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Clifford Chance Jobs

Clifford Chance offer a training contract and vacation scheme, with unique aspects to both. Be sure to read about each opportunity thoroughly. If the firm are accepting applications for any positions, these will appear below. 

Training Contract

Clifford Chance offers around 95 training contracts every year, with five of these tech specific.

During your training contract, you will undergo four seats, each lasting six months. You choose your seats with a points system via an algorithm, so you will be given 200 points and can use these points to select your seats. The more points you put on a seat, the more likely you are to get it, although some departments are very small and thus competitive. You will have to do a seat in one of the firm’s key departments: capital markets, corporate and finance.

Secondments are also available, with a quarter of trainees on secondment at any one time. If you are interested in pro bono work, there is the option to split a litigation seat with three months of litigation and three months of pro bono. You will get the chance to work with legal centres like Mary Ward and human rights campaigners like Reprieve. International secondments are very easy to secure and are offered in a variety of different countries. Given Clifford Chance’s presence in 23 countries, you can secure a seat in places like Hong Kong and Dubai.

There are also two specialised training contracts. The first one is IGNITE, the firm’s tech-focused training contract. The first within the legal market, this training contract involves a tech seat in a technological field learning about the links between technology and law. There is also a scheme focused on the Middle East, in which trainees complete two seats in London and two seats in Dubai.

Vacation Scheme

Clifford Chance’s vacation scheme is known as SPARK, and it offers a five-day scheme for first year students. Candidates earn £450 in total. The scheme combines classroom learning, hands on work experience and shadowing lawyers, allowing candidates to develop their legal knowledge and commercial awareness. They will also be able to network and meet others from all over the firm. At the end of the scheme, candidates can apply for a SPARK training contract assessment day, fast-tracking them to a training contract. 

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