Marriott Harrison

If you’re on the hunt for a compact firm offering large-scale corporate work, look no further. Your Marriott awaits…

Marriott Harrison training contract review 2026

About the firm

Look, we know that clichés can come across as a bit cheesy, but sometimes there’s no better way to put it. In the London legal world, Marriott Harrison may just be the embodiment of big things coming in small packages. Despite a modest headcount of around 60 lawyers – and only around four trainees entering the fold each year – it’s safe to say that MH punches well above its weight. “The uncompromising quality of our work, our personal client service and the strategic insight we deliver rivals much larger firms,” training principal and corporate partner Graham Halliday explains, “We've grown thoughtfully in line with our strategy, enhancing our capabilities while keeping the close-knit, high-quality approach our clients value.”

It’s this sort of approach that has earned MH a solid reputation in all things corporate law, a thread which runs through the entire firm. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by our colleagues at Chambers UK, either, who have awarded MH for its London corporate/M&A practice, and its national work in venture capital-specific private equity.

“I’m doing stuff that associates would normally be expected to do at bigger firms!”

Despite working on plenty of multijurisdictional matters and earning national acclaim for its corporate specialty, MH keeps things cosy with just the one London office. This meant insiders felt they had found the sweet spot with MH, explaining that they get interesting work without being “forced into the ‘BigLaw’ experience. It’s nice being at a smaller firm with a smaller trainee intake.”

It may come as no surprise then that MH trainees typically get “actual responsibility early on, so I feel like I’ve got a leg up compared to my peers elsewhere. I’m doing stuff that associates would normally be expected to do at bigger firms!” Of course, if you’re in such close quarters with everybody, you’d want to get along with them, and MH seems to have this covered, too. “As corporate and business lawyers, we all work very hard, but everyone treats each other with a lot of respect,” says Halliday, “We are always trying to help each other do our best and move our careers forward.”

Training Contract Structure

During their training contract, all trainees are required to do a corporate seat and a contentious seat. Their first seat is automatically assigned but, beyond that, the seat allocation process is based on trainees’ preferences. “There’s plenty of opportunity to discuss what you’d like to do next and what you’re considering for qualification,” an insider explained.

Still, as is often the case, priority goes to the most senior trainees, but interviewees felt that, given the size of the cohort, “it’s clear who’ll get what. There aren’t that many seats and there aren’t that many of us so it’s quite transparent!”

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

Trainees generally praised MH for its work-life balance, noting, “as a guesstimate, a normal day would probably start at 9am and finish around 6 or 6.30pm.” Of course, as you’ll often hear, these hours do vary depending on the seat and the time of year. For instance, around the end of the year or when a matter is reaching a deadline, some longer days are to be expected. Still, “intense hours are relatively short-lived,” trainees explained, “and my time off is well respected. I’m comfortable not checking my phone and can switch off during holidays and most weekends.”

Corporate was labelled as “undeniably the busiest seat” and comes with the longest hours, so much so that interviewees felt, “if I were a corporate trainee for the entire training contract, the salary would seem low. Luckily you can be out the door before 6 in seats like employment, however, so it averages out over the training contract.”

So, trainees were generally happy with the pay, which starts at £40k for first-year trainees, but agreed that “it’s on the lower end for London law firms. Still, I do feel like it measures up to the work we put in, and I’m a trainee after all so I don’t expect the big bucks!”

Though there’s no official policy when it comes to hybrid working, trainees hinted that at least three days in the office was the norm. That said, many spend much more time in the office, especially considering the convenience of the location and setup. “We’re a minute’s walk from the Bank of England, so there are lots of nice food options around, and you sometimes see parades come down the street!” a trainee relayed, “They haven’t cheaped out on anything in the office, either – we’ve got nice desks, chairs and a brand-new coffee machine.”

MH also has open plan hotdesking, so a trainee could be sat next to a fellow trainee one day, and a managing partner the next. According to insiders, “it means you get to see everyone, and they see you. Thanks to that, you get to know everybody in the firm.”

Social events are of course another way to get to know your colleagues in any workplace, and MH has plenty. MH has the classic Christmas and summer parties, and future trainees are often invited to events as well. The corporate team also has quarterly get-togethers – “where we’ve done pool and clay pigeon shooting,” according to an initiated trainee – and has reserved a monthly slot at the pub.

Many events are centred around CSR, such as the London Legal Walk and fundraising for the firm’s charity of the year. People often organise their own socials, too, and the trainee cohort recently went on a weekend trip to the Cotswolds together. “We’re a really tight-knit bunch,” said one trainee, “We like hanging out with each other and are actually friends outside of work.”

“There are all sorts of quirky people here, and you’ll be valued for what you provide uniquely as a person.”

Even beyond trainee relationships, interviewees were pleased to report that “Marriott Harrison’s USP is its culture.” More specifically, trainees used adjectives such as “approachable,”“easygoing” and “welcoming” to describe their colleagues and felt that they were able to get along with anyone, no matter their seniority. “People accept you for who you are,” a source detailed, “There are all sorts of quirky people here, and you’ll be valued for what you provide uniquely as a person. It’s not just small talk; people are genuinely caring, want to know more about you and remember the things you say.”

“Inclusive” was another word that cropped up in our research, particularly in the context of DEI. “Diversity comes through naturally,” according to Halliday, “As a small firm, we don't have strict targets, but we do find that naturally there's a broad cross-section of people from different backgrounds, countries, ethnicities and genders here.” Many trainees got the same impression, though some noted that the firm still has a way to go when it comes to racial diversity in particular.

However, interviewees assured that “it’s really a consequence of MH being such a small firm. It’s down to the applications they get, so it might be nice if they could advertise differently to get more applications from diverse candidates!” Still, as insiders explained, trainee intakes have become more diverse over the years, and MH continues to do well when it comes to gender diversity, with “a strong mix close to and at the very top.”

Given that departments at MH vary so drastically in size, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to supervision. While the training principal acts as a more general point of contact, it is still an informal system, and trainees are typically supervised by their entire team. “I feel like I can go to anyone in my team for advice or support,” said one trainee, “I’m working on a variety of matters with lots of senior people who all supervise me.” This means trainees can access informal training through one-to-one feedback sessions and post-closing team debriefs.

However, according to interviewees, MH has been ramping up its offering of formal training over the past year. For instance, there are regular learning sessions for trainees which focus on a different area of law (such as tax, corporate and commercial) and are usually delivered by an associate in the team.

“We know our colleagues, so the person leading it is always very approachable,” a source explained, “It’s a good chance to ask questions and find out something new.” The firm has also introduced a new programme called the MH360 Academy, which essentially helps trainees develop more commercial skills such as networking, building a personal brand and cultivating client relationships.

Qualification

“… a lot of partners have been at the firm since they were trainees.”

The qualification process is “very informal” according to insiders and is generally based on conversations with partners and the training principal. “You talk about where you’re heading, what you’d like to do and what your priorities are,” a trainee explained, “but there’s no interview or CV needed. We’re such a small and close-knit firm that teams should know if you’re a good fit. They train to retain.” However, it’s worth noting that, since corporate is MH’s largest practice area, it may often be the case that it will offer more NQ roles than some of the smaller departments.

“It’s something to keep in mind,” an insider advised, “but, then again, most people who join the firm have a healthy interest in corporate work anyway.” Still, trainees recognised that “people do stay on, and a lot of partners have been at the firm since they were trainees. It’s early days for me, but it’s nice knowing that there’s a well-trodden path to partnership for us if we want it.” Thanks to this approach, MH kept on both of its two qualifiers in 2025.