What is a training contract?

A training contract is a formal period of recognised legal training, which typically lasts for two years and takes place at a single law firm. Note however that some in-house teams at companies now also offer training contracts, and some other alternatives are emerging (for example, Accutrainee's programme).

Training contract seats

Training contracts involve rotating between different practice areas, with each practice area stint being referred to as a "seat". Seats typically last for 6 months, although some firms offer 3 or 4 month seats (and others may offer far more flexibility for you to pursue work across different practices at the same time).

Although seats tend to be in practice areas at the office you are training at, there may also be opportunities to complete a seat:

• In an office abroad (or in London, if training at a regional office).
• At a client or pro bono partner.
• In a non-legal team (e.g. business development, innovation etc.).

What does a training contract look like?

To give an example, a trainee solicitor might spend 6 months in the corporate team, then 6 months in the dispute resolution team, then 6 months in the finance team, then 6 months in the firm's Dubai office in the real estate team (or, for example, in-house at Bank of America).

I trained at Freshfields, where I could choose between 3 and 6 month seats, so my training contract involved:

• 3 months in dispute resolution
• 6 months in private equity
• 3 months in employment
• 3 months in intellectual property
• 3 months in real estate
• 3 months at a pro bono partner (Tower Hamlets Law Centre)
• 3 months in business development/marketing

How to become an NQ

At the end of a training contract, candidates will require confirmation from a solicitor that they have met the relevant requirements, at which point – provided they have passed the SQE first stage exam and SQE second stage skills assessment - they will then qualify as a solicitor.

Upon qualification, an individual may stay at their current firm (if offered a job in one of the practice areas that they sat/worked in during their training contract), or may move to another firm (or even in-house). At this stage, they will typically be referred to as a newly qualified solicitor ("NQ") / associate.

Note that our Navigating a professional environment course, commercial awareness courses, and Training Contract Handbook provide much more extensive practical advice, insider tips, comprehensive insights and explanations of hundreds of key legal concepts and contractual clauses, including the terminology, jargon and acronyms that you’ll likely come across in practice.