Stand out from the crowd

Quality is about attracting the best applicants and helping them develop to their full potential as lawyers. We see it as a virtuous circle: if we train the best lawyers, we can continue to undertake the highest quality work for the highest quality clients which in turn helps us attract the highest quality applicants.

That’s why we try to filter as much work and responsibility down from the partners as possible. We believe it’s the best way for our younger lawyers to learn and to develop.

A Firm With Its Door Open

It’s part of the firm’s culture. If you have a question or need some insight into a problem, you can walk through anybody’s door and get some answers. It’s an ethos we work very hard to maintain.

There is one thing that we cannot teach our lawyers, however, and that is intelligence. So we look for candidates who are naturally bright. You will need a strong academic record. You will need to be motivated and ambitious. Above all, you must want to learn.

The kind of work you will do is not restricted by the year you qualified. If you are capable of doing the work, we let you get on with it – giving you all the support and training you need along the way.

It means there are more opportunities to do interesting work, more opportunities to grow as a lawyer, more opportunity for client contact, and more responsibility at an early stage of your career.

Leading From Day One

Our lawyers need to be comfortable as leaders, too. You need to be able to galvanise and collaborate with your colleagues and take the initiative when required. We work in small teams and across practice areas. We try and maintain a culture where everyone knows what everyone else is working on and feels free to help.

It’s a much more collaborative approach, which means we need people who can work well in teams and who treat one another with respect – at both junior and senior levels. These are the people who will make partner at around six years post qualification experience.

Getting first-hand insights into what it is like to be a trainee at Kirkland is one of the best things you can do. That’s why we’ve got a number of current and former trainees lined up to answer your questions. You can meet them at the many careers events and law fairs we attend.

Maybe you would value a chat with some of our existing and former trainees about the experience of launching their careers with Kirkland.

Every year we are busy attending careers events and law fairs to get to know some of our potential recruits face-to-face.