Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
- London
If finance, tech or energy sparks your interest, then Cali-born Orrick should be your top pick.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe training contract review 2026
About the firm
- 4
- Trainees
- 52
- Associates
- 32
- Partners
- 26
- Overseas Offices
Within the 27 offices worldwide, London is the fourth biggest in the network. Nodding to its start-up reputation, “We’re the most active venture capital law firm in Europe,” co-training principal Peter Sugden supplies. “We’re known for working with venture backed companies and investors, and today some of the most valuable, most high-profile companies in the world are venture backed.”
Acknowledging the firm’s strength in litigation and energy, co-training principal Sarah Stockley highlights: “We also work for a range of clients from the Exxons and Chevrons of the world to Microsoft and helping with their power purchase agreements.” In turn, our sister guide Chambers UK recognises Orrick as best in class for its private equity: venture capital investment work and bestows high plaudits for its power, renewables and alternative energy expertise.
As such, trainees were drawn in by the “strong practices, lean teams and small trainee intake” coupled with the six-seat rotation. The culture itself received positive reviews too, even from first impression during the vacation scheme: “it was notable then. You hear about how scary and intense US law firms are, but there was not a single partner that I didn’t feel comfortable chatting with,” an insider revealed. “There is a level of normality; it’s just a friendly environment.” With around 100 lawyers calling London home, “everyone knows everyone and works together well as a team.”
Finding the right cultural fit is super important, and at Orrick: “We’re looking for someone who is prepared to get stuck in, who is bright, proactive and curious, and wants to continue their career here. People who are prepared to put the time in but also have a personality as well,” Sugden and Stockley agree. Stockley adds: “personally, when I’m interviewing people, I think, would I want to spend 10 hours on a long-haul flight with this person?”
Training Contract Structure
- 6x4
- Seat Structure
Orrick has a six four-month seat training contract. Seat allocation is relatively informal because of the small trainee intake. For each rotation, trainees submit their top three choices and have a catch up with the training principals and HR. Throughout the training contract, conversations are held about what you would like to do, where you want to qualify, and how you’d like to structure your seats – for example, trainees can even repeat a seat – effectively “crafting your own path,” trainees explained. That said, it’s worth noting that second years have priority on seat preference and most trainees will undergo a stint in the technologies companies group, on top of completing a contentious seat.
Seat Experiences
Starting off with Orrick’s hallmark technology companies group (also known as TCG): this team handles the life cycle of seed financing for start-ups “from two people in a room looking for a few hundred thousand to companies valued at billions looking for millions,” detailed one insider. For example, the team advised Atomico on a $200 million financing of TravelPerk, a business travel platform, raising its valuation to $2.7 billion. Predominantly, TCG advises private companies and occasionally investors “on fast paced deals, which tend to be six to eight weeks with the term sheet from start to finish.”
With a high volume of lower value matters, sources gushed about it being “a great opportunity for trainees to get involved with negotiation (with supervision) on smaller deals, and larger capital raises,” too. Day-to-day, rookies roll up their sleeves drafting ancillaries and making discrete amendments to key transaction documents, and anything else that may be required like a US registration rights agreement. We heard that “it’s also a very admin heavy” seat with lots of signings and transaction management. Client exposure was standout: “Sometimes its people still at school running their own company, or those who have been doing it for years and years that need sophisticated advice for their operation,” insiders pointed out.
Moving along to the Finance Business Unit – acting on behalf of lenders and companies –we heard that the work is divided between venture debt, collateralised loan obligations (CLOS) and restructuring. Rather than another equity financing round (raising cash for shares) or a traditional bank loan, “venture debt is a much more flexible process” for start-up companies, sources explained. From the venture debt perspective, trainee tasks include typical transaction management and signings, but also due diligence, drafting ancillaries and assisting with the negotiation of the main debt documents too, as well as post-closing tasks related to securities and companies house filings.
“There is a lot more focus on trainee involvement in keeping up with developments in the market.”
Those with an interest in renewables and energy transition will be pleased to learn that is the entire focus of the energy and infrastructure business unit. With a sector approach, the team is multi-disciplinary, working across M&A, project finance, real estate and commercial deals. It also provides regulatory advice, considering things along the likes of, for example, “when a nuclear power plant is being built, the decommission process and making sure there is enough money to cover that and accidents.” Big names such as BlackRock Renewable Power, ExxonMobil and Octopus Energy make up the client list, with similarly impressive matters to boot.
Recently, the London team was part of the global team that advised Microsoft on the largest clean energy purchase agreement in history! Similar to the trainee experience in M&A and private equity (MAPE), sources outlined being involved in due diligence, transaction management and running with signings, coordinating with counsel and drafting ancillaries. The same goes for the project finance work, which we heard there is a lot of at the moment. “There is a lot more research and business development than is typical in other teams,” trainees highlighted in particular, “There is a lot more focus on trainee involvement in keeping up with developments in the market.”
Onto the contentious side of things, sources were quick to point out that: “it’s extremely busy at the moment” in litigation. The practice has a varied docket including antitrust and competition, employment, financial services, oil and gas, and construction disputes: “They're very big cases – it can be random in a good way, there’s lots of different things!”
Frequently acting for the Big Four, the team is currently advising Ernst & Young in a claim brought by HMRC for alleged misrepresentations made in a settlement agreement. As a rule of thumb, trainees get involved in lots of research, disclosure and doc review, drafting letters and memos, as well as attending hearings. It was noted however, that because of the sensitive nature of the work “there is less client contact, but things filter down,” said sources, reassuring that they are kept in the loop.
Over in international arbitration, the team handles everything from lots of state arbitrations to corporate disputes spanning energy, construction, technology and even cryptocurrency. As a snapshot, currently the team is representing a Mauritian investor in its bilateral investment treaty claim against a state, relating to the cancellation of its 2G Mobile telephone provider licenses – valued at $1 billion. “The timelines are longer, meaning you have more prolonged periods on a task than for a transaction,” sources observed.
Tasks included lots of proof reading and researching points of law, assisting with filing and submission, preparing and reviewing exhibitions, and even drafting witness statements. Responsibility was rated highly, especially for substantial contributions: “it was gratifying to see how the work I did as a trainee matters,” an insider beamed.
Trainee Life
“It’s generally more laid back than other US firms; everyone is approachable and easy going.”
Nodding to Orrick’s West Coast roots, insiders pointed out, “it’s generally more laid back than other US firms; everyone is approachable and easy going,” highlighting the firm’s tight-knit culture. “You can see on LinkedIn posts with #teamOrrick – all the teams I’ve been in are real teams,” a trainee attested, “there is a sense of wanting to do your bit and pull your weight, working to get things done – no one shies away.” Contributing to the good vibe, sources told us, “There is no level of competition between the trainees, we’re all willing to help each other out.”
While the social calendar isn’t necessarily jam-packed, there is the occasional team away day and the firm’s summer and Christmas parties to look forward to as a chance to catch up.
Offering a great view of the skyline, the office’s Cheapside location received positive reviews. Typically, trainees share a glass office with one or two associates: “I find it easy to work there; I’m in the office pretty much every day,” a source shared. As a rule, everybody is expected to be in the office more often than not, which translates to three days a week. As typical of US firms, the emphasis is placed on on-the-job learning.
This is supported by frequent trainee-led, department and firm-wide training sessions covering topics like how to draft documentation to updates in the law and deal points. Supervision was highly rated too, as “the key thing is all supervisors are interested in being supervisors and have a real interest in your development,” trainees agreed. As such, feedback is frequent and formal feedback is received at the mid and-end of seat review.
“… it’s not an afterthought!”
As for pro bono, “it’s a very big deal” sources chorused, noting how: “everyone gets involved, from juniors to the head of practices, as they realise it’s an important thing to do.” With the expectation to do 20 hours of pro bono annually (and many doing more),“it’s not an afterthought!” sources made clear. Projects highlighted include assisting families with life limiting illness with care and housing matters, refugee cases through the Greece Collaborative project, and death row appeals in the US. Not only it is rewarding to get involved, but also it provides trainees with the opportunity to gain further experience “running things on your own and directly communicating with the client” with oversight.
As comes with the territory of US law firms in the City, the hours can be intense. As a rule of thumb, trainees outlined working between 40 to 50 hours a week but cautioned when things get really busy, it can be upwards of 60 hours. “If the schedule works out nicely, everything can be done by 7pm,” a rookie detailed, however, “if there is lots going on and it needs to be done, there can be several days of midnight finishes.”
Another reassured, “the good thing is people acknowledge the crazy hours: if you’re working late, the team is working late, too.” In respect to those hours, trainees were satisfied with compensation, starting at £60,000 for first year trainees and hop-skipping to a whopping £160,000 upon qualification.
Qualification
Another benefit of being a part of a small trainee cohort is that qualification is an informal process – with no formal applications or interviews. Candidates catch up with HR to talk through the process and their options. But throughout the training contract, “it’s up to you to make it clear what you have enjoyed and to have those conversations with partners,” trainees emphasised.
As such, it’s fairly transparent as to which teams will be hiring. “I have no plans to leave; I like the work that we do, and the environment is great,” trainees echoed. In 2025, Orrick retained 2 out of 5 qualifiers.
- 40%
- Trainees Retention
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Top Figures
- £60,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £65,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- £160,000
- Newly Qualified Salary
- Undisclosed
- Training Contract Vacancies
- 30th Apr 2026
- Application Closing Date
- N/A
- Apprenticeship
