NQ Salary
~£150,000
TC Salary
~£56,000 / £61,000 (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
c.80–90 per year (London)
Seats
8 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check Freshfields's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Competition law is Freshfields' signature strength: the antitrust and competition practice runs to more than 60 partners and over 300 other specialist lawyers, and has been ranked a Band 1 global antitrust firm by Chambers and named Lexology's Global Competition Law Firm of the Year for 20 years running. The firm is also a heavyweight in M&A and private capital, taking Mergermarket's European M&A Legal Advisor award in 2024 and The Lawyer's Transatlantic Firm of the Year in 2025 as it builds out in the US. Across roughly 2,800 lawyers in 33 offices, London sits at the centre of the competition and antitrust litigation work.
Culture & Values
The training contract runs to eight seats over two years, giving trainees a wide spread of practice areas before qualifying. There is also a London-Asia route that sends trainees to Hong Kong for their second year (language skills required) and a separate six-year solicitor apprenticeship. The firm has leaned hard into technology, signing a multi-year deal with Anthropic to roll out its Claude AI to all 5,700 staff, and draws its lawyers from more than 100 nationalities.
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Method
“Two-stage: a bespoke "Law Online Test" (SHL) completed first — only those who pass have applications reviewed. Then Watson Glaser (30 mins timed). Stage: after application form.”
Tests
Explore Freshfields's work before you apply: free simulations on Forage, built to mirror real trainee tasks.
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Freshfields. 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. Last verified: 2026-03-16. Always check the firm's official graduate recruitment page for confirmed details.
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 22 July 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.