Application Process
When are you recruiting for?
We are currently recruiting for trainees who will commence with the firm in September 2027.
What costs are covered for insight days, events and assessment days?
For those travelling to attend any of our assessment days, we will reimburse expenses up to a maximum value of £100. We cannot reimburse for taxis or cost of petrol. However, if you have a disability that limits your public transport options, please contact the team to discuss travel arrangements.
How can I let you know about any mitigating circumstances/exam results once I have submitted my application form?
Please submit any additional information to your application via the supplementary information tool. When you log into your account you will find information about the supplementary information tool on the home page.
Do you recruit on a rolling basis?
We do not review applications on a rolling basis, so you have until the deadline of 31 January 2025 to complete the form.
When will I know the outcome of my application?
We try to let all candidates know the outcome of their application one month after the deadline. Please note, sometimes it may take longer because each application form is reviewed thoroughly.
Can I receive feedback on my application?
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to offer individual feedback on application forms.
Can I receive feedback after assessment day and/or vacation scheme?
We do offer feedback to candidates if they attend one of our days/schemes and are ultimately unsuccessful at obtaining a training contract with the firm.
We assess student performance for a vacation scheme placement across all 5 assessment days, so candidates are informed whether they will be invited to a vacation scheme after the final assessment day. Feedback is also provided to unsuccessful candidates at that time.
With regards to the vacation schemes, we only have one process per year and offer the 15 training contracts to the highest performers across the two schemes, so we wait until the after the Summer scheme in July to extend the offers and give feedback to unsuccessful candidates from both schemes.
Do you have a minimum grade requirement?
No, we do not have a minimum requirement. However, we look for candidates who have strong academic results. We review all application forms holistically and will take mitigating circumstances into account.
Am I allowed to defer for a year?
We will take any requests to defer training contract start dates into consideration.
Do you take on international students?
Yes, we accept applications from international students.
I am qualified in another jurisdiction—should I apply for a training contract?
No. You cannot apply for the training contract. In order to qualify into the UK; we would recommend you complete the SQE 1 or 2. You must speak to the SRA if you are eligible for any exemptions. If you have at least two years legal professional experience, you do not need to do qualifying work experience, as the SRA will recognize your existing qualification and experience and offset this against doing a training contract. You will then be eligible to apply laterally for associate positions. Please email your CV to LondonRecruitment@ropesgray.com and we will respond to let you know whether there are any suitable vacancies that you can apply for.
I am a qualified lawyer in a different jurisdiction, but I do not have 2 years professional experience—what do I do?
If you do not have the requisite experience, you could obtain a paralegal role and gain the relevant 2 years professional experience that way. Once you have completed the SQE 1 and 2 – you will be then eligible to apply for lateral associate positions. If a qualified lawyer is granted an exemption from SQE 2, we may also require them to demonstrate their English or Welsh language competence.
Law School
Do you have a preferred Law School?
All our future trainees complete the SQE and GDL (if applicable) at BPP.
Training Contract
Will I be placed in my preferred practice areas for my seats?
While we will take your seat preferences into account, and are always happy to discuss these, we cannot guarantee that you will be placed in all your preferred practices. This is because we need to take into account the business needs when planning the seat rotation.
I am interested in an international and/or client secondment—what is available?
We have international secondment opportunities to our Hong Kong and Dublin offices.
Client secondment opportunities arise on an ad hoc basis because they are at the client’s request. If one of these secondments becomes available, then we will open the opportunity to all our trainees but reserve the right to select the trainee with the most appropriate experience.
We also have the Tokyo route training contract, which has a guaranteed seat in the Tokyo office and eventual relocation.
SQE
What is the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)?
The routes to qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales have now changed. A future trainee will have to complete two years of qualifying work experience and pass the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), a new, two-part centralised assessment introduced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. For more information on the SQE, please visit https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/policy/solicitors-qualifying-examination/
Do you still accept students via the LPC route?
Students who have completed the LPC must be willing to complete BOTH the SQE1 and SQE2 to qualify as a solicitor with Ropes & Gray.