Latest news : US law firm to launch UK grad scheme

A leading Wall Street law firm is set to launch its first UK graduate scheme in a bid to boost its profile among UK graduates.

Sullivan and Cromwell will employ its first trainee graduates in 2013 but will take on summer holiday placement students in 2011. The scheme will run on an annual basis after that.

The firm hope to employ between four and six law graduates on the trainee placement and a similar number on the holiday scheme. First-year trainees can expect to be paid at least £50,000, rising to £55,000 in the second year.

Sullivan and Cromwell currently pay its newly qualified associates a salary of £97,500, with a discretionary bonus at the end of the year.

‘Offering a English law training programme is something we have been working towards for some time and we are confident it will be one of the best of its kind,’ said corporate partner Benjamin Perry.

‘It’s a real demonstration of our commitment to London and we are looking for graduates seeking a long-term career with the firm,’ he added.

The positions will be open to both law and non-law graduates and is part of the US firm’s attempt to replicate its success in the US.