FAQ

Our vacation schemes are the closest you’ll find to internships –this year we are running two-week programmes in the summer holidays. We don’t offer any other ad hoc work experience, because we believe in a level playing field, where everyone goes through the same process and gets exactly the same opportunities.

No, we only consider applications to our formal opportunities, so that everyone goes through the same fair process.

A full list of our application deadlines can be found here. As we fill our roles on a first come first served basis, we strongly recommend you apply early to avoid disappointment.

• Spring insight scheme: 1 scheme with approximately 20 places.
• Summer vacation schemes: 1 scheme in London with approximately 15 places on each and 1 scheme in Bristol with up to 10 places.

Our summer vacation schemes are aimed at candidates who are looking to gain a training contract in two years’ time. That means that you’ll need to apply in your penultimate year, even if you’re abroad on a placement year, so that we can see you at the right time for your intake.

We do have a limited number of internships available at some of our international offices. Details of opportunities can be found on the country specific pages here. Please click on the relevant office to find out how to apply.

Yes, we run a spring insight scheme aimed at first year law students and first and second year non-law students. You can find out more about that here.

We are running a selection of virtual events to gain an insight into the work we do at Simmons & Simmons and a select number of in person events for you to meet us face to face. You can find out more about these events here. In addition, we are running an open day in our Bristol office. Further details can be found on our homepage.

You will need to apply for one of our vacation schemes as there will be no open direct training contract vacancies.

We recruit our future trainees via our vacation schemes. You must attend one of our vacation schemes to be considered for a training contract. Candidates who perform well during our vacation scheme will be offered a training contract with us.

You can come from any degree discipline, but we’re looking for strong academic performance as a baseline. You’ll have around 120 UCAS points (or equivalent), and you’ll be on course for (or already have) at least a 2:1 in your discipline. That said, we’re committed to recruiting the best people from a variety of backgrounds. We do consider candidates who have lower scores if they show real potential and can demonstrate they’re a strong match for us. Aside from that, there are certain other traits we look for, and you can find out about them here.

We recruit two years in advance. If you apply for a vacation scheme this cycle you will be considered for training contracts for September 2028/March 2029. We can only accept training contract applications for the year we are currently recruiting for, and we don’t allow applicants to apply for later start dates. If, however, you would like to start your training contract earlier you are welcome to apply. If you are successful in obtaining a training contract, we would be happy to review your start date again at this stage. We stress, however, that there is no guarantee we will be able to move start dates forward.

Our application deadline for the London summer vacation scheme is 15 December 2025 For Bristol, the deadline for applications is 15 February 2026. However, as we fill our roles on a rolling first come first served basis, we strongly recommend you apply early to avoid disappointment.

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).

No. We recruit for our vacation schemes and training contracts on a rolling basis and therefore strongly recommend you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please note, that if you apply close to the deadline, it will take us slightly longer to respond to your application and there is a chance we will have filled all of our roles.

All future trainees of Simmons & Simmons will be required to go through the firm's pre-employment screening process. This will include a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The firm undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a DBS check on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. The firm's policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request.

Yes, we do consider mitigating circumstances. If you have mitigating circumstances you should outline these in the education section of your application form under ‘further information’.

We look for candidates that have 120 UCAS points (or equivalent, or 300 UCAS points under the old system), and a 2:1 degree (or equivalent). We do not screen out applications based purely on academics, however, and we do take all aspects of an application into consideration. That said, the competition for training contracts and vacation placements at the firm is intense and we only have a limited number of places available.

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.

You don’t have to study the law foundations course if the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) classes your degree as a Qualifying Law Degree. That may not be the case if, for instance, you went to university overseas. You can check your degree against the SRA’s list here.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at application stage for vacation schemes or training contracts. We do, however, provide verbal feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at an assessment day, if requested.

Please try to fit your results into the application form as best as you can. All major exam results from the age of 16 should be included and we request that a full module breakdown is provided. Please enter your results as they appear on your transcript and do not try to ‘convert’ them to the UK education system. If you would like to provide a fuller explanation of your education system or have difficulty imputing results, please include this explanation in the 'Additional information' space provided on the application form.

Yes, you’ll need the right to work in the UK for all our schemes. You should also note that we do provide visa sponsorship for training contracts, but not for vacation schemes or other events.

Our assessment centres will take place virtually over Microsoft Teams, so we will not require you to travel to attend an assessment centre in person.

Yes, our diversity networks play a key part in shaping our workplace culture. They provide our people with support and a forum to meet others with common interests.

• Parents & Carers at Simmons: founded in 2024, this network brings together colleagues who are balancing professional responsibilities with parenting or caregiving duties. Contact: Eucharia Bragg.
• Christians at Simmons: our longest running network meets regularly and host seminars to discuss different aspects of Christianity. Contact: Sean Bulmer.
• Race & Ethnicity at Simmons: our race and ethnicity network supports our firm’s objective to increase race and ethnicity diversity and representation. Our partner co-chairs are leading the implementation of our action plan. Contact: Jen Yee Chan and Kamal Arulvel.
• Jewish at Simmons: since its launch the network has arranged a number of social events to mark key events and festivals in the Jewish calendar. Contact: Juliet Reingold.
• LGBTQ+ at Simmons: the LGBTQ+ network raises the profile of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the firm and provides practical assistance in addressing LGBTQ+ issues. Contacts: Peter Lockwood and Julia Gori
• Muslims at Simmons: bringing together colleagues who have an interest in the Islamic faith and/or Islamic affairs for networking, socialising and learning Contact Muneer Khan.
• Neurodiversity at Simmons: The network works across the firm to consider and encourage change, to become more neuro inclusive and provide an avenue for new joiners as well as parents and carers who may need support. Contact Erika Pagano and David Kidman.
• Social Mobility at Simmons: building awareness and understanding of social mobility and seeking to address the issues it creates. Contact Jo Cooper and Elliot Beard.
• Gender Balance at Simmons: Our gender network supports progression for both women and men across the firm. The network’s objectives are to deliver internal events (open to women and men) to promote development, retention and wellbeing, connecting people in the firm and supporting the firm’s gender balance initiatives. Contact Barbara Hamilton-Bruce and Collette Walsh-Jones.

We are more than happy to provide the application form in an alternative format. Please e-mail recruitment@simmons-simmons.com or call 020 7628 2020 and let us know what format you require.

If you need any adjustments to be made at any stage of our process for open days, vacation schemes 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 e-mail (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.

Please don’t worry – we’re here to help. We’re committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. If you require adjustments during the recruitment process, we would encourage you to disclose this information to us as soon as you can so that we can make the adjustments required.

If you receive and accept a training contract offer before you have started your course, we ask trainees to study at BPP Law School in London or Bristol. Applicants who have studied or are studying elsewhere are not at a disadvantage when applying for a training contract.

Unfortunately, we don’t offer this.

We recruit approximately 20 trainees each year in London and six trainees in Bristol. The trainee intake in London is split between September and March. In Bristol there is one trainee intake in September.

Yes, we are able to offer client or international secondments to many trainees at some point during their training contract. Trainees undertake secondments in their second, third or fourth seats.

The training contract is made up of four seats, each lasting six months.

We’ll ask you to complete a minimum of one and maximum of two contentious seats and either two or three non-contentious seats.

Trainees are asked to rank their preferences for their next seat approximately two months before each seat change. Seats are then allocated based on these preferences, the business requirements of the firm, and SRA regulations. We try to take into consideration trainee preferences as much as possible.

Trainees who are approaching qualification are informed of the newly qualified solicitor vacancies available in the firm and asked to rank these in order of preference. This ranking is then compared to the preferences of the departments as to whom they would like to fill their vacancies.

Yes, trainees are given both formal and informal feedback during their training contract. All of our trainee solicitors have informal mid-seat reviews and then a more formal review at the end of each seat. This helps us to identify their development needs, let them know where they have excelled, and ensure that they are progressing well. You can find out more about how the training contract will progress here.

Each trainee solicitor will be allocated an associate or partner per seat who will be their ‘supervisor’. This ensures that they have exposure to real legal work from day one of their training contract and are well supported in their learning.

We do occasionally have paralegal vacancies. However, we do not accept speculative applications. When vacancies arise they will be advertised on the careers pages of our website and should be applied for online.

We will be running both in person and virtual events which anyone can attend and you can find out more about them here. Our events will be the perfect opportunity to hear from our partners, trainees and graduate recruitment team.