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AllAboutLaw
Jones Day

Jones Day

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In their own words

One Firm Worldwide: delivering sophisticated global legal advice through deep collaboration, exceptional client service, and early responsibility for its lawyers

Snapshot

Firm type

US firm in London

UK offices

London

International offices

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Irvine, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, São Paulo, Silicon Valley, Washington, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Perth, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo

Training contract places

20

Vacation scheme places

60

First-year salary

£60,000

Second-year salary

£68,000

Newly qualified salary

£170,000

Trainee retention

Not disclosed

SQE support

Yes - full funding

Visa sponsorship

Not disclosed

International secondment

No

Client secondment

No

Guaranteed secondment

No

Recruitment route

Vacation scheme only

Rolling recruitment?

Yes

Seat structure

Non-rotational training system. Trainees don't have fixed seats; they proactively seek work from partners and associates across practice groups throughout the two-year contract

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Not applicable in the conventional sense as trainees shape their own experience by choosing who to approach for work, rather than expressing seat preferences within a rotation

Trainee salaries review

Annually

Non-law applicants

Actively encouraged

Career-changer applicants

Actively encouraged

PGDL funding

Yes, full funding

Retrospective funding

Considered case-by-case
Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you thrive in a non-rotational training system where you actively seek work from different lawyers rather than being allocated fixed six-month seats?

Are you comfortable managing competing demands and some unpredictability in exchange for greater freedom to shape your own training experience?

Are you confident in approaching partners and associates for work and taking responsibility for building relationships across different practice groups?

Do Jones Day's strengths in Private Equity/M&A, Financial Markets and Global Disputes/Litigation match the areas you would like to explore during your training?

Would you value cross-border work through a global network even though Jones Day does not offer a standard international trainee secondment programme?

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

Truly global law firm / “One Firm Worldwide”

What this could mean for you
You could build cross-border experience from London and work with colleagues in different jurisdictions without needing an international secondment to gain international exposure.

Single partnership

What this could mean for you
You could work on matters that bring together lawyers from different offices and specialisms, giving you exposure to how complex international matters are coordinated across a global firm.

Non-rotational training system

What this could mean for you
You could have considerably more control over the work and practices you explore than under a traditional seat system, but you will also need to be proactive about finding work, managing competing demands and building relationships across the firm.

Practice area strengths

Private Equity/M&A

Jones Day advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies and strategic buyers on complex domestic and cross-border acquisitions, disposals and investments. Trainees can gain exposure to fast-paced transactions, conducting due diligence, managing signing and completion processes, coordinating with international offices and interacting with specialists across tax, finance, employment and competition law.

Financial Markets - including Leveraged Finance

London acts as a major hub for financing transactions, particularly those supporting private equity deals. Trainees can review finance documents, coordinate conditions precedent, manage transaction checklists and help close complex financing arrangements, combining technical legal analysis with commercial awareness and working closely with banks, borrowers and overseas counsel.

Global Disputes/Litigation

Jones Day's London office handles a broad range of commercial, regulatory and cross-border disputes, often involving multinational corporations. Trainees can take early responsibility by assisting with case strategy, legal research, disclosure exercises, witness preparation and court or arbitration proceedings, while international matters can involve coordinating litigation and investigations across several jurisdictions.

All practice areas

Private equityFinancial markets and productsLitigationAntitrustCompetitionData, privacy and cybersecurityEmploymentFinanceIntellectual propertyMergers and acquisitions (M&A)Restructuring and insolvencyRegulatory and complianceTax
Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself

  • Would you thrive in a non-rotational training system where you actively seek work from different lawyers rather than being allocated fixed six-month seats?
  • Are you comfortable managing competing demands and some unpredictability in exchange for greater freedom to shape your own training experience?
  • Are you confident in approaching partners and associates for work and taking responsibility for building relationships across different practice groups?
  • Do Jones Day's strengths in Private Equity/M&A, Financial Markets and Global Disputes/Litigation match the areas you would like to explore during your training?
  • Would you value cross-border work through a global network even though Jones Day does not offer a standard international trainee secondment programme?

This firm may suit candidates who…

  • Want more control over the practice areas and matters they explore during their training.
  • Are proactive and comfortable building relationships with different lawyers to develop their workload and experience.
  • Are interested in Private Equity/M&A, Financial Markets or Global Disputes/Litigation and want exposure to sophisticated cross-border matters.
  • Want international work and collaboration without necessarily needing to spend a formal seat overseas.
  • Value early responsibility and the possibility of developing specialist interests while retaining exposure to different areas.

Things to consider

  • There are no fixed seats, so trainees need to take an active role in seeking work from different partners and associates rather than relying on a predetermined rotation.
  • Jones Day acknowledges that managing work across different lawyers and practices can involve competing demands, unpredictability and a steep learning curve.
  • The non-rotational system offers flexibility across practices, but that also means your experience is less predetermined than under a conventional seat structure and requires active management.
  • International trainee secondments are not offered as a standard opportunity, so candidates for whom a guaranteed overseas seat is a priority should factor this in.
  • Greater ownership also brings responsibility for managing your workload, communicating about capacity and making sure you build sufficiently broad experience across the training contract.
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.

Predictability

Jones Day acknowledges that unpredictability can be an inevitable challenge of its non-rotational system, as trainees may work across different practices and manage competing demands at the same time.

Seat variation

Jones Day operates a non-rotational training system. Trainees seek work across different practices rather than completing fixed seats and may work across several areas simultaneously.

Flexibility

The absence of fixed seats gives trainees flexibility over the practices and matters they work on, but this should not be confused with evidence of flexible working hours or remote working.

Holiday allowance

25 days

Office attendance

Jones Day has no formal office attendance policy for trainees.
Culture & support

Supervision style

The non-rotational system is supported by a dedicated partner mentor and trainee mentor, six-monthly formal appraisals and ongoing feedback from the senior lawyers trainees work with. Trainees also complete practice-area checklists to track their development.

Relationship with partners

Trainees actively seek work from partners and associates across different practice groups, while each trainee also has a dedicated partner mentor. This structure creates opportunities for direct interaction with partners, although the level and quality of partner contact cannot be independently assessed without trainee survey evidence.

Open plan or traditional offices

Traditional/shared offices. Jones Day says first-year trainees share an office with another first-year trainee, providing peer support as they adjust to the non-rotational system.
Application process

Online application form

Video interview

(1 hour)

What happens

The interview is live and includes a chat with a trainee

In-person assessment centre

(Full morning (9:30am-1:00pm))

What happens

Includes a group exercise and one-to-one discussion with senior lawyers.

Vacation scheme