Gibson Dunn

Next deadline

London Spring or Summer Vacation Scheme 2027 · 8 Jan 2027

(83 days)

In their own words

Equally formidable in the boardroom and the courtroom, with trainees gaining experience across both transactional and contentious work.

Snapshot

Firm type

US firm in London

UK offices

London

International offices

Century City, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Denver, New York, Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C., Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Madrid, Zurich, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore.

Training contract places

Vacation scheme places

First-year salary

£65,000

Second-year salary

£70,000

Newly qualified salary

£180,000

Trainee retention

Not disclosed

SQE support

Yes - full funding

Visa sponsorship

Yes

International secondment

Yes

Client secondment

Yes

Guaranteed secondment

Not disclosed

Holiday allowance

25 days

Recruitment route

Both vacation scheme and direct training contract

Rolling recruitment?

Yes

Seat structure

Four six-month seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

Sometimes, depending on circumstances

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, but preferences are not guaranteed

Non-law applicants

Actively encouraged

Career-changer applicants

Actively encouraged

Remote working

No, standard hybrid only

Minimum academic requirements

ABB at A-Level and a 2:1 (or predicted 2:1) at undergraduate level

Wellbeing support

Subsidised gym, private healthcare insurance, BUPA healthcare assessments, Unmind access

Retrospective funding

Yes

Formal pro bono programme

Yes

Diversity networks and partnerships

Includes Black, Asian American, South Asian, Hispanic/Latino, LGBTQ+, MENA, Muslim, Jewish, Disability, First Generation Professionals, Parenting and Women’s affinity groups, alongside partnerships with PRIME Commitment and Aspiring Solicitors

Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you thrive in small, focused teams where trainees are expected to take significant responsibility and work directly with senior lawyers?

Do you learn best through hands-on experience, alongside structured training, rather than relying primarily on classroom-style development?

Does working on complex international transactions and disputes across multiple jurisdictions appeal to you?

Would you value broad exposure across disputes and transactional practices before deciding where you want to specialise?

Would you enjoy taking an active role in shaping your development and seeking out opportunities that interest you?

Next deadline

London Spring or Summer Vacation Scheme 2027

8 Jan 2027

(83 days)

View job

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

On the job learning

What this could mean for you

Structured departmental training is designed to complement learning through live matters. Trainees work closely with senior lawyers and develop through hands-on involvement in transactions and disputes. If you learn best by doing, you could develop your skills through substantive work while still having structured training and senior support alongside it.

Truly international

What this could mean for you

London trainees regularly work on cross-border transactions and disputes with lawyers and clients overseas, with opportunities for international and client secondments. You could build an international perspective without leaving the London office, while also having the possibility of gaining experience overseas through a secondment.

Real responsibility

What this could mean for you

The firm says trainees take on a high level of responsibility on matters with opportunities to contribute meaningfully to live matters from an early stage, while developing your confidence and judgement with support from senior lawyers, mentors and the firm’s buddy system. You could contribute meaningfully to matters from an early stage, but you may need to be comfortable taking initiative and managing responsibility as you develop.

Practice area strengths

International Arbitration

International arbitration is one of Gibson Dunn’s strongest externally ranked London practices. The team handles complex commercial and investor-state arbitrations, often involving cross-border disputes and multiple jurisdictions. Its wider disputes capability also spans commercial litigation and public international law, giving lawyers exposure to sophisticated international contentious work.

Real Estate

Gibson Dunn’s London real estate practice works on major investment, financing and development matters, including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and portfolio transactions. Its client base includes institutional investors, investment funds and lenders, giving the practice a strong focus on sophisticated commercial real estate transactions.

Corporate/M&A

Gibson Dunn advises major corporates, financial institutions and private equity sponsors on substantial domestic and cross-border transactions. The London office handles high-value M&A, private equity investments and joint ventures across sectors including infrastructure, technology, financial services, healthcare, energy and real estate.

All practice areas

International arbitrationReal estateCorporate / M&AAntitrustAppellate and constitutional lawCompetitionArtificial intelligenceBetting and gamingBusiness restructuringCapital marketsClass actionsCommercialCorporateData, privacy and cybersecurityEmployee benefitsEmploymentEnvironmental litigation and mass tortEnergyFinanceFinancial services and regulationFinTech and digital assetsInsuranceIntellectual propertyInternational tradeInvestment fundsLitigationMergers and acquisitions (M&A)Media and entertainmentPrivate equityPublic lawPublic policyRegulatory and complianceReinsuranceRestructuring and insolvencySecurities litigationStrategic sourcing and commercial transactionsTaxTechnologyTransnational litigationWhite collar defence and investigations

Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself

Would you thrive in small, focused teams where trainees are expected to take significant responsibility and work directly with senior lawyers?
Do you learn best through hands-on experience, alongside structured training, rather than relying primarily on classroom-style development?
Does working on complex international transactions and disputes across multiple jurisdictions appeal to you?
Would you value broad exposure across disputes and transactional practices before deciding where you want to specialise?
Would you enjoy taking an active role in shaping your development and seeking out opportunities that interest you?

This firm may suit candidates who…

Want significant responsibility and hands-on involvement in matters from an early stage.
Want to train at a law firm with strong practices across both international disputes and high-value transactional work.
Are looking for genuinely international work while remaining based in London.
Would value working directly with partners and senior associates in small, focused teams.
Prefer taking an active role in shaping their development and seeking out work and mentors that interest them.

Things to consider

Early responsibility gives trainees opportunities to take initiative and contribute meaningfully to matters, with support from senior colleagues.
The broad range of potential seats gives trainees opportunities to explore different practice areas before deciding where their longer-term interests lie.
Cross-border matters can involve working closely with colleagues and clients across different offices, jurisdictions and time zones.
Smaller teams can provide greater exposure to substantive work and opportunities to contribute meaningfully from an early stage.
Gibson Dunn’s Free Market approach, where lawyers can take an active role in seeking out work and building relationships across the firm, may particularly appeal to self-directed trainees.

Culture & support

Supervision style

Trainees typically share an office with a partner or senior associate and work directly with them on matters. The firm also provides structured departmental training, mentoring and a buddy system alongside on-the-job learning.

Relationship with partners

Trainees can work directly with partners in small, focused teams, giving them close exposure to senior lawyers from an early stage.

Open plan or traditional offices

Traditional offices. Trainees typically share an office with a partner or senior associate.