Lewis Silkin

Next deadline

Cardiff open evening · 27 Oct 2026

(11 days)

Apply now

In their own words

Small intake, high quality work, employment and creative industry focus, work-life balance, early responsibility

Snapshot

Firm type

National

UK offices

London, Cardiff, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Belfast

International offices

Dublin (Ireland) and Hong Kong (China)

Training contract places

Vacation scheme places

None

First-year salary

London £49,500, Manchester £37,694, Cardiff £36,011, Belfast £31,000

Second-year salary

London £54,000, Cardiff £39,285, Manchester £41,121, Belfast £33,000

Newly qualified salary

London £90,000, Cardiff £65,475, Manchester £68,535, Belfast £43,000

Trainee retention

78%

SQE support

Full SQE 1, SQE2 and PGDL funding

Visa sponsorship

Yes

International secondment

Client secondment

Yes

Guaranteed secondment

Recruitment route

Direct training contract only

Rolling recruitment?

Seat structure

4 six-month seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

Yes

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, this is taken into consideration

Trainee salary basis

Reviewed annually

Non-law applicants

Actively welcomed

Career changers

Actively welcomed

Remote working

Yes, formal flexible working policy

Holiday allowance

25 days, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days

Minimum academic requirements

None

Typical start time

9:00am

Typical finish time

6:00pm

Billable hours target

1,200 hours per annum

Wellbeing support

Includes mental health first aiders, wellbeing subsidy, fitness classes, private health insurance, health cash plan, corporate gym membership, cycle to work scheme and employee assistance programme

Maintenance grant

£16,500 in London; £15,600 outside London

PGDL funding

Full funding

Retrospective funding

Yes

% female partners

37%

% BAME partners

15%

% LGBTQ+ partners

% female trainees

83%

% BAME trainees

11%

% LGBTQ+ trainees

% state school educated trainees

61%

Diversity networks and partnerships

PRIME, Rare Recruitment, Sutton Trust, GROW, MyPlus

Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Do you have the people skills to work with clients on sensitive employment matters, that may not always be best solved with black-letter-law solutions?

Would you value a flexible approach to office attendance, with scope to balance in-person collaboration and remote working?

Is work-life balance particularly important to you, and are you looking to work in an international firm?

Would you enjoy exploring the firm’s specialist practices and gaining experience across different areas during your seat rotations?

Are you prepared to take on a high level of responsibility for your work from the start of your training?

Are you willing to demonstrate bravery, curiosity and innovation by exploring new ideas and staying alert to wider trends shaping clients?

Next deadline

Cardiff open evening

27 Oct 2026

(11 days)

View job

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

Specialist sector focus

What this could mean for you

As a sector based firm, Lewis Silkin has developed strong ties and a specialist approach to working with clients in creative, technology and media sectors. You could develop specialist sector knowledge while working with clients across the firm’s key industries, making it worth considering how these areas align with your interests.

Employment and people expert

What this could mean for you

With over 200 lawyers in the firm working on employment, the firms’ top practice is employment law, making it stand out against other international firms. You are likely to sit a seat in the employment team, which will require you to have strong interpersonal skills and empathy, to help support clients with both legal and commercial solutions.

Small trainee intake

What this could mean for you

With a smaller intake than most other City law firms, you'll be known as an individual rather than a number, receive tailored support throughout your training, work closely with partners and senior lawyers, and enjoy early responsibility on high-quality client work. Trainees also benefit from a close-knit cohort and the opportunity to build strong relationships across the firm.

Practice area strengths

Employment

Lewis Silkin’s employment group has several band 1 practices within it and spans the full range of employment matters. Within this group, the firm is equipped to handle work relating to employee relations, workplace investigations, discrimination and whistleblowing claims, trade union matters, restructures, executive exits, and Employment Tribunal litigation. The team is currently made up of over 200 lawyers across their offices, and is the firm’s largest practice area. In this group, the firm aims to service clients globally, using their international offices and works with companies on preventative measures, including HR training.

Digital, Commerce & Creative

Lewis Silkin’s commercial practice is a key strength of the firm, particularly in marketing & advertising and media & entertainment, with a band 1 ranking in each of these areas. Within this group, the firm advises and supports clients with commercial agreements, sponsorships, media buying, advertising law and regulatory issues like online safety and AI. The firm is also highly adept at handling a range of publishing and live event matters, and is the go-to firm for live entertainment sphere, including fashion shows, festivals and live music. IP advice on copyright, trade marks, and brand protection, as well as media regulation, data privacy compliance, and content liability are all key focuses of the team.

All practice areas

CorporateData, privacy and cybersecurityDispute resolutionEmploymentESGFinancial services and regulationImmigrationIntellectual propertyReal estateRegulatory and complianceTaxVenture capital and emerging marketsInvestigationsRewards and incentivesGlobal mobilityLLPs and partnershipsShare incentive schemesDigital, commerce and creative

Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Do you have the people skills to work with clients on sensitive employment matters, that may not always be best solved with black-letter-law solutions?
Would you value a flexible approach to office attendance, with scope to balance in-person collaboration and remote working?
Is work-life balance particularly important to you, and are you looking to work in an international firm?
Would you enjoy exploring the firm’s specialist practices and gaining experience across different areas during your seat rotations?
Are you prepared to take on a high level of responsibility for your work from the start of your training?
Are you willing to demonstrate bravery, curiosity and innovation by exploring new ideas and staying alert to wider trends shaping clients?

This firm may suit candidates who…

Have strong people and teamwork skills and want to work in an environment that understands the importance of those skills.
Are naturally curious, demonstrate a growth mindset, keen to learn and develop and willing to innovate, explore new ideas and solutions.
Are interested in working on employment matters and with clients across creative industries specifically.
Enjoy the challenge of working on cross-border matters, but are equally happy to work with other professionals at partnered firms in some jurisdictions.

Things to consider

Seat preferences are taken into consideration alongside business needs, giving trainees opportunities to experience different areas of the firm.
The firm doesn’t have compulsory seats but as it’s the largest team at the firm, its highly likely you will do an Employment seat during your training contract.
Client secondment opportunities are available, while international exposure comes through the firm’s cross-border work rather than overseas trainee secondments.

What trainees do

Employment

What it involves:

Being the firm’s largest practice, trainees in the employment team will work on a very broad range of matters. Trainees in this seat will often work on both contentious and non-contentious work, including tribunal matters, contract review and some drafting.

Example trainee tasks:

Bundling, drafting, calling clients, obtaining counsel quotes, managing and updating spreadsheets, reviewing disclosure, attending preliminary hearings and some administrative tasks.

Who trainees work with:

Trainees work with clients directly, senior lawyers and sometimes counsel.

Early responsibility:

The level of responsibility varies between subgroups and matters, with opportunities for trainees to take on greater ownership as their experience develops.

Corporate

What it involves:

Trainee work in a corporate seat will generally include assisting in ongoing matters and supporting the team. To do this, trainees will undertake a variety of tasks, such as legal research and drafting support, and there is some scope for trainees to draft articles or other knowledge-sharing pieces.

Example trainee tasks:

Drafting documents, preparing and sending emails, assisting with filings, drafting board minutes, and legal research.

Dispute resolution

What it involves:

Trainees in Dispute Resolution support contentious matters through drafting, legal research, disclosure and case management. This can include preparing Letters Before Action and payment demand letters, as well as assisting the wider team as disputes progress.

Example trainee tasks:

Drafting documents, speaking with clients, research tasks and attending court.

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

Workloads are generally predictable whilst working on larger matters, but become less predictable when working on ad hoc work.

Busy periods

The frequency of busy periods is largely seat dependent.

Late finishes

Late finishes are fairly rare, but some seats experience more than others.

Weekend work

Weekend work is rare across the board.

Support

Tasks are spread throughout teams, meaning the whole team will generally be busy at the same time, and work can be reallocated to prevent anyone taking on an unfair share.

Flexibility

The firm offers a flexible working approach, with trainees generally expected to attend the office for two team anchor days each week. Generally, our trainees choose to work in the office around four days a week.

Office attendance

Generally two days per week for team anchor days, alongside flexible working.

Culture & support

Supervision style

Trainees both have an assigned supervisor they check in with, and open door access to talk to senior lawyers when needed.

Relationship with partners

The firm has an approachable working culture, with trainees able to work closely with partners and seek support from senior lawyers when needed.

Upward feedback

The firm encourages upward feedback, giving trainees opportunities to share their views and contribute to discussions about their experience.

Office plan

Fully open plan and dedicated spaces depending on your needs, for example individual focus rooms and areas designated for larger groups.

What surprised trainees positively

The firm combines a friendly and supportive culture with opportunities for trainees to take on meaningful responsibility early in their training.

Application process

Online application form

(1-2 hours)

Online assessment

(10 minutes)

Telephone interview

(15 minutes)

What happens

You will answer a few questions based on your motivations for law and working at Lewis Silkin.

Initial assessment centre

(Full day)

What happens

You will undertake a group exercise, written exercise and an interview with a partner and senior lawyer.

Final assessment centre

(Half day)

What happens

You will undertake two partner interviews and a case study interview.

Reviews

""I expected Lewis Silkin to be a nice place to work, but I have been surprised by how much effort goes into ensuring that is and continues to be the case. It is a key and genuine part of the firm's identity."" - Anonymous

"“What surprised me most was the amount of responsibility and trust given to junior lawyers. If you have ideas, whether that's for client work or initiatives like diversity and inclusion, people are genuinely open to hearing them and often encourage you to take ownership.”" - Anonymous