Training Contracts & Qualifying Work Experience

To apply for our 2028 intake please send us your completed application form, a covering letter and a CV to [email protected] 

To help manage expectations, please make a note of the recruitment timescales detailed below. We will contact all candidates at the appropriate stage and kindly ask that you allow these timeframes to elapse before contacting us for an update, this is purely to avoid any additional administrative burden due to the volume of applications we generally receive.

• Academic achievements – as a minimum, you must have (or be predicted to achieve) a minimum of a 2:1 degree. We welcome applications from both law and non-law graduates

• Dedication, ambition and enthusiasm for law   - we want to know that you are committed and serious about working in law

• Personality  - we look for people with a positive, pro-active outlook with the ability and drive to get things done

• Work experience – we want to see relevant examples of work experience, ideally in both law and client facing roles

• Focused on solutions for our clients – you will need to be committed to delivering exceptional client service, going the extra mile and delivering the best results in everything you do

• Approachable and accountable – a friendly, respectful and supportive approach in dealings with colleagues and clients alike is essential

• Ambitious to continually improve – always striving for the best outcome possible, continually building on strengths and taking a pro-active approach to drive improvements is key

• Committed to teamwork and collaboration  - we want you to be able to use your own initiative but also have the ability to work effectively as part of a team and the wider firm to achieve success

• LPC / SQE -  You must either have obtained, awaiting results or be able to demonstrate that you have plans to complete the LPC / SQE before your training contract commences. 

Wake Smith is one of South Yorkshires leading law firms, offering legal advice across both personal and commercial services including Corporate Law, Commercial Property, Employment, Litigation, Family & Divorce, Conveyancing, Clinical Negligence, Wills, Trust & Probate. 

Trainees can expect to be active, fee earning members of the departments they work in, experiencing seats in 4 different departments during their training contract. We believe this provides a varied and dynamic experience, which our previous trainees have found invaluable. 

The level of client interaction will vary from seat to seat, and from deal to deal. The intellectual challenges can be formidable, but a combination of formal training, personal coaching and commercial responsibility will help you evolve into a successful lawyer and an effective member of our team.

Wake Smith have been recruiting trainees to start their careers in law for a substantial number of years.

For any medium sized business there is always an element of risk attached to trainee recruitment, but this particularly applies in the legal sector where firms typically recruit around two years ahead of a training contract commencing.

Most law students will testify that this feels like a long time because they often still have exams and more studying ahead of them.

From the employer’s side, Wake Smith is committed to the process because it has proven to be essential to the firm’s growth both in the short term and the long term.

In the long term, it is hoped trainees will be success stories by staying at the firm and to become future directors. This is only viable from an employer’s side if the firm offers the right platform to do so. Wake Smith provides this by embedding its values into its dealings with all staff.

For trainees in particular, Wake Smith seeks to offer clear career pathways and offering room to network and build up contacts inside and outside of the firm.

When looking at prospective trainees, we want people who share into this vision and are excited at the prospect of building their careers here in Sheffield, helping our clients across the region and embracing the varied work that comes from experiencing a training contract in a full-service law firm.

Whilst many firms will try to paint a similar long-term picture, Wake Smith can point to multiple heads of department and directors who have come through the ranks over a number of a years.

Our training contracts consist of four seats of six months each, over two years, and typically include seats in our Company Commercial, Commercial Property and Clinical Negligence departments.