Training Contracts
Ready to take the next step in your legal career?
Are you looking for a training contract with a highly rated, Hampshire-based law firm? Scott Bailey is proud to offer a hands-on training experience where you’ll manage your own cases, work directly with clients, and gain exposure to everything from legal practice and court procedures to time management and regulatory compliance.
Often, law graduates have a preconceived idea of the type of law they would like to practice, but during a Scott Bailey placement, you’ll spend 4-5 months with each different department – here at Scott Bailey we have Family, Litigation, Private Client, Commercial and Property. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience a variety of law practices and discover the skills required for each, as well as formulating a view on where to specialise moving forward in your legal career. We will always do our best to support that.
Please note, we are currently taking applications for 2027.
Emily completed the Scott Bailey Training Placement in September 2024
Emily qualified as a solicitor in September 2024, after starting her placement in October 2022. Emily worked closely with Sarah Unsworth (our Training Principal) during her placement.
Like Emily, during your placement with Scott Bailey, you’ll be looked after by Sarah, who will meet with you regularly to review your training record, consolidate your learning, and answer any questions you may have. While exposure is very important to us, we offer a high level of support to ensure you get the most out of your training experience.
Choosing a high street firm for your legal training
Here’s what to expect when choosing to complete your training with a high street law firm:
1) Genuine responsibility
Being a smaller firm, there’s much more opportunity for our trainees to take on real responsibility and receive support and guidance from our team of experienced solicitors while doing so. Trainees in larger firms often experience a big portion of their time spent completing admin tasks, such as photocopying, due to the lengthier procedures for planning and the number of decision makers surrounding the organisation of the training itself.
2) Opportunities to get on the housing ladder outside of larger cities
You may be thinking about getting yourself on the housing ladder and applying for a mortgage to own your own home. Working for a high street firm in a smaller town comes with the advantage of being located in more affordable areas. In larger cities, it’s not uncommon to spend £2,000 a month to rent a studio apartment alone!
3) You’ll be a name not a number
At a smaller firm, everyone will want to meet you, whether that’s your fellow trainees or the managing partners. At Scott Bailey, it’s especially important that we make you feel like a part of the team from the get go, we value the strength of our internal relationships and our long standing team.
4) Shorter, healthier commutes
Our solicitors enjoy a scenic drive, or a quick stop on a train through the New Forest while listening to a podcast, or a walk/cycle in the fresh air during their commute. The hustle and bustle and stuffy air of the tube is not for everyone.
5) Better work/life balance
It’s not a myth that trainees in big city firms rarely have time to do anything other than sleep outside of work. We do not glamorise that culture, and instead prefer our trainees to spend evenings and weekends with friends or family, or getting some well-earned downtime.
6) Healthy routines and decent working hours
At Scott Bailey, we expect our team to develop a healthy routine, and that starts with reasonable hours. Of course, there will be the occasional late night in the office if you’re stuck into a gritty case, but there’s always friendly faces to keep you going, a pot of coffee on – and a local take away close by.
Get in touch today
Thank you for your interest in joining our team. We’re not currently recruiting for Trainee Solicitor positions starting in 2025 or 2026. However, we do anticipate taking on a new trainee in September 2027.
To be eligible, applicants must have successfully completed SQE1 and SQE2 before beginning their training contract with us.
If you’re interested in being considered for our 2027 intake, we’d love to hear from you. You’re welcome to send us your CV and a covering letter explaining why you’d like to train with us and what you’d bring to our team.
Please note: while we’re happy to receive applications at any time, shortlisting will take place during a defined period in 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed). We’ll be in touch with shortlisted candidates once that process begins.
We look forward to hearing from you!
