Early Careers in the United Kingdom

At Goodwin, we strive to go beyond what’s expected with meaningful opportunities for career development, paired with a thriving culture and collegiate approach to law.

Discover Goodwin UK

Join us this Autumn for a series of Open Days and Insight into Applications Workshops designed to give candidates a competitive edge. These sessions are a must-attend, whether you're curious about life at Goodwin UK, how to make your application stand out, or simply exploring your options.

Our next event is on 20 November, an insightful and engaging virtual Open Afternoon event at Goodwin. This event is designed to provide aspiring lawyers with a comprehensive overview of our firm, our practice areas, and our opportunities.

Learn more about this event and others in the series.

Our Programs

We run both a Spring and a Summer Vacation Scheme, which provide real insight into what it is like to train and work at Goodwin while giving you the opportunity to get to know us and your colleagues better. You will witness first-hand the work we do for our clients by shadowing partners and associates, attending meetings, and getting involved in real work for departments.

You will leave our programme with valuable mentors and a large professional and social network. All vacation scheme participants are automatically considered for a place on our Trainee Solicitor Programme. Our Vacation Scheme route is our primary recruitment route for our Trainee Solicitor Programme.

Applications open on 12 September 2025 and close on 12 December 2025. We will be holding two Vacation Schemes in 2026:

Spring: 13 – 17 April 2026
Summer: 22 June – 3 July 2026

Please note, we do not screen on a rolling basis.

Our London office recruits 14 trainees each year with the objective of ensuring a seamless transition over a two-year period from a talented student to a professional lawyer. The programme consists of three phases: transition, orientation, and integration.

You will have the opportunity to spend six months in four of our practice areas, allowing you to rotate in life sciences, private equity, private investment funds, real estate, technology, tax, financial services, antitrust, employment and complex litigation and dispute resolution. This rotation will give you the widest exposure to our business and substantive responsibilities and client interactions from the outset.

Future trainees will be paired with current trainees as part of our buddy programme to establish a friendly point of contact at the firm during this period. This buddy relationship will continue throughout your Trainee Solicitor Programme.

Once at the firm, trainees receive a comprehensive induction consisting of department-specific and firmwide training. All trainees have both an associate supervisor and a partner supervisor to ensure a high level of support during the two-year period.

Applications open on 12 September 2025 and close on 12 December 2025.

Please note, we do not screen on a rolling basis.

Our Go for Law scheme is available to students who are about to embark on their legal studies at University.

As you begin your university studies, you will be immersed in a world of academic learning and knowledge pertaining to the legal sector. Our three-year programme provides you with the opportunity to leverage essential skills, career guidance, hands-on work experience, ongoing mentoring, and a large professional and social network.

The Go for Law programme supports you professionally and financially as you pursue your law degree, providing a yearly scholarship of £3,750 throughout your time in the programme.

To be eligible, you must fulfill the below criteria at the time of application:

Be in year 13 at a state (non-fee paying) school, college or academy
Be applying to study law at a UK university

You must also fulfil one or more of the following:

First-generation in your immediate family to attend university
Have been, or are, eligible for free school meals
Your school has 20% or more students eligible for free school meals
Spent time in local authority care
Have refugee or asylum seeker status
Have been, or are, a parent or registered carer

Applications for the scheme are currently closed. Applications will reopen in Summer 2026.

We understand that your career path is personal to you and not everyone’s route into law is the same. That is why we welcome applications from all degree disciplines, from all universities – internationally. We focus on your attributes and motivations, and look for individuals who are entrepreneurial, aspirational, and driven.

The application and assessment process for our Vacation Scheme and Trainee Solicitor Programme opportunities is the same. To be eligible to apply, you will need to be in at least the penultimate year of your law degree, final year of your non-law degree, or have already graduated.

You begin by submitting an online application form, made up of your academics, your work experience, and a series of different questions to bring your application to life and to allow us to get to know you better. We advise spending time on your answers and tailoring them to Goodwin. Remember that this is the first chance to make an impression! If your application is progressed, we will invite you to attend an asynchronous video interview. This will include up to five questions and should take no longer than fifteen minutes for you to complete. The next stage will be an in-person interview with two members of our Early Careers Recruitment Panel and will be an opportunity to find out more about you and for you to ask anything you would like to know about life at Goodwin. Candidates will also take part in a written exercise and group assessment.

Goodwin is a disability-inclusive employer. Please contact us if you require any disability-related adjustments during the application process, or would like to have a confidential conversation with a member of the recruitment team. If there are any disability-related reasons which have impacted your profile, we may also be able to make adjustments for these. (Disability refers to sensory and physical conditions, long-term health conditions, neurodivergence and mental health conditions.)

The Perks

We offer highly competitive salaries and an outstanding benefits package designed to help you balance your work and home life.

First year trainee salary: £55,000
Second year trainee salary: £60,000

Law school sponsorship for PGDL (where applicable) and LLM SQE 1 & 2 course, with a maintenance grant of £12,000 for PGDL year, and £18,000 for LLM SQE 1 & 2 year of study
£1,000 technology allowance the year you begin your sponsored law school studies
12-month London Travelcard for the SQE LLM study year for those that meet eligibility requirements of the Go for Law programme

Private medical insurance for you and your eligible dependents
Personal travel insurance
Dental insurance for you and your eligible dependents
Group term life insurance – income protection up to 75% of base salary
Season ticket loan
Pension contribution of 6% of your basic salary
Tuition/certificate/license reimbursement
Employee Assistance Programme
Digital health and wellbeing service
Mental health counselor
Family planning services and reimbursement policies
Family care support programme
Eye test and glasses reimbursement
Cycle to Work (with onsite lockers and shower facilities)
Gym and wellness subsidies, including free Headspace membership
Discounts and special offers with select retailers

Perspectives

I was particularly interested in the opportunities of experiencing a commercially focused training contract working with a broad range of clients across the technology, life sciences, financial services and real estate industries. Furthermore, being part of a small trainee intake, with the chance for early responsibility and client contact, appealed to me.
Josh Angrave
Associate

The Vacation Scheme provides an invaluable insight into the quality of training at Goodwin. I sat in Private Investment Funds, a relatively technical practice area, and was given a wealth of structured training materials and a supportive supervisor and team. I saw that Goodwin offers the advantages of a small trainee intake, giving responsibility and a breadth of work, alongside formal support and a collegiate environment so that trainees can succeed.
Charlotte Collier
Future Trainee Solicitor

The application process at Goodwin was streamlined and genuinely candidate-focused, placing real value on our individual experiences, qualities, and the unique perspectives we could bring. It was clear that everyone involved cared about understanding what made each candidate unique and how that individuality could contribute to successfully developing at Goodwin. During my time on the Vacation Scheme, my associate supervisor – as well as other associates and partners – went out of their way to involve me in a broad range of work, social events and legal experiences. This created an inclusive and supportive environment, allowing me to see first-hand the culture and values of Goodwin.
Lauren Fretwell
Trainee Solicitor

I was genuinely surprised by how much time people made for me, despite the demands of their own schedules. Senior team members, including partners, consistently checked in, involved me in meetings and ensured I was getting the most out of the Vacation Scheme. That level of support was not something I had expected.
Ana Kulijanishvili
Future Trainee Solicitor

Everyone at the firm made a real effort to make themselves available throughout the week and my associate supervisor made a huge effort to involve me in lots of different bits of work throughout the week!
Harriet Muncey
Associate

From the first interview I had, everybody at the firm I spoke to was enthusiastic and really passionate about the work Goodwin does. Once I got to the Vacation Scheme, this translated to a dynamic feel. There was a real buzz and energy and everybody was excited about the trajectory of the firm.
Claudia Baldelli
Trainee Solicitor

Goodwin’s expertise at the intersection of capital and innovation provides a unique opportunity to work with both high growth companies and the institutions that invest in them.
Mickey Lee
Associate

EARLY CAREERS RECRUITMENT PANEL

Our Early Careers Recruitment Panel is composed of a group of partners and counsel who are experienced in interviewing for a range of positions. Our interviewers have all received unconscious bias training and are friendly, approachable and – most importantly – excited to meet you.