Cripps

The best packet of Cripps in the South East? With a private client and real estate flavour, there’s certainly enough to get your teeth into…

Cripps training contract review 2026

About the firm

In the great big sea of law, applicants often find themselves with the difficult prospect of deciding whether to head for the city lights or settle somewhere with a little less hustle and bustle. If you’re stuck between the two, Cripps is a firm worth taking a closer look at. With offices in both the homely Tunbridge Wells and London, Cripps offers trainees the chance to dip into the benefits of both locations: “You get the regional vibe with Tunbridge,” one trainee explained, alongside “the city vibe and brilliant clients you find in London.”

It’s the South where the lion’s share of Cripps’ Chambers UK ranked departments are to be found, including top-tier acknowledgements in real estate litigation, professional negligence, agriculture & rural affairs, and planning. That’s alongside strong rankings in banking & finance, corporate/M&A, IT, IP, litigation and real estate. The firm has growth on the horizon too, expanding its corporate and real estate practices, and recently merging with PDT Solicitors in Horsham.

“You’re expected to be a generalist – I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into a practice.”

Of course, even with a merger on the books, Cripps still sits in the realm of smaller firms by head count. This was a key draw for those we spoke to, both for its impact on the culture of the firm and for its impact on the working environment: “You’re expected to be a generalist – I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into a practice,” one source told us. Yet the consensus was that it was the culture that was the main draw: “Cripps stood out for the people more than the work. Everyone was singing praises about work-life balance; they put your family first and understand that there’s more to life than sitting at your desk!”

Training Contract Structure

Before incoming trainees decide on their preferred seats, they are invited to a ‘Hello Day’, “where different people from every team spoke to us about the seats. They told us about current matters they were working on, and people were really honest about what the work would be like, which was really helpful.” Trainees select their top four seats and include an explanation as to why, before receiving a confirmation of which seats they would spend time in across the two years. “It’s great to know in theory what you’ll be doing over the next two years,” one trainee commented.

Of course, preferences can’t always be met, and we heard that “swapping places is quite convoluted… sometimes you can get told you’re changing seats last minute, so it can be tricky to get exactly what you want.” That said, the current crop were quick to highlight that “they’re changing the system in response to our feedback.” All trainees are expected to do a property seat as one of their four six-month placements, and there are opportunities on offer for client secondments to firm clients such as EuroTunnel, M&G Investment and Domino’s.

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

When it came to the firm’s culture, one newbie told us: “I can’t stress enough how great the people are here – people shouldn’t overlook that just for salary and awards.” We heard that from the outset, Cripps makes an effort to place relationships at the centre, with interviewees reporting that “before we even joined we had a social with the other incoming trainees and the trainees that were already there.”

We got the impression that the London and Tunbridge Wells offices were slightly different with the former being a bit more “old school.” Insiders did comment that “there are always going to be a few people who are less approachable,” but across the offices, at least “in the main, everyone is friendly.” People were particularly positive about Cripps’ “amazing” paternity and maternity policies and their general attitude towards your personal life: “If something happens they do care about it, you don’t just put your head down.”

“I can’t stress enough how great the people are here – people shouldn’t overlook that just for salary and awards.”

Part of this emphasis on culture is the provision of an organised social calendar: “There’s so much that goes on!” Trainees take part in the classic summer and Christmas parties, but beyond this there are sports teams for netball, football and a running club. Those we spoke to also pointed to bingo and an extra budget for trainees to socialise throughout the year as well. What’s always worth a mention when it comes to life at Cripps are the beehives on the roof of the Tunbridge Wells office, where “you can do beekeeping on a Monday morning before work, it’s hilarious!” There is no pressure for trainees to partake, of course!

The firm’s charity initiatives also contribute to the social fabric, particularly with their ‘Be the Difference’ volunteer days: “We have charity partners you can volunteer with,” one insider explained, “or you can pick your own – you can do whatever, literally.” Past examples include volunteering to help people without access to computers, and tutoring at local schools.

Pro bono wasn’t high on the agenda for trainees, but we did hear that insiders could get involved with the Carers First pro bono scheme: “We are trained up to partner with carers to help with applications for carers allowance, so you get that exposure to real people.”

With such a vibrant extracurricular scene, it is worth noting that the hours are generally reasonable enough for trainees to get involved beyond their expected workload. For most practices, trainees tended to work between 8.30am and 6pm, and even busier days only saw an extra hour or so later in the day. That said, we heard corporate bucked the trend a little bit: “In corporate there is no consistency with the timings,” one insider cautioned, “so you can’t predict what time you’ll be expected to work. Sometimes your life can fall to the wayside.”

Aside from cancelling a few weekend plans, for the most part trainees felt the hours weren’t too bad and “partners do apologise if you need to stay later.” The firm’s work from home policy, though it starts with the expectation trainees are in four days a week, gradually levels off to being fairly flexible: “You just communicate with your supervisor,” which we heard helps with the hours.

The general consensus was that given the work/life balance and the hours that they worked, trainees weren’t “massively bothered” about remuneration. However, some interviewees - particularly those who had done a stint in corporate - did note that “the hours have crept up in the last few years.” Nevertheless, “any late working you can take in lieu,” so salary didn’t seem to weigh too heavily on their minds.

Qualification

As trainees approach qualification, we heard it’s “a very, very quick turnaround!” meaning “you know pretty quickly if they’re going to take you on.” All trainees interview before the firm makes a final decision, but on occasions where more than one candidate goes for a single role, the firm hosts an assessment day so trainees can make their case for the position to the firm.

Everyone we spoke to felt confident about their prospects for qualification, and several were positive about their long-term prospects at Cripps: “They support you to move to the next level very quickly. Because you trained here, they are more likely to move you to senior positions.”