Our Programmes
Vacation Schemes
Our Spring and Summer vacation schemes are the perfect way for you to get your foot in the door at Latham, and for us to get to know each other.
These schemes are a great opportunity to get involved with real, client-facing work alongside your peers, giving you a taste of life as a trainee lawyer.
You’ll be exposed to many opportunities to work closely with our experienced lawyers, and you will be best-placed to start thinking about what kind of lawyer you want to be.
When you finish your vacation scheme, you’ll have the opportunity to interview for a training contract.
First-Year Spring Scheme
This is your opportunity to learn more about life as a lawyer at a global elite law firm, to help you determine if a training contract at Latham would be right for you. Over the course of three days, you will gain valuable insights into:
- Our complex, high-profile, and cross-border work
- How our global teams collaborate
- How a law firm operates as a business
You will leave with a real picture of the roles, responsibilities, and experiences of Latham trainees growing and thriving in a supportive, inclusive, and ambitious environment.
You will also have the chance to network with Latham lawyers across different areas of the firm.
Open to first-year students.
Key Dates
First-Year Spring Scheme: April 2024
Spring Vacation Scheme: April 2024
Summer Vacation Scheme: June/July 2024
Applications for all 2024 vacation schemes are now closed. Applications for the 2025 schemes will open in September 2024. Sign up to be notified.
Training Contract
The training contract you choose will help shape your career as a lawyer.
Seats
Over the course of two years, you’ll rotate across different ‘seats’, or practice areas, which will include gaining experience in corporate and finance. Completing a training contract at a full-service firm as big as Latham means having the opportunity to experience a breadth of interesting practice areas from litigation to fintech.
During each seat you will receive in-practice group training, as well as socials and practice-wide training to ensure you are fully integrated into the practice group and team. You will also be invited to attend practice retreats.
Beyond the skills training, on-the-job training, and practice-specific training, a lot of importance is placed on building your own network. You will be encouraged to build relationships with partners and associates, to put yourself out there and seek work, and ensure you have a broad workload.
Helping you choose – post-qualification
As a trainee, our Trainee Development Team will ensure you’re exposed to areas and projects that interest you.
You will receive a practice group guide, which provides full insight into each department, and you will attend practice area talks – presentations where you can attend and ask questions.
You will receive one-to-one guidance from our Trainee Development Team, and be encouraged to network, and speak to other trainees to ensure you have a rounded view of the firm and its practice areas before you make your choice.
The work
Your fast-paced and international assignments will have a real impact in the market.
International secondments
You’ll have the opportunity to go on secondment, depending on business demand. In the past, we have placed trainees on secondment to a number of different Latham offices including our offices in Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, and various across US.
Rooting for your success
We actively invest in all our trainees ― as lawyers and individuals. Whichever path you choose, we will equip you with all the resources to move your career forward. Read about our extensive training.
Full support along the way
Your trainee mentor, who you’ll meet prior to joining the firm, will provide support and guidance, offering advice from their own recent experiences.
Your associate mentor, who you’ll meet prior to joining the firm, will guide you during your training contract, and will be integral to helping you navigate your career and your development into a successful lawyer.
A supervisor at associate or partner level, will be part of your day-to-day team, giving you regular feedback and guidance. The Trainee Development Team will support you throughout your training programme.
Training & Development
We provide extensive professional development opportunities from support with post-graduate courses, to professional in-house training during your training contract and beyond. Learn more about the training and support we offer.
Salary & Benefits
Your starting salary will be £55,000, going up to £60,000 in your second year. See the full overview of our benefits.
Open Days
We hold open days over the course of the year for students across all year groups. Our open days are the perfect way to get a feel for the Latham culture and the way we work.
During the course of the day, you’ll have the opportunity to meet our partners, associates, and trainees, as well as our Graduate Recruitment team.
You’ll take part in panels, speed networking, and negotiation activities, and you’ll meet our trainees in a more informal, social setting.
We’ll cover travelling costs for those of you coming from outside London.
Key dates
Penultimate and final year law and non-law students, and graduates:
Graduate Recruitment Open Day — October 2024
Black Lawyers Group Open Day — November 2024
Graduate Recruitment Open Day — November 2024
LGBTQ+ Open Day — November 2024
Applications for all 2024–2025 Open Days will open in September 2024. Sign up to be notified.
On Campus
We visit campuses across the UK and have Brand Ambassadors at a number of universities. Look out for us at law fairs, virtual events, in your careers services, and working with your law societies.
This year we will be attending events for the following universities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Exeter, King’s, Leeds, LSE, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen Mary, UCL, Warwick, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Cardiff.
Register for our events here.
To receive updates about our upcoming graduate events and opportunities:
Contacts
For all queries relating to Graduate Opportunities please contact: Recruiting.Graduate.LO@lw.com