Vacation schemes

Vacation scheme programme

We offer vacation scheme placements in our Basingstoke, Cambridge. Guildford, London, Oxford and Reading offices. Interns spend time in one of the firm’s practice areas in either business services, private wealth or real estate. You will be involved in real assignments, working alongside a trainee in the team to get a realistic view of what life is really like at Penningtons Manches Cooper. Activities regularly include drafting documents, attending client and team meetings, conducting research or sometimes even attending court. The majority of our offices are open plan so getting to know the wider teams will not be an issue. You will be given a senior mentor, and networking with others is strongly encouraged. Some sessions will be put on to facilitate this, but the more you put into the vacation scheme, the more you will get out of it.

A large proportion of our training contract positions are recruited through our vacation scheme, so if this is your end goal, applying for the scheme is a good route to take. Hear from some of our future trainees that came through the vacation scheme about their experiences here.

The dates of our 2023 vacation schemes are expected to be as follows:

Spring scheme 27 – 31 March 2023

Summer scheme one 19 – 23 June 2023

Summer scheme two 26 – 30 June 2023

Summer scheme three 10 – 14 July 2023

Application Deadline: 3 January 2023

Recruitment process

Applications must be submitted online by 3 January 2023 and assessment centres typically start in January and are completed by March. Our assessment centres are made up of three exercises: a written assessment, a one on one competency based interview and a simulation client interview. More details on these will be given to you at invitation stage.

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

What are we looking for?

The vacation scheme is open to those candidates who are planning to take up a training contract in two years’ time.

We are looking for dedicated, diverse candidates with a strong academic record and commercial awareness. You should be passionate about law, a great team player and have exceptional communication skills.

We welcome applications from all degree disciplines and from applicants at all stages of their careers. You’ll have, or be on track to have, a 2:1 degree or higher and AAB at A-Level (or the equivalent if educated outside the UK). If you do not meet these criteria and feel that your grades do not reflect your abilities, please include the context of this within your application. Please note that undergraduate applicants must be in their penultimate or final year of a law degree or their final year of a non-law degree.