Training Contract Macfarlanes

Job description

About us
Macfarlanes is a leading City law firm. We are recognised for the quality of our work, not just in dealing with the full range of corporate and commercial matters, but in advising our clients on their private affairs. They trust our judgement and we are in a unique position to advise on their most complex matters, whilst at the same time remaining smaller than our competitors.

Main areas of work
Our main areas of practice are in banking and finance; commercial; competition; corporate and M&A; employment, pensions and benefits; financial services regulatory; investment funds; IP and IT; litigation and dispute resolution; private equity; private client; commercial real estate; restructuring and insolvency; and corporate tax.

Training and development
Woven into every aspect of life at the firm is an enduring commitment to the development of trainees. We recruit about 30 trainees yearly. We give you all the support you would expect from a leading law firm with the benefit of close mentoring from partners and regular reviews.

Legal Practice Course (LPC)
All our trainees study the LPC at the London Holborn branch of BPP Law School. You will study with those going to other firms during the compulsory elements of the LPC from September to February. From March you will study a separate set of electives, designed for our trainees to take together so you are better prepared for work in our distinctive range of practice areas.

Whilst undertaking the LPC as a future trainee you will attend a series of seminars in our offices in order to link your study with the practice of law at Macfarlanes. The seminars, along with various social events, also help to give you a fuller introduction to the firm, your fellow trainees and your future colleagues.

Training Contract
During the two-year training contract, you will find there’s no watching from the sidelines: training here means getting involved. You’ll be working on real cases, doing real work for real clients from day one.

As a trainee you will complete four six-month seats in different areas of practice; typically it is one seat in corporate and M&A, two seats in either private client, litigation, commercial real estate or corporate tax, and then a seat in one of our specialised practice areas within corporate. The precise allocation of seats is flexible so that we can offer you as broad a legal training as possible. Support and guidance are, of course, vital and you will find your supervisor a valuable source of information and inspiration.

Person requirements

We believe the strongest firm is achieved by choosing a mix of people – reflecting different styles so as to meet the needs that we – and our varied range of clients – will have in the future. We look for a rare combination of intellectual curiosity, character and drive. We are looking for ambitious trainees who will thrive on responsibility and challenge and who are ready to begin their careers on day one.

Qualification and experience requirements

We welcome applications from candidates with either a law or non-law background who expect, or have achieved a 2.1 degree classification (or equivalent).

Funding for training

CPE/GDL and LPC course fees are paid in full for all our future trainees.

CPE/GDL students will receive a maintenance allowance of £7,000 for courses studied in London, Guildford and Oxford, and £6,250 for courses studied elsewhere.

LPC students will receive a maintenance allowance of £7,000.

How to apply

We are accepting applications for our September 2014 / March 2015 intake.

Our training contract application form is available on our website. The form itself is simple and is designed to give you every opportunity to impress us.