Frequently Asked Questions

It is natural that you will have lots of questions in your mind. Here are the questions that we are most frequently asked by people considering a training contract or legal work placement with the firm.

General

Q: Who should I address my covering letter to?
A: Please address your covering letter to Miss Alex Burgess, Graduate Recruitment Officer.

Q: Where are the Assessment Centres held?
A: Assessment centres are held in our Sheffield (Riverside East) office.

Q: What is involved in the Assessment Centre?
A: Our Assessment Centre comprises of five exercises, these are: a written exercise, a critical thinking exercise, a group exercise, a personal presentation and a problem solving exercise.

Q: Will I be reimbursed for my travel to the Assessment Centre?
A: All travel expenses incurred by a candidate travelling in the UK will be reimbursed.

Q: Can I submit a CV and covering letter?
A: To apply for either a legal work placement or training contract, candidates must complete the firm's online application form.

Q: How many trainees do you have currently?
A: We currently have 62 trainees.

Q: If unsuccessful, can I apply again?
A: Yes, you are welcome to apply again. Your new application will not be affected by any past applications.

Q: Can I update my application after submitting it?
A: No. Please make sure all the information is correct before submitting your application. The only exception to this rule would be if it was a change to your contact details. Then you should e-mail graduaterecruitment@irwinmitchell.com

Legal Work Placement

Q: Who is the Legal Work Placement Scheme open to?
A: The scheme is open to penultimate or final year LLB law degree students, final year non-law degree students and those who are due to or are studying for their GDL or LPC.

Q: How many work placements do you offer?
A: We have approximately 70 placements available annually.

Q: What is the closing date for a work placement application?
A: The closing date for legal work placement applications was the 5th February 2010.

Q: When does the Work placement scheme run?
A: The work placements are one week in duration and run during June and July.

Q: When will the Assessment Centres take place?
A: Assessment centres for work placements will take place during March.

Q: What are the stages of the recruitment process?
A: Candidates shortlisted at application form stage will be invited to a half day assessment centre. Candidates successful at this stage will be offered a work placement.

Q: Will I be paid during my work placement?
A: Candidates that undertake the placement receive £100 for the week.

Training Contracts

Q: How many training contract vacancies do you have?
A: We have a small number of vacancies for training contracts commencing in 2011. We have 25-30 training contract vacancies for 2012.

Q: What is the closing date for training contracts?
A: The closing date is the 31st July 2010.

Q: When will the Assessment Centres take place?
A: Assessment centres for training contracts will take place from June - August.

Q: Does the firm have any preference regarding the institution that a candidate studies their GDL and/or LPC?
A: We do not require future trainees to attend a particular law school. We would ask that the electives you select reflect the stream you have applied for (Personal Injury or Business and Private Client).

Q: Which office will I be working in if I am successful?
A: We aim to keep a trainee in one office for the whole of their training contract. The exact office would be determined at offer stage.

Q: Is it possible to choose which seats I do?
A: We always ask a trainees preferences before each seat. We try to meet a trainees request wherever possible in line with business needs.

Q: What are the firms minimum academic requirements?
A: We accept applications from all candidates regardless of their degree classification and A-level grades.

Q: Does the firm pay for someone to do their PgDL and/or LPC?
A: We meet all fees associated with the LPC and if applicable the GDL. We also provide a maintenance grant of £4,500 to help you through your studies.

Q: Does the firm accept an application from someone without a law degree?
A: You are welcome to apply regardless of your degree subject.

Q: How many trainees do you seek to retain on qualification?
A: Trainees are an investment for the future and we endeavour to retain them all on qualification.

Q: How do you view mature applicants?
A: As a firm we recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds and age.

Q: What is the trainee solicitor salary?
A: The current 1st year salary if you are based outside of London is £22,450 and is £30,000 in London. The current 2nd year salary if you are based outside of London is £24,650 and is £32,150 in London.

Q: Can I defer my training contract start date?
A: As a firm, we do not defer training contract start dates.

Q: How does the seat rotation work?
A: If you choose the personal injury streamed training contract trainees spend the first year of their training contract undertaking 3 seats of 4 months in duration gaining practical experience in innovative areas of law. Having experienced 3 very different areas of law, trainees are then likely to know where they wish to qualify so during the second year trainees undertake a twelve month seat, in the area in which they and the firm wish them to qualify into. If you choose the business and private client streamed training contract trainees do 3 seats of 5 months in duration and then a 9 month seat in the area they and the firm wish them to qualify into.

Still got further questions please feel free to drop us an email, we can be contacted at graduaterecruitment@irwinmitchell.com