The Legal Cheek View
Travers Smith is officially on the market for solicitor apprentices, hiring its first cohort to start in 2025. This full-service London-based firm has top-shelf expertise in employment, real estate, and disputes, boasting a particularly strong corporate practice which advises big-name clients like HSBC, 3i and Bridgepoint. One of the oldest City firms, founded way back in 1810, Travers has stayed relatively true to its roots with a London HQ and a satellite office across the Channel in Paris – Ooh la la!
Apprentices at this independent outfit will rotate annually during their first four years, gaining experience across Travers Smith’s four core departments: advisory, contentious, regulatory and transactional. Although the apprenticeship will be focused on fee-earning departments, there may also be opportunities to sit in legal-focused but non-fee-earning teams like legal tech or risk and compliance. This all sits alongside studies for an undergraduate law degree at BPP.
In the final two years of their six-year stint, seasoned apprentices will continue to spend one day per week studying for the solicitors qualifying exams (SQEs) but will be otherwise integrated into Travers Smith’s trainee cohort. Like Travers trainees, apprentices will complete four six-month seats over these two years. All in all, apprentices will experience eight seats over the course of the programme.
So, why should aspiring apprentices choose Travers Smith? The firm places emphasis on rigorous training and has designed a dedicated training programme which apprentices will complete alongside their client work. Apprentices’ training will also benefit from the firm’s office sharing policy which sits each rookie next to an experienced partner, helping them pick up the legal know-how quickly while building bridges with seniors.
There will also be plenty of apprentice-specific support on offer. Apprentices will be supported throughout their programme by a dedicated HR contact as well as coaches from BPP university who will focus on their academic targets. Additionally, in each seat, apprentices will have a designated Travers Smith lawyer who will act as their sponsor. Sponsors will advocate for apprentices in the team and make sure they are given productive and challenging work.
The firm also boasts a sociable culture and a raft of perks. Perhaps the firm’s top-rated perk is its hugely popular onsite café, Braithwate, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner free of charge. Other perks include access to a private box at the Royal Albert Hall, an in-house physio, free music lessons, late night taxis and subscription to Calm, a mediation and sleep app, to help unwind after a busy day.
In terms of the social life of a TS apprentice, rather than having large, organised activities and clubs, we’re told that the firm is organically sociable and plenty of events are organised on a team level. Firm-wide socials include visits to the Globe to see Shakespeare, ‘decathlon days out’ and drinks at the Bishops Finger most Thursdays. A firm serious about diversity and inclusion, Travers also has a range of active professional networks including their REACH (race, ethnicity and cultural heritage) network, Gender balance group, and Enable group which supports the firm in improving accessibility for those with physical and mental disabilities.