A law firm advertising a Belfast training contract, with applications closing at the end of October 2026.
TLT is a law firm that advises businesses and public bodies. Its work covers areas such as financial services (helping banks, building societies and lenders), real estate (buying, developing and planning property, social housing and property disputes), technology and public sector work (IT contracts, data protection, cybersecurity, public procurement), and general commercial, corporate, employment, tax, pensions, intellectual property and restructuring work. Legal Cheek's firm profile names clients including Lloyds, Sainsbury's, the BBC and Boohoo. In plain terms, TLT is the team companies call when they need contracts drawn up, a deal checked, or a legal problem sorted out.
A Legal Cheek profile says TLT was founded in Bristol in 2000 and grew from its South West base into a national firm. It says the firm began by taking certain banking work from big global firms at lower cost and giving it to young lawyers in regional offices. According to All About Law, it now has seven UK offices: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester. Legal Cheek also mentions a small outpost in Piraeus, Greece, and alliances with firms in Belgium and the Netherlands. The profile reports that Andrew Lyon succeeded Sasha Butterworth as senior partner, and that the Birmingham team grew from three to 55 people in two years.
We did not find a formal mission statement or list of values on the pages we read. TLT describes what it offers graduates as 'National reach, ambitious growth, early responsibility and a people-first culture', and Legal Cheek says its stated priorities include future energy, retail and AI. Legal Cheek also notes the firm's offices put weight on sustainability, such as a net-zero building in Glasgow.
Practical examples of the work: the firm has a 'FutureLaw' team, has rolled out an AI tool called Legora across the firm, and has built its own product called TLT Intelligence, according to Legal Cheek. Trainees work on live client matters early, and client secondments (spending time working inside a client's business) are offered, though international secondments are not.
On culture, Legal Cheek quotes insiders describing 'a really encouraging culture', with approachable partners and no private offices. Trainees say hours have become longer in some seats, particularly corporate, litigation and financial services, though many still rate the balance as good compared with similar firms. The firm uses a hybrid approach, usually about three days a week in the office. These are trainee views reported by a third party, so ask current trainees. For early careers, All About Law (as at 2026) lists 35 training contracts recruited through a two-week vacation scheme with 25 places. The minimum is a 2:1 degree; law graduates are preferred but non-law graduates are welcome, and the application is an online form followed by a half-day assessment centre. London pay was £45,500 in year one and £49,000 in year two, with full SQE (the exams to qualify as a solicitor) funding and a maintenance grant. The Belfast training contract closed on 31 October 2026. TLT also runs a six-year apprenticeship (two years as a paralegal apprentice, then four as a solicitor apprentice) in Bristol, London, Birmingham or Manchester according to All About Law; we did not find entry requirements or pay for it.
Website: www.tlt.com
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