Training Contract

Why train at Mayer Brown?
One of the advantages of joining Mayer Brown are the choices available to you.  Our trainees can tailor their training contract from a range of different seats, including our main practice areas in London (as listed above) and international secondments (Hong Kong, New York and São Paulo).  If you don't want to stray too far, a wealth of in-house experience is also available via our client secondments within the UK.  For a large international firm, our London office remains a tightly knit team with 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.

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.

Open Days
In December and January each year, we hold Open Days for students who are interested in finding out more about Mayer Brown. Each day has a full programme of events, including talks on life at Mayer Brown and opportunities available to you, seminars on two of our major practice areas, a group exercise and lunch with some of our current trainee solicitors.
Please see our website for further details

For training contracts, penultimate year law students should apply after the release of their penultimate year exam results.  Non-law students, final year law students and graduates should apply after 1 February in their final year of undergraduate study.  The deadline for training contract applications is 31 July 2012. 
Whilst our training contracts are based in the London office, trainees will have the opportunity to experience both client and international secondments during their training contract.

All applications should be made via our online system, which can be accessed at www.mayerbrown.com/careers/gradrec

What we are looking for
As an international firm specialising in a wide range of practice areas, our trainee intake is representative of the firm itself. Mayer Brown values and encourages diversity – this is critical to our success as an international law firm serving a very diverse client base worldwide. Our aim is to make our opportunities accessible to everyone and to encourage people to join us from a wide range of backgrounds. We are working with several organisations, including the Employers’ Forum on Disability and Stonewall, to make our recruitment process more accessible to minority groups. We are also the first law firm to work with EmployAbility, a not-for-profit organisation which links graduates with disabilities with leading global employers.

Our trainee pool is wide and represents individuals of varying experiences and backgrounds. Last year we recruited from 28 different universities, 40% of our trainee intake have studied non-law degrees and some trainees have even had previous careers prior to joining our firm. It is safe to say there is no conventional Mayer Brown trainee. While studying law is not a prerequisite, applications from those who have a strong commitment to pursuing a career in law and proven academic ability are particularly welcome. 

We are looking for candidates who not only have a consistently strong academic record including a minimum of a 2.1 degree (predicted or obtained) in any discipline, but also who have a wide range of interests and achievements outside their academic career.  Additionally, we would like to see innovative candidates who can demonstrate a drive for results, good verbal and written communication skills, and an ability to analyse, with good judgement and excellent interpersonal skills