Slaughter and May

This international powerhouse is killing it when it comes to multi-specialist training…

Slaughter and May training contract review 2026

About the firm

Picking a training contract can be a shaky balancing act, and it always seems to require some pretty heavy trade-offs. Prestigious, big-name firms in particular carry with them age-old stereotypes: endless hours of facetime, prickly characters, and a button-up culture are all part and parcel… right? Well, at Slaughter and May (or Slaughters to its friends), our sources told us that assessment couldn’t be further from the truth.

For one, although the hours can be long, “they don’t do billable hours targets, so that was a real selling point;” partners, though “fierce,” don’t take themselves too seriously; and while the importance of the work is emphasised, it’s not “all-consuming.” All this, coupled with the added benefit of a top-of-the-line salary, meant that insiders were enthusiastic about joining Slaughters to say the least: “Obsessed isn’t the word… but I really wanted it!”

“You never hear someone say something isn’t possible.”

Another key issue people face when looking at training contracts is “you don’t know what part of corporate law you like” before starting, “or what specialism will apply to you,” so it can be a bit of a shot in the dark. Slaughter and May cuts down this issue, because “it’s an environment where they offer that variety of work,” so much so that one source even told us: “You never hear someone say something isn’t possible.”

That statement is reflected in the firm’s Chambers UK rankings, which place it in the top band in London for banking & finance, competition law, corporate crime & investigations, corporate/M&A, and tax. Slaughters is also given props for its international practices, with our sister guide Chambers Global giving it the highest honours in the UK for banking & finance, competition law, and tax… again! For trainees, this gave them a great platform to start with, as “over the course of two years, the multi-specialist approach definitely rings true…”

Training Contract Structure

Before starting at Slaughters, newbies get the opportunity to attend a seat selection event where current trainees speak about each of the seats, and also have a chance to put down their preferences. Then, “during your first seat, you have one-on-one meetings with HR to talk about what seat you want to go into next,” and the firm tries to match trainees with their preferred practice.

Like most firms, the majority of the seats last for six months, but there are a few where trainees can sit for three months: real estate, tax, disputes & investigations, sustainability and private equity. Trainees are also required to do a contentious seat, as well as seats in corporate and financing.

Once a trainee has completed their first year, they become eligible to apply for secondments, which typically last six months. On the international side, juniors have been known to go to Brussels, Japan, New York, Spain, and Hong Kong, although we heard that it’s not common for trainees to sit abroad – “maybe one quarter of trainees go on secondment.”

Even rarer are client secondment opportunities, where “you’ll get approached by a partner if you’re recommended.” So rather than apply, “it’s less formal where, maybe if you’ve worked with a client and they’ve asked for a secondee, they’ll ask you,” this interviewee elaborated, “so it’s based on a pre-existing relationship.”

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

In the typical manner, most of the learning for juniors comes from on-the-job responsibilities, but formal training helps to provide a solid platform for newbies to build on. Across the board, sources told us they felt “the training is phenomenal,” even to the point where “we’re pretty inundated with it… but you definitely don’t feel abandoned.” Newbies start off with “a lot” of general seminar-style training – “you’re sat in a room with 20, 30 people and a presenter” – and then department-specific training.

While the general sessions for all trainees take place “every few weeks, covering things like an introduction to tax and softer skills like working styles,” department-specific training happens more frequently, with experts like KCs going in to speak, so “they are constantly replenishing our knowledge.” Mentoring at Slaughter and May follows this academic mindset too, because “everyone really has a love of learning, so people are always wanting to do new things and try something different! Everybody knows that nobody knows everything, so everyone has an attitude that it’s really exciting to learn,” an interviewee enthused.

Along with the usual mid- and end-of-seat reviews, trainees are in constant conversation with their supervisors who they share an office with most days, so “they really want to push you out of your comfort zone, but people are happy to chat about X, Y, and Z.” This source continued: “The main thing I’ve found is that everyone works very hard, but everyone is supportive of making sure everyone is comfortable.”

“Everyone really has a love of learning…”

By now, you probably have a pretty bookish view of the people at Slaughters, which is seemingly not too far off the mark: “Nobody is flashy,” one insider nodded, “people here are very understated.” Top law firms have a reputation for “scary and intense” partners, but while “of course there are tough moments and people get stressed,” our interviewees’ experiences were overwhelmingly positive.

On the social side, working hours can mean that at times, “there’s not much appetite for events,” but the firm does put them on “a lot, so it is what you want it to be – it’s what you make it.” Along with the welcome party and the traditional Christmas party, trainees get support from the firm to arrange events like pottery making, and partners will often organise drinks for after a closing, so “Slaughters is very good from a social side.”

Affinity groups also play a role in the firm’s social life. The LGBTQ+ network, Prism, was given particular praise, and we were told that other networks, including the social mobility and gender equality groups, have “solid membership.”

Often a point of contention, hours shift by practice, but late nights were certainly not out of the question for any of the departments. They’re not a given, as “with no billables or facetime, you can be out at 5.30pm; partners are frustrated on your behalf if you have to cancel plans to work late.” But even on the occasions juniors have to work long hours, they felt as if the community shared with each other and the wider team softened the blow.

“Across the trainee cohorts, you form good relationships, so people don’t want you suffering in silence,” a source noted; as a result, “with late night work, you won’t just work until 2am alone – if you’re with another trainee, you’ll split it.” Those we spoke to shared the sentiment that “I’ve never resented working late because it’s always been clear that everyone in the team is busy; if trainees have to work long hours, associates will be working even longer hours. Trainees aren’t just viewed as the bottom of the pile,” an insider pointed out.

In addition to this, our interviewees felt the salary was definitely reflective of the hours and complexity of the work, particularly when moving to NQ level. First years start at £56k, moving up to £61k in second year and £150k for the newly qualified. So although expectations increase with experience, “you are being paid a lot more; if you’re struggling to live off what you’re getting, someone needs to give you a reality check!”

Qualification

Opinions on salary aside, trainees still need to get through the “murky” qualification process. At the start of their fourth seat, trainees are expected to speak to the departments they are interested in, with groups expressing their own preferences a couple of months later. “You don’t have interviews like at some other firms, so the conversations with partners are a bit more natural,” one interviewee explained, “if you ask whether the department would want you to come back, they’ll be fairly direct.”

Our sources did caution that “it can feel a bit opaque because nobody knows how many jobs there are, but it’s in the firm’s interest to keep you because they’ve invested so much in you already.” Slaughter & May did not disclose its 2025 retention rate.