Nabarro

If you’re keen to apply for a training contract at this City firm, you’re best advised to undertake a vacation scheme with the firm first. Why? Not only will it give you some legal work experience, but it’ll also greatly increase your chances of success. ‘Over 90% of graduates are hired from vac schemes’ according to a current Nabarro trainee and although the application process for these schemes won’t be much easier than for a training contract, you should stand a good chance of landing a full-time position if you make the cut.

Nabarro has two intakes in January and September and hires 30 trainees a year. The firm is highly selective and only accepts those with a solid academic background, but grades are not all Nabarro is interested in. Current trainees told us that the firm ‘tends to hire people who are sociable and will fit in well as part of a team. Trainees are expected to be hard working and take the initiative, and you should show that you are resourceful and do not need to be spoon-fed’. A few extracurricular interests should therefore come in handy.

A training contract at Nabarro will consist of six four-month seats, with the last seat being in the department you’ll qualify into. Trainees will have to complete a seat in the corporate, litigation and real estate teams, whereas other departments on offer include tax, IP, planning, construction and projects. Trainees are also given the opportunity to go on secondment to Brussels (but these are very competitive!), and with a brand-new Singapore office having opened up recently, trainees might get a chance to travel there in the future. However, if you want to stay closer to home, UK secondments have in the past included Essex County Council, Mercedes Benz, RAB Capital, MACE, SERCO and Oxford University.

If all of this doesn’t sound too intimidating to you and you’re still eager to apply for a training contract at this ‘very friendly firm’, remember that Nabarro likes candidates who have taken part in its vacation scheme. After submitting your online application, you can expect an assessment day and up to two interviews. ‘The assessment day is challenging’ and comprises a written exercise, group exercise and a 30-minute interview with a partner and senior solicitor. Interviewers will test your commercial awareness and technical knowledge with a range of questions.

Although the hiring process is said to be ‘fairly intensive’, it is also informal and relaxed. Nabarro trainees said there were ‘no horror questions’ and to ‘just try to relax and be yourself’. The good news is once you have gone through the application process, you won't be kept waiting long as the firm usually responds to candidates within a week, a much kinder timetable than many other law firms!

Nabarro Graduate Recruitment Info

Contact:
Graduate Recruitment Team
Tel: +44 (0)20 7524 6000
Email: graduateinfo@nabarro.com

Application Deadlines:

Training Contracts: 31st July 2012

Vacation Schemes: Nabarro offers a one week Easter scheme in London as well as three, three week summer schemes (2 in London, 1 in Sheffield). Closing date for both is 31 January 2012.

How to apply: graduates.nabarro.com/Applications/How_to_Apply.html