By 
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
London
England
2020-10-27T06:24:00Z
Find out more
Firm profile
With approximately 1,100 lawyers across the US, Europe and Asia, Weil operates according to the “one firm” principle, allowing it to bring the right mix of firm wide skill and local market presence to deliver coordinated legal advice to help its clients achieve their sophisticated goals and objectives. Established in 1996, Weil’s London office is the largest of its European offices and the hub of its European practice.
The office is a leading player in the UK legal market and is consistently regarded as one of the most successful London offices of a US-based law firm. The firm supports a varied client base of European, US and global private equity houses, corporates and financial institutions on domestic and cross-border matters.
Weil’s strategy is focused on long-term investment in recruiting and retaining exceptional talent at all levels. The firm’s people celebrate diversity and inclusion, and its award-winning pro bono programme is deeply ingrained in the firm’s culture.
The training programme
Weil’s training contract is designed to help you reach your potential as quickly as possible through constant exposure to high calibre work. We take an open and transparent approach to progression with a structure that makes sure you get the best start to your legal career.
As a trainee you will work on some of the most complex and sophisticated matters. The work will be varied, exciting and from the very start, you will be in the spotlight – tackling the problems our clients face.
During your training contract, you will complete four six month seats, one of which will be in corporate and one in finance. Our trainees have the option to undertake their seats in the following practice areas: Private Equity, Private Equity Infrastructure, Banking & Finance, Business Finance Restructuring, Funds, Structured Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Tax and Litigation.
In each of your four seats, you will share an office with your supervisor, which means you will always have someone to guide you in your day-to-day work. In each seat you will have a mid-seat and end-of-seat performance review to help you identify areas of strength as well as areas for development.
The mentoring and support you receive as a Weil trainee means you can progress and reach your goals sooner than most law firms. You will be allocated a partner mentor, who will be your go-to for advice and guidance throughout the full two years of your training.
Vacation schemes
A vacation scheme is a great way to experience first-hand what life is like as a Weil trainee. You will spend each week in a different practice area and you will be able to submit preferences in advance. Throughout the scheme you will work alongside senior associates, carrying out trainee tasks and responsibilities.
You will be mentored and supported throughout the scheme, and your supervisor will always be there to provide constructive feedback and answer questions. You’ll also have the support of a trainee buddy as well as lots of interaction with the Graduate Recruitment team. To help you get even more of an insight into life at Weil, there will be various talks and workshops to attend on top of the day-to-day work.We also organise a number of social events, so you can get to know Weil’s lawyers and staff in a more relaxed setting.
We run two vacation schemes over the spring and summer holidays. Each scheme is two-weeks long and participants are paid £500 per week. There are 20 places available across the two schemes.
Spring vacation scheme
Monday 22 March – Thursday 1 April 2021
Deadline for applications: 3 January 2021
Summer vacation scheme
Monday 21 June – Friday 2 July 2021
Deadline for applications: 17 January 2021
What we are looking for
A career at Weil is challenging, technical and requires trainees to work under pressure. With this in mind, we are looking for bright candidates who can use their initiative, are comfortable in the spotlight and who thrive when challenged and placed out of their comfort zone. Successful candidates will need to be business-minded with plenty of entrepreneurial flair and commercial acumen, as well as the ability to work effectively in a team.
We are looking to recruit candidates from all universities and degree disciplines. Our academic requirements are AAB at A-Level or equivalent and a 2:1 degree (obtained or predicted). We take into account mitigating circumstances and use Rare’s contextualised recruitment system enabling us to measure an individual’s performance against the average grades of their school. We review all application forms holistically, which means if you fall slightly short of our academic requirements but demonstrate great potential, you will still be considered. Post-graduates and undergraduates are eligible to apply for a vacation scheme, but you must be able to start a training contract in 2023.
We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. Any candidates with a disability or a long-term health condition should feel able to be open about this at any point. The Graduate Recruitment team will work with you to establish the most suitable requirements, and make adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process.
Salary & benefits
Weil believe in rewarding every member of the team and as such our pay and benefits package is one of the best in the City. Trainees start on a salary of £50,000 which increases to £55,000 in the second year. Trainees are also eligible to receive a performance-based annual bonus and on qualification can expect a starting salary of £133,000.
Sponsorship
GDL and LPC fees are covered by the firm and trainees also receive an annual grant of £8,000 for the GDL and £10,000 for the LPC.
Benefits
The firm offers a benefits package comprised of core and flexible benefits, the latter can be purchased by employees if they wish to do so. The core benefits include 25-day annual holiday which increases by one day with each additional year of employment; one-day holiday on the employee’s birthday; 6% non-contributory pension; life assurance; permanent health cover; health screening; and private medical insurance.
Optional benefits which can be purchased include an interest-free season ticket loan; dental insurance; Ride2Work vouchers; sell/buy up to two days of annual holiday each year; and a £500 well-being allowance, which can be used to select benefits such as a gym membership
