Paul Hastings

Sitting snugly among the finance heavyweights, London-based Angeleno Paul Hastings is an ever-growing force…

Paul Hastings training contract review 2026

About the firm

You’ve probably heard the little gem of advice before: ‘find your niche!’ But what does that really mean? Well, put simply, it’s about finding what you’re good at and steering into it, and global firm Paul hastings – a big fish in the finance pond – has done just that. Having successfully carved out its niche, the firm is now expanding beyond it and reaping the rewards, as training principal Jason Raeburn was happily tells us: “The past few years have been very exciting, with an upward trajectory both in revenue (a record 40% increase!) and profit, and lots of diversification within our practices.” This kind of thing has an impact at the trainee level too: “It’s very much a growing name in the city,” one told us, “and it’s fun to be a part of that growth.”

“It’s very much a growing name in the city, and it’s fun to be a part of that growth.”

Within the firm’s network of 23 offices, “London is now the second largest office tied with Washington, DC after New York,” Raeburn points out. Paul Hastings’ finance prowess is evident in its Chambers UK rankings, with banking and finance and financial crime rankings in London, along with several capital markets rankings, including a top-tier nod in CLOs. Those at the junior end join in the knowledge that “there are some stellar names to work with and learn from here.”

We heard that this comes with a classic US emphasis on on-the-job learning: “You take the ownership of your work, it isn’t a place where they baby you,” one trainee told us, “if that’s what you’re looking for and you put in the time and effort, you will get the most out of it.” The current cohort was quick to highlight the positive interactions they’d had with the firm as part of vacation schemes and open days: “The people are incredible and hardworking. It’s an ambitious environment I could see myself in.”

Training Contract Structure

Starting out, trainees are allocated their first six-month seat based on business need (and any relevant experience) off the bat. For the second seat and onwards you can express your top three preferences to talent management who will do their best to accommodate them (although third and fourth seaters have priority throughout). There are also rolling, ad hoc client secondments available across an array of financial and private equity institutions too.

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

A stone’s throw away from Liverpool Street Station, the Bishopsgate office is “A* in terms of location and has amazing views of London.” Good thing then that trainees are expected to be in the office four days a week (with some teams requiring five days), which lends to the training experience on offer. While space might be at a slight premium, “another floor is being built out because of the sheer numbers needing more office space.” That can only be taken as another healthy sign that “the firm is growing at such a rate!”

Typically, trainees share an office with their supervisor or sit amongst senior associates “so there is that frequent feedback which is appreciated and helpful.” Moreover, newbies also have support in place with a trainee buddy at the beginning and an associate mentor who is there throughout the training contract.

“A* in terms of location…”

Trainees told us that “there is lots of on-the-job learning. You can ask your supervisor questions and associates are very willing to take the time with you. It’s best to get stuck in and into the documents.” This is supplemented by practice group training that varies in frequency from bi-weekly to monthly, covering topics from specific aspects of a deal to regulatory updates. Formal feedback comes in the way of mid seat catch ups and end of seat reviews.

The general rule when it comes to US firms in London is that while the hours can be intense, the compensation on offer reflects that. The trainee salary at Paul Hastings starts at £60,000 for first years moving to £68,000 for second years. Unsurprisingly, sources felt well compensated: “The salary is great. I’m very happy.” On average trainees reported leaving between 7pm – 8pm. That said, if it’s busier or a deadline is looming, it's all hands on deck, with most having worked late into the night or early morning, and during the weekend on occasion.

As one trainee at the firm put it: “You don’t have to become a certain way to fit in.”  The exception of course being that on the whole, associates through to partners are “very friendly and happy to answer questions.” There is some variation team to team, “with little eco-systems of different cultures.” This meant that some departments had slightly busier social calendars than others. Given the growth at the firm, we heard there has been a concerted effort to increase the number of events. It ranges from people casually grabbing lunch or a drink after work to puppy therapy and “the chai guys coming in every Wednesday rotating across each floor. So, you get to see people you wouldn’t normally.” Trainees also have a dedicated breakfast and presentation each month, a welcome social for new intakes: “It’s an excuse to sit and chat; there is a real effort to make sure you are being integrated.”

“The firm is doing its best to be an accommodating, friendly and inclusive environment.”

“The firm is doing its best to be an accommodating, friendly and inclusive environment” was the response given on the topic of inclusion. Cultural and religious occasions are marked on the calendar with lunches and fireside talks: “For Ramadan, there was a fireside talk hosted by a partner; it was a good turnout and we broke the fast with them.” External speakers also come in: “for example, yesterday for empowering women, there was a talk given by three CEOS about the impact of female investment across industries.”

Qualification

Another benefit of being a part of a smaller intake, we heard, is that the qualification process at Paul Hastings is fairly informal and organic. It’s made clear to hopeful applicants which departments are taking on NQs, and then trainees tell talent management what seats they wish to qualify into. The process is then to make a case for your place to the relevant partners. Although one did stress that you have to be proactive throughout, “you have to have those relationships with the team and maintain them.”

Positively, sources told us that “everyone wants to qualify here.” In cases where that path looks different, the firm does support candidates with external applications. In 2025, Paul Hastings retained 9 of 10 trainees.