Early careers FAQs

Vacation scheme – aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates or career changers of any discipline able to undertake a training contract in 2029:
12 – 16 April 2027
28 June – 2 July 2027
Application deadline: 4 January 2027

Empower programme – aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates or career changers from a black heritage/ethnic minority background who don’t feel ready to apply for a vacation scheme:
6 – 9 April 2027
Application deadline: 4 January 2027

Limitless programme – year 12/13 students at school or college, must also meet PRIME criteria:
12 – 16 July 2027
Application deadline: 12 February 2027

Training contract – aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates or career changers of any discipline able to undertake a training contract in 2029:
Recruiting for 2029 (March and September)
Applications open: 5 January 2027
Application deadline: 12 March 2027

We offer 24 vacation scheme and between 10-15 training contract positions in total across our offices each year.

No. Applications are reviewed after the relevant deadline has passed.

We encourage you to submit your application well in advance of the deadline in case you experience any technical issues when applying.

If you apply for a vacation scheme, you will automatically be considered for a training contract and therefore do not need to submit a separate application.

We also accept direct applications to our training contract programme for candidates who are unable to attend a vacation scheme.

Our vacation schemes are designed to provide an immersive insight into life as a trainee solicitor at Penningtons Manches Cooper. However, if you already have substantial legal experience, are confident that Penningtons Manches Cooper is the right firm for you, or are unable to attend a vacation scheme, you may prefer to apply directly for a training contract.

Empower is part of our wider commitment to increasing the representation of Black heritage and ethnic minority individuals within the legal profession.

The programme is designed to provide participants with a greater understanding of commercial law, opportunities to develop key professional skills, and increased confidence when considering future career opportunities and applications within the legal sector.

Empower is particularly suited to students who may not yet feel ready to apply for a vacation scheme and would benefit from additional insight, development opportunities and exposure to the profession before taking that next step.
You can:

• apply directly to the Empower programme; or
• indicate on your vacation scheme application that you would also like to be considered for Empower if your vacation scheme application is unsuccessful.

Through a combination of workshops, skills sessions, mentoring and networking opportunities, participants gain valuable insight into Penningtons Manches Cooper and the wider legal profession, helping them make informed decisions about their future career path.

As part of the final stage of the programme, participants will also have the opportunity to attend an assessment centre for the following year’s vacation scheme. This provides a valuable opportunity to build on the skills and experience gained through Empower and take the next step in the early careers recruitment process.

Yes. We recognise that securing a vacation scheme or training contract is highly competitive, and previous unsuccessful applications will not count against you. We welcome reapplications and encourage candidates to reflect on any feedback received and demonstrate how they have developed since their last application.

Our training contract recruitment process consists of five stages:

1. Application form
   Submit your application and complete Rare’s contextual recruitment survey.
2. Voice-based AI interview
   Complete a voice-based video interview through our AI-powered platform, BrightApply, designed to help us better understand your motivations, strengths and potential.
3. First-round competency interview
   A competency-based interview with a member of the early careers team.
4. Written exercise
   A written assessment designed to reflect typical trainee tasks. No prior legal knowledge is required.
5. Final training contract
   An interview with a partner and a member of the early careers team, including a presentation based on a legal case study. This stage is typically conducted in person.

Please note that we may make changes to our recruitment process from time to time, but any requirements will be communicated in advance.

Our recruitment process consists of three stages:

1. Application form
   Submit your application and complete Rare’s contextual recruitment survey.
2. Voice-based AI interview
   Complete a voice-based video interview through our AI-powered platform, BrightApply, designed to help us better understand your motivations, strengths and potential.
3. Assessment centre
   Successful candidates will attend an online assessment centre between February and March. The assessment centre typically includes:
   • a one-to-one interview
   • a written exercise
   • a fictional client interview

We recognise that many candidates use AI tools as part of their research, preparation and drafting process, and we are comfortable with applicants using AI in this way.

However, your application should ultimately reflect your own experiences, achievements, motivations and perspectives. We encourage candidates to use AI as a supporting tool rather than relying on it to generate answers on their behalf.

The survey helps us understand your achievements in the context of your individual circumstances and opportunities. It considers factors such as your educational background and the environment in which you studied, helping us identify potential alongside academic performance.

This year, we have introduced a voice-based video interview through our AI-powered platform, BrightApply. This replaces the longer written application questions that were previously included within our application form.

We believe this approach allows us to hear more authentically from candidates and better understand their experiences, motivations and potential. Rather than being confined by a word limit, you’ll have the opportunity to expand on your answers, provide greater context and explain your thinking in your own words.

The interview is designed to be conversational and gives you the flexibility to showcase your skills, experiences and aspirations in a way that a written application may not always allow.

We encourage you to approach the interview as an opportunity to tell us more about yourself and what interests you about a career with Penningtons Manches Cooper.

Where sponsorship is required, we can support successful candidates who receive a training contract offer.
Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for:

• vacation scheme participants
• paralegal positions

If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please contact our early careers team at traineepost@penningtonslaw.com.

We will be happy to discuss your requirements and any adjustments that may support you throughout the process.

We are committed to ensuring all candidates can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process.

We are happy to make individual adjustments where appropriate and encourage you to contact the early careers team at traineepost@penningtonslaw.com.

Once you join the firm, tailored workplace adjustment plans are available to support neurodivergent colleagues.

Yes. We take a holistic approach to assessing applications and consider a range of factors, including work experience, extracurricular activities, and your motivation for pursuing a legal career. If there were mitigating circumstances that affected your academic performance, please include these in your application.

We also use Rare Recruitment’s contextual recruitment system (CRS), which helps us assess achievement in the context in which it was attained. We are committed to recruiting talented individuals from all backgrounds.

Yes, we provide an outcome to all applicants. However, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback following application or video interview stages.

Candidates who attend an assessment centre or final training contract interview will receive a feedback report.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of requests we receive, we are unable to offer work experience opportunities outside our structured programmes.

We encourage students to apply for our vacation schemes, attend our open days, and meet us at university careers events throughout the year to find out more about the firm.

Penningtons Manches Cooper partners with BPP to deliver our future trainee development programme.
Future trainees who have not already completed the LPC or SQE will undertake:

• PGDL (where required)
• LLM SQE 1 & 2
• A bespoke Essentials for Practice programme

The Essentials for Practice programme provides additional commercial and professional skills training beyond the SQE syllabus.
You can study through BPP:

• at one of their UK campuses
• fully online
• full-time or part-time

Both SQE 1 and SQE 2 must be passed before commencing your training contract.

For future trainees joining the firm, we fund:

• PGDL tuition fees (where required)
• LLM SQE 1 & 2 tuition fees

We also provide maintenance grants:

• PGDL – £,6000
• LLM SQE 1 & 2 (regional) – £8,000
• LLM SQE 1 & 2 (London) – £10,000

Please note that we do not provide retrospective funding for courses that have already been completed.

While we have high pass rates through our partnership with BPP, we recognise that exams can be challenging. The firm will support future trainees through one resit attempt where required. Please note that this may affect your intended training contract start date.

We sponsor visas required for employment as a trainee solicitor. We do not typically fund student visas required for undertaking university or law school studies this would need to be covered by the individual.

Trainees complete four six-month seats across the firm’s practice areas.

Before each rotation, trainees discuss their preferences with the Early Careers team. We aim to balance trainee interests with business requirements. While we cannot guarantee any specific seat, we encourage trainees to remain open-minded and explore the wide range of opportunities available across the firm.

Trainees are generally based in their home office throughout their training contract. Occasionally, we facilitate seat swaps between regional offices where a trainee wishes to gain experience in an area not available at their home location.

Transfers into London from regional offices are unlikely and only happen when there is a business need rather than personal preference. It is therefore important to consider your office location carefully.

We are looking to expand overseas secondment opportunities, including placements in:

• Piraeus
• Singapore

In addition, our international office network and Multilaw relationships provide increasing exposure to international work.

Yes, where client demand creates opportunities. Client secondments typically last between three and six months. Recent examples have included secondments with:

• British Athletics Commission
• Farfetch

We operate an agile working model and expect colleagues to spend 50% of their time in the office. Individual teams operate team charters which set out any specific team days or attendance expectations.

Throughout your training contract the early careers team will have regular meetings with you to discuss your seat preferences and interests for qualification. Five months before qualification we will finalise the practice areas you are interested in qualifying into and work with Team Partners to seek approval for NQ positions. All NQ roles are advertised internally and trainees then follow the teams recruitment process.

Whether you obtain an NQ position with the team (as most of our trainee do), or leave at the end of your training contract, the team will work with you through to qualification and support you through the sign off process.

Trainees participate in a structured L&D programme, starting with a week long induction period in the London office. In terms of support each trainee is allocated a:

• trainee buddy
• partner mentor
• team supervisor (this changes with each seat change)
• team buddy (this changes with each seat change.

In addition to this you will also have regular meetings with HR with either the early careers team or HR advisor to discuss your progress.

Penningtons Manches Cooper intentionally recruits a relatively small trainee intake to maximise opportunities for qualification within the firm. For that reason our retention rate is always high and for 2025/26 was 78%.

There are plenty of opportunities to become involved in life across the firm, including:

• diversity and inclusion networks
• environmental champions
• mental health champions
• sports and social committee
• wellbeing initiatives
• mentoring programmes
• volunteering opportunities

These groups provide excellent opportunities to build your network, support colleagues and contribute to the wider culture of the firm.

The interview is conducted and personalised by AI. The platform will ask you questions, listen to your responses and, where appropriate, ask relevant follow-up questions based on what you have shared. This helps create a more natural and conversational experience, allowing you to provide additional context and expand on your answers.

AI technology also supports the assessment process by helping to review and score interview responses. However, it does not make recruitment decisions, and candidate outcomes are not determined by AI alone. Human review by members of our early careers team remains a key part of the selection process.

In addition, regular calibration and spot-checking of interview assessments form an important part of our approach. This helps us ensure consistency, fairness and appropriate oversight throughout the process. AI-generated scores are used as a support tool alongside human judgement, rather than as the sole basis for assessment decisions.

Our aim is to provide a fair, consistent and engaging experience for all candidates while giving you greater opportunity to demonstrate your skills, experiences and motivation for joining Penningtons Manches Cooper.

You will be sent a link to your interview after we have received your initial application through our applicant tracking system iCIMS.

You will need to complete your interview within 7 days of receiving this link.

The interview itself usually takes somewhere between 20-30 minutes to complete, but there are no time restrictions, and therefore if you require additional time to answer a question, you can say this during the interview and it will allow more thinking time.

No. The purpose of the voice-based interview is for us to hear your own experiences, perspectives and responses. You should complete the interview independently and should not use AI tools or seek assistance from others when answering questions.

To help ensure the integrity and fairness of the assessment process, the platform monitors interview activity. Opening additional browser windows, tabs or applications while completing the interview may result in the interview being paused or terminated, and could affect your application.

We encourage you to answer naturally and authentically. We are interested in your experiences, motivations and thinking, and there is no expectation that responses will be perfectly polished or rehearsed.

Please speak to the early careers team before completing your voice based interview if you require adjustments. The interview itself does not have a time limit, and you will not be penalised for taking time to think before responding to questions. We recognise that candidates may need different amounts of time to consider their answers, and the platform is designed to accommodate this.

If you experience any technical issues while completing the interview, please select the ‘Report an Issue‘ banner in the top-right corner of the video interview. This will alert the support team, who will be able to review any problems you encounter.

Prepare as you would for any other interview, researching the firm, reflecting on your experiences, achievements and motivations. Before you begin you will have the opportunity to complete a practice question so you can familiarise yourself with the platform and check that everything is working as expected.

We would suggest completing the interview when you have sufficient time to complete it, somewhere quiet where you wont be interrupted and using a desktop or laptop.

Your video is recorded throughout the interview primarily to help verify identity and ensure consistency throughout the assessment process. This helps us confirm that the same individual is completing the interview from start to finish and supports the integrity and fairness of the recruitment process.

Your video recording will only be used for recruitment-related purposes and will be handled in accordance with our privacy and data protection obligations. Further information about how your data is processed can be found in our recruitment privacy notice.