Leathes Prior is a leading East Anglian full service law firm providing a comprehensive legal service to a wide variety of organisations and private clients, both locally and nationwide. Our offices are located in the picturesque Cathedral Close and Tombland area, in the heart of Norwich.

We are an exceptionally social firm and have won the ‘most sociable firm in the UK’ award for multiple years in The Legal 500 Future Lawyers survey. This and our other awards according to our own trainees can be seen on our Legal 500 Future Lawyers profile.

The teams at Leathes Prior all work closely together and trainee solicitors are encouraged to get involved in activities across all teams, not just the team where they sit. Aside from the work trainees take on to develop their legal knowledge and ability, they are also given opportunity to develop other skills by taking part in firm-wide events such as Sync the City.

Our trainees are the future of Leathes Prior – 60% of our partnership trained within the firm and our retention rate is exceptional. Our trainees are treated as important lawyers from day one which means the work which is given is on real matters and with real clients. Working alongside our partners and their teams, trainees are expected to be ready to face challenges and pressure early on to get the best out of their experience.

Our size allows us to provide close-knit support from lawyers of all levels and fantastic opportunities to progress and develop. During your training with us, you will have regular reviews and guidance with your supervisor, the training principal and the people and culture manager. You will also be paired with a qualified lawyer 'buddy' offering more informal support. Once qualified, our lawyers then pair up with a mentor who supports their career progression to associate, senior associate and partner levels.

Our award-winning vacation scheme invites students wishing to get a taster of what it is like to work at LP before applying for a training contract. Scoring highly in the Legal 500 Future Lawyers survey rankings, the scheme offers visitors time to complete some real work alongside our Partners and staff and to show us your skills.

The 2024 vacation scheme will last a week and will run once during the Easter holidays and again in the summer. During your week you will be given the chance to meet with our lawyers and current trainee solicitors, spend time in various teams practising different legal disciplines, and take part in a number of group exercises.  Amongst other awards, we have been winners in the Legal 500 Future Lawyers 'Social Life' category many times so you know there will be a visit to the pub at the end of the week!

We recruit for both weeks separately so make sure you apply before the deadline for the week you wish to join. Due to the limited number of spaces available (we take up to five visitors per week) we usually have to prioritise applications from those eligible to apply for a training contract during the same year. Ordinarily this means that you will be in your second or third year of a full-time law degree, in your final year of a non-law degree or undertaking post graduate study. That being said, if you are applying for the summer week and have just finished your first year of law, then we would certainly consider your application.

To apply, please send a covering letter and a copy of your CV to [email protected]. Your application should outline your interests, career plans and why you feel you are the right candidate to spend a week with us.

We aim to design training contracts according to the individual needs of the trainee. Holding regular reviews, we discuss progress and use these discussions to plan the next seat. We believe it is important that this is kept flexible because every trainee is different and their journey with us is unique. Our diversity and inclusion statement can be found on our website.

Our trainees normally complete four seats across the firm, spending six months in each seat. At the point of qualification we do our best to retain every trainee and they do not just qualify to fill vacancies within the firm – the firm often expands to create positions for the right candidates.

The SQE is a new way of qualifying as a solicitor and you can find more details on the SRA website. Whilst the transitional arrangements are in place, we intend to continue to offer our usual vacation scheme and training contract programmes. If you do have a particular interest in switching to the SQE route soon, let us know when you apply. We are flexible in our approach to how we train our future lawyers so if your application is successful we can explore this with you.

At Leathes Prior, we are committed to encouraging diversity and providing equal opportunities for every single one of our current and future employees.

Our ability to form longstanding relationships with our clients begins with ensuring we recruit talented individuals. Whilst we recruit on the basis of merit and ability, our culture is founded on individuality and we are very proud of that.

In order for our employees to realise their full potential, it is essential we ensure they feel comfortable with being who they are, providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated fairly and with respect, irrespective of differences such as gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

As we continue to grow, maintaining an inclusive outlook and recognising the importance of diversity within our firm remains a priority at Leathes Prior and is imperative to our future success.

We offer an interest free loan to help future trainees fund their LPC studies.

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• Norwich