Work experience

Gain valuable experience to help launch your career in law.

Want experience with a top law firm?

If you are in the very early stages of your legal career, getting some work experience can be a valuable way of being able to see inside a law firm.

It should give you a better understanding of what different departments do, and what the different roles are, but also it should also give you an insight into whether the culture and work environment is one that would suit you.

As a leading and award-winning firm standing alongside national firms, we attract high-profile clients and a diverse mix of interesting work. We also have a friendly, supportive culture with a big emphasis on practical experience.

We believe this makes us a great place to get some work experience that you can use to build your career.

We offer several work experience placements, and they can be held in our offices in Leeds, Bradford or Huddersfield. You’ll be based in and work mainly with one department, and there are often opportunities to work with other teams, too.

Placements last for a week, typically in July.

Our work experience scheme will give you a real insight into who we are and how we operate, which is valuable if you decide you want to come and join us

Our trainees tell us that the best part of our training programme is how hands-on and involved with client work they are from the beginning of their training contract.

They don’t get left with the photocopying, or become research assistants; they get to use their skills and knowledge as part of a team, dealing directly with clients as well as enjoying the benefits we offer.  From day one, they start to build their knowledge and skills.

We hope that after you’ve spent a week with us, you’ll have a chance to see this for yourself.

Details of how to apply for a place on our work experience programme will be posted on these pages shortly after Easter, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please contact our HR Director, Neil Towse (neiltowse@schofieldsweeney.co.uk)

Get a feel for working in law

Work experience with us lets you see what it’s like working in a top law firm, and it’s an excellent way to learn more about our firm specifically.

Show your commitment

It shows potential future employers that you’re serious about the profession and are proactive in developing your knowledge and skills.

Help us learn about you

We get an understanding of you, your ambitions and your strengths, which is useful if you apply for a training contract with us.

Meet our trainees

Our trainees are always willing to pass on their knowledge of working with us and tips for securing a training contract.

Get hands-on experience

Your placement will give you practical experience that you can use when applying for a training contract or support role.

Expand your network

You’ll meet all levels of fee earners during your time with us, giving you a good opportunity to expand your business network.

Who can apply?

If you’re in the first year of a degree course or equivalent, or at a later stage in your education, we’d love to receive your application.

When to apply

Unfortunately we do not have availability on any of our schemes at the moment.
Further details of any future work experience schemes will be posted here once they are announced.

If you would like any more details, email NeilTowse@schofieldsweeney.co.uk

How to apply

When our applications open please send the following to workexperience@schofieldsweeney.co.uk

  • A copy of your current CV.
  • A cover letter, or email, using the guidance notes below in ‘What are we looking for’
  • Which of our offices you’d prefer your placement to take place in (we can’t always accommodate preferences but we take them into account).
  • Your preference for dates (TBC)

If you have any questions about our work experience programme, then please contact our HR Director, Neil Towse on 0113 849 4073.

If you’d also like to apply for a training contract with us, this is a separate application process. Please see our page on training contracts for more details.

What are we looking for?

Your application needs to be accurate, so ensure it’s checked thoroughly for typos and errors. If it’s not, your application will fall at the first hurdle.

We are not looking for someone who is just ‘building’ their CV or ‘collecting’ placements, so you will need to convince us that we would be making the right decision in offering a place to you.

Some suggestions:

  • You may be at the very early stages of your academic career, but do you already have an area of the law that you are particularly interested in?  If so, make sure you tell us more about it in your covering letter.
  • Tell us what you know about Schofield Sweeney.
  • We want to know about your academic career, so make sure you tell us about where you’ve studied and what grades you’ve got.
  • We want to know about what work experiences you have had. Don’t worry if they’ve not been in law.  Some of the most important skills can be gained in all manner of retail or service-industry roles.
  • Tell us about your achievements, be they academic, personal or sporting ones. Anything really, that gives us a better insight into who you are.

What to expect during your placement

Depending upon what client work is taking place, you’ll be based mainly within one department, though there may be opportunities to work with or at least to meet, other teams too.

Bear in mind it is only for one week, so there will be some limits as to exactly how involved you can be.  However, we’ll want you to get involved in day-to-day work, so that might mean going to Court with one of our lawyers, attending client meetings or undertaking a key piece of research.

Alongside this, there will be a number of other tasks we will set you during the week, which will be designed to test your organisational skills and your inter-personal skills, amongst other things.

It will be your chance to make a good impression on us, but it’s also a chance for us to impress you too.

We’ll do our best to ensure you get to know as much about Schofield Sweeney as possible, and what it takes to make a great lawyer here.

One final thing to mention, succeed in your work experience placement, and we would be delighted for you to apply for a training contract with us.

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