London Training Contract

We have a variety of practice groups providing a full service to clients, and do not align our trainees to strict departmental seats, which ensures you get as broad an experience as possible. We recruit up to three trainees each year; having a small intake means you are given responsibility early and are able to build internal networks quickly. Our training contract is flexible, designed with your interests in mind as well as our desire to create rounded, commercial, qualified Katten lawyers with strong legal knowledge. Our first year trainee salary is currently £50,000, which increases to £55,000 for second years. In order to be considered for a training contract with us, candidates are expected to first take part in our Summer Vacation Scheme.

London Summer Vacation Scheme

Applications for our 2024 Summer Vacation Scheme, taking place 17th to 21st June 2024 are now open. Applications will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 31st December 2023 The scheme is open to all graduates, penultimate-year law students and final-year non-law students, and we welcome applications from all degree disciplines. You should have, or be on track for, a 2:1 or above and we look for a minimum of ABB at A-Level or equivalent. Successful participants will be offered a Training Contract to commence in September 2026.

Blind Recruitment

To make the selection process as fair as possible, we are using blind recruitment — the removal of identifying information from CVs and covering letters — in our recruitment process.

When submitting your CV and covering letter please therefore remove your name, address, email address and any social media profiles and any other identifying information. Please also remove all reference to the name of your university, college and school, whilst ensuring grades remain on your CV.

Documentation, Mitigating Circumstances and Right to Work

Both copies of your CV and your cover letter should be sent in Word format only, and attached as separate documents. Please keep cover letters to a maximum of 1.5 pages. Should you wish to declare any mitigating circumstances, please do so at the bottom of your cover letter.

We require confirmation of your right to work in the UK from the start of the scheme to the end of your two year training contract in August 2028. Please provide a clear scan of any right to work documentation, including log in codes where appropriate.

Application Process

To apply, please send the following to Frankie Arnold at lon-trainingcontract@katten.co.uk:

  • Both a blind and non-blind copy of your CV;
  • A copy of your cover letter;
  • A completed copy of this form;
  • Your right to work documentation

Please carefully follow the above guidelines to ensure your CV and covering letter are free of all identifying information; any applications which do not adhere to this will be automatically disregarded.

We aim to contact successful candidates in late February, with interviews taking place from 11th to 20th March 2024.