Clifford Chance

Careers

Where ambitious
minds meet

London Graduates

Clifford Chance offers an outstanding opportunity to
start, grow and develop as a world-class lawyer.

We know there are many of you that have started preparing for the process even before you have gone to university, which is why we've invested in our award-winning ACCESS and SPARK programmes for those exploring a career in law early in their studies.

Before applying for a Training Contract or a place on one of our programmes, there are many ways to get exposure to our firm and culture. With our commitment to democratising access to information and skills development, there's an offering for everyone.

Access to opportunities is not universal. Building a career in law is informed by varied factors from networks and location to resources and information, all of which can act as significant barriers to the profession. By reaching, identifying and hiring the most exceptional future lawyers, not only do we erode those barriers, we also ensure that we are building a world class team with the very best and brightest minds. 

That's why we've invested significantly in our virtual toolkit and hybrid events to widen access to our world-class resources and the insights of our leading lawyers globally. 

Our suite of resources are not only created to reach future lawyers spanning the globe, they are designed to prepare, inform and empower you for the realities of a career as a lawyer and for the commitment required to thrive. They are built to help you to explore and to decide whether a career with Clifford Chance is right for you.

We invite you to start your legal journey by taking a step into the high performing world of commercial law with our industry-leading resources and events. 

Training Contract

The Training Contract puts theory into practice. It's when you move from learning about the law to actually doing it. You'll transform from a talented beginner into a professional lawyer. We appreciate that investing in making a quality application takes a lot of your time and energy. The landscape within which you are making your application has never been more competitive. Take the time to do your research, engage with our opportunities and be confident that we are the right firm for you.

Find out more

SPARK

Our multi award-winning SPARK programme takes place over a two-year period and offers a unique opportunity for exceptional first year law students of a three-year degree, second year students of a four-year law degree or penultimate year non-law students, to gain an insider's view into what a career in law can look like. With both in-person and virtual content, the programme follows key pillars designed to be fast-paced, dynamic and full of exciting opportunities to boost your knowledge, network, and key skills.

You'll benefit from an unparalleled introduction to the world of commercial law, undertaking real work and interacting with people at every level of our business. It can also lead you straight to a Training Contract.
 

View more

ACCESS

ACCESS, is our pioneering, two-year development programme open to year 12 students from state schools. It is designed to give you an introduction to law and provide you with the network and resources you need to start a fantastic career.

Read more

Global Virtual Internships

The challenges our clients need help with are complex and borderless. To face these challenges effectively, our approach also needs to be multijurisdictional and interdisciplinary. On our Global Virtual Internships, you will learn about the legal and commercial implications of risks relating to Climate Change, Cyber Security, Business & Human Rights and Sustainable Finance. You will practise advising clients on how to protect themselves and deal with these risks responsibly. To learn more about how we help clients with these challenges, visit our Boardroom Risk & Reputation and Thought Leadership sites.

Virtual internships

Ready, Set, Law

You might never have considered becoming a commercial lawyer before, or you might have thought about it but not really known where to start. This is where Ready, Set, Law comes in. Crafted by our lawyers, this internship will introduce you to a range of topical legal issues and give you the opportunity to complete trainee-type tasks that will allow you to put your learning into practice and experience first-hand what the role of a lawyer involves. You will come away feeling knowledgeable about what a career in law could look like and equipped with the confidence to take the next steps, should you decide this is the right path for you. Ready, Set, Law and has been designed for 16-18 year olds but is perfect for those taking their first steps to research the world of commercial law.

Ready, Set, Law

Events Hub

We have grouped our events into a series structure, offering a mix of formats and providing access to global legal professionals.

Aside from our four in-person conferences ACCEPT, ADAPT, Black in Law and ELEVATE which are for specific audiences and require an application, our Flagship Events are hybrid in nature and open to all, giving you the chance to meet us in person or to engage with the content virtually – no applications necessary! Each flagship event will bring you in-depth views into our market-leading work and collaborative culture at Clifford Chance.

Delivered with support from our future trainees, current trainees and lawyers, our virtual Skills Sessions are designed to help you understand what we look for in our application and assessment process and are illustrated with real life examples from our guest hosts.
 

Read more

Meet us

You'll find that there are many ways for you to interact with our people, experience our culture and to learn from the broad range of resources we have made available to you. We're always open to hearing how we can best support you when taking your next steps with us.

Find out more