About
Many of our current Partners came to us by entering into a Training Contract and progressing through the firm.
Our trainees play an important role in ensuring that we provide our clients and our community, with the highest level of professionalism, based on our founding core values of quality, knowledge, experience, integrity and competitiveness.
We look for trainees who have achieved a high academic standard. Preference will be given to those with a minimum of a 2.1 degree. Applicants must be in the process of or have completed the FE1 exams. Common sense, problem solving, the ability to organise oneself and others, as well as being commercially aware are essential characteristics to start your journey of becoming a solicitor with us.
Trainee Solicitor Programme
Your traineeship at Holmes will give you the opportunity to train in an award-winning legal firm, giving you all the technical skills necessary for a successful career in the legal profession.
Over the course of your traineeship, you will develop strengths through career support and progression opportunities. Our team will also help you to foster expertise, with knowledge management support and in-house development training.
Knowledge,Learning and Development
Managing knowledge and learning and development (L&D) is vital to ensure consistency in employee supports, as well as client service delivery, across multiple offices.
Trainees participate in our solicitors’ in-house Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme. This facilitates building relationships with colleagues and leading industry speakers. The training complements the Law Society Professional Practice Courses. Our scheme includes legal knowledge sector specific training as well as other professional development areas such as leadership, management, IT skills, innovation and soft skills. External industry experts provide training, including barristers, engineers, accountants, leaders, solicitors and various other professionals.
Our knowledge management supports include:
- Knowledge Manager on-site support
- Culture and systems of internal knowledge sharing.
- Online databases, libraries and legal resources.
- Research supports.
- Design and delivery of knowledge sharing solutions for clients.
Rotation
Trainees will normally commence work in the office six months in advance of starting their PPC1 course in Blackhall Place.
Over the course of the two years, our trainees will have four seats in different legal areas over the two year programme. This is to ensure that you gain as much experience and knowledge as possible, guided by our hard-working teams across different departments. Developing a dynamic skill set will best prepare you for your future as a solicitor.
Partner and Senior Solicitor supervision
During your traineeship, you will be directly reporting to a senior solicitor and partner.
We treat you as an equally valuable employee as any other staff member, thus giving you important responsibility when it comes to working on client cases. Our partners and solicitors pride themselves on their “open-door” policy, always on hand to offer appropriate supervision, support and guidance. You will be involved in regular internal department and client meetings, offering exciting challenges, with a constant background focus of best-preparing you for your future career.
Personal Development
Personal skills are just as important as technical ones, and that is why at Holmes we are dedicated to helping you be the best that you can be.
Communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills are just some of those which you will actively improve on, over the course of your traineeship. We offer varied workshops to up-skill our employees, as well as regular feedback from senior staff and management, with the goal of you reaching your full potential. Sports and social events are also a great way to build interpersonal, teamwork and leadership skills, and during your traineeship, you may have the opportunity to act as our Trainee Social Events Co-Ordinator.
A great feature of the firm is its open, friendly culture and strong sense of community that exists amongst staff. There is a very evident open-door policy together with the friendly, approachable nature of all staff – from secretaries to junior solicitors to partners – ... ...
Grace Lee
Trainee Solicitor
From day one, everyone has been so nice, welcoming and helpful. It’s the people I work with and the difference we make that makes the job special. ...
Linda McAuliffe
Legal Executive | Corporate and Commercial
It is perhaps the atmosphere around the office that I like the most. Despite it being a big firm, everyone is very friendly and always willing to help ...
Melissa Regan
Trainee Solicitor
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