Travers Smith
- London
"Top-ranked deals, approachable partners within arm’s reach and free food: heaven knows Travers Smith trainees aren’t miserable now!"
About the firm
- 64
- Trainees
- 423
- Associates
- 1
- National Offices
- Undisclosed
- Overseas Offices
For aspiring City lawyers, the search to land a training contract can inspire its fair share of Smiths-level melodrama. Travers Smith’s trainees, however, were singing a happier tune. For any prospective candidate, the challenge is not simply finding a TC, it’s finding a TC that combines interesting work, proper training and people you’ll enjoy working alongside. “It’s everything it was cracked up to be!” one trainee told us of Travers Smith, “What you see is what you get – partners are not scary, they’re very approachable, and people are genuinely friends at work which I think is so great.”
“I wanted to be at a firm that’s in control of its own destiny rather than a satellite office for somewhere else.”
Travers Smith has resisted the legal sector’s equivalent of a world tour, choosing to handle international matters through relationships with independent firms rather than a sprawling office network. As one trainee put it, “I wanted to be at a firm that’s in control of its own destiny rather than a satellite office for somewhere else.” The firm bags a host of Chambers UK rankings, including top corporate M&A and leveraged finance practices in London, alongside impressive accolades in fund finance, commercial contracts, financial services, investment funds and pensions nationwide.
Why trainees joined the firm
Leaner teams
Authentic feel
Quality training environment
Leaner teams
The current cohort reported seeing Travers Smith as a middle ground between prestige and becoming “a cog in a big machine.” Trainees may be the only junior lawyer on a matter, and room sharing makes it easy to turn to a partner with a question.
Authentic feel
As one trainee put it: “From the word go, the people at Travers felt really authentic and normal, but still super smart and doing really good work.” It’s something they felt continued into the TC too: “Every single touchpoint involved really friendly people.”
Quality training environment
“I had read a lot about its reputation for training, which I think is important,” one source explained, “it’s important to start somewhere well-known for its training.” Another added: “You’re pushed and challenged, but it’s also sustainable.”
Trainee satisfaction rankings
- Elite
- Overall satisfaction
- Elite
- Training & development
- Elite
- Compensation
- Excellent
- AI adoption
- Excellent
- Hours & work-life balance
- Excellent
- Supervision & contact time
- Strong
- Qualification
Training contract structure
- 4x6
- Seat Structure
Seat allocation
Trainees are invited to submit a questionnaire requiring them to list one top choice and up to five additional choices. In principle, every trainee will do at least one corporate seat and at least one contentious seat. Trainees are able to be open outside of the form too about what they wanted by talking to the department or the early careers team. Generally, insiders added that people will likely be allocated at least one of their choices.
- N/A
- International secondments
- Yes
- Client secondments
Client secondments
There are opportunities for secondments to clients, but these will arise from business need if a specific client needs a trainee and are not generally available for trainees to apply for. Secondment opportunities are more widely available at the associate level.
Seat Experiences
The Private Equity & Financial Sponsors (PEFS) team advises on the buying and selling of companies, as well as portfolio work; managing a private equity company’s legal matters between transactions. This can involve “quite a lot of work when managers join or leave a company,” alongside broader deal activity. Trainees therefore encounter everything from multi-billion-pound transactions to “really interesting early-stage venture capital work.” This variety meant that “no two days look the same.” We heard that the team primarily operates in the upper mid-market but is “not bogged down by doing one particular thing.” One recent matter saw Travers Smith advise the Mitsubishi Estate on its acquisition - through the Mitsubishi Estate Global Partners investment management business - of a majority interest in European real estate investment manager Patron Capital Advisers.
“If you want to get involved, get involved as much as you can…”
Day to day, trainees complete “a lot of first drafts of documents” and help with process management. On a deal, this might mean updating the documents list, incorporating comments received from the other side and managing the DocuSign processes. They also attend calls, take notes and handle a steady flow of emails. Client contact is a particularly important part of the seat: one trainee reported that “a decent chunk of my day is emailing and speaking to clients” and communicating with the other side’s counsel. Trainees are encouraged to be proactive: “If you want to get involved, get involved as much as you can,” whether attending client calls or visiting barristers’ chambers to get a KC’s opinion.
Employment is one of Travers’ contentious departments, but its work also spans investigations, immigration matters, advisory matters and transactional support. This could involve advising a company on its employment practices, handling tribunal proceedings or reviewing senior executives’ contracts during a transaction. One trainee described the department as “a real powerhouse in the firm.” Trainees work across the practice rather than for one particular partner, meaning they “get to try all of it.” In one recent case, the employment team advised the Merlin Entertainments Group on the employment aspects of the £200 million sale of 29 LEGO and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres across ten countries, involving the transfer of around 1,500 employees.
On the contentious side, trainee tasks range from “intricate legal research” and analysing employment contracts through to drafting settlement agreements, witness statements and terms of reference for investigators, and bundling. Transactional work can include due diligence on C-suite employment contracts and drafting warranty schedules, while advisory matters may involve producing senior management employment contracts. Although these are “classic trainee tasks,” interviewees stressed that “your input is really valued” and that the team provides opportunities to undertake challenging stuff.
Over in Corporate M&A and Equity Capital Markets (CME), the team handles both private M&A matters and public company work. Public-side matters involve advising companies on corporate governance requirements and completing the documentation and verification needed for transactions. Teams are “really well structured,” with trainees often working as the only junior on a matter. The seat also places a strong emphasis on understanding the commercial reasoning behind the work, rather than simply “following a bank of precedents.” Supervisors encourage trainees to consider why particular steps are necessary and what effect a different approach could have on the wider market.
We heard that due diligence is “a big one” for trainees working on private M&A matters, alongside helping with disclosure. Other tasks include drafting resolutions and board minutes, and supporting verification processes. While the seat involves some “grunt work,” one interviewee clarified that “you get as much responsibility as you’re capable of and you ask for.” The environment was described as “incredibly nurturing,” with trainees being “intellectually challenged in a really safe environment.” In one recent M&A deal, the firm advised fashion designer Steve Madden on an agreement to acquire UK-based Kurt Geiger.
Trainee life
Culture and environment
- 100%
- Trainees were happy in their current role
- 97%
- Felt they chose the right firm
Data from our annual trainee survey
Trainees were very enthusiastic about Travers Smith’s new office: “It’s phenomenal! A major upgrade which really reflects where the firm wants to go.” The free catering also received rave reviews. Trainees agreed that “the food is incredible,” with one adding: “I don’t spend any money on food, which is amazing!” Other perks include an on-site GP, massages and fitness classes.
The general consensus too was that trainees felt appreciated “as a human being rather than just a number. They recognise that we’re not robots.” One interviewee explained that when an associate passes their work to a partner, they make sure to credit the trainee. This not only boosts trainees’ visibility but also reflects a supportive culture in which people genuinely want their colleagues to succeed. Partners were described as approachable, and we heard that people are “genuinely friends at work – I work with some of my best mates.” More senior lawyers are always on hand too, and happy to explain a “particularly knotty piece of law. There is a real lack of hierarchy between the ranks.”
“I’d feel really proud to show my parents where I work now!”
On the social side, trainees can join departmental drinks, seasonal socials, Christmas parties and seat-change events, which provide plenty of opportunities to mix. Partners may even join colleagues for dinner, drinks or a trip to the pub after a busy week. As one trainee summed up, “I’d feel really proud to show my parents where I work now!”
Working patterns
- 4 days a week
- Expected office attendance
- ~44 (Varies by seat)
- Typical billable hours in a week
Data from our annual trainee survey
Hours vary by department. While as a general rule, home times of around 6.30pm to 8pm are common, trainees’ hours may occasionally reach into the early hours during live transactions or busy periods. Despite this, “if you can leave early, there’s no pressure to stay,” and colleagues will encourage a trainee to take a break during intense periods. Trainees have no billable hours target, so the emphasis is such that “you get the job done, but you’re not tied to your desk at certain hours.”
Trainees are expected to be in the office four days a week and can generally choose their remote-working day, subject to team requirements such as meetings, supervisor catch-ups or work involving physical documents, but interviewees described the approach as accommodating.
Pay
- £55,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £60,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- 95%
- Were satisfied with the salary
Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey
The message around salary is that it’s “in line with peers” and broadly reflective of trainee hours. The discretionary trainee bonus is a welcome extra, while benefits such as free lunch, an on-site GP and pilates studio sweeten the deal: “No complaints from me!”
Supervision and training
- 90%
- Feel they receive effective mentoring
- 100%
- Feel they receive high quality learning & development
Data from our annual trainee survey
“The value of your training lasts your entire career,” one trainee told us. Each trainee has a supervisor who acts as a source of support and a regular touch point, while the room-sharing system places trainees alongside a partner or senior counsel and associates, which “completely breaks down the barrier” to speaking with senior lawyers. Feedback is gathered from across the team, with formal reviews halfway through and at the end of each seat. Associates are particularly willing to sit down and talk a trainee through their work, while mark-ups often come back with feedback along the way. Another added that their contributions are valued: “Being trusted to give an opinion wasn’t something I expected as a trainee, but people actually want to know what you think.” Similarly, one source told us “there have been times I’ve felt like I’ve been doing associate-level work, but there’s still that level of supervision, so it doesn’t feel daunting.”
Formal training varies by department: some teams frontload sessions during the first two weeks, while others spread them across the seat. Junior associates also often run useful sessions on common trainee tasks. External speakers, including “experts like Oxford dons,” also come in and offer a different perspective. Overall, trainees felt there was “quite a lot in a good way.” In addition to formal training sessions, our interviewees emphasised that “How people develop you as a lawyer is really, really good. People really want you to become the best lawyer you can be.”
Pro bono & CSR
According to the current cohort of trainees, pro bono “never felt like an afterthought.” At the firm’s general and family legal advice clinics, trainees work under an associate’s supervision but may lead client meetings, conduct research and prepare advice, providing valuable client contact and responsibility.
Other opportunities include:
Advising green-tech start-ups
DARA-related domestic abuse cases
Trafficking and sexual assault matters
LGBTQ+ rights projects overseas
Inclusion
When it came to inclusion: “People feel like they’re listened to, they’re heard, they’re respected.” The new office has prayer rooms and accessible facilities, while groups focusing on gender balance, disability and LGBTQ+ inclusion run practical initiatives. These include networking events for women at the firm in junior and senior positions, with open discussions about areas for improvement. The firm also puts on celebration events, such as those for Pride and South Asian Heritage Month. Trainees felt that “the firm is doing a good job and isn’t doing it for show – it has kept true to its values.”
Qualification
During their fourth seat, trainees are told how many newly qualified roles are available and can submit their departmental preferences. They then apply for their chosen roles before learning whether they have received an offer. There are no interviews involved, but “if you’re thinking about qualifying into a team, you’re encouraged to keep in touch. Go for coffee!”
- Undisclosed%
- Trainees Retention
Travers(ing) Smith…
Travers Smith has moved over to its new abode in Stonecutter Street, which features a new social hub, the Hoop & Grapes, directly below the office.
Contact this law firm
Top Figures
- £55,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £60,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- £130,000
- Newly Qualified Salary
- 35
- Training Contract Vacancies
- Firm recruits exclusively through it's vacation scheme
- Application Closing Date
- Yes
- Apprenticeship
