Got a question? See if we've answered it below – if not, get in touch with our team.
We screen applications on a rolling basis, but all of our assessment centres are organised after the deadline to ensure all applicants have the opportunity to apply. We do encourage applicants to submit their application ahead of the deadline.
Relevant experience is helpful, but we recognise that everyone has to start somewhere so don't worry if you haven't worked in a law firm previously. Ensure you include other experiences that can support your motivation for a career in law, for example attending Open Days and webinars.
We are a disability confident organisation. As part of our wider diversity and inclusion strategy we ensure all candidates are supported and able to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. If you require support during the recruitment process, please feel free to get in touch with the Early Talent team to discuss.
You must be in the first year of your degree course and have a minimum of AAB (or equivalent) in your A levels.
Applications open on 1 December 2024 and close on 31 January 2025.
All applicants will need to complete an online application form. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a short online interview with two members of the Talent Acquisition team. Interviews will take place in February and March 2025.
The scheme is only open to first year degree students. We recommend that you apply for our Open Days and webinars in advance of Vacation Schemes in your penultimate year.
We accept applications from individuals who are in Year 12, have a minimum of seven GCSEs grade 7 or above, and are of Black heritage 'and/or are from a low socio-economic background.
The scheme starts in April and lasts for 12 months. Each month you will dedicate a couple of hours to the scheme attending online courses and undertaking takeaway tasks. In October you will visit our London office for two days to shadow our lawyers.
The scheme has been designed to help guide you learn more about the legal industry and routes to becoming a Solicitor. Therefore, we encourage those to apply who are considering a career in law.
Applications for our 2025 Vacation Schemes are now closed.
To be able to apply for our Vacation Schemes, you'll need to be in the penultimate year of your degree or beyond.
Regarding academic ability, we do look for AAB at A Level and a 2:1 in any degree discipline. If you do not meet the AAB requirement but are able to demonstrate strong academic performance elsewhere and have the motivation, skill set and attitude to succeed, please reach out to one of the team to discuss your application.
We want to recruit top talent for our relatively small intake, and we know that academics aren’t the only measure of success and appreciate diversity of experience. We do not automatically reject applications based on academics and screen the whole application form before making a decision.
Therefore, we will review your performance across all areas of the form before making a decision, for example; interests and achievements, work experience, overall communication and answers to commercial and career-focused questions.
Please only apply to one scheme per academic year.
You are not required to upload a CV, but you will need to include a covering letter providing details on your skills and why you have applied for the vacation scheme.
During Taster Week, we will be running a series of Open Days and skills sessions, please see below for the dates and details.
To attend one of these events, you need to be in the first year of your degree or beyond.
Our two-day First Year Insight Scheme takes place in April 2025.
Applications open on 1 December 2024.
To apply to our First Year Insight Scheme you'll need to be in your first year of any degree.
We do accept mitigating circumstances so if this is the case, please clearly explain why you didn't achieve the marks you were expecting so we are able to take this evidence into consideration. We'll also review your grades via Rare's Contextualised Recruitment System which enables us to view your performance and grades in context.
We read each application form fully before making a decision, so we advise candidates who may not have performed as well as they had hoped to academically to highlight their motivation, skill set and attitude to succeed in their application.
The dates of the Schemes for 2025 are:
Spring:
7 April to 11 April 2025.
Summer:
9 June to 20 June 2025
30 June to 11 July 2025.
We will be holding various assessment centres between January and March.
We welcome applications from candidates from a variety of experiences and backgrounds, from undergraduate level to those who have embarked on a career before their entry into law. Different career backgrounds bring different interests and skill sets, enhancing and diversifying the service we provide to our clients.
As an international law firm we are able to sponsor work visas.
We welcome applications from international students and appreciate that academic equivalents are not always easy to calculate.
Therefore, we advise candidates to complete the academic achievement section on the application form with as much detail as possible as this enables us to benchmark this appropriately. We pay particular attention in ensuring fairness in all our recruitment processes so we will be in touch directly with any questions we have.
All sponsored future joiners will complete the PGDL, if they do not have a law degree, and the SQE through the University of Law. This will involve the SQE 1&2 preparation courses, along with a bespoke Taylor Wessing SQE Plus programme, including a firm-specific project. We will pay for any tuition fees during this period, as well as a maintenance grant.
Applications for our 2025 Solicitor apprenticeship programme open 3 January 2025.
The deadline for the Solicitor apprenticeship programme is 28 February 2025.
We look for individuals who are on track for a minimum of AAB (or equivalent) in their A levels and have a minimum of seven GCSEs at grade 6 and above, including at least a grade 7 in Maths and English.
We'll be hosting an online apprenticeship open evening in February 2025. Registration for this event opens on 1 November 2024.
We do accept mitigating circumstances so if this is the case, please clearly explain why you didn't achieve the grades you were expecting so we're able to take this evidence into consideration. We can also understand your grades via Rare's Contextualised Recruitment system, which enables us to view your performance and grades in context.
Our Solicitor apprenticeship programme begins in September 2025.
We'll be holding our next assessment centres in April 2025.
We currently have solicitor apprentices in our London and Liverpool office. You are encouraged to only apply to one office..
Unfortunately not. This programme is only open to those who haven't commenced or completed an undergraduate degree.
All Solicitor apprentices will complete the LLB (Hons) Law Degree, and the SQE through the University of Law. We'll pay for any tuition fees during this period, as well as a salary.
Our schemes
Hear from our lawyers and learn more about our Taster Week, Webinar Week and two-day First Year Insight Scheme.
Find out moreOur Early Talent team is dedicated to ensuring a smooth and efficient recruitment process for all our students and graduates. If you have any questions about our schemes or joining Taylor Wessing, please contact a member of the team or email us.