An excellent start of your career journey
An excellent start of your career journey
From day to day, you will work closely with lawyers, many of whom are acknowledged leaders in their fields, to gain practical experience. Many of them joined the firm as interns or trainee solicitors themselves. They understand first-hand what it takes to succeed in the trainee programme.
Once you have accepted our Training Contract, we will start to invest in your development to ensure a smooth transition into the life of the business world and expand your knowledge on a variety of topics. We support the growth of our trainees, both professionally and personally, with a wealth of online and classroom training. We know that we can’t achieve our success and contribute to the wider community unless our people can do their best work.
With our scale, support, culture and technology, our learning solutions help you build the knowledge and skills that can unlock doors anywhere. Your future is the most important investment of the firm.
Learn about how Deacons invests in you during your traineeship so that you can pursue your passion and deliver long-term value to our business:
It is important to feel connected. Get a glimpse of the traineeship journey and what it is like to be a part of Deacons prior to your joining. Every practice group has its own focuses, goals, time horizons, styles and clients, so the skills required and the tasks performed by the trainee solicitors in each group are different. Our lawyers will share their real life working experience and, to some extent, help you understand the ways to make the most of your traineeship.
We realise that it is a daunting prospect to start work at a new office. You also need to get to know your new colleagues. During the orientation week you will experience a programme that will introduce you to the firm, our culture, our people and the technology and research techniques that we use. It will help to build your confidence and introduce you to our collegiate working environment.
Different areas of law involve, to some extent, different approaches to working and different skills. For training purposes it is important to experience as much as possible. It is also important so that you can make an informed judgement as to what area of law best suits you. At Deacons you will rotate through four practice groups during your two years of training, giving you a wide spectrum of experience.
Mentorship can make a big difference to a career – talking through issues, whether problems or opportunities, with an experienced practitioner. At Deacons you will meet with your mentors to have discussions and obtain business and career advice both during and after your traineeship.
Take part in one-on-one regular conversations with the Graduate Recruitment team to ensure that you are staying on track. Everyone is different and we are always there to give you the constructive guidance and advice you need. We encourage you to let us know your thoughts and your long-term career goals.
You will be given a budget to manage this event together, from its inception. The external event managers you select will devise a mission in which you will explore role delegation, ownership, creativity and communication. This networking event is a great way to get to know your fellow trainees better and appreciate their talents in a team environment!
Join the courses offered by Deacons Academy and improve your legal skills and expand your thinking. At Deacons we have made a huge commitment to training our people and in technology. You will not only benefit from the amazing people working with you, but also from the customised curriculum we have tailored for our trainee solicitors.
You will receive a great deal of training from day to day feedback and discussions while working, but formal training is also critical. We have invested heavily in our in-house training programme. You will have available over 100 in-house CPD courses in substantive legal subjects, providing you with the skills and knowledge to excel in your work.
These are regularly held in both formal and informal settings and are an opportunity to discuss work developments, technical issues that may have arisen and other know-how. More broadly, the meetings give you a chance to learn, share and mingle with your practice group colleagues in a relaxed environment.
From educating young children to mentoring young people, from taking part in green initiatives to initiating health and wellbeing ideas, at Deacons you will have the chance to use your knowledge and skills to make a difference to our community.
We have a group of dedicated Graduate Recruitment Partners and experienced Graduate Recruitment specialists to help guide you through the qualification process. This process starts near the end of your third seat. You will be fully prepared for qualification and, subject to satisfactory performance, be offered the opportunity to continue your career journey in a chosen practice specialisation.
Deacons Academy is the educational division of Deacons for training and development. It offers a world-class programme for our lawyers to build confidence and develop skills across a number of key areas, including people management and leadership, client relationship skills, and commercial acumen. The aim is to provide a foundational approach to support the growth of talent, thereby equipping our lawyers with the necessary skills to take on the next level of responsibility – from Trainee Solicitor to Associate, Associate to Senior Associate, and from Senior Associate to Partner.
The quality of our facilitators is important. That is why our trainers are rigorously chosen based on their knowledge, skills and experience in training and group activity. Deacons Academy has developed an extensive network of internal professionals and external training partners to meet the needs of our lawyers.