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Reed Smith

Reed Smith

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In their own words

Interesting and industry leading work, sector focus, friendly and supporting environment.

Snapshot

Firm type

US firm in London

UK offices

London

International offices

More than 30 offices, including London, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Training contract places

20

Vacation scheme places

30

First-year salary

£55,000

Second-year salary

£60,000

Newly qualified salary

£135,000

Trainee retention

Not disclosed

SQE support

Full SQE 1, SQE2 and PGDL funding

Visa sponsorship

Yes

International secondment

Yes

Client secondment

Yes

Guaranteed secondment

Not disclosed

Recruitment route

Vacation scheme or direct training contract

Rolling recruitment?

Yes

Seat structure

4 six-month seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

No

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, but preferences are not guaranteed

Trainee salary basis

Reviewed annually

Non-law applicants

Actively welcomed

Career changers

Actively welcomed

Remote working

Standard hybrid working

Holiday allowance

25 days excluding bank holidays

Minimum academic requirements

2:1 at degree level

Typical start time

9:15am

Typical finish time

7:30pm

Wellbeing support

Includes mental health first aiders, employee assistance programme, on-site wellbeing space with free classes and subsidised treatments, private health insurance and Calm subscription

Maintenance grant

£15,000

PGDL funding

Full funding

Retrospective SQE or PGDL funding

Considered case-by-case

Diversity networks and partnerships

Multicultural Network, PRISM (LGBTQ+), LEADRS (disability), Mental Health group, Women’s Initiative Network (WINRS), Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP), PRIME and The Prince's Trust

% female partners

30%

% BAME partners

13%

% female trainees

65%

% BAME trainees

42%
Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you enjoy a sector-focused training experience, with opportunities to work across industries such as energy, media, finance and transportation?

Would you enjoy international and cross-border work, where collaborating across US and Asian time zones can sometimes shape your working day?

Would you value opportunities to take meaningful ownership of matters as a trainee, including managing and coordinating pro bono work?

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

Our values-led approach, which strives for excellence in all that we do, is a hallmark of the firm

What this could mean for you
Reed Smith names five specific values behind how it operates: Integrity, doing the right thing simply because it's right; Excellence, committing to the best outcome rather than an acceptable one; Teamwork and Respect, valuing different perspectives as part of how the firm performs; Innovation, embracing change rather than sticking to how things have always been done; and Impact, aiming for real positive outcomes, not just getting the job done. You could develop within a culture shaped by clearly defined values, with integrity, excellence, teamwork, respect, innovation and impact informing how people work together and serve clients.

Reed Smith is a place where your development is taken seriously

What this could mean for you
Every new seat starts with formal training from partners, associates and knowledge lawyers, and your supervisor mentors and gives you feedback the whole way through. You could benefit from structured training at the start of each seat, alongside ongoing supervision, mentoring and feedback as your experience develops.

Your contributions matter

What this could mean for you
You could contribute to live client matters from an early stage, taking on meaningful responsibility and developing your judgement through hands-on experience alongside more senior lawyers.

Practice area strengths

Transportation

Reed Smith's Transportation practice has advised businesses that move goods, people and resources by sea and by air for more than a century, and shipping remains at the heart of the firm's heritage. The team acts for leading owners, operators, lenders and investors across shipping, aviation, logistics, LNG and offshore oil and gas. Its work spans equity investments, asset trading, leasing, securitisations, the construction of new ships and aircraft, regulatory compliance, incident response and complex disputes. The group combines transactional lawyers and litigators, including master mariners and pilots, and much of its practice is shaped by private equity, private credit and alternative investors in the sector.

Energy & Natural Resources

Reed Smith’s Energy & Natural Resources practice advises major energy companies and traders on complex domestic and cross-border matters. The team has particular experience in LNG, oil and gas, renewables and emerging energy technologies such as green ammonia and hydrogen, with work spanning sale and purchase agreements, terminal developments and international production projects. Recent matters include advising Eemshaven Terminal on Phase 2 of the Eemshaven floating LNG import terminal in the Netherlands, alongside work for clients across Europe, Asia, Africa and the US.

Finance

Reed Smith’s Finance practice advises financial institutions, investment banks, asset managers, payment service providers and brokerages on a broad range of financial services and regulatory matters. The team has particular experience in commodities and trade finance, financial regulation, fintech and digital assets, sustainable finance and carbon credit trading. Recent work includes advising Fasanara Capital and Untangled Finance on a real-world asset financing structure involving securitisation and token issuance for accredited investors in the UK and US.

Media

Reed Smith’s Media practice advises clients across the digital content, social media, gaming, film and television industries. The team handles matters including interactive entertainment, gaming regulation, social media platform compliance and media finance, acting for clients such as Epic Games and Space Ape Games. Its film and television work also covers production financing, including gap and presale lending, tax credit financing and cross-border security arrangements, with clients including Coutts and Barclays.

All practice areas

ShippingEnergyBanking and financeMedia and entertainmentCorporateMergers and acquisitions (M&A)Emerging technologyAntitrustCompetitionLitigationRestructuring and insolvencyStructured financeEmploymentReal estateCasualtySanctions and export controlAviation and aerospace
Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself:

  • Would you enjoy a sector-focused training experience, with opportunities to work across industries such as energy, media, finance and transportation?
  • Would you enjoy international and cross-border work, where collaborating across US and Asian time zones can sometimes shape your working day?
  • Would you value opportunities to take meaningful ownership of matters as a trainee, including managing and coordinating pro bono work?

This firm may suit candidates who…

  • Are motivated by international, cross-border work as standard, given the firm is US headquartered and has a global office network.
  • Want meaningful responsibility from an early stage and enjoys developing through hands-on involvement in live matters.
  • Work best in an informal, close relationship with senior colleagues rather than a more hierarchical, distant structure.

Things to consider

  • Because so much of the work is international, hours can run later and be less predictable than in a more UK-domestic practice.
  • The training experience has a strong sector focus, giving trainees opportunities to develop commercial knowledge across industries including energy, media, finance and transportation.
  • International and client secondments are available on a competitive basis, providing opportunities to broaden your experience beyond your core seat rotations.
  • Trainees can express seat preferences, with four different six-month rotations providing opportunities to experience a range of areas before qualification.
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.

Late finishes

Typical finish around 7:30pm, averaging 44-hour week.

Support

Mental health first aiders, EAP, on-site wellbeing space, private health insurance and Calm subscription

Flexibility

Standard hybrid only, no additional remote working - effectively one day a week from home

Holiday allowance

25 days minimum, excluding bank holidays

Office attendance

4 days per week
Application process

Online application form

(30 minutes)

What happens

Candidates provide basic personal and academic information.

Online assessment

(1 hour)

What happens

The provider is Amberjack.

Written application form

(1 - 2 hours)

Video interview

(1 hour)

What happens

This is pre-recorded and on-demand.

Assessment centre

(Full day)

What happens

This includes a case study exercise, and reading a set of materials within a time limit and then answering questions on them. For the direct Training Contract route (which is open to those who have passed at least SQE1), candidates will also complete written and group tasks.
Events
Sector-focused training contracts
Discover how a sector-focused training contract shapes your work, learning and career development, with first-hand insights and advice from Reed Smith trainees.
Thursday 12 November
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Insights
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