Clifford Chance

Careers

Where ambitious
minds meet

London Graduates

We commit to investing in you from the very start to
build the best foundation for your future.

Beyond your offer

Once you've secured your Training Contract, right up until the point you start as a trainee, we will continue to build our relationship with you and invest in your skill development. By providing meaningful opportunities to engage with the Firm, we can help you grow your Clifford Chance network, meet your peers and develop both personally and professionally.

To ensure that you have a smooth and enjoyable transition into life at the Firm, we offer a comprehensive two-year buddy programme. We appreciate that your questions will be varied and may change over time, which is why we will match you with a buddy who is about to start the first seat of their Training Contract, allowing you to see the lifecycle of a trainee in practice. We believe that this will provide you with a unique insight into what a career at Clifford Chance could look like for you.
 

Grow with us

Our commitment to your development doesn’t stop at the point of you receiving your offer. Here Rachel and Ebun discuss the wealth of opportunities open to you as a future trainee.

LIFT (Learning Internships for Future Trainees)

One of the ways we invest in our future lawyers is through our award-winning LIFT programme, the first internship programme of its kind. We have partnered with over 50 organisations and core Clifford Chance business teams, to offer paid summer internships to our future trainees, with the sole aim of supporting your professional development. Prior to starting your Training Contract you'll have the opportunity to develop useful non-legal skills such as marketing, product management and business operations which will help you to excel as a trainee. We recognise that being a good lawyer takes more than knowing the law. It's about understanding our industry, how businesses are run, and how to provide an exceptional service to our clients. The best way to develop this understanding is through hands-on work experience. This is another way in which we prepare you to be able to hit the ground running when you start with us.

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Induction

We are very proud of our award-winning Trainee Induction Programme. It's an important part of our commitment to ensuring that you start life as a trainee with all the tools and techniques you need to succeed in your role. This three-day programme has been designed with essential input from key stakeholders in the firm – from the UK Managing Partner, Michael Bates, to trainees who have been through the learning process themselves.

Our Induction provides a combination of essential training and interactive learning designed not only to develop key skills and working practices, but also to give you a clear idea as to how your role as a trainee fits into the London office and the wider Clifford Chance strategy. It combines practical learning, insight and skills in a safe and supportive environment before you transition into the first seat of your Training Contract.
 

Seat allocation

During your two-year Training Contract, you'll gain experience in different practice areas and teams. Our points-based seat allocation system allows you to direct your Training Contract to the practice areas and specialisms you are most interested in. Every trainee is awarded 200 points at the start of their Training Contract, and it's up to you how you allocate them. Each seat, you'll enter points into our seat algorithm to select the practice area you would like to work in - the system is transparent, fair, and gives you control over your career direction. From Asset Finance to Corporate Antitrust, Tax to Private Equity, you could even allocate your points to one of our many international and client secondments.

In this video Helen Martin, our Early Talent Development Manager, talks you through the process of choosing your practice area seats and the continuous support that you will receive along the way.
 

Career Development Meetings

Regular feedback is vital to your growth and development. Meetings with your supervisors, monitoring partners and the Early Talent Development Team are built into the structure of your Training Contract to ensure that you are staying on track and receiving the support that you need along the way.

A dedicated Early Talent Development Specialist assigned to your cohort will also meet with you at specific times during your SQE to understand your career aspirations, answer any questions you have, and to ensure all the necessary support is in place from your very first day at the firm.
 

Resilience training and support

As part of our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees, we have developed a unique and award-winning resilience programme for our Clifford Chance trainees. Life can have its ups and downs but there is lots of support available, be it from colleagues at Clifford Chance or through services provided by the firm. It is important that many of these services take a holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing and are complemented by the trainees who are chosen by their peers to act as inclusion and mental health champions.

Qualification

The qualification process can be a daunting one and it is important to us that you are aware of the support available from the outset. Conversations start early so you can start to take control of your future from the beginning of your Training Contract.

Partner sponsorship

We know the value of building strong professional networks and having mentors who are invested in your development. Our associates and partners are committed to ensuring you receive the very best learning opportunities and are exposed to the highest quality work. Not only will you be guided by a supervisor each seat, but you'll also be allocated a Partner Sponsor for the duration of your Training Contract. Your Partner Sponsor will be a sounding board, mentor and advisor who will be a key contact as you navigate the opportunities a career at Clifford Chance will offer.

Clifford Chance Global Academy

We embrace a learning culture, where individuals are supported in their pursuit of professional and personal development opportunities. The Clifford Chance Global Academy provides classroom and online training for all staff.

Our courses help our people to develop excellent legal, business and commercial skills, which will be of life-long benefit. Our technical training is married with a sharp business focus with courses delivered by expert trainers and tailored to Clifford Chance.

 

Code of Conduct

As market leaders within the legal services sector, it is imperative that we have the highest business and professional standards. In order to achieve this, we must intently demonstrate our value both internally and externally. We have always been proud of our culture of integrity and collegiality, but it is always important to progress and move closer to building a culture and an environment that offers equal opportunities for everyone to succeed. This is why we have established our Code of Conduct.

Our values-based Code of Conduct embodies five key principles: Act with Integrity, Be Inclusive, Embrace Challenge, Speak Up and Act Responsibly. These values are embedded across the firm to provide a space where we all feel involved, supported and appreciated.

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Client and international secondments

Over a quarter of our trainees are on secondment at any one time. To hear about some of our lawyers' international seat experiences, take a look at their profiles. We think it is important for you to get a sense of our cross-border, collaborative culture. If you want to experience a truly global firm, join us.

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