White & Case
- London
"Pack your suitCase! This US firm offers a tour of transnational work and culture, with a guaranteed stop overseas."
About the firm
- 90
- Trainees
- 276
- Associates
- 142
- Partners
- 42
- Overseas Offices
Putting 125 candles on a cake is no small task, but White & Case has plenty of hands available to help celebrate its 125th birthday. Having grown from two founders in New York to 43 offices worldwide, the firm had its lawyers toasting this confetti-worthy moment everywhere from Melbourne to Miami.
“White & Case is a truly global law firm and we’re one of the very few firms in the market to be in that position.”
Indeed, “we’re a truly global firm – it’s in our DNA,” training principal Victoria Landsbert highlights. If the 260 rankings which the firm has racked up in the Chambers Global guide isn’t enough to convince you of this, why not experience the firm’s worldwide reach firsthand? “We feel the very best possible way for our people to see the global nature of our business is to spend six months in one of our overseas offices and see the world in which we operate from a different location and interact with colleagues, clients and potential clients from across the globe,” Landsbert explains. This guaranteed secondment abroad was certainly enticing to the trainees we spoke to, as was the broader “global connectivity of deals and disputes” that the firm can offer.
Still, it’s not the case that trainees need to leave Britain to get access to a top team. In our sister guide Chambers UK, the firm’s London office boasts top-tier accolades across capital markets debt and equity, construction: international arbitration, energy & natural resources: oil & gas, projects: mainly international; shareholder activism. It also scoops up recognition for its contentious and non-contentious construction, big-ticket leveraged finance, and restructuring/insolvency practices, as well as its international arbitration expertise across commercial and investor-state disputes. That’s pretty energetic for a 125-year-old!
Why trainees joined the firm
High-calibre work across jurisdictions and practice areas
Guaranteed international secondment
Learning & responsibility
High-calibre work across jurisdictions and practice areas
White & Case’s position as one of the legal world’s biggest names, dominating a broad sweep of markets thanks to its international reach and full-service offering, is a big selling point. “The main thing I was looking for was quality of work,” one trainee explained, adding “I was looking for a firm with the experience, the manpower, and the right partners to win the most complex deals in the market.”
Guaranteed international secondment
A standout feature of the training contract is the guaranteed overseas secondment. “It’s the best thing ever! It will be great to spend six months abroad, meet new people, and see the professional world in a different context,” an insider enthused.
Learning & responsibility
Trainees were drawn to the level of responsibility on offer, often working in leaner deal teams typical of US firms. As one explained, “once you are able to prove your competence, you’re slowly entrusted with more responsibility and more substantive work; it matched my expectations.”
Trainee satisfaction rankings
- Elite
- Training & development
- Strong
- Overall satisfaction
- Strong
- Compensation
- Strong
- Qualification
- Strong
- AI adoption
- Strong
- Supervision & contact time
Training contract structure
- 4x6
- Seat Structure
Seat allocation
For each seat rotation, trainees rank all available seat options in order of preference and can add a short narrative alongside. An algorithm, Opti-Seat, produces an initial allocation, before the early careers team finalises the outcome.
If you get one of your top three choices, it’s categorised as ‘in preference’, while trainees who are allocated seats outside this range are prioritised in the next rotation.The process was described as fair, though some noted that the final weighting behind the decision was a ‘black box.’
Trainees are expected to complete at least one finance-related seat during their training contract, with options that count towards this requirement including debt finance, energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance, capital markets, and restructuring and insolvency, amongst others.
- Yes
- International secondments
- Yes
- Client secondments
Client secondments
Based on business need.
International secondments
Trainees are guaranteed an international secondment (though it’s not mandatory) in their fourth seat. Destinations such as Hong Kong and Sydney are particularly popular, though it’s worth noting that trainees apply to practice areas rather than specific locations, and are allocated accordingly.
Seat Experiences
In the debt finance practice, the team acts on behalf of borrowers and lenders on mid-market and big-ticket financing arrangements. We heard that “there’s a broad variety of work,” spanning leveraged finance, private credit, fund finance, and direct lending.
It’s common to start the seat during an active deal and jump straight in, but there is also a high likelihood that trainees will see a deal progress from start to finish during the seat, to provide that bigger picture. Trainees frequently handle ancillaries, such as board minutes and corporate authorisations, drafting and updating any relevant documents. Project management also falls within the realm of trainee responsibilities. “You’re running the show, which is both a good thing and a bad thing,” one insider explained, as “you have to be super organised as there are a lot of trackers involved.” These duties include keeping on top of lots of emails and providing updates too.
The capital markets practice is made up of equity, debt, high-yield and structured credit. Trainees sit within one of the four teams during their time here.
"...even when you’re working across from magic circle firms, our trainees are sending the emails, which is pretty cool.”
From a high level, the work is best described as being split between the regulatory side (such as ensuring that prospectuses adhere to requirements and updating quarterly financial statements) and the mechanical process of issuing the notes. Within these areas, trainee tasks include picking up the pen and “taking the first bite” at a range of documents, such asdraft subscription agreements, ancillaries, and reps and warranties. Document management is also a core responsibility throughout, including preparing signature packets and coordinating signings, though we did hear that there is “less process management and fewer documents to sign” relative to some other seats. From time to time, due diligence and research is part of the trainee domain too.
A particular highlight for one interviewee was that “even when you’re working across from magic circle firms, our trainees are sending the emails, which is pretty cool.” Other popular aspects of the seat include the emphasis on working with sovereign clients in emerging markets, the perception that it is “way calmer” than some other options, and the opportunities to travel abroad which sometimes come up.
The energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance practice, also known as EPIAF, handles a wide range of projects across sectors such as oil & gas, renewables, and aviation. With cross-border projects spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa making up the books, “I wasn’t on a single UK-based deal,” one trainee recalled.
“...it can be highly technical, the training is exceptional and there are always opportunities to be kept up to date with industry focused spotlights and trends.”
“I’ve worked on some crazy, newsworthy deals, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing them in the news and knowing that I worked on them,” another enthused. Recent big-ticket matters include advising Saudi Aramco on its $11 billion lease and leaseback deal involving its Jafurah gas processing facilities with a consortium of international investors, as well as advising financers of the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project in Malawi – an example of its emerging markets work!
While trainees can be placed in any of the teams within EPIAF, those that we spoke with largely had experience on the project finance and asset finance sides. “It’s very intense and a steep learning curve,” one explained, adding that although “it can be highly technical, the training is exceptional and there are always opportunities to be kept up to date with industry focused spotlights and trends.” Day-to-day responsibilities include managing the CP (conditions precedence) checklist, assisting with signings, liaising with local counsel, taking the first pass at documents, and then incorporating comments. According to one trainee’s verdict, “it really allows you to get into the docs and have exposure to the mechanics, which is quite helpful.”
International arbitration is “a big team – and it’s top of the market,” sources told us. Indeed, the size of the team is matched by the scale of the “mega disputes” it handles. As an example, White & Case represented Grupo Unidos por el Canal, a construction company, and its shareholders in a dispute with the Panama Canal expansion project valued at $3.6 billion; certainly not a drop in the ocean! Trainees can work across sectors including energy (which is a particular emphasis), corporate and commercial, and infrastructure and construction (though note that there is also a dedicated construction arbitration seat, with a particular focus on the Middle East).
Classic trainee responsibilities include taking notes on calls, as well as proofreading and site checking, and lots and lots of research. They also help with bundling and preparing exhibits and chronologies, which is described as “a labour-intensive exercise that needs to be done, but helpful in understanding how the litigation process occurs.” An insider emphasised that “if you show commitment and excel, associates will try to put you on more substantive work where possible,” with opportunities for drafting, including witness statements. Rookies likely won’t see an arbitration from start to finish, just as the timelines are quite lengthy. But where opportunities arise, they can sit in on tribunals.
Trainee life
Culture and environment
- 100%
- Trainees were happy in their current role
- 100%
- Felt they chose the right firm
Data from our annual trainee survey
“The main thing is how international it is – the people you work with are not all cut from the same cloth, and it’s a strength!”
Sometimes it can be hard to pin down a firm’s culture, but White & Case’s insiders weren’t lost for words: “The main thing is how international it is – the people you work with are not all cut from the same cloth, and it’s a strength!” One source also identified a more specific cross-border dynamic at work, describing White & Case as an “American firm with a British culture” based on “an environment that is English in that it’s maybe more polite, nurturing, and structured, but American in terms of work ethic.”
Beyond that, it’s difficult to generalise, as in such as large and diverse firm there are bound to be notable differences between teams. “The firm is a different place depending on what team you step into, how the partners there treat associates, and how that feeds down,” one trainee confirmed. However, there is a sense of unifying camaraderie that shone through amongst the trainee cohorts: “Having done the SQE together, everyone is pretty close, and there are strong, genuine friendships within the training group.”
Though work takes priority, there is time to socialise and network. The social calendar includes Thursday drinks hosted in the firm’s ‘Broad St Kitchen’ restaurant, team socials every few months (with past experiences including the F1 Racing Experience, Traitors Live, Abba Voyage, and pitch n’ put), and the usual array of summer and Christmas events.
As for firm-wide events? Well, fittingly for such a global outfit, there is an annual ‘World Cup’ tournament which this year will see participants jetting off to Vienna (with flights and hotels subsidised) for a weekend of football and volleyball. Watch this space to see if the London office’s squad can finally bring it home…
Working patterns
- 4 days a week
- Expected office attendance
- ~57 (Varies by seat)
- Typical billable hours in a week
Data from our annual trainee survey
The office is located an equal distance between Bank and Liverpool Street, giving you multiple options for the mandatory Monday-to-Thursday commute (a recent increase from the previous in-office requirement of three days a week).
“It’s actually crazy! I remember as a student always meal prepping, and now I don’t have to grocery shop at all.”
Sources highlighted that refurbishments have been taking place across the various floors and that facilities range from a basement gym and yoga studio to the free coffee and food in the Broad Street Kitchen restaurant. “It’s actually crazy! I remember as a student always meal prepping, and now I don’t have to grocery shop at all – it’s a big selling point,” an insider chuckled.
During a run up to a signing or the market is especially busy, hours can intensify requiring midnight, or even early morning, stints. “It’s a top US firm, so you’re going to be busy,” a source told us, reflecting “I knew I would never finish at 6pm.”
Pay
- £62,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £67,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- 100%
- Were satisfied with the salary
Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey
Trainees receive a competitive salary and were accordingly satisfied with their compensation: “They pay us well for the hours, as you’re expected to work hard.” Upon qualifying, rookies unlock the whopping £175,000 NQ salary.
Supervision and training
- 100%
- Feel they receive high quality learning & development
Data from our annual trainee survey
Every time trainees move seats, they have a two-week induction to get them up to speed with what to expect and the basics. “American firms are stigmatised as not having a lot of training, but it’s been very thorough here, and a key element to getting familiar with a practice area,” a trainee observed. Though smaller teams have more of an emphasis on learning on the job from the start, there are weekly departmental training sessions tailored to juniors and mid-level associates, which trainees can join as well.
Trainees receive regular feedback from their supervisor, as well as others they work directly with, and we heard that “people are willing to explain things, give good feedback, and get you involved in a particular area of interest.” Formal feedback comes at the mid- and end-of-seat review.
Pro bono & CSR
Pro bono was described as being “a huge deal” at White & Case. It’s weighted equally to billable hours for associates and celebrated throughout the firm with awards. Every Wednesday a bulletin is released outlining any opportunities available to get involved in, such as legal clinics and criminal justice matters.
Other opportunities include:
Partnership with European Lawyers in Lesvos to help refugees in Greece
Social mobility programmes with secondary school students
Collaborative research projects, such as the Cornell Gender Justice Collection
Inclusion
Interviewees were quick to highlight that the firm makes a “conscious effort” to be inclusive. Several trainees said the firm’s diverse representation had specifically drawn them to apply, with one noting that it is “not just diversity of ethnicity; it’s different universities, different places, and different backgrounds.”
There are multiple affinity groups spanning gender, identity, and common interests, which provide “ample opportunity to build community.” An insider noted that “it can be hard to meet when people are so busy as they’re largely run by the lawyers. But there is always an effort to get together,” including calls with other offices, lunches and dinners to discuss shared experiences, and informative talk.
Qualification
The qualification process starts with the early careers team circulating a list of departments that are hiring. Although the number of positions available isn’t published (disappointing some of our sources), by this point, “you should have already spoken to the teams and partners to register your interest.” From there, the process can vary between teams requiring interviews or assessments.
As for their prospects, trainees shared that retention typically “hovers around the 80% mark.” Those that stay on can celebrate and take up to six weeks of unpaid qualification leave for some good old R&R.
- Undisclosed%
- Trainees Retention
The best of both worlds
White & Case saw its first solicitor apprentices, who study alongside gaining real-world experience, pass through its doors in September 2025.
Contact this law firm
Top Figures
- £62,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £67,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- £175,000
- Newly Qualified Salary
- Undisclosed
- Training Contract Vacancies
- 6th Dec 2026
- Application Closing Date
- Yes
- Apprenticeship
