Graduate opportunities
What do you want from your legal career?
Some law firms try to mould their trainees into what they think a good lawyer should be. At Mills & Reeve we take a different approach by giving you the opportunity to find out who you are.
We believe that the enthusiasm and ambition you have at the start of your working life should be nurtured through an environment in which you can flourish.
You'll be given responsibility early so you can find out which areas interest you the most and what you're really good at. At the same time, you'll enjoy the support of everyone around you.
As the future of our firm, we'll encourage you to think independently and come up with better ways of doing things. As an individual we'll encourage you to get involved with the community and the active social life in our offices.
The actual training you receive will be second to none and you'll find yourself working closely with some of the UK's leading lawyers. Our trainees are currently sitting in the following teams: agriculture and estates, banking and finance, commercial disputes, construction, corporate, corporate tax, education, employment, family and matrimonial, insurance, planning and environment, private tax, probate and trust administration, projects, public law, real estate, real estate disputes, regulatory defence and technology.
Have a look at our graduate brochure for a lot more detailed information on what you can expect from life at Mills & Reeve.
Training Contracts
When you join us as a trainee you will have already spent several years preparing for your career. Your training contract will require more learning, of course, but we believe it is time for you to start using what you know. From the start of your first seat we will expect you to play an important part in the work of the department you join.
This doesn't mean you are abandoned or unsupported; neither does it mean that you only do basic jobs. What it does mean is that we will value your knowledge and skills and help you to develop them in the context of real cases.
Client meetings, drafting, project planning, court attendance - these will all be part of your daily work. You will have six different seats during your two-year training programme. Whilst we have separate offices around the country our strength is in our collaboration across the firm. We are looking for trainees to contribute to the firm as a whole and we encourage and support movement between offices with an accommodation allowance.
Whilst the majority of your contract will be with your base office, we would expect you to do at least one four-month seat in another office, subject to your personal circumstances. Subject to business needs and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority requirements, we aim to put trainees in the work areas in which they are most interested. On-the-job learning is supported by our Professional Skills Course and a programme of in-house workshops. We take care with induction, helping you to find your way around our offices and our systems. And one-to one training with our dedicated team of professional support lawyers will help you learn more about specific areas of law.
Summer Placement Programme
Our award-winning Summer Placement Programme is the ideal introduction to both Mills & Reeve and the legal profession. Two weeks' work experience at our offices in either Birmingham, Cambridge, Manchester or Norwich will give you the opportunity to see just what it might be like starting a career in law.
During your time with us you will be placed in situations where you can do real work with activities such as undertaking legal research, preparing or checking a draft document, attending court, meeting clients or serving proceedings. You will work with a variety of lawyers, moving to different parts of our practice every two or three days. You will be paired with a current trainee who will be able to answer questions, give advice and generally help you make the most of your experience. Presentations and lectures from qualified staff are all geared towards helping you gain as much experience as you can, as quickly as possible.
We accept applications from penultimate year and final year law students, final year non-law students and graduates.
Click here to apply