Reed Smith

With its sector-focused approach, this “traditional plus innovative” US expat offers trainees the chance to dive into industries such as shipping, energy and finance.

Reed Smith training contract review 2026

About the firm

Tradition can be hard to steer away from, particularly when it’s so tried and tested. But in a world where options are aplenty and competition is high, it’s important to have a differentiating factor. For Reed Smith, one differentiator that stood out to insiders was the firm’s sector-focused approach, with six core practices at the heart of its operations: energy & natural resources, entertainment & media, financial services, healthcare, life sciences and transportation. “I liked the way the firm structured itself,” one noted.

In practice, this approach means departments are shaped around industries and are geared up to meet all the legal needs of that certain industry, whether that’s in corporate, real estate or employment matters. What this means for trainees sitting in any particular seat is exposure to multiple aspects of any one industry. As one put it: “finance doesn’t end with the financial industry group – it extends to the specialist groups as well.” All in all, “it’s traditional plus innovative,” one interviewee summed up.

Evidently, deviating from tradition has its merits. Our colleagues over on Chambers UK certainly agree – Reed Smith features in our sister guide with gold stars for its commodities, insurance and shipping practices across the nation. In the capital, the firm’s banking & finance team also picks up top praise.

“There’s not a single piece of work you can do that’s not cross border!”

Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention the firm’s international nature, too. With humble origins in Pennsylvania, Reed Smith now operates from over 30 locations globally. Aside from the opportunity for international secondments, this also means trainees sat in London are able to work on matters with colleagues across the globe. In fact, one insider noted, “There’s not a single piece of work you can do that’s not cross border!”

As early careers recruitment & development manager Rebecca Schrod explains, “We’ve got quite a unique position in that we’re a US law firm, but also London is the biggest office.” She adds, “for trainees, it gives a really good mixture of exposure to that work, lots of contact across various different international offices and higher trainee numbers than you might expect from other US law firms.”

Training Contract Structure

The seat allocation process consists of a chat with HR then newbies submit their ranked seat choices (usually four) into an AI system. As per SRA requirements, trainees have to do a contentious seat. But because multiple groups have a litigious element to their work, this requirement can be covered by a seat in energy & natural resources or transportation, depending on the kind of work a trainee does there. There is also a firm requirement to sit in a finance seat too.

Trainees can also go on secondment to the firm’s Dubai, Singapore or Paris office. To apply for an international secondment, trainees submit a CV and cover letter and interview with the office. “It’s not a scary process!” sources reassured. The process is similar for client secondments.

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

There are two trainee socials per year but a lot more informal meet ups, whether that’s having lunch together or going to the pub. “We have a very strong cohort bond,” beamed one. There are also regular social events such as monthly lunches with everyone on a particular office floor or monthly drinks. Firm-wide events include the summer and Christmas parties, and there are department and trainee specific Christmas events too.

Reed Smith has active cultural inclusion networks. “Trainees are given a lot of responsibility to spearhead the groups and assist in making the firm a better place for everyone,” said an insider, “The firm tries their best not to limit resources in this area and do everything they can to help people flourish here.” At one recent event organised by the Muslim Inclusion Committee, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first Muslim Cabinet Minister and former co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party, gave a talk about her career.

Trainees should be in the office at least three days per week but are encouraged to do four days in office when possible. As for the office itself, last year the firm “moved into something which I think is a lot more human: it’s literally more down to earth. It’s got exposed brick work: it’s high tech with that rustic feel,” an insider described. On top of the in-house café, the terraces received a lot of love from our interviewees: “as lawyers we sometimes just sit at our desk, so it’s nice to have those outdoor spaces.”

Pretty much everyone at Reed Smith does some kind of pro bono. Projects include family matters, asylum, death row appeals, disability benefits, “abolishing unfair laws in developing countries, and also assisting in people who have been deported unfairly.” Trainees might also review NGOs’ constitutional documents to ensure they align with English law. Trainees can become the champion for a particular pro bono project, which means managing the client relationship and being responsible for getting the team together to work on the case - “you pretty much run it!”

We won’t beat around the bush: hours tend to be pretty long. Especially in the larger groups, trainees reported finishing somewhere between 7pm and 10pm with occasional post-midnight finishes. Sources caveated this with the fact that there’s “no expectation you’ll stick around when the work’s not there.” In part, the long hours are due to the international nature of the work, as clients in the US and Asia might need something completed quickly.

“I feel like we do work long hours as trainees but also what we have to appreciate is that we are learning and our salaries reflect the fact that we’re not experts yet,” shared an interviewee. And what did our sources think about their salary more generally? “I think it’s fair enough really,” one told us, summing up the general attitude, “It’s a pretty ridiculous amount of money to be making as an NQ in particular, so I would never have any qualms about that.”

Training style is “very much department specific.” In some groups like transportation, it’s primarily on the job with some formal training sessions. The financial industry group has a speaker give a talk on “their main area of expertise, so they have a lot to share. The training has been really good here.”

All our interviewees felt like they had sufficient support to learn and develop their skills. Supervisors “make sure they’re managing the workload for you as well, so you’re not overwhelmed with work.” In some departments, it’s common for trainees to have two supervisors. “Reviews have been pretty informal but also helpful,” said one trainee. Another added, “that can be quite daunting, having someone tell you, ‘Let’s improve on this,’ but my experience has always been, ‘How can we do this together? How can I help you improve on this?’ which has been really, really helpful.”

Qualification

When going for an NQ position, trainees need to submit a cover letter, CV and a feedback pack which they have been submitting into the feedback system throughout the training contract. The next steps are an interview and sometimes tests are involved. In 2025, the firm did not disclose the number of qualifiers.