouraged

Career-changer applicants

Actively encouraged

Remote working

Trainees can work abroad for an agreed period

Minimum academic requirements

2:1 at University

Typical start time

9:30am

Typical finish time

17:30pm

Wellbeing support

Mental health first aiders, private medical cover, Medicash health benefit, subsidised gym membership, volunteering days

Minimum holiday

25 days

Additional leave

Birthday leave 2 volunteering days, 1 discretionary "Bates Wells Day" over Christmas

% female trainees

67%

% female partners

40%

% BAME partners

21%

SQE1 and SQE2 funding

Yes, full funding

SQE1 and SQE2 maintenance grant

Yes

PGDL funding

Yes, full funding

Retrospective funding

No

Diversity programmes

STEP (social mobility), UnstoppABLE (disability), Queen Street Pride (LGBTQI+), Reach & Rise (ethnicity), Parents Network, PRIME commitment, SMART Legal Commitment, UpReach recruitment tool.
Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Are you drawn specifically to charity and social-enterprise work?

Does a firm with a two-day-a-week minimum office attendance suit how you want to train?

Does it appeal to you that, as a B Corp, the firm formally weighs client, staff, community and environmental impact alongside partner profit?

Would a training contract with no international or client secondments still suit you?

Next deadline

Solicitor Apprenticeship Open Evening

19 Nov 2026

(59 days)

View job

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

"We champion better business and look to make a positive mark on it."

What this could mean for you
This claim is backed by B Corp certification, reflecting a genuine, verifiable commitment to this ethos. This is something the firm practices, giving trainees two volunteering days and allowing them to make a positive mark whilst they train.

"When you start your career with us, you'll be part of a small trainee intake and a supportive and participative culture where you can be yourself, learn, grow and develop."

What this could mean for you
Trainees know that they will be "one of just six trainees," and a third of current partners started their careers at the firm as trainees, which suggests the small, supportive framing translates into genuine long-term opportunities. You should expect a level of individual visibility and closer supervisor contact that a larger trainee cohort wouldn't offer.

“We’re looking for trainees who are genuinely excited to join a smaller firm that’s driven by its values, who understand that making a positive impact is as important to us as making a profit.”

What this could mean for you
The firm selects candidates who are authentically drawn to purpose-led work. This ensures that the cohort is on the same page about doing high-quality work for the right reasons.

Practice area strengths

Charity & Social Enterprise

This is a mandatory seat for all trainees and touches almost all of our other practice areas in some way. The ChaSE team is split into smaller sub-teams focusing on sectors such as Education, Sports, Charity Finance, Sustainability & Environment and Data Privacy. Trainees will take on a variety of work across the sub-teams.

Immigration

Parliamentary & Public Affairs (Electoral Law)

All practice areas

CharitiesImmigrationParliamentaryPublic lawCommercialCompetitionCorporateData, privacy and cybersecurityDispute resolutionEmploymentEquality and anti-discrimination lawFaith-based organisationsFinanceICTOutsourcingInvestigationsPhilanthropyNature and biodiversityPolitics, elections and campaigningProcurementReal estateSafeguardingTrademarks, design and copyright
Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself:

  • Are you drawn specifically to charity and social-enterprise work?
  • Does a firm with a two-day-a-week minimum office attendance suit how you want to train?
  • Does it appeal to you that, as a B Corp, the firm formally weighs client, staff, community and environmental impact alongside partner profit?
  • Would a training contract with no international or client secondments still suit you?

This firm may suit candidates who…

  • Would rather train in a smaller cohort, being just one of six trainees.
  • Want to join a firm where social impact is structurally built into the business.
  • Are drawn to the firm's specialist practice areas like charity and electoral law, which other firms may not offer.
  • Want early, hands-on client contact rather than a slow ramp-up as the firm states trainees get client contact "from the very beginning" of their career.

Things to consider

  • No international or client secondments are on offer.
  • The firm's clearest external strengths sit in specialist areas rather than corporate/commercial practice, so it may suit you less if you want broad commercial exposure.
Work-life reality

Work-life balance varies by team, seat and transaction cycle. This section is designed to help you understand the pattern, not reduce the experience to a score.

Flexibility

The firm states trainees can work abroad for a set period under its remote working policy, on top of standard hybrid working.

Holiday allowance

25 days minimum leave, plus a birthday day, a discretionary "Bates Wells Day" over Christmas, two volunteering days and five days of carers/dependency leave.

Office attendance

The firm requires a minimum of two days a week in the office.
Application process

Online application form

(2 hours)

Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test

(1 hour)

What happens

The test uses an online, bespoke test. Applications are reviewed alongside Watson Glaser results before shortlisting.

Assessment Centre

(Half day)

What happens

Stages: Competency-based interview Written commercial awareness task Commercial awareness presentation.

Final interview

(1 hour)

What happens

A strengths-based interview with two Partners
Events
Application masterclass
Discover how the Bates Wells recruitment process works and learn how to create a stronger application from the very first stage
Tuesday 20 October09:00 - 10:00
Secure your place
Data privacy law at Bates Wells

Join Rayhaan, senior associate and head of data and privacy, for an inside look at the data protection and privacy practice at Bates Wells. Discover the legal and commercial issues clients face in an evolving digital world, the types of matters the team advises on and how lawyers help organisations manage data responsibly. You’ll gain practical insight into this fast-moving area of law and a clearer understanding of what a career in data privacy can involve

Monday 16 November12:00 - 13:00
Secure your place
Opportunities
Solicitor Apprenticeship Open Evening

Bates Wells

Bates Wells

59 days leftCloses 12:00am, 19 Nov 2026

View job