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Lewis Silkin Graduate Careers

Welcome to the Lewis Silkin law firm hub. Here you will find everything you need to know about the firm, preparing you for your future applications. 

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The AllAboutLaw perspective on Lewis Silkin

From its founding in 1950 by Lewis Silkin, a determined eldest son of a poor family of refugees, the firm has expanded rapidly, becoming market leaders in in employment and in the creative and tech industries, with seven offices throughout the UK, as well as offices across Ireland and Hong Kong. Their membership with Ius Laboris and GALA extends their reach further. This global alliance of the world’s leading employment and advertising firms exposes Lewis Silkin to clients across over 100 countries, allowing their lawyers to work on multi-jurisdiction cases with some of the world’s largest companies, coordinating advice from across their alliances.

Join a training contract at Lewis Silkin, and you will complete four six-month seats, typically within their employment team. You can also choose seats from within Lewis Silkin’s other available departments, tailoring your training programme to meet your specific interests. With the option to take on a client secondment, you will have the opportunity to learn more broadly about the legal profession, building commerciality as you learn about your client from the inside.

Guided by their ethos of ‘bravery and kindness’, Lewis Silkin is committed to using their resources to support their community. Employees are encouraged to volunteer within the many pro bono schemes and DEI initiatives offered at Lewis Silkin. Projects include providing advice to a local employment advice clinic for low-income residents, working for a Rights of Women Advice line, providing legal advice for women in England and Wales experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace, and mentoring sixth-form students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. 

What the firm says

Successful businesses rely on a unique set of ideas and people. We help our clients protect and develop those vital assets, unlocking possibilities for future success.

From iconic brands and leading multinationals to pioneering start-ups, we are proud to work with a huge range of inspiring clients, helping them to turn their ideas into reality and get the best from - and for - their people.

Our people are not only exceptional at what they do, they also enjoy doing it and consistently give their best to a firm they’re proud to be part of. This stems from our firm culture and our ethos of bravery and kindness. That ethos runs through everything we do, from our approach to recruitment, business practices, and DEI activities to the day-to-day environment in our office and our relationships with clients.  

With an internationally minded team of more than 700 working across key areas of law – plus strategic partnerships around the world – we’ve got both the combination and calibre of legal experts it takes to enable our clients’ businesses to thrive. Whether it is providing global employment law advice, managing a global IP portfolio or piecing together a multijurisdictional corporate transaction, we are able to have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

We are proud winners of the ‘Firm of the Year’ category at The Lawyer Awards 2025 – the most prestigious category in the UK’s most important legal awards. This is testament to our innovative approach and collaborative culture. 

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What we do

Our major practice areas include: digital, creative and commerce; corporate; data, privacy and cyber; dispute resolution; employment; immigration; investigations and regulatory; partnership; real estate; tax, reward and incentives; and trade mark and portfolio management.

Key sectors we work in include advertising and marketing; financial services; media and entertainment; professional services; retail, fashion and hospitality; sports business; and technology.  

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What we look for

When we recruit, our focus is simply on finding the best candidate for the role - regardless of their background. We are looking for genuine passion and interest within our specialist sectors and someone who is enthusiastic and motivated, possesses strong communication skills and is a team player who works for the benefit of all.

When applying for our training contract, it can be tempting to tell us what you think we want to hear, and pretend to be someone you're not. However, the person we most want to hear from is the genuine 'you'. We want to get to know you, your experience, and what excites you about a training contract at Lewis Silkin. Likewise, we want you to get to know us in return.

Throughout the process, we will be looking to understand two fundamental points:

• Why you want to be a commercial solicitor
• Why you want to train at Lewis Silkin

You should view your application as an opportunity to introduce yourself to us, and highlight what makes you a strong candidate for our training contract.

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Data

• 1st year trainee salary£47,500
• 2nd year trainee salary£51,750
• NQ salary£85,000
• SQE Course Fees Paid?Yes
• Maintenance grant (London)£16,500
• Maintenance Grant (ex London)£15,500
• PGDL course fees paid?Yes
• UK offices7
• Retention rate5 of 6

Sustainability

Sustainability is incredibly important to this law firm. The firm has signed up to the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance pledge, which is a movement committed to finding more sustainable ways to attract early talent.

Academic requirements

• Apprenticeship A Levels ABB

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