Mayer Brown

Sporting a massive global network and construction and finance prowess, this firm takes the (Mayer) crown.

Mayer Brown training contract review 2026

About the firm

As one trainee at Mayer Brown put it: “I wanted to be at a firm of people, not carbon copies of corporate suits filling offices.” It’s a valid consideration too. The legal profession has historically had a bad rep for being a demanding job, but the general consensus was that there is more to life at Mayer Brown: “It really does feel like people don’t just come here to work and then leave,” a trainee confirmed, “people enjoy themselves and the work they do here.”

What’s more, MB’s London base only takes on around 15 trainees a year, which insiders described as a “Goldilocks cohort size; big enough that you’re not spread across loads of departments, but small enough that you can get to know everyone.”

Quite the other end of the scale from its cozy cohort, “I’d describe Mayer Brown as an international law firm positioned to represent global organisations, funds and financial institutions on their most important and complex transactions and disputes,” training principal and employment partner Miriam Bruce summarises, “London is one of the firm’s largest offices, alongside New York and the Chicago mothership.”

“Goldilocks cohort size; big enough that you’re not spread across loads of departments, but small enough that you can get to know everyone.”

In total, the firm has 22 offices across North and South America, Europe and Asia, and fittingly receives rankings from each continent’s Chambers guide. Over in Chambers UK, however, the firm is rated highly for its work in banking and finance, construction, professional negligence and real estate in London, along with a top-tier nod for its work in energy and natural resources: mining nationwide. The UK team also makes an appearance in the Chambers FinTech guide!

Training Contract Structure

Ahead of their next seat, trainees submit five preferences to the graduate recruitment team for seat allocation. As is often the case, priority goes to second-year trainees, but interviewees still found that “they’re very accommodating. Even as a first-seater, most of us got one of our preferences and those who didn’t received a proper reason why.” It’s worth noting that bigger departments such as corporate and finance might take on more trainees per rotation – and are often first seats for many – while there “might be a bottleneck” for more niche seats with only one spot available.

Despite this, many found they still had a say in the trajectory of their training contract: “The beauty of the firm is that you can shape your training contract towards what you want. You can make it litigation heavy, and some people might do repeat seats in finance.” There is also a client secondment to a corporate client and the firm has recently offered international secondments in Brussels and Paris.

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

On top of their day-to-day work, trainees are also required to take part in at least 20 hours of pro bono work each year, though several interviewees had far surpassed this target. Newbies can advise clients with the Islington Law Centre, where “your work is reviewed, but you do all the research yourself and draft a letter of advice.’” Certain practice groups also have their own pro bono clients – real estate, for example, works with a variety of charities and community interest companies – but anyone who wants to get involved can also reach out to the firm’s head of pro bono.

While this is just one type of upskilling, the firm’s NextGen and NextGen X Apprentice programmes also provide opportunities to start building connections as a trainee or solicitor apprentice. As Bruce outlines: “We arrange events, such as drinks and talks, through NextGen, so that trainees and junior lawyers have the opportunity to connect with the next generation of clients. It’s been so successful in London that we’ve now replicated the model in our international offices, and some trainees here have gone to NextGen launch events in places like New York and Paris.”

With so much to get stuck into, trainees at MB are generally kept busy. For some, an average day finishes at 7pm, while others mentioned that 55-hour weeks are standard. However, the overarching theme was that “it really does vary.” At the busier end, “I’ve done hundred-hour weeks at some points and, though it’s tough, I’ve always felt supported. There have never been times where I’m the only one online.”

More specifically, those in corporate mentioned that it’s “quite normal to be in the office at midnight,” while finance trainees explained how “an end-of-year finance seat is always busier than one in the summer.” Despite this, interviewees appreciated how “I’ve still been able to make plans after work without dreading that I’ll have to cancel last minute.” Trainee salarywas another plus, and recently increased to £55k for first years, rising to £60k in year two and £150k upon qualification.

“£1.50 for a proper barista cappuccino is unheard of in London, and every tenth drink is free!”

Interviewees also had plenty of praise for the culture, explaining how “there are nice, normal, friendly people here. You can easily speak to a partner or associate without feeling the hierarchy. When you’re working long hours, being with people whose company you enjoy.” Many were keen to highlight the level of respect from senior colleagues, explaining how “trainee opinions really do matter. Partners are willing to hear what you think about something and use your thoughts to decide next steps.”

This is complemented with a healthy social appetite, including a mix of formal and one-off drinks and events. “We might have dinner at the end of a deal,” a trainee explained, “Most departments tend to do welcome and leaving drinks for trainees, too.” It’s also worth noting that, when in the office, you can always pop down to the Hub, MB’s canteen, which offers subsidised coffees and hot meals – “£1.50 for a proper barista cappuccino is unheard of in London, and every tenth drink is free!”

There are also a number of events organised around DEI. Interviewees were keen to talk about one recent event earlier in the year where sixth formers from various schools were invited to the office as part of a work experience scheme with Open Palm. “It was almost like an open day,” a trainee explained, “They got to ask questions, speak to lots of people and then had a mock case study. They stayed with us for a couple of weeks and tried out various departments to figure out if law was for them.”

More broadly, trainees were happy to see that MB is heavily involved with DEI organisations, and Bruce adds: “We received an award last year for our retention of diverse talent with Aspiring Solicitors. It’s been fantastic seeing the results of creating an inclusive workplace.” MB has seven affinity networks, including disability inclusion, LGBTQ+ awareness and women in law, and regularly celebrates diversity events and commemoration months.

Trainees also felt the support from their supervisors, a senior associate or partner with whom they share an office. Though relationships can vary depending on the department – some work quite closely with trainees while others provide more of a distinct support role, we heard – most were happy to have an extra person available for any questions or support.

“I mentioned to my supervisor that we hadn’t covered a topic yet and they immediately agreed to train us all the following week.”

Though US firms often get a reputation for offering exclusively on-the-job training, newbies at MB get the best of both worlds. While afforded plenty of responsibility on their matters, trainees also have access to formal, department-specific training. Alongside the standard induction training at start of their TC, each seat makes sure to get trainees up to speed with “probably around 20 to 30 hours of training, much of which is partners talking about what they do in their practice.”

Some departments frontload their training while others hold regular sessions, and this is typically accompanied by a pack of documents for trainees to refer to as needed. Many upskilling sessions and lunch-and-learns are also open to lawyers of all levels, but we heard that one-to-ones are easy to come by. “I mentioned to my supervisor that we hadn’t covered a topic yet and they immediately agreed to train us all the following week,” one trainee recalled.

Qualification

Come qualification time, we heard that graduate recruitment is quick to communicate deadlines and timelines with fourth-seat trainees. The process kicks off with a jobs list, and trainees explained that bigger departments like finance and dispute resolution typically take on at least one NQ each. After this, trainees apply for their chosen departments. Most departments will interview qualifying trainees, and offers are announced once interviews are complete.

Overall, interviewees found that “people are so generous with their time when it comes to qualification. The firm 100% wants to keep people on when they can and, when they can’t, they’ll help you put together a CV and prepare you for interviews elsewhere.” As such, trainees found that MB does well with retention and, sure enough, the firm kept on 12 out of 15 of its qualifiers in 2025.