In-house training contracts

The majority of Solicitors work in private practice, i.e. for law firms. However, many large companies and organisations have their own legal departments, employing their own lawyers and legal teams to undertake their legal work. Lawyers working within companies or large organisations are referred to as in-house lawyers. Many companies (including BT, EDF Energy and Vodafone) offer Training Contracts within their legal teams, allowing you to complete your training as a solicitor with a company, as opposed to a law firm.

It is also possible to undertake work experience within the legal departments of companies and organisations, with vacation schemes, similar to those offered in law firms to be found amongst the larger companies.

In-house Training Contracts are highly sought and opportunities can often be difficult to locate, as they are not as widely advertised as much as the places available in Private Practice. Being aware of what a legal career in-house entails, and knowing where to look for the opportunities is imperative.

Within this section of ULG you can find insider case studies and profiles of leading in-house solicitors, top tips on finding out about in-house opportunities and securing work experience and invaluable information on the key differences between a legal career in-house and that of private practice. We also have a comprehensive database of the companies currently offering Training Contracts and their contact details.

Check out our comprehensive list of in-house training contract providers and our Guide to the In-house legal recruitment market.

Both of these are free PDF document downloads.