The Legal Cheek View
Meet White & Case at Legal Cheek’s upcoming virtual event series for Year 12 and 13 students considering solicitor apprenticeships
Global law firm White & Case is entering the solicitor apprenticeship market in 2025, driven by a focus on social mobility in its hiring strategy. The firm offers expertise in finance, dispute resolution, corporate, and energy & infrastructure, providing apprentices with significant cross-border and multijurisdictional experience.
Apprentices begin their journey with an extended induction, rotating through White & Case’s business services teams, gaining comprehensive experience of the firm’s operations. During this initial phase, recruits will rotate for three to six months, busying themselves in the engine room of the firm. Alongside this, apprentices start their academic journey with the University of Law, blending their legal education with real-world experience. The day release structure of solicitor apprenticeships sees recruits complete their law degree part time over the course of their first four years.
After the initial business-focused rotation, apprentices transition into their yearly legal seat rotations. Within the first four years, apprentices will experience three yearly seats before studying for the first group of Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE). A novel approach to the SQE, White & Case apprentices will take five months’ leave from the firm to study for the SQE1 exams full-time between years four and five. For SQE2, they will return to the NY headquartered outfit on a day-release model in their fifth year. Choosing between university and a solicitor apprenticeship can be difficult. However, White & Case will ensure its apprentices don’t miss out on the social aspects of uni life. Sporty apprentices can join various clubs, including football, badminton, Pilates, and yoga. The firm has also reintroduced the W&C World Cup this year, held in Madrid, where football and volleyball teams from across the globe will compete for the trophies. All White & Case staff can either participate or spectate, offering apprentices a great opportunity to network and socialise with the firm’s global lawyer pool in the sun.
Firm-wide and team-wide socials are complemented by regular W&C Affinity Network events. These include the BAME LINK Affinity Network, the Spectrum LGBTQ+ Affinity Network, the Black Affinity Network, and over 25 local women’s networks. Apprentices have ample opportunities to engage with and contribute to their communities within the workplace.
White & Case is known for its bougie perks, and its swanky London offices offer more than just a sleek work environment. The Broad St Kitchen (BSK), the firm’s restaurant/café, provides unlimited free coffee, pastries, and three meals a day. BSK has recently been refurbished to include a separate restaurant section and a café-style space to encourage collaboration. Additionally, new employees receive an annual £500 wellbeing allowance and access to an on-site physio for regular massages, ensuring they are well taken care of.
This is the White & Case profile for those considering solicitor apprenticeships. Students looking to apply for training contracts should check out Legal Cheek‘s main White & Case profile.