NQ Salary
~£120,000 London · £76,500 Bristol · £68,000 Manchester, Sheffield and Scotland
TC Salary
~£50,000 / £55,000 London · £43,000 / £45,000 Bristol · £33,000 / £35,000 Manchester, Sheffield and Scotland (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
c.79 per year (UK-wide)
Seats
4 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check the firm's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
CMS works from nine UK offices, in Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Reading and Sheffield. Chambers UK 2027 ranks the London practice Band 1 for M&A between £100 and £800 million, environment and climate change, IT and outsourcing, and real estate litigation, and Legal 500 puts it in the top tier for renewables, insurance and fintech.
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 28 October 2026
Folio is independent and not affiliated with any firm listed. Salary and deadline information is approximate. Always verify with the firm's official graduate recruitment page.
The training contract
Around 20 London departments to sit in, with trainees ranking their top seven each rotation
Insight Programme
Closed · Reopens 2027
Work Experience
Opens 2027 · CMS Connect, five days for Year 12 students in Bristol or London
Training Contract (England, Wales & NI)
Open · Close date not published
Training Contract (Scotland)
Closes 10 Jan 2027
Open now · Closes 10 January
Solicitor Apprenticeships
Opens 2027 · Six years, in Bristol, London, Manchester or Sheffield
Business Services Apprenticeships
Applications open on an ad hoc basis
BD & Marketing Graduate Programme
Closed
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
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Practice questions built around CMS's actual assessment stages, with “Why this firm?” evidence traced to verified facts.
Sign up free →Insight Programme / Training Contract
Method
Stages on the firm's page: online application form, a short critical thinking test of analytical and problem-solving skills with a practice test available, a 15-minute pre-recorded video interview, then an in-person half-day assessment day. The firm names no test vendor.
Tests
For Year 12 students (Year 13 in Northern Ireland) at state-funded schools whose parents and grandparents did not attend university and who are applying to university through the 2027/28 UCAS cycle, plus at least one of: free school meals eligibility between 11 and 16, a school with 20% or more pupils on free school meals, care experience, or a home in a POLAR4 quintile 1 area. Financial support through the degree, mentoring, a trainee buddy and paid first-year work experience (£450).
Applications open in 2027.
For Year 12 students in England and Wales at state-funded schools since age 11 who meet at least one further criterion (first in the family at university, free school meals, local authority care, a caring role, refugee status, or a school with low progression to university), within commuting distance of the Bristol or London office. A paid week of skills sessions and shadowing, then mentoring, application advice and events, with springboard support for the Insight Programme and solicitor apprenticeship.
Applications for 2026 closed 16 June 2026. The week runs in Bristol and London.
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to CMS. All information is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the most current data. Salary and deadline figures are approximate, based on prior recruitment cycles. Always check the firm's official graduate recruitment page for confirmed details.