www.clearygottlieb.com

Vacation Schemes

We recruit our trainees exclusively through our two-week vacation schemes.

We offer around 40 places each year across winter, spring, and summer and pay £750 per week.

We want you to focus on making the most of your experience with us. That’s why every vacation scheme participant receives a £500 allowance in advance of the scheme to help cover clothing, travel and food costs.

The vacation schemes aim to provide a practical insight into life as a Cleary Gottlieb lawyer. Our objective throughout is to involve participants directly in client work. In addition to providing hands-on experience, the scheme incorporates a series of practice overview sessions designed to ensure exposure to the full range of work that we undertake in London. We also organize a number of social events to help participants get to know our partners, associates and trainees.

  • Qualification Requirements. We receive a very high number of applications for vacation scheme placements and training contracts each year. To succeed, candidates need to demonstrate exceptional academic ability. We normally expect candidates to be on course to attain a high 2.1 degree or better from a leading university and to have achieved at least AAA at A-Level or the equivalent. Alongside academic ability, we value evidence of extra-curricular achievement. Foreign language skills are a valuable asset, but are not essential. We are proud to be using Rare Recruitment’s Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) which allows us to consider your achievements in the context in which they were gained. We understand that not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper – and we want to recruit the best people, from every background.
  • When to Apply. Applications for all vacation scheme schemes will open on 21 September 2026. Successful applicants will first complete the Watson Glaser test. Those who progress will be invited to an online interview with one of our training principals and a senior associate, followed by one of our in-person assessment days.
  • How to Apply. All candidates should submit a full curriculum vitae via the Current Opportunities link, including a breakdown by subject of all A-Level (or equivalent) results and degree results where known.
  • Trainee Solicitor Brochure. View our current Trainee Solicitor brochure.