Kirkland & Ellis’s recruitment brochure emphasises the firm’s key offerings to prospective trainees: the opportunities to be a valuable part of the team and be involved in high-quality international work from day one.
Stand out from the crowd
03 Welcome
07 An international reputation
09 Meet Tilly Kersley
11 An incredible location
12 Meet Rajinder Bassi
14 High-profile clients
17 Steer your own career
18 Meet Holly Donovan
21 A friendly environment
22 Multiple practice areas
24 An inspirational culture
26 Our contribution to society
28 Meet Sam Sherwood
30 People that fit
32 How to apply
Stand out from the crowd
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Choosing which firm to start your legal career with is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make.
At Kirkland & Ellis we combine the closeness of a small London team giving you direct access to senior partners, with the excitement of being part of a global firm, employing 2,500 lawyers in 15 offices around the world.
It’s the best of both worlds, ensuring you have both the support and space you need to grow.
Talent, drive and enthusiasm. That’s what makes a Kirkland & Ellis lawyer.
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Graduate Recruitment Partners Sarah Jordan & Andrej Wolf
Welcome
“Trainees at Kirkland & Ellis seize the opportunity to take ownership of every task and make things happen for their clients and team. We reward them with real responsibility.”
At Kirkland & Ellis, we work on the biggest and most complex global private equity transactions. These are dynamic, challenging and high-profile deals that stretch your intellect and require you to be a business advisor as well as a lawyer. You will meet extremely talented clients from the most successful businesses and financial sponsors on transactions across a diverse range of industry sectors. Each year we recruit ten trainees and you will be joining a team of around 350 lawyers based in London’s iconic Gherkin building. We look for people who have a genuine interest in private equity and transactional legal work as well as individuals who are self-motivated, driven and ambitious. We have a track record of promoting our associates to partner after six years; our aim is to provide all our lawyers with an accelerated career path, the best technical and deal experience, and client development opportunities. On top of the essential academic qualifications, we’re interested in individuals who can demonstrate initiative and who have the confidence and ambition to thrive in an environment that places no limits on how successful you can be.
At Kirkland & Ellis, we have close-knit deal teams of partners and associates. As such, all our lawyers get the opportunity to work across every aspect of a transaction, right from day one. This will give you full exposure to how deals come together and a greater appreciation of the importance of the tasks that you will be involved in. With an understanding of the big picture, you will quickly become an integral part of the team, putting forward ideas and finding solutions to complex legal and deal issues. Join a firm that is highly successful, entrepreneurial, energetic and fun. Kirkland & Ellis is a place where individual thinking is encouraged and where the view of each lawyer is respected. Everyone gets fully involved and takes ownership of their work to achieve the best result for the client. But don’t take our word for it… read on to learn more about the experiences of one of our trainees and two of our associates, and apply for our Vacation Scheme to experience it for yourself. We look forward to meeting you.
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“There’s almost no trainee role. You just dig in and do it.” Trainee
Be part of the team from day one
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We believe in giving our trainees ready access to associates and partners because it means you hear about the work going on and the role you can play.
Within a month you’ll be heavily involved with real deals and cases, not just listen and learn but relied upon to make a valuable contribution to the team.
“We operate small teams which means everyone has a role and our trainees gain exposure to everything that goes on.”
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“You’re given problems to solve which makes you feel part of the team immediately.” “You learn here by doing and as a trainee you have to show you want to be involved.”
“This kind of training is challenging in some ways but there is always support there.”
“You learn different
ways of working when you’re involved in deals for international clients.”
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“We’re not just an English law practice. At least half of the work we do in London is international, involving the US, Europe and Asia.”
“You have the opportunity to apply to complete a placement overseas. It’s a good way of going outside of your comfort zone and building up relationships with other offices.”
“I’ve worked on a deal that involved 11 jurisdictions.”
“We have international work in the London office as well as working with our colleagues overseas on international projects.” Graduate Recruitment Partner
Work for a firm with a strong international reputation
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Kirkland & Ellis is a recognised major force on the global stage, practising English, US and international law. Our global footprint of offices and international outlook means we’re trusted by many of today’s biggest global brands. The organisations we work with in London and the size of the transactions means we handle frequent matters across multiple jurisdictions. We have a reputation for managing our clients’ international objectives very effectively.
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Trainee Tilly Kersley Graduate in French and German, Leeds University
“This is a meritocratic firm, where trainees aren’t limited by a fixed view of what trainees can do. If you work hard and do well, you get the opportunities to do better, more challenging work and keep progressing.”
It’s incredible to realise where I am today compared to one year ago. My legal knowledge has grown exponentially, becoming broader and deeper. I attribute that to hard work but also the training approach at Kirkland & Ellis. There’s a small intake, you learn on the job, alongside the formal training sessions, and collaborate with lawyers at all levels of the firm. All of which ensures you learn at pace, gain exposure to people and deals, get to demonstrate your capabilities, and take on new challenges. You’re very much part of the team from day one and can set your own course by putting yourself forward for the legal work you’re interested in. Everyone is genuinely invested in helping you go as far as you can. Associates and partners alike, take the time to go through things with you. I hadn’t considered private equity work until I met Kirkland & Ellis lawyers at a graduate fair. Their passion for the work came across immediately. They explained what it involves, clearly and intelligently, and I was able to make an educated decision about applying to the firm. Even on the vacation scheme, you’re involved in proper, substantive legal work straight away.
I discovered the whole process of a deal, had to complete tasks independently, and really felt my opinion was valued even then. When I started at the firm as a trainee, my first seat was debt finance. I’d experienced a taster workshop at the graduate fair and my interest continued from there. Debt finance will also be my third seat – on secondment to our Hong Kong office. I’ll be there for six months and I’ve heard I’ll gain experience of banking deals you don’t always get exposure to in the UK. I’ve been in touch with an associate out there who said the training culture is consistent with the UK – you’re given immediate responsibility but also a lot of support from a friendly and collegiate team. I’m really excited to experience working in a new city and to build on my Kirkland & Ellis network. Being a trainee at Kirkland & Ellis means being committed to your career. This isn’t just a job. People at Kirkland & Ellis are passionate and driven about what they do but also really approachable. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by such motivated and talented people. The firm isn’t looking for cookie-cutter applicants. Be yourself, and if it’s right for you then there is no better place to train.
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“Before you apply, make sure you understand what we do and educate yourself.”
“There’s a different energy to transaction work, with different timelines.”
“Our high-profile location in the Gherkin corresponds to the high-profile work we’re involved in.”
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Work in one of London’s most iconic buildings
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Look out of the windows at Kirkland & Ellis and you’ll see the City where the big deals and transactions we’re involved in are taking place.
Go up to the top floor and you’ll really feel the buzz of working in the Gherkin. It’s one of the most admired buildings in the world for its prime location and truly distinctive shape.
Of course, it’s easy to forget what an incredible building it is when you’re busy working. But when your clients, friends and family pay a visit you’ll remember once again. We love being here. Right at the heart of things.
Training Principal Rajinder Bassi
“Our small trainee intake each year gives us the freedom to run a less rigid training programme than most big firms. Trainees spend the majority of their time working on real deals and cases gaining exposure to partners who are working at the top of their game.”
During the first weeks at Kirkland & Ellis, all trainees participate in an induction process that introduces them to every department we have. Our aim is to ease you into working life and integrate you into the firm. Everyone will be aware of your arrival and will be looking forward to meeting you. You’re seen as a valuable new resource for partners and associates to draw on – something you need to live up to. Over the next four months there are lunchtime training sessions for you to participate in, which cover different aspects of each practice area. These are delivered by partners and are the more formalised part of our training programme. They give you valuable grounding in the practice areas that you may experience during your seat rotations. The opportunities to play to your interests are enormous and the self-starters we’re looking for will always be talking to associates and partners about the projects going on and the work they can get involved in. Your supervisor in each seat will help you control your workload so you can deliver on all of the responsibilities you’re eager to fulfil.
A desire for responsibility is one of the common threads amongst Kirkland & Ellis trainees. We’re a firm that’s happy to give it to you based on your proven ability to deliver. With our mid and end of seat reviews we give you feedback on your development and the opportunity to develop and mould your capabilities and approach in response. Feedback is a two-way street, however. An important cultural aspect of our firm is the dialogue we encourage. Doors are always open to trainees who have ideas and initiatives they want to put forward and our non-hierarchical and meritocratic approach means great ideas will be responded to far quicker than they would be elsewhere. Our responsiveness is a key feature of our entrepreneurial culture. We’re a firm that doesn’t stand still, always finding new and better ways to do things for the success of our clients, our firm and our people. So if you want opportunities in abundance, have the confidence and drive to act on them yourself, and have the personal skills you need to build a network and become part of the team, Kirkland & Ellis is a place you will flourish without question.
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“You have direct client contact early on and they’re fine with that. With the whole team involved, the client knows they’re getting a quality product.” Newly Qualified
Work with high-profile clients from the start
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One of the exciting things about the work we do at Kirkland & Ellis is advising clients from well-known companies – businesses we see around us every day. Everything from retail companies to healthcare, real estate to hospitality. It’s not unusual for the deals we’re involved in to be covered in the business pages and sometimes the headline news. It gives all of us a lot of satisfaction – no matter how long we’ve been in the business – to know we’re operating at that level and at the top of our game.
“Our clients are often young, very dynamic and innovative. They look to us for solutions to get their transactions done.”
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“You’re quickly working with your peers in client companies in investment banks and private equity companies.” “With the clients we have you need to be commercial, intellectual and entrepreneurial.”
“You shouldn’t come to Kirkland & Ellis for the sake of being a lawyer. You should want to be part of the business and commercial world.”
“The firm looks for self-starters who will take opportunities to learn.”
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“If you take the initiative people will help you get involved and explain things.”
“The culture of the firm is friendly and informal, the training process feels open and flexible. You can talk to anyone about the work you’re doing and are encouraged to ask questions.”
“It was enlightening discovering how the partners handled things.” Trainee
Take responsibility for your own career
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Training programmes at many other law firms are far more rigid and formalised than they are at Kirkland & Ellis because of the number of trainees they have in their intake. You can get involved in private equity work, leveraged financings, financial restructurings, taxation arrangements on domestic and international transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and fund formation matters, and competition issues, as well as litigation and arbitration cases.
There is a lot to choose from!
Associate, Corporate Holly Donovan Graduate in Law, Oxford University
“My final seat was corporate – a secondment to our New York office. I worked on wholly US deals, as well as international ones, and gained fresh perspectives that really helped once I returned to working in London.”
As a trainee you’re exposed to interesting projects and collaborate on deals involving household names. One I worked on made headline news. My final seat was corporate – I went on secondment to the New York office. It was a fantastic experience to spend six months living and working in Manhattan. I worked on wholly US deals, as well as international ones, and gained fresh perspectives that really helped once I returned to working in London. It was noticeable on qualification how ready I was to fulfil my responsibilities. Because you learn on the job at Kirkland & Ellis, you gain great exposure. Plus, because the intake is small – it was ten in my year – you’re given responsibility for important work straightaway. Your supervisor helps you navigate how much work you have on and what you’re ready for, but you can put yourself forward for new work as well. It’s a hard-working, committed environment and people are extremely motivated to be involved in deals.
Everyone is very supportive and the close team environment really works. The lack of hierarchy and open access to associates and partners, makes Kirkland & Ellis a friendly and sociable place to be as a trainee. By the end of your four seats, you’ll pretty much know everyone in the office, both lawyers and support staff, and whether you fancy a quick drink after work or decide to take on a charity triathlon (a few of us did recently), you’ll find people who are enthusiastic about joining in. Knowing people across the firm is one of the best things about training at Kirkland & Ellis. It’s another way that the transition from trainee to associate is made easier. You’re already familiar with the people and teams, and how things are done, and they know what you can do.
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“Being in control of my own work gives me a great sense of ownership and makes me want to do it well.”
“It’s always fine to ask questions.”
“We place a lot of trust in our trainees to understand and manage their own work, which for the kind of people we hire is very motivating.”
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“Everyone was really welcoming and keen to help.” Associate
A firm where people really matter
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Pursuing a career in law and working for Kirkland & Ellis is challenging but everyone here is behind your success, whether that’s your supervisor on each seat, associates you collaborate with, or partners who share their knowledge and expertise. Our open culture gives you access to everyone and through regular progress meetings you can share any concerns as well as discuss your ambitions. We also give you the freedom to manage your own time, so you can deliver what’s been asked of you and fulfil your interests and commitments outside of work.
Superior training across multiple practice areas
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Start your training on our Vacation Scheme.
Before joining our firm as a trainee, you can get to know us on our two-week Vacation Scheme. It’s designed to give you valuable hands-on experience across a range of practice areas, as well as crucial insights into how our London team operates. We offer around 30 vacation placements each year, throughout spring and summer, and on top of training participants enjoy a busy social calendar, as well as £500 per week expenses. Most importantly you come away with a crucial network of contacts.
Our small intake of trainees allows our training programme to be less rigid than at many other law firms. High-quality training is the hallmark of our trainee training programme at Kirkland & Ellis – we are proud winners of the 2019 Lawcareers.net “Best Trainer – US law firm in the City” award. Your success goes hand in hand with ours, so we are passionately committed to your personal development and career progression. Join us and you will receive quality training right through to qualification and beyond. Following your two-week induction, which includes the Professional Skills Course, you will have four six-month placements. Corporate and debt finance are our major practice groups so it’s compulsory to do a seat in both of those teams. Your other seats will be allocated from the following: • Investment Funds • Restructuring • International Arbitration & Litigation • Antitrust & Competition • Financial Services Regulatory • Tax • Real Estate Finance Your training The formal training programme we run for the first four months of your Training Contract covers primary practice areas in detail, building on the skills you learned
on the Legal Practice Course (or on the Solicitor’s Qualification Examination (SQE) Course, if applicable), while also introducing new topics. There are also opportunities for soft skills training. During the second year of your Training Contract, you will also have the chance to apply for a placement overseas for those interested in experiencing Kirkland & Ellis in New York or Hong Kong and there is also the possibility of client secondments. All are fantastic learning experiences. Post-qualification training Your training and development does not stop after your Training Contract. We continue to invest in your professional development through regular lunchtime training sessions and workshops. These are tailored specifically to the work of the London office, such as corporate and finance update sessions. Nearly all of our teams have dedicated Professional Support Lawyers, dedicated to ensuring you receive the highest quality training throughout your career. In addition, you will follow certain sessions from the Kirkland University, our firmwide training programme. At Kirkland & Ellis your career is our business, so we are focused on helping you become the best lawyer you can be.
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Rewards & benefits First year trainees receive a starting salary of £50,000 and this rises to £55,000 in the second year. We partner with the University of Law for your GDL and LPC or equivalent SQE Courses, if applicable. We pay all your fees and provide a £10,000 maintenance grant for each course. On top of that we also offer:
Private medical insurance Travel insurance Private life insurance Pension scheme Employee assistance plan Dental plan
Access to a private medical clinic Free breakfasts Discounted gym membership 25 days holiday
Cycle to work scheme Childcare vouchers Emergency childcare Subsidised lunch Kirkland Concierge Kirkland Wellbeing
“There’s a real openness about the firm which makes it easy to be yourself.” Associate
A working culture that inspires you
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Everything we’re proud of at Kirkland & Ellis stems from our open, dynamic, friendly, inclusive and professional culture that we’re committed to maintaining.
“Our commitment to diversity is reflected not only in the firm’s policies, programmes and committees, but also through our efforts to build and maintain a culture that values and gathers strength from difference.”
Our trainees feel the benefit of this culture from the moment their Training Contract begins, through an induction programme that eases them in to their new working environment, with a focus on integration and making sure names and faces are quickly known amongst the whole London team. All of our partners operate an open door policy, ensuring any questions about cases or deals or an individual’s role and development are dealt with in an unhindered way. The atmosphere this helps to create encourages all of our associates and trainees to collaborate, share knowledge and inspire each other too. The result for our clients is a team of highly motivated and informed lawyers working on their projects, with everyone It’s not just about work. Our lawyers and staff get together in our café at breakfast and lunchtimes and we have lots of events throughout the years such as our Halloween pumpkin carving competition, our annual quiz night, and our summer and winter parties. We also have firm netball and football teams for anyone who is interested, whatever your ability. making the most of each other’s knowledge and experience to get the best result.
Our lawyers have to work hard but in the supportive and collaborative environment we nurture, the results we deliver are significant and the sense of achievement equally so. Diversity Kirkland & Ellis’s commitment to diversity has made the firm more vital, more competitive, and better able to serve a broad and varied client base in complex matters. Diversity at Kirkland & Ellis transcends race, gender identity, gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Our lawyers boast rich and varied backgrounds, knowledge and skills, and we value and encourage diversity with respect to each individual’s work style, career path and experiences. We work closely with diversity organisations such as Aspiring Solicitors and SEO and many of our current trainees and associates came through this route.
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“Using our legal skills to better lives, communities and our profession.” Graduate Recruitment Partner
A firm that takes its role in society seriously
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In 2018, lawyers across Kirkland & Ellis worldwide devoted more than 138,000 hours to organisations and individuals on pro bono matters. Our commitment as a firm to providing legal services without charge to those who cannot afford legal counsel is based on our goals of helping to improve clients’ lives, bettering communities and deepening the professional experience of our team.
“At Kirkland & Ellis we are committed to advancing the local and global communities in which we live and work. To fulfil that mission we dedicate substantial energy, talent and resources to an array of meaningful causes and initiatives that reflect our values and vision.”
Over the last year, lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis London have provided pro bono services to a diverse range of organisations and benefitted enormously from the experience of clients and challenges outside of their usual legal work. More importantly they really made a difference to the people they worked for. Pro bono hours are billable hours for associates and our firm aims for each associate to spend at least 20 hours per year on pro bono work. Pro bono opportunities are available to lawyers at all levels, including Vacation Scheme participants and trainees. Kirkland & Ellis has partnered with the University House Legal Advice Centre, one of London’s oldest legal aid organisations, to provide volunteer staff for its weekly housing clinic in the East End of London. Since the housing clinic’s inception in 2017, 48 Kirkland & Ellis lawyers from the London office have dedicated nearly 600 pro bono hours and assisted over 100 Legal Advice Centre clients in need. The clinic provides free legal support to vulnerable individuals facing housing issues such as homelessness, evictions, poor living conditions and others. Since the autumn of 2015, Kirkland & Ellis lawyers have represented low-income clients with disabilities in Employment and Support (ESA) appeals. The success rate for appeals without representation stands
at over 50% and the success rate for appeals with legal representation stands at over 80%. Kirkland & Ellis lawyers work in teams to handle clients’ appeals. Since the project’s inception, 100 Kirkland & Ellis lawyers have dedicated nearly 5,100 pro bono hours, assisting 92 clients in need. In 2018, Kirkland & Ellis lawyers around the world devoted nearly 11,400 hours to LGBT- focussed pro bono work, including 4,900+ hours to the case challenging the ban on transgender service members in the US. support, pro bono assistance and funding to a wide range of charities. Kirkland & Ellis started to work with them in 2007 and has donated hundreds of pro bono hours to their initiatives. Charitable donations In 2018, Kirkland & Ellis donated more than $20 million to 1,300+ charitable and law-related organisations. In the UK these include: Chance UK, Hackney Quest, Spitalfields Crypt Trust, Blue Sky, Robes Project, 999 Club, Hillside Clubhouse and The Honeypot Children’s Charity. Impetus-Private Equity Foundation (Impetus-PEF) provides management
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Associate, Finance Sam Sherwood Graduate in Law, Nottingham University
“I joined Kirkland & Ellis having trained at another law firm. I was attracted by the big deals and the truly international nature of the work.”
I know from conversations with my peers in other law firms that you can get far more responsibility as a junior qualified lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis than you do elsewhere. You can really forge your own career but also get all the necessary support when you need it. This firm operates an accelerated track to partnership. They help you learn as quickly as possible by giving you lots of exposure to different clients and deals. In my first year I had the opportunity to spend two months in our Hong Kong office. I was working on a deal with a client in Australia and it made sense to be in a closer time zone. It was fantastic getting to know my colleagues in Hong Kong. If you put the hard work in you can become a partner after six years.
I worked on incredible deals from day one and had a real sense I was part of a firm working at the top of the market. That’s very motivating and makes you even more passionate about your work. Whether you want to train here or, if like me you join from another firm, you have to be genuinely interested in private equity and have an understanding of what it involves. Enthusiasm is essential, as is self-motivation. You’re treated like an adult, with the responsibility that goes with it, so you have to be driven. Moving
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to Kirkland & Ellis has been the best career choice I could have made.
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“Graduates need to show us why they’re right for this firm.” Graduate Recruitment Partner
All of this is possible
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When we interview we look for graduates who’ve got to know our business and understand the kind of work we do. Then we look for their excitement about doing it. There are common traits among the people we hire. Intelligence, focus, a commercial outlook. They’re independent and capable of managing themselves. But we also look for personalities that will fit with our open culture, mix well with our clients and engage fully with colleagues at all levels of the firm.
These are the people who will make partner at around six years pqe.
“Take the time to have a proper dig around to learn more about what we do.”
“We want inquisitive people who are always asking, is this the best way of doing things.”
“We’re a young, modern firm looking for self-starters who’ve figured out through their research that they like the kind of work we do.”
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“Show that you’re capable of interacting with senior people at the top of their game.”
“We love finding the right people for our firm.” Graduate Recruitment Partner
All of this begins with us
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We’re recruiting ten trainees for 2022, with vacancies open to both law and non-law students and graduates.
The deadline for applying for our spring and summer Vacation Schemes is 5th January 2020. Applications for our 2022 Training Contracts close on 12th July 2020.
All applications should be made via our website ukgraduate.kirkland.com
The application timeline below applies to both law and non-law students who are currently studying at university and wish to apply for the Vacation Schemes and Training Contract at Kirkland & Ellis.
PENULTIMATE-YEAR LAW STUDENT
CURRENT FINAL-YEAR NON-LAW STUDENT
5 th Jan 2020
5 th Jan 2020
Deadline For Vacation Schemes
Deadline For Vacation Schemes
Jan / Feb 2020
Jan / Feb 2020
Assessment Days For Vacation Schemes
Assessment Days For Vacation Schemes
Apr / June 2020
Apr / June 2020
Attend Vacation Schemes
Attend Vacation Schemes
12 th Jul 2020
12 th Jul 2020
Deadline For Training Contract Applications
Deadline For Training Contract Applications
Aug 2020
Aug 2020
Interviews For Training Contract
Interviews For Training Contract
Sept / Oct 2020
Sept 2020
Commence Final Year At University
Commence GDL/SQE Course
Sept 2021 or Jan 2022
Sept 2021 or Jan 2022
Commence LPC/SQE Course
Commence LPC/SQE Course
Aug 2022
Aug 2022
Commence Training Contract
Commence Training Contract
BEIJING BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS HONG KONG HOUSTON LONDON LOS ANGELES MUNICH
NEW YORK PALO ALTO PARIS SAN FRANCISCO SHANGHAI WASHINGTON, D.C.
UKGRADUATE.KIRKLAND.COM
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