We offer training contracts across our UK offices in Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Plymouth and Southampton. We also have a small office in Teesside, which is helping drive growth in our practice in manufacturing, renewable energy, digital transport and local government.
As a trainee at Womble Bond Dickinson, you'll be joining a profession that is evolving rapidly. Today's lawyers need more than technical legal knowledge; they need commercial awareness, curiosity, adaptability and the confidence to work alongside new technologies that are changing how legal services are delivered.
From day one, you'll be encouraged to develop these skills through real client work, exposure to complex legal challenges and opportunities to work alongside colleagues who are helping share the future of the profession.
During your two-year training contract, you'll complete a series of seats across our practice areas. Seat availability varies depending on business need and office location, but we'll ensure you build a broad and rewarding experience that supports your development and career.
Our trainees are trusted to contribute, not simply observe. While you'll always have support around you, you'll also be given the responsibility and exposure needed to accelerate your development.
The legal profession is changing, and we want our trainees to understand and contribute to that change.
At WBD, innovation isn't a future ambition – it's part of how we work today. For trainees, this means developing the mindset and skills needed to succeed in a profession where legal expertise increasingly sits alongside problem-solving, process improvement, data literacy and technology-enabled delivery.
Whether your background is in law, technology, science, engineering or another discipline entirely, there are opportunities to apply your strengths and perspectives in meaningful ways.
In our English offices, trainees qualify through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route, or through the LPC route if this has already been completed.
In Edinburgh, our traineeship follows the Law Society of Scotland route to qualification. You'll gain experience in sectors and practice areas relevant to the Scottish market while also contributing to our wider UK and international practice.
Our Scottish trainees benefit from close supervision, early responsibility and client contact from the outset. We also encourage participation in firm-wide initiatives and cross-office collaboration, helping you build networks across the business and develop a broader understanding of how we work across jurisdictions.
Our trainees come from a wide range of backgrounds, universities and degree disciplines. Some have followed a traditional legal pathway; others have built experience in different industries and studied non-law subjects.
What matters is your ability to think critically, solve problems, build relationships and approach new challenges with curiosity and enthusiasm.
We believe diverse experiences and perspectives strengthen our teams, improve how we service clients and create a better place to work.
We know that choosing where to start your legal career is a big decision. Our training contract offers early responsibility, direct exposure to clients and the opportunity to develop in a firm that's actively adapting to the future of the profession. The work can be challenging, and we'll encourage you to push beyond your comfort zone.
In return, you'll receive support from experienced supervisors who are invested in your development, regular feedback and access to high-quality work that helps you grow in confidence and capability.
Applications for our training contract to start in 2029 open 30 November 2026 and close on 25 January 2027.
To be eligible for our 2029 Training Contract, you must meet one of the criteria below:
Stage 1: Application Form
The first stage of our process is a short application form. You’ll be asked to share details of your undergraduate degree and any further vocational education, your life history, and information as part of the Rare Contextualised Recruitment System, which allows us to understand the context in which your experiences have been gained and enables us to identify top candidates from the widest pool possible.
Stage 2: Online Assessment
Shortly after the close of the application window, everyone who has applied and is eligible to complete a training contract will be invited to complete our short online assessment.
Stage 3: Telephone interview
Candidates who are successful in the online assessment, will be invited to participate in a brief telephone interview with a member of the Early Talent team. The purpose of this conversation is to gain a deeper understanding of your motivations for applying to WBD.
Stage 4: Assessment Day
If you’ve been successful in the telephone interview stage, you’ll be invited to attend an assessment day. Our assessment days vary year on year but it will likely involve a critical thinking task and some short interviews, as well as giving you the opportunity to hear from a variety of people at WBD and ask them any questions you may have about the firm.
Remember, it’s a two-way process – by the end of the assessment day, you’ll be able to decide whether WBD is right for you – and we’ll have a better understanding of who you are.
Stage 5: Work Placement Week and Final Interview
Our placement weeks form part of our recruitment process. Our placement weeks give you a great insight into our business as well as the responsibility and quality of work that is given to our trainees.
The placement week will also involve a final, strengths-based interview with two of the WBD team. Again, this is also a chance for you to find out more about our business, get a feel for what it would be like to work in our team, and understand if it’s the right place for you.
