Discover the unexpected at Simmons & Simmons
You’ll help answer our clients’ biggest and most important questions, because that’s exactly what we’ll train you to do. Together, we’ll help businesses to innovate, cut complexity and build a more equal and sustainable world.
Dublin office
As part of our integrated global offering, Simmons Dublin holds a reputation in the market for the depth and quality of its expertise in the areas of asset management, banking and finance, corporate and M&A, financial services, regulatory, real estate, dispute resolution and tax. Our team of expert lawyers offer the firm’s international and Irish clients a worldwide legal and regulatory solution, advising on complex local and cross-border mandates.
Our highly specialised Irish team, led by country head Rachel Stanton, are renowned for their wealth of experience in financial transactions. We advise some of the world’s largest asset managers and financial institutions on legal issues from multi-jurisdictional transaction work to contentious risk issues.
Through our Simmons Solutions offering we use our enviable range of creative skills and legal technologies to solve our client’s most complex legal and business challenges.
Read more about the Dublin office, here.
Opportunities
Start to get under the surface of what it’s like to be a trainee lawyer, with our paid summer internship. You’ll learn more about our firm, so you can work out how you fit into our world, and how we fit into yours.
This four-week experience will give you a deeper understanding of our world, and you’ll leave feeling part of our team. With a trainee buddy and a supervising partner or associate on hand, you’ll be a part of working life at the firm. You’ll attend social events, do vital research and drafting work, and even meet with clients. It’s a packed schedule, including experience across two different departments, but by the end, you’ll have a strong sense of whether we’re right for you – and you for us.
We are recruiting for trainees to join our trainee programmes from May 2028. To secure a training contract you must complete a summer internship with us.
The scheme will take place from 15 June - 10 July 2026 and pay per week is €525.
Open to penultimate-year and final-year students and graduates of all degree disciplines.
Applications are now closed. Please register your interest below for future opportunities.
What are we looking for?
We want to hear from ambitious future lawyers, who are ready to leave their mark. We're looking for final year undergraduates and graduates who are on course for, or have obtained, at least a 2:1 in any degree subject. That said, academic performance isn't everything: that's why we look for raw talent and potential throughout our assessment process.
Trainee profile
“I started my traineeship in the Dublin office sitting with Commercial Real Estate and being a member of such a fast flowing, dynamic team has been extremely rewarding in every sense. I have mostly worked on international health and life science transactions.
From the first days you are tasked with working independently and taking ownership of your workload which is a rare opportunity to be so hands-on with international clients at trainee level.
Simmons & Simmons has always been extremely supportive of its trainees and is clearly invested in the next generation of lawyers.
The link between the London and Dublin Offices only increases the levels of support available when balancing studies and work. I have been afforded the opportunity to go on secondment to the Simmons & Simmons London office and do a seat with the Financial Services Funds team. This has been both an incredibly exciting yet rewarding element to my training contract.
The opportunity to work in an international firm and also experience the pace of Dublin transactional work is certainly a unique selling point we offer.”
- Colin Reynolds, Trainee
Benefits
There are plenty of steps on your journey, and your salary will change as you move through the programme and beyond.
Benefits include:
- 25 days holiday entitlement
- Pension contributions
- Private medical insurance
- Employee assistance programme (EAP)
- Risk insurances including life assurance, income protection, and personal accident insurance
- Gym subsidy
- Eye tests
- Cycle to work scheme
- Tax saver travel pass scheme
- Wedding and civil partnership gift
- One full day (or two half days) of charity leave
- Business travel insurance
Trainee salary package
€50,000 (whilst studying the PPC)
€52,500 (upon passing the core curriculum of the PPC)
Our assessment process
Are you ready to join the world of law for the long-term, and start a lasting career with us? We’ve laid out our application process for the Dublin training contract:
Stage 1 - Online application form
You’ve seen a little of our world, and we want to know more about yours. In the online application, we’ll ask about your academics and your key achievements.
Top tips for the application form:
- Complete all parts of the form
- Make sure you check it for spelling and grammar.
- Highlight the transferable skills you’ve achieved during your experiences which make you suited for the role.
Stage 2 - Assessment centre
This year, our assessment centres will be virtual and will consist of the following activities:
- Case study exercise
- Competency interview
- In-tray exercise
For tips on our assessment process, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You’ve got an inquisitive mind and plenty of questions, we’re here to help. First, check out our FAQs below. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can get in touch with us via email: recruitment@simmons-simmons.com.
Who can apply?
Our summer internship is open penultimate-year, final-year undergraduates and graduates from all degree disciplines.
What intake dates are you recruiting for?
We are recruiting for trainees to join our training contracts from May 2028 onwards.
Do you pay for Law Society fees for the PPC course?
Yes, we pay law school tuition fees for the PPC.
Do you pay law school fees retrospectively if an applicant already has completed their FE1 exams or PPC?
Unfortunately, we don’t offer this.
Am I at a disadvantage if I do not have any legal work experience?
No, we recognise that not everyone will have had the opportunity to obtain legal work experience and therefore we don’t request this. Any work experience can be helpful, as it gives you the ability to demonstrate some of our desired competencies and transferable skills. Whether you’ve completed legal work experience or not, we still want you to show us why you are interested in a career in law.
I have previously been unsuccessful in the recruitment process at Simmons & Simmons. When can I reapply?
You’ll need to wait until the next recruitment year, commencing each Autumn, before submitting another application. We unfortunately can’t reconsider a candidate if you’ve already applied this year and been unsuccessful (at either application or interview).
I have a disability or a health condition which means I require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Will Simmons & Simmons be able to provide these?
If you need any reasonable adjustments to be made at any stage of our process for internships or training contracts, please get in touch to let us know. We’ll gladly do all we can to help you perform to the best of your ability. Please contact a member of the graduate recruitment team by email (recruitment@simmons-simmons.com), or phone (020 7628 2020). If you are not sure what adjustments you may require for the recruitment process, we can establish this together.
Will you be visiting universities this year?
We will be visiting a number of law fairs on university campuses in Dublin. We will also host a series of virtual events which anyone can attend and you can find more about them here. Our events will be the perfect opportunity to hear from our partners, trainees and graduate recruitment team.
How to apply
Our Dublin summer internship is open to penultimate and final year undergraduates and graduates from all academic disciplines. The summer internship will take place from 15 June - 10 July 2026 in our Dublin office. We are recruiting for trainees to join our trainee programmes from May 2028. To secure a training contract you must complete a summer internship with us.
Applications are open from 15 October to 15 December 2025 for the Dublin summer internship.