Stephenson Harwood

Next deadline

Open Days 2026 · 6 Nov 2026

(10 days)

In their own words

Stephenson Harwood is an international law firm, and we're committed to creating 'positive partnerships' with our clients.

Snapshot

Firm type

International

UK offices

London

International offices

Al Khobar, Athens, Dubai, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, Riyadh, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore

Training contract places

Vacation scheme places

First-year salary

£50,000

Second-year salary

£55,000

Newly qualified salary

£105,000

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?

Seat structure

4 six-month seats

Can trainees repeat a seat?

Can trainees express seat preferences?

Yes, preferences are taken into consideration

Trainee salary basis

Reviewed annually

Non-law applicants

Actively welcomed

Career changer applicants

Actively welcomed

Remote working

Yes, formal flexible working policy

Holiday allowance

25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays

Minimum academic requirements

ABB at A Level and on track for, or already holding, a 2:1 at undergraduate level

Typical start time

9:00am

Typical finish time

6:00pm

Wellbeing support

Includes cycle to work scheme, dental insurance, EAP, eye care vouchers, give as you earn, GP appointments, group critical illness/income protection/life assurance, group personal pension, gym membership subsidy, health screening, HelloSelf, holiday trading, My Family Care, private medical insurance, season ticket loan, subsidised staff café, wellbeing programme.

Maintenance grant

£18,000 for the SQE; £12,000 for the PGDL

PGDL funding

Fully funded

Retrospective SQE or PGDL funding

None

Diversity networks and partnerships

Includes PRIME Commitment; Stephenson Harwood Charitable Foundation Scholarships Programme (undergrad funding, mentoring, skills development) and multiple employee-led diversity forums

% female partners

31%

% BAME partners

14%

Before you apply

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you enjoy building experience in areas where Stephenson Harwood has particular strengths, including shipping, civil fraud and investment funds?

Would you enjoy training at an international firm that is continuing to expand its global network, with the opportunity to be seconded to international offices?

Would you value spending regular time in the office to build relationships with colleagues and make the most of in-person learning opportunities?

Next deadline

Open Days 2026

6 Nov 2026

(10 days)

View job

Deep dive

Explore this firm in detail

What makes it different

Together we succeed

What this could mean for you

You could develop your relationships with colleagues through regular time in the office, supported by opportunities to connect beyond day-to-day seat work. Subsidised breakfast and lunch, monthly firm-sponsored drinks and regular informal socialising also contribute to the firm’s emphasis on collaboration.

Recruiting future partners

What this could mean for you

Every trainee works with partners and senior solicitors rather only associates, and reviews are built to go beyond your current seat, covering where you're actually headed after qualification. Your supervision is designed to look beyond your current seat, with career conversations considering your longer-term development and progression after qualification.

As much responsibility as you can shoulder

What this could mean for you

The firm describes working in small teams, where "every person is critical." That's echoed in how international secondments work, they're not automatically allocated, trainees apply with a CV and cover letter and interview with the partners in that team. You could take on meaningful responsibility from an early stage, with opportunities to apply for international and client secondments as your training progresses.

Practice area strengths

Civil fraud

Stephenson Harwood’s Civil Fraud practice advises on high-value, complex and often cross-border fraud and asset recovery disputes. The team acts for corporates, insolvency practitioners and individuals on matters involving fraud claims, asset tracing and recovery, freezing injunctions and the enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards, with particular experience in politically sensitive and multi-jurisdictional cases. Recent work includes acting for the former majority shareholders of Yukos in enforcement proceedings relating to multi-billion-dollar arbitration awards against the Russian Federation, alongside major cross-border investment fraud and asset recovery matters.

Investment funds

Stephenson Harwood’s Investment Funds practice advises investment trusts, asset managers and institutional investors across the lifecycle of listed funds. The team handles matters including fund launches, IPOs, secondary issues, reorganisations and wind-downs, as well as more complex corporate situations such as takeover activity. Its clients include Baillie Gifford, Schroders, Henderson Opportunities Trust, Digital 9 Infrastructure and Allianz Global Investors, giving the practice exposure to a broad range of listed investment structures.

Shipping

Stephenson Harwood’s Shipping practice advises clients across a broad range of maritime and transport matters, with particular strength in ship finance. The team’s work spans marine insurance, casualty response, charterparty disputes, ship finance enforcement, shipbuilding and commercial contract negotiations. The practice also advises on emerging issues affecting the sector, including decarbonisation and the energy transition, with experience in LNG and FPSO-related matters.

All practice areas

EnergyEnergy transitionInfrastructureLife sciencesPrivate capitalFundsTechnologyTransportTradeData, privacy and cybersecurityCorporateDispute resolutionEmploymentPensionsImmigrationFinanceInsuranceIntellectual propertyPrivate wealthProjectsRegulatory and complianceMaritime

Who it may suit

Before you apply, ask yourself:

Would you enjoy building experience in areas where Stephenson Harwood has particular strengths, including shipping, civil fraud and investment funds?
Would you enjoy training at an international firm that is continuing to expand its global network, with the opportunity to be seconded to international offices?
Would you value spending regular time in the office to build relationships with colleagues and make the most of in-person learning opportunities?

This firm may suit candidates who…

Thrive in small-team settings where individual contribution is highly visible, rather than being one of several trainees on a large deal team.
Are interested in building their career at an international firm that is continuing to expand its global network.
Want close, partner-level mentoring and structured career conversations from day one, rather than moving through a standardised programme as part of a large cohort.

Things to consider

Every trainee completes at least one transactional and one contentious seat, so even if you already know what you want to specialise in, you'll build broader experience first.
The firm expects trainees to spend at least three days per week in the office, supporting in-person collaboration and learning alongside colleagues.

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.

Flexibility

Formal flexible working policy exists beyond standard hybrid working.

Holiday allowance

Trainees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays.

Office attendance

Three days per week, with some teams encouraging more.

Application process

Online application form

(Up to two hours)

Situational judgement test and video interview

(Up to two hours)

Assessment centre

(Full day)

What happens

This is in-person, and includes an interview, commercial awareness task, written assessment, professional ethics exercise and document checking exercise.

Events

Employment Law at Stephenson Harwood

Discover the work of Stephenson Harwood’s employment law team and the exciting matters they work on.

Monday 9 November15:00 - 16:00

Secure your place

In their own words

Snapshot

Before you apply

Deep dive

What makes it different

Who it may suit

Work-life reality

Application process

Events

Employment Law at Stephenson Harwood

Inside real estate law

Opportunities

Open Days 2026

Dubai Vacation Scheme 2027

London Vacation Schemes 2027

Solicitor Apprenticeships 2027

Training Contract 2029

Scholarships 2027

Insights

Stephenson Harwood scholarship programme – tips from scholarship awardees