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Summer placements

“I received a warm reception from all at Shoosmiths… with staff at all levels being approachable and supportive. The social aspects of the vacation scheme were great fun and provided further opportunity to gain insight into life at the firm. I was treated to lunches, took part in a netball ball match… and went along to support the Shoosmiths cricket team in one of their games. All in all I would wholeheartedly recommend the Shoosmiths vacation scheme to anyone who has an interest in commercial law.”
Alex Newborough, 2007 summer placement student & 2009 trainee entrant

We offer a summer placement scheme, where you can undertake a two week placement with us in one of the following office locations: Milton Keynes/Northampton, Thames Valley, Solent, Birmingham or Nottingham.

The placement will give you a good feel for the firm, a realistic impression of the work of a commercial law firm and the opportunity to speak to our trainees and partners in a working environment.

Typical activities

During your two weeks with us, you'll spend time in two of our departments working alongside partners, qualified lawyers and trainees. Everyone in our firm makes a valuable contribution to the business and we need you to do that too. It's for this reason that you will be involved in all the practical stuff, from attending client meetings, going to court and taking witness statements to legal research and letter writing.

Activities are tailored to your level of experience and we would never expect you to take on a piece of work that you felt was beyond your level of expertise (please see below for those who are eligible to apply).

Training contract assessment

Part of the placement will also be a formal assessment of your suitability for a training contract with us. We include this to save you coming to a separate selection day later on in the summer, and you will be given all the details of the assessment up front, before you start your placement, so that you know exactly what to expect and when.

Away from the desk

We’ll try to fit in some social time for you during your placement. You’ll have the chance to chat to trainees and other staff in a more informal setting such as over lunch at the local café, or over a drink in a local bar at the end of the day. You might also be invited to watch or participate in sporting events such as netball or cricket, or a community project or fundraising event. Basically, if there’s something going on, we’ll give you the opportunity to be a part of it.

Eligibility to apply

Placements are usually held during the end of June, throughout July, and sometimes the very start of August. The placements are open to:

The closing date for applications is usually in January or February (dates for 2009 will be added later this year).

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Get in touch

Sally Stagles

Graduate Recruitment Officer
T: 08700 86 3223
I: +44 (0)1604 54 3223
E: join.us@shoosmiths.co.uk