Your career in London
If you are excited by the idea of practising international law, but crave the teamwork, mentoring and direct client contact that a smaller office offers, we may be the firm for you. Our 100 lawyers in London work closely with our teams in markets worldwide, from Paris to New York, Silicon Valley to Singapore.
We focus globally on four key sectors: Technology & Innovation, Energy & Infrastructure, Finance and Life Sciences & Healthtech. We also have teams focused on antitrust & competition; banking & finance; capital markets; cyber, privacy & data innovation; employment; financial & securities litigation; international arbitration; M&A and private equity; restructuring; structured finance and tax and incentives.
Whether you’re looking to start your law career or join us from another firm, our London office offers a dynamic, collaborative environment. We offer a comprehensive training programme, including academies focused on developing business skills as you advance. And we will ensure you connect with mentors and have opportunities to make a social impact through a world-renowned pro bono programme.
If you are interested in joining us as an experienced lawyer in London, please see our current listings or contact the recruiting team, at [email protected].
Our Training Programme
Our training programme, which commences in August, is designed to provide you with everything you will need to succeed:
- Exposure to a variety of practice areas To help you explore all the different areas in which we practice and gain the critical skills necessary to qualify, you will sit six, four-month seats to include both contentious and transactional seats. You will be supervised by a partner for each seat, and also receive coaching and mentoring from our entire team.
- Support from a dedicated trainee partner London Partner Peter Sugden heads our UK trainee programme. He will help ensure you have a varied set of assignments and skill-building opportunities. He will also work with you on an individual basis to understand your interests, identify your strengths and help you address any challenges that come up.
- Extensive feedback You will receive regular appraisals across the two-year training experience to help you gain the most from your training.
What We Look For in Trainee Candidates
We welcome candidates with different experiences and backgrounds. We look for a commitment to excellence. Applicants for our graduate trainee programme should have achieved or be on track for a 2:1 degree (in any discipline). Undergraduates can apply from their penultimate year onward.
As part of our graduate recruitment process, we are using the Rare Contextual Recruitment System. This is a specially developed system which allows us to measure candidates' achievements in the context of their socioeconomic background. Using this system means we can better understand candidates' achievements and identify those that have performed exceptionally well from a range of diverse backgrounds.
Orrick Future Lawyers Dinner
We would like to invite students in their penultimate year of study and above to the Orrick Future Lawyers Dinner taking place on Wednesday 11 November in London. During a three-course dinner, you will be able to speak to our Partners about the firm, the work they do, their journeys into law and why they've decided to be part of the leadership at Orrick. To participate in this exclusive event, please follow the link below to complete the form. Applications close on Monday 2 November at 11:59pm.
Orrick Future Lawyers Dinner - November 2026
Vacation Scheme
The primary route to applying for a training contract with us is to apply for a space on our vacation scheme programme which will take place from 22 June – 2 July 2027. Our vacation scheme offers participants an opportunity to see the London office of a US law firm in action and get an insight into what life as a trainee would be like here.
During the two-week scheme you'll spend time in two of our London practices, working on real work alongside our trainees, associates and partners. There will also be a variety of social events and networking opportunities that run throughout the scheme, giving you the chance to really get to know our team.
The application window for our vacation scheme route is open from 1 September 2026 until 31 December 2026. To apply for a vacation scheme please submit an online application form by 11.59pm on 31 December 2026. If your application is shortlisted you will be invited to take part in an assessment centre, which typically includes a written exercise based on a hypothetical legal scenario and a group exercise.
Training Contract Only Route
We also offer a direct training contract application route, designed primarily for those who are unable to complete a vacation scheme with us. This is part of our commitment to ensuring equal access to our opportunities – we recognise that not all our applicants will be able to attend a vacation scheme with us.
The application window for our Training Contract Only route is open from 1 September 2026 until 31 March 2027. To apply for a direct training contract please submit an online application form by 11:59pm on 31 March 2027. Please note we review applications on a rolling basis.
For more about our assessments, compensation and sponsorship, please see our London Graduate Recruitment brochure.