A London law firm founded in 1838, known for corporate and finance law. It runs vacation schemes at its London office and gives most of its trainees their start through them.
Linklaters is a British law firm, headquartered in London, that advises big companies, banks and governments on complex legal work. That means things like company takeovers and mergers, helping businesses raise money by selling shares and bonds, banking and lending, court and arbitration disputes, restructuring companies in difficulty, competition law and tax. Wikipedia says it has around 30 offices in about 20 to 21 countries and, as of June 2023, about 3,100 lawyers (including 560 partners) among 7,139 employees.
The firm began in London in 1838, when John Linklater went into partnership with Julius Dods, and took the name Linklaters in 1999. In 2022 it was the first major law firm to say it would end its business in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Its careers site says the firm exists to help clients' businesses succeed, and describes its purpose as connecting talent with opportunity and serving clients with long-term, high-quality work. Its stated values are pursuing excellence in client service, respecting colleagues and embracing diversity, taking initiative and welcoming new ideas, acting with integrity, and working as one inclusive team. These are the firm's own words.
Linklaters says the firm is divided into practice areas such as corporate and mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, capital markets, disputes and restructuring. Alongside lawyers, it employs business professionals in areas including business development and marketing, technology and data, finance, people, legal operations and risk. Its careers pages say previous legal-sector experience is not always required for these roles.
For young people there are several routes. Pathfinder is a first-year programme for students on a three-year degree (or second-years on a four-year degree) at a UK or Irish university, with two days at the London office plus monthly online sessions; the 2026 round ran sessions in April 2026 and completing it can fast-track you to a vacation scheme assessment centre. Vacation schemes are short paid placements in London in winter, spring and summer, open to penultimate- and final-year undergraduates, graduates and postgraduates (law or non-law), paying £500 a week, with a guaranteed final interview for a training contract; the firm says 90% of its trainees came through them. Training contracts for 2028 and 2029 start in September 2028 or March 2029. The application involves an online form, an online assessment, a critical thinking test and an interview or assessment day. Linklaters asks for a strong academic record, on track for at least a 2:1. A Law Gazette report describes a six-year solicitor apprenticeship for school leavers, with six places in its first year and about 20% of time spent on a law degree for the first four years; it is undated, so check current details. Dates here are as at the 2025 and 2026 pages and may have moved.
Website: www.linklaters.com
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