Trainee Solicitor or Vacation Scheme Intern

This role is for the Middle East Training Contract and/or Middle East Vacation Scheme. You will be considered for both opportunities unless you specify on your application form that you're unable or don't wish to be considered for the Vacation Scheme.

During the two-year Middle East Training Contract, you will experience the challenging high-performance world of commercial law and gain the breadth of experience you need to emerge as a confident solicitor in England and Wales. You will have four six-month rotations, the first rotation being spent in our London office and the remaining three in our Middle East offices, giving you the opportunity to explore the firms Global Product Groups. Seats choices will be within our core areas of Capital Markets, Debt Finance, Disputes, Corporate Transactions & Advisory, Project Development Finance, Real Estate, Restructuring & Insolvency, or Funds. You may also have the opportunity to undertake a client secondment. Trainees receive a salary of 350,000 AED in their first year, 365,000 in their second year.

Our two-week and two-day Summer Vacation Scheme from 10 th June –25 th June 2027 is designed to offer outstanding opportunities for you to experience what a career at Clifford Chance involves. You’ll gain insights into our exciting, stimulating, and challenging work. You will be close to the action and will have the opportunity to work with experienced lawyers in two of our key Global Product Groups. Throughout the Scheme, you will also receive the support of a supervising associate and trainee & buddy who will help guide you and will be someone who you can turn to at any stage. The expectation will be for you to be eager to learn, ask questions, and immerse yourself as much as possible. There will be many opportunities for networking and socialising with Clifford Chance employees in our Middle East offices and you are encouraged to make the most of these and your time with us. The Scheme can lead to a Middle East Training Contract interview. You will be paid AED 2,500 for the Scheme and where applicable, flights and accommodation to partake in the Vacation Scheme will be covered.

Eligibility
Our Training Contract and Vacation Scheme are open to penultimate year law students, final year law and non-law students, and graduates.

You must be eligible to start your Training Contract in February 2029 or August 2029. Your Training Contract intake may be decided by the recruitment team. For further information on eligibility, please refer to our FAQs on our website. You must have achieved or be on track to achieve a 2:1 or above in your undergraduate degree.

If you are applying for our Middle East Training Contract and you have not studied a law degree then you will need to complete the PGDL prior to joining us as a Trainee. Please note that if you are a Scots or Irish law student or graduate you may be required to do elements of the PGDL. All Future Trainees will also need to complete the SQE prior to joining us as a Trainee, this is irrespective of whether they have already completed the LPC. All Future Trainees who have already completed the SQE will still need to complete the Clifford Chance Plus Programme, which is a bespoke course designed by our lawyers in collaboration with the University of Law. Both the PGDL and SQE are funded by Clifford Chance and we will provide a maintenance grant to use during your studies. More details can be found on our website here. If you have already completed the PGDL, you need to have achieved a commendation (60% or more) overall and achieved a completion (a pass or better) on all modules at first attempt. If you have already completed the SQE, you need to have passed all modules on first attempt.

How to Apply 

- Complete the online application form.

- Take the Clifford Chance Immersive Online Assessment and Watson Glaser critical reasoning test.

- After completing the Clifford Chance Immersive Online Assessment and Watson Glaser critical reasoning test, your application form will be reviewed by the recruitment team.

- Successful candidates at application review will be invited to a recorded video interview.

- If you are successful at the video interview stage, you will be invited for a virtual competency interview with a Partner and Senior Associate who work in the Middle East.

- If you are successful at the virtual interview, you will be invited to complete a case study exercise in the London office (inclusive of a written exercise) and a case study interview with a Partner and Senior Associate.

About the Firm

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies which matter most to them.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.