Lovells Training Contract

Training Contract

Lovells hire 90 trainee lawyers per year, composed of both law and non-law graduates in pretty equal measure. New hires can start at the firm in September or January.

The deadline for applications is usually 31 July. Non-law undergraduates in their final year and graduates should apply from 1 October to be considered for interviews from January-May. Individuals considering a career change should also apply at this time.

Final year law undergraduates should apply in the summer after they have received penultimate year exam results (if applicable) for interviews in September.

Lovells operates a fair graduate recruitment policy and is open to applications from graduates of any age.

The Training

Trainees spend six months in four different areas of the practice, and have the option of spending time in their second year of training in an international office or on secondment to the in-house legal department of a major client.

Throughout your training contract Lovells state that they will work closely with you to advise and provide feedback on your progress. This should involve formal and informal assessments as well as advice on practice areas, secondments and qualification.

Training Contract Salary

From 1 May 2007, the starting salary for trainee solicitors will be £36,000 per annum, rising to £40,000 in the second year. For qualified lawyers the salary is £63,500. According to Lovells own statistics, the firm retain around 90% of trainees upon qualification, a level far higher than many other London based law firms.

Training Contract Benefits

Lovells offer to pay GDL and LPC course fees and provide a maintenance grant of £8,000 for all students reading the LPC and GDL in London and £7,000 for students reading the GDL elsewhere.

In addition, the firm offers one of the most financially rewarding benefits packages to pre-joiners of any law firm in London:

• £1,000 bonus on joining the firm
• £1,000 advance in salary on joining
• £500 for a First Class degree result
• £500 for getting the top overall marks within the Lovells LPC cohort
• Interest-free season ticket loan (for London Underground and over ground services) during the LPC year
• Lovells discount card offering discounts at retailers who are local to the firm. For example, TM Lewin and Crabtree & Evelyn.

Application Requirements

As a consequence of the high profile work the firm does, applicants need to have achieved excellent academic results from GCSE onwards. A 2.1 (or equivalent) is the minimum standard of degree applicants should hold or be expecting to achieve, but candidates should be able to demonstrate more than a handful of strong academic qualifications.

Applicants need to be happy working in a team yet capable of, and used to, independent action. You will need to demonstrate an ability and desire for lateral thinking, be capable of close attention to detail, and be ambitious to succeed in a top law firm. You need to be enthusiastic, determined, and able to show your passion for law in any interview at this company.