Wilkin Chapman Rollits

Roll-ing into a new era with a 2025 merger, this “ambitious firm” has stuck to a path of national work, hands-on training and a strong work/life balance

Wilkin Chapman Rollits training contract review 2026

About the firm

When law firms merge, it’s always the beginning of a new phase of life. But navigating pastures new requires staying true to what makes a law firm what it is, and Wilkin Chapman Rollits plans to do just that. There’s plenty that’s worth hanging onto too: “It’s an ambitious firm, one that does national and some international work, but based in a particular locality,” one trainee told us, “and that’s reflected in the people who work here and the charitable work we take on.” Or, more succinctly: “Ambitious firm, cool work, but from a local standpoint.”

Wilkin Chapman’s local patch is Lincolnshire, with offices in Lincoln, Grimsby and Louth. A pre-merger office in Louth has been bolstered by Rollits’ York and Hull offices too, making the firm among the largest in the region. Grimsby takes on the largest group of trainees, followed by Lincoln and Hull, York and Louth, which takes on just one.

“Ambitious firm, cool work, but from a local standpoint.”

Wilkin Chapman Rollits boasts a top Chambers UK ranking in family/matrimonial law in Lincoln and surrounds, as well as strong rankings in areas like agriculture and rural affairs in the Midlands and employment, corporate/M&A: SME/owner-managed businesses, and agriculture and rural affairs in Yorkshire. Of course, any merger brings changes, increasing the size and depth of some departments and adding new ones: “I think that’s really exciting for the firm,” one insider quipped, “particularly for the junior staff: trainees, trainee legal execs, paralegals, etc.”

Training Contract Structure

A few months before their first seat, trainees are asked for their practice area and location preferences. From that point onwards, trainees will have a sit-down conversation with HR during their mid-seat reviews. Sources were happy to share that they generally got their preferred seats. It’s important to know that the firm “likes to encourage you to spend time in at least two different offices” and office allocation “very much depends on business need.” Of course, “they’ll do their best to accommodate you, but you should be prepared to move around a bit.”

We heard this comes with some real upsides however: “I like that because you get to meet more people and when work comes in that you can’t do, you know someone in another office that can.” As a general rule, trainees should expect to do at least one contentious and one non-contentious seat, and both private client and business services at some point during their training contract.

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

The main thing thing has got to be the people,” one trainee told us, “it’s the main benefit of this firm.” Of course, it’s one of those old cliches, but those we spoke to were keen to emphasise the fact that there’s substance behind it: “Everyone will help everyone, no matter what department you’re in.” As one put it: “I do feel valued here. I put my day’s work in and go home and feel happy with the work I’ve done.” We heard that teams frequently go out to dinner together when new trainees join the team, and there are annual Christmas and summer parties that come alongside various sports clubs.

As such, there’s “no distinction between your role and the connections you can make with people.” The firm’s active involvement with local charities is another way to meet colleagues; volunteers from the Grimsby office helped to create a local garden, and in Louth some staff took part in the local Santa run to raise money for charity.

“…people have been aware of the merger from day one and have been able to ask questions and voice concerns. They’ve been really transparent about what might change and open to feedback.”

With mergers, there is always a period of transition as the culture of a firm evolves with the addition of new staff. But, as those we spoke to were quick to highlight, additions don’t necessarily mean change: “I don’t think it’ll necessarily make any changes in the culture,” one told us, “people have been aware of the merger from day one and have been able to ask questions and voice concerns. They’ve been really transparent about what might change and open to feedback.”

Because the firm’s Louth office is a bit smaller, we heard that one “brilliant” feature was that “everybody knows everybody because everyone is on the same floor. Everyone is like a big family there. I know that sounds cliché, but they really are.” The Lincoln office was particularly popular for being “really modern, really open” with a “great view over the Brayford Pool.”

Trainees are required to be in the office every day, the reason being that “particularly when you’re fresh to the business, nothing really beats being in and meeting people.” Trainees told us that there’s “no expectation to stay” beyond the standard working hours for the sake of it, and trainees were generally able to stick to a 9am to 5pm unless they were personally keen to “go above and beyond.” In the joking words of one trainee: “It’s at your discretion. No one is forcing you to stay until nine in the evening.”

When it came to compensation, the consensus among our interviewees was that “for the first year, it’s potentially on the lower side. Of course, we’re a regional firm, but we’re a large regional firm, and we do national work.” That said, there are significant increases in the second year and upon qualification. They also noted trainee salary has increased in recent years, “so that’s been good.” I

Interviewees were also positive about the “really good benefits package as well as travel being reimbursed for training when we have to travel between offices.” Similarly, the firm will also cover the difference in fuel costs between a trainee’s nearest office and the one they’re sitting in if they’ve been placed further from home.

“At least once a year,” each department will get together for specific training, covering anything from “an interesting case someone has worked on to something that has recently changed in the law.” Trainees are invited to each department’s sessions, which means attending sessions every two weeks or so, which they found “really good to keep abreast of everything that’s going on.”

One source described a “hands-on” style of supervision, with supervisors “amending work and giving you pointers around what you can do better next time.” While we heard that they will “also let you run with things where you can, it’s nice to be able to have someone there to ask a question if I’m stuck. I’ve never really been in a situation where I can’t get to anyone.” This is true across the board too: “The higher fee earners put a lot of time into the younger fee earners to help train them,” shared one junior, “it’s nice to know the top bosses are thinking about us.”

As a general rule, the relationship between the trainee and supervisor is “what you make it. No one’s going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.” There is room for weekly catch ups, but how closely a trainee works with the supervisor depends on the seat and the individual supervisor. Some departments provide trainees with a list of things they should ideally try before the end of their seat, such as attending a mediation or hearing. Mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews involve discussions about what trainees have done well and where they could improve. Trainees felt the firm has “a good process as to how to do things and the review process was clear from the start.”

Qualification

Come qualification time, trainees prepare an “internal CV” covering what they did in each seat and their end-of-seat reviews, which is then sent to the team or teams into which they want to qualify. Interviews might happen if multiple people apply for the same role or if a trainee applies for a department they didn’t do a seat in. “You get this sense that they always try to retain as many people as possible,” reckoned one trainee. In 2025, Addleshaw Goddard retained 88% trainees.