The Training Contract
Trainees are given high levels of responsibility, case management and client contact from an early stage. The firm also has an extensive support network in place throughout the training contract in the form of senior-level support and continuous appraisals.
For a large international firm, our London office remains a tightly knit team harbouring an open and inclusive culture. You will nevertheless be given significant opportunities to assist on matters which may be multi-disciplinary, cross-border, complex and high-profile in nature, working alongside some award-winning teams and individuals. Our main practice areas in London are corporate, finance, litigation and dispute resolution, real estate, insurance and reinsurance, pensions and employment, competition and trade, tax, intellectual property, and information technology.
As a trainee in London, you will be encouraged to play an active part of a team, dealing with clients on a day-to-day basis on a wide range of business issues. You will undertake four 'seats' during your two year training contract. During each seat you will share a room with either a partner or a senior associate who will be responsible for supervising your work and continuing development throughout your seat.
Our trainees are able to tailor their training contract from a range of 24 different seats, including our main practice areas in London, client secondments and international secondments (Brussels, Hong Kong, New York, and São Paulo). Shortly before you start your training contract, you will be able to shape the direction of your contract by expressing your preferences for your four seats during your training contract. We regularly review your seat choices with you throughout the training contract, as we realise that your preferences may change with the knowledge and experience you will gain.
Over the course of your training contract, we will take time to ensure that you are aware of the responsibilities of each seat by providing comprehensive training that goes far beyond the requirements of the Professional Skills Course (PSC). Additional training will equip you with skills to understand the international business world, develop client relationships and undertake advanced legal research. You will also benefit from the expertise of professional support lawyers who are responsible for providing briefing sessions on key legal developments and maintain in-house precedent databases.
We will not only find out if your expectations are being met, but provide you with guidance and support throughout your two years at Mayer Brown. You will have an appraisal with your supervisor halfway through and at the end of each seat. In short, you can expect the following during your two year training contract at Mayer Brown:
- Choice of seats;
- Early responsibility;
- Secondment opportunities, either to a client or one of our international offices;
- Blue Chip clients;
- Exposure to international transactions; and
- Training modules to complement seats.
The Legal Practice Course
Your training programme with Mayer Brown will start long before your training contract begins – on our bespoke Legal Practice Course with Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School in London, which we ask all of our future trainees to attend. Elements of the course have been designed by our Lawyers in conjunction with Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School offering students an US law introductory course on top of the core modules. Our trainees studying the LPC at Kaplan have a great deal of contact with the firm throughout the LPC year, with regular visits to our offices, both professionally in the form of research tasks and presentation projects and socially, for drinks and meetings with our current trainees and partners. We have a wealth of experience at our London office in the form of associates, partners and PSLs and we encourage our LPC students to take full advantage of their knowledge and experience.
