Walker Morris

About the firm

Do you feel the need… the need for Leeds? Yorkshire’s biggest city hosts a cluster of firms that locals call the ‘big six’, but only one is fully committed to the Pennine powerhouse: Walker Morris. “It’s a single site that deals with high-end clients and attractive work, plus it has a six-seat training contract; it ticked every box when I was applying,” a trainee enthused, including “a good attitude surrounding work/life balance.” What more could you want?

“It’s a single site that deals with high-end clients and attractive work, plus it has a six-seat training contract; it ticked every box when I was applying.”

Even though the firm keeps everything under one roof in Leeds, that doesn’t mean narrowing your horizons. “Our work is national and international in standard,” training principal Carly Thorpe emphasises, adding that “We’re in a position of not being in London but doing work that is equivalent or better than what is in London,” just without the postcode (and the sky-high rents).

Our sister guide Chambers UK confirms that this isn’t just bluster. As well as dominating the Yorkshire market with top-tier accolades across banking & finance, construction, corporate/M&A: £25 million and above, litigation, planning & environment, real estate, restructuring/insolvency, and employment, the firm also performs strongly in UK-wide rankings for consumer finance, product liability: food, and many more areas. It also scoops up regional-level recognition as one of the North East’s top firms for social housing.

The firm’s momentum is keeping pace with that reputation. Walker Morris has just had a record year of turnover and profit, Thorpe shares. Its three-year ‘Ambition’ strategy, inaugurated in 2024, set the goal to “increase growth and get an overall turnover to £100 million - and we’re on track to do that by 2027!” she highlights.

Why trainees joined the firm

Friendly culture

The friendly feel of the firm was really important to trainees. United by a single shared space, “everyone at the firm is really friendly, and it’s a really good atmosphere,” sources agreed. Indeed, “there are many opportunities to be social, more than I expected,” one divulged, highlighting that “all the trainees are really open and willing to make friends.”

Far-reaching work from a Leeds base

Many trainees had a local connection – “I was keen to come home,” one highlighted – but none wanted to compromise on the quality of the work available. “I wanted to join a mid- to large-sized firm with a large range of sectors and a commercial base,” another explained. Its Premier League football club clientele was also a particular draw for those with an interest in sports law.

Six-seat training contract structure

The opportunity to explore the firm’s practice areas through six four-month seats was a standout factor attracting trainees. Doing extra seats beyond the industry standard four gives you “more opportunity to try things as you go through the training contract and find your passion area”, one source explained.

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

The seat allocation process has recently been revised to give trainees a say over their seats earlier in the rotation. While trainees still have input over three seats, they now express preferences for their third, fourth, and fifth seats, rather than later in the process. After being automatically assigned their first and second seats, the firm allocates the final seat. As one source explained, “our bigger departments are corporate and real estate, so even if they’re not compulsory, the odds of doing one of those is high.”

The firm will endeavour to give trainees one of their preferred options, and even before the latest changes, we heard that “more or less, second years get their preferred seats.” It was highlighted that the change means trainees will now have a say in at least three seats before the job list is released during the fifth seat, with the option to repeat seats in areas they are particularly interested in.

Client secondments

For those interested in construction and commercial work, there are client secondments available each rotation, including placements spanning the travel, energy, sports, food and beverage sector. While some are reserved for second-year applicants only, first-year trainees can put their hats in the ring as well.

Seat experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

Some unusual characteristics of Walker Morris include everyone being together under one roof and the fact that so many partners trained at the firm. The way that “everyone has been so friendly and welcoming” is directly linked to the open-plan office structure: “Often you are sitting next to people of any level of seniority, which breaks down barriers between more junior and senior staff.” While culture varies depending on the team, one trainee shared that “I wouldn’t be concerned about going up to a partner in another department, as everyone is so helpful.” Recently, the firm has started up a coffee roulette where participants are randomly paired to connect over tea or coffee.

“The firm is really sociable, it’s what it’s known for!”

This links to a bigger theme that cropped up: “The firm is really sociable, and it’s what it’s known for!” Opportunities to get together range from team socials, football and netball teams, and charity fundraisers to summer events such as the partners-versus-staff cricket match, as well as a programme of diversity and inclusion events. Twice a year, the firm hosts events specifically designed to help future and current trainees to get to know each other.

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Everyone is expected in the office at least two days a week, though in practice trainees in certain teams come in four days a week. The office is a 10-minute walk from the train station and received high praise for its modern interior and subsidised café.

As for hours, trainees generally reported starting between 8:30am and 9:00am and logging off around 5:45pm to 6:00pm, noting that this varies by department. Corporate, finance, insolvency, and contentious seats can involve later finishes during busy periods, particularly those involving deal closings or trial preparation, with some workdays finishing closer to 7:30pm or 8:00pm and very occasionally later. That said, late nights were not the norm, and most trainees described working “social hours” as a pleasant surprise for a commercial law firm.

Pay

Trainee salaries increased in 2025 – which our sources unsurprisingly described as “a positive thing to see” – keeping them in line with the wider local market. The NQ salary received a healthy boost to £67,000.

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

By the end of their training contract, trainees will have had six different supervisors across their seats, although one noted that many more people pitched into the education process and that they “learnt the most from people who weren’t my supervisors.” Formal feedback comes at the mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews, which occur every two months, and it was appreciated that you aren’t “left hanging for too long” in this regard.

Trainees have a dedicated program tackling the fundamentals of being a solicitor, which is run by the firm’s specialist Knowledge Lawyers and wider L&D team. It covers topics such as risk management training and core legal essentials. This is supported by practice group know-how sessions and sector updates.

The firm also updates it training to keep on top of the latest tech and trainee’s feedback. We heard that trainees have had “a lot of training around AI”, including a full-day session introducing the key AI and legal technology tools used across the firm. New sessions have been rolled out in response to requests for more training in the run up to qualification to prepare for life as an associate.

Inclusion

Inclusion was described as a focus of the firm, with Jessica Harvey, the diversity and inclusion manager, receiving a shoutout for “aiming to promote it in every regard.” Each year, all staff members complete D&I training, covering areas such as inclusive language and how to be allies to colleagues. “It’s clear that inclusion is not seen as something that only younger people are expected to care about: it’s for everyone,” we were told. We also heard that there is a conscious effort to make socials more inclusive with activities such as walks and cricket.

Walker Morris’ snappily titled inclusion networks include Horizon (LGBTQ+), Fusion (ethnic and religious diversity), N-able (for disabilities and neurodiversity), and Women in Leadership. These were seen as spaces for “open and honest conversations” as well as community building. The firm’s involvement in Leeds Pride was an example: “We joined Pride this year, it started at the office and then we joined the crowds later in the day - the firm opened its doors over the weekend.”

Pro bono & CSR

We were told that, at Walker Morris, CSR is “embedded in our bones; it’s a passionate way of getting involved in things beyond the work.” Every year the firm fundraises for a local cause nominated by employees, which in 2026 is Dementia Forward. Trainees can roll up their sleeves and join the charity committee as well as get involved in the various fundraising activities ranging from bake sales, bingo nights, and the memorable partner cocktail evening to taking on challenges such as Total Warrior. It was noted however, that pro bono work forms a smaller part of the firm’s culture.

Other opportunities include:

• Organising food bank drives

• Social mobility initiatives with local schools

Qualification

The qualification process starts during the fifth seat. The process begins when the job list is released outlining the number of available positions, although “before that people have usually spoken to a partner in the team they’d like to qualify into, expressing interest and getting a rough idea.” Candidates then apply; from there it’s down to the team how they’d like to progress, with some conducting assessments and others interviews instead or as well. “They are keen to keep people on and do well retention wise,” trainees agreed.

Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

Walker Morris does just that. “We have a target each year that 40% of people being promoted to partner will be women; we’ve beaten that for the past four years running,” Thorpe shares.