Pinsent Masons

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In their own words

We are a purpose-led, professional services business with law at the core.

Snapshot

Firm type

International

UK offices

Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester

International offices

Cape Town and Johannesburg (South Africa); Melbourne, Perth and Sydney (Australia); Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen (China); Singapore; Paris (France); Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich (Germany); Dublin (Ireland); Luxembourg; Warsaw (Poland); Amsterdam (Netherlands); Madrid (Spain); Doha (Qatar); Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Abu Dhabi and Dubai (UAE)

Training contract places

Vacation scheme places

First-year salary

London: £54,000 / Regions: £35,500 / Scotland: £35,500 / Belfast: £26,000

Second-year salary

London: £59,000 / Regions: £38,500 / Scotland: £38,500 / Belfast: £28,000

Newly qualified salary

London: £109,000 / Regions: £69,000 / Scotland: £69,000 / Belfast: £48,000

Trainee retention

74%

SQE support

Yes, full funding

Visa sponsorship

Not disclosed

International secondment

Client secondment

Yes

Guaranteed secondment

Not disclosed

Visa sponsorship

Yes - London only

Recruitment route

Primarily Vacation Placement, occasional direct training contract vacancies open if places are not filled after Vacation Placement.

Rolling recruitment?

Seat structure

4 six-month seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, they are taken into account

Trainee salaries review

Annually

Non-law applicants

Actively encouraged

Career-changer applicants

Actively encouraged

Minimum academic requirements

ABB at A-Level (or 128 UCAS points), AAAB in Highers for Scotland, 2:1 degree (mitigating circumstances considered)

Typical start time

9:30am (England) / 9:00am (Scotland & Ireland)

Typical finish time

5:30pm (England) / 5:00pm (Scotland & Ireland)

Wellbeing support

Mental Health Champions, Employee Assistance Programme, wellbeing tools, counselling, financial wellbeing services

Minimum holiday

25 days

% female partners

34%

% BAME trainees

17.8%

% BAME partners

% LGBTQ+ trainees

8.5%

% LGBTQ+ partners

3.4%

% state school trainees

68%

PGDL funding

Yes, full funding

Named affinity networks

LGBT+ & Allies, Family Matters, FREE (Faith, Race, Equity & Equality), Armed Forces, Equip (Disability, Neurodiversity & Long-Term Health Condition support), Social Mobility Champions, Female Futures, Working Fathers, Black Heritage Group

Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you enjoy hands-on training where you are trusted with meaningful client work early, while being expected to ask questions and learn as you go?

Are you excited by the opportunity to develop sector, commercial and legal knowledge in an environment where innovation and technology are embedded into day-to-day practice, including building the skills to use AI confidently, responsibly and effectively?

Would you value training at a large international firm with a broad range of seats, while accepting that your day-to-day experience can vary considerably between teams and supervisors?

Given the significant emphasis on in-person learning, supervision and relationship-building during the training contract, are you comfortable with the expectation to be in the office as much as possible (normally five days per week), minimum four days a week?

Are you proactive and willing to step outside your comfort zone, take advantage of opportunities beyond fee-earning work and build responsibility as you earn the trust of your team?

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

Hands-on responsibility from the outset

What this could mean for you

You could develop quickly by taking ownership of substantive work, but you should be comfortable asking questions and sometimes operating outside your comfort zone.

Innovation and sector-led development

What this could mean for you

You could develop an understanding of how clients and their industries operate alongside your legal skills, particularly if you are interested in technology, innovation,commercially focused training, and developing your AI-usage skills.

Support throughout your training

What this could mean for you

You will have a structured development framework around you while taking on increasing responsibility. You will be allocated a dedicated supervisor in each seat to provide guidance and support. Trainees are encouraged to be proactive, show commercial awareness and build confidence in making decisions while knowing when to seek support.

Practice area strengths

Infrastructure / Construction & Projects

Pinsent Masons is recognised as a leading adviser to the infrastructure and construction sector, supporting clients throughout the full lifecycle of major projects, from procurement, development and funding through to delivery and operation. The team advises on a broad range of matters, including construction contracts, project development, project finance, planning and consenting. Its work spans transport, energy, social infrastructure, water, waste and major development projects, offering trainees exposure to some of the most significant and complex projects in the UK and internationally.

Energy & Natural Resources

Pinsent Masons advises across the full energy lifecycle, from conventional power, through to to renewables and emerging low-carbon technologies. The team advises on projects involving nuclear, hydrogen, CCUS, battery storage, energy-from-waste, water and hydro, combining transactional, financing, construction, regulatory and property expertise. Trainees can gain exposure to the legal, commercial and technical issues shaping the global energy transition.

Technology, Science & Industry

Pinsent Masons advises businesses on major technology, digital and data matters, including commercial technology contracts, outsourcing, cloud computing, AI, data and privacy, digital transformation, telecomunications and digital infrastructure. Trainees can gain exposure to the legal, regulatory and commercial challenges arising from emerging technologies while working in a firm that embraces innovation and technology-enabled solutions.

All practice areas

Banking and financeCapital marketsCommercialCompetitionCorporate / M&AConstructionDispute resolutionEmploymentEnergyFinancial services and regulationGovernment and public sectorInfrastructureIntellectual propertyPensionsPlanningProjectsPublic and regulatoryReal estateRestructuring and insolvencyTaxTechnology, media and telecommunicationsAntitrustTradeData, privacy and cybersecurityIncentivesProperty

Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself

Would you enjoy hands-on training where you are trusted with meaningful client work early, while being expected to ask questions and learn as you go?
Are you excited by the opportunity to develop sector, commercial and legal knowledge in an environment where innovation and technology are embedded into day-to-day practice, including building the skills to use AI confidently, responsibly and effectively?
Would you value training at a large international firm with a broad range of seats, while accepting that your day-to-day experience can vary considerably between teams and supervisors?
Given the significant emphasis on in-person learning, supervision and relationship-building during the training contract, are you comfortable with the expectation to be in the office as much as possible (normally five days per week), minimum four days a week?
Are you proactive and willing to step outside your comfort zone, take advantage of opportunities beyond fee-earning work and build responsibility as you earn the trust of your team?

This firm may suit candidates who…

Want hands-on responsibility early, while having a structured support network around them.
Want broad training at a large international, full-service firm before deciding where to qualify.
Are interested in sector-led work, innovation and technology, and want to develop commercial awareness and critical thinking alongside their legal and AI-usage skills.
Value an approachable, supportive culture and opportunities to get involved beyond fee-earning work.
Prefer learning in person and being around their team for much of the working week.

Things to consider

Responsibility can sometimes mean feeling outside your comfort zone. Pinsent Masons says trainees are not expected to know everything, but curiosity, proactivity and willingness to ask questions matter.
Your experience may vary between seats and teams, with differences in workload, client exposure, supervision styles, responsibilities and working patterns.
Innovation and AI training is prominent in the firm's proposition, but the trainee survey contains less evidence that every trainee regularly undertakes AI or innovation-specific work.
The trainee survey is strongly positive about culture, but NQ experiences are more mixed and suggest that culture and level of supervision can vary significantly between teams.
The formal trainee office expectation is being in the office as much as possible, to support training and development offering less home-working flexibility than some firms.

What trainees do

Property Development & Investment / Property

What it involves:

Supporting property transactions and development matters, including leases, licenses and title work.

Example trainee tasks:

Drafting leases, licences and other property documents, carrying out title investigations, ordering searches, negotiating drafts, arranging signatures and document delivery, and project management.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, associates, clients, counterparties and other advisers involved in property matters.

Early responsibility:

Trainees can take ownership of smaller matters and manage elements of transactions with relatively limited supervision as they develop experience.

Support and supervision:

Trainees work with supervisors and the wider property team, with responsibility increasing as they build trust and demonstrate capability.

A first month might involve:

Reviewing titles, ordering searches, drafting property documents, corresponding with clients and counterparties and helping progress transactions.

Employment

What it involves:

Supporting contentious and advisory employment matters, including Employment Tribunal proceedings, investigations and settlement work.

Example trainee tasks:

Drafting witness statements, Tribunal documents and responses, attending investigation meetings, hearings and judicial mediations, conducting research, and drafting settlement agreements.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, associates, clients, witnesses and other parties involved in employment disputes and advisory matters.

Early responsibility:

Trainees can become substantively involved in live matters through drafting, research and participation in meetings and hearings.

Support and supervision:

Work is completed alongside the Employment team, with access to supervisors and senior lawyers for guidance and feedback.

A first month might involve:

Researching employment issues, drafting Tribunal documents or witness statements, attending meetings and supporting ongoing disputes or settlement discussions.

Planning & Environment

What it involves:

Supporting planning, environmental and major infrastructure matters, including Development Consent Order (DCO) work.

Example trainee tasks:

Legal research, drafting, attending hearings and client meetings, supporting DCO examinations and preparing applicant submissions.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, associates, clients and other professionals involved in planning and infrastructure projects.

Early responsibility:

Trainees can contribute directly to major live projects and examination processes through drafting, research and preparation of submissions.

Support and supervision:

Trainees work within the wider matter team and receive guidance from senior lawyers while taking ownership of individual tasks and workstreams.

A first month might involve:

Researching planning issues, preparing draft submissions, attending client meetings or hearings and supporting an ongoing DCO examination.

Litigation & Regulatory / Civil Fraud

What it involves:

Supporting contentious and regulatory matters through research, drafting, evidence review and preparation for hearings and other stages of disputes.

Example trainee tasks:

Conducting legal research, reviewing evidence and documents, drafting responses, statements and advice, attending client meetings and supporting hearings.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, associates, clients and other parties involved in disputes and regulatory matters.

Early responsibility:

Trainees can take responsibility for substantive research, drafting and evidence-related work, with client exposure depending on the matter.

Support and supervision:

Trainees work closely with the disputes team, with senior lawyers available for review work and provide guidance as matters progress.

A first month might involve:

Reviewing evidence, researching legal issues, preparing first drafts of statements or advice and helping the team prepare for client meetings or hearings.

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

Working patterns vary by seat and matter. Many trainees describe their workload as reasonably predictable, but transactional and contentious deadlines can create sudden periods of higher intensity.

Busy periods

Busy periods can be demanding, particularly when deadlines converge. Trainees generally report strong team support and colleagues checking capacity, although one respondent experienced an exceptional six-week period of very long days and some weekend work.

Late finishes

Most trainees report working beyond 8pm only sometimes or rarely. Longer evenings can arise around deals, hearings or other deadlines, and experiences vary significantly between teams.

Weekend work

Weekend work appears uncommon: surveyed trainees generally describe it as rare, although it can occur during particularly intense periods.

Seat variation

Work-life balance can change noticeably between seats. Workload, predictability, client demands and flexibility all depend partly on the practice area, team and matters you are working on.

Support

Trainees generally report colleagues being willing to help when workloads increase, including checking capacity and redistributing work where possible. However, the intensity of busy periods can still vary considerably between teams.

Flexibility

Experiences vary by team. Some trainees describe genuine flexibility, while others report less flexibility than associates and greater pressure to attend the office four or more days per week.

Holiday allowance

25 days

Office attendance

The firm's formal expectation is a minimum of four days per week in the office, with trainees encouraged to attend as much as possible, aiming for 5 days week in the office, for learning and development.

Culture & support

Supervision style

Trainees generally work closely with an assigned supervisor, with regular opportunities to ask questions and receive guidance. Formal feedback takes place at mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews, although the amount of day-to-day supervision can vary between teams.

Relationship with partners

Partners are generally described as approachable, and some trainees work directly alongside them and receive work from them. However, the level of partner interaction varies between departments and individual partners.

Upward feedback

Trainees are generally comfortable asking senior lawyers questions, but confidence in giving upward feedback is more mixed. Survey ratings range from 2/5 to 5/5, suggesting that this depends partly on the team and individuals involved.

Open plan or traditional offices

Open plan

What surprised trainees positively

Trainees highlight how approachable and supportive colleagues are, the breadth and depth of the work and the responsibility available. Some were also positively surprised by the work-life balance and partners' willingness to discuss career development.