PwC Legal LLP

As a trainee solicitor, you’ll enjoy exposure to client work and the chance to take on early responsibility. You will play an integral part of the team you join, taking a hands-on approach to projects making a valuable contribution. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry. Our constant coaching, development and support means you‘ll never feel like you’re on your own.

Although your practical experience will differ in each practice group, you’ll always play a key role, working closely with the partners and assistant solicitors. Along the way, you’ll hone strong business advisory skills including networking, client relationship development and negotiation skills. Whether clients need general legal advice or complex legal and commercial expertise, you’ll think laterally, gain practical experience and help us deliver creative solutions.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills across a wide range of our practice groups. At the same time, exposure to the diverse skill sets of professionals in PwC will help you hone strong business advisory skills. You’ll also develop lateral thinking skills, gain practical, hands-on experience at a very early stage in your traineeship and be part of teams delivering creative solutions.

Training Contract

Our training contract is divided into four periods (or seats) of six months.We’ll always do our best to give you your choice of seats and as part of our training experience you’ll receive extensive training internally on business development and networking, management and interpersonal skills. You may also get the chance to take a secondment to another area of PwC, helping you to get the exposure you need to develop your skills.

Our development programme includes:

• A thorough induction covering our strategy, core practice groups, client care time management skills, and IT skills, and research resources.
• Support to gain professional qualification – you’ll take the core and electives modules of the Professional Skills Course (PSC) during your training contract.
• A range of electives modules for the PSC during your fourth seat – all your own preferences
• Extensive internal training, including technical seminars and soft skills courses
• Your own mentor from among our third or fourth seat trainees who will be there to guide you right from the start
• Continuous feedback from your supervisor – either a partner or an assistant solicitor – who will monitor and assess the quality of your work and make sure you get a broad spectrum of experience.
• Regular appraisals to set objectives and assess your progress, giving you tips and guidance along the way
• Exceptional prospects as you develop along a path shaped to fit with your goals as well as the ever-changing needs of our business. Throughout your training contract, and when you qualify, you’ll take on more responsibility and extend your client network and technical expertise. What’s more, PwC Legal LLP has big growth plans for the next four years – and joining us now will put you in an ideal position to grow with us.

Your training experience

We look for ambitious, motivated individuals with the drive to become the leading lawyers of the future. Then we commit to helping them realise that potential. We do this by providing:

Early responsibility- You’ll enjoy exposure to a great variety of client work and the chance to take on responsibility early. And not just with the day-to-day administrative tasks. That would be a waste of your talent and potential. Instead, as an integral member of the team, you’ll take a hands-on approach to client engagements and make a valuable contribution. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry. Our comprehensive coaching, development and support means you’ll never feel like you’re on your own.

Senior exposure- You’ll work closely with the partners and assistant solicitors. Along the way, you’ll hone strong business advisory skills, including networking, client relationship and negotiation skills. You’ll be encouraged to think laterally, gain practical experience and help us deliver creative solutions to our clients.

Shared expertise- Our solicitors often work directly alongside other advisers within PwC, whether they be tax advisers, human capital consultants, corporate finance experts, actuaries, management consultants or, of course, accountants. Thanks to resources like this, we can offer our lawyers a uniquely rewardingworking environment.

Grants

If we accept you for a legal training contract, you'll get a scholarship award to help with the costs of the Graduate Diploma in Law Course and the Legal Practice Course. If successful, we’ll pay your course and examination fees, and contribute substantially towards your living expenses. We make the payments in three equal instalments.

For the 2012/2013 academic year we’ll pay the following:

• Graduate Diploma of Law (GDL) – £6,000 plus fees
• Legal Practice Course (LPC) – £7,000 plus fees

Reward

We offer all our people an impressive reward package, including a competitive salary. In 2012 the starting salary for Legal trainees was £37,000, and for those in their second year it was £41,000.

Summer vacation scheme

This three-week scheme for trainee solicitors runs in June and July and will help you decide whether a career with PwC Legal is right for you. You’ll experience three different practice groups, carry out research, draft legal documents and attend client meetings. You’ll also work on a case study at the end of your placement. Do well and you’ll be offered a training contract with us. We’ll be as flexible as possible with your start date.

We generally recruit two years in advance (but we aim to be flexible) for trainee solicitors and therefore focus on penultimate year law students and final year non-law students. As well as at least a 320 UCAS tariff (or equivalent) and a keen interest in business law, you’ll need to have, or be on track for, at least a 2:1.

You must also be a lateral thinker who thrives on challenge and enjoys coming up with up new and innovative solutions to complex problems.

If you want to work for a fast-growing firm and capitalise on a unique opportunity develop both professional and commercial skills, apply now.

Chris

Solicitor, joined 2003

"I joined in 2003 as a trainee solicitor before qualifying as a solicitor in the employment and pensions practice group in 2005. One point that always struck me when my law school friends and I discussed our jobs, was the amount of client contact and responsibility I got as a trainee at PwC Legal. I worked on two Mergers & Acquisitions deals during my Corporate seat and on both deals I was working opposite junior solicitors with between 2 to 3 years’ post-qualified experience. Our size means you’re an important part of the team. Since qualifying, I’ve enjoyed providing more than just pure legal advice. I’ve worked extensively alongside tax, reward, and consulting specialists in PwC. I also frequently work with PwC Legal’s international network, which has the most extensive global coverage of any law firm."

Sacha

Trainee Solicitor, joined 2011

"I wanted a training contract where I could engage with more than just legal issues. My first seat was in immigration, where there were two main elements to my work. I worked on visa applications for the employees of our big corporate clients. The other element was government policy work, where we got to go to the Houses of Parliament. My second seat was in the Corporate department, where I assisted with multi-million pound Mergers & Acquisitions deals, global restructuring projects for some of the world’s largest and most renowned companies and also LLP conversions. I regularly worked with colleagues across a number of departments, as well as members of the PwC Tax teams and colleagues from our international offices. This gave me fantastic experience of the technical complexity and logistical implications of the projects in hand and improved my commercial awareness."