NQ Salary
~£150,000
TC Salary
£60,000 / £65,000 (year 1 / year 2, from Sept 2026)
Annual Intake
c.33 per year
Seats
4 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check Macfarlanes's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Macfarlanes runs almost entirely from a single London office, with small bases in Brussels and New York, and concentrates on private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. It holds Chambers UK Band 1 rankings for private equity buyouts, investment funds and tax, and is best known for mid-market private equity work. Its tax practice, which the directories call 'unique in the London market' for its strength and depth, has kept expanding while carrying Band 1 rankings from both Chambers and Legal 500.
Culture & Values
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 5 September 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 intake is small and the training is hands-on: trainees rotate through four six-month seats in small teams that leave a newcomer nowhere to hide. The firm kept 24 of its 28 qualifying trainees in 2025, and about half of each intake has already done a vacation scheme before starting. Trainees are in the office at least four days a week, with Fridays usually remote.
First Year Insight Scheme 2027
2 Nov 2026 – 15 Jan 2027
Opens November · Closes January
Training Programme (September 2029 start)
Closed · Reopens 2027
Training Scholarship (Brunel Law School, three years)
Closed · Reopens 2027
Winter Vacation Scheme 2026
3 Aug 2026 – 28 Aug 2026
Opens August · Closes August
Spring Vacation Scheme 2027
1 Sept 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
Opens September · Closes October
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
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Practice questions built around Macfarlanes's actual assessment stages, with “Why this firm?” evidence traced to verified facts.
Sign up free →Vacation Scheme / Training Contract
Method
“Provider: Cappfinity. Two-stage online assessment. Stage 1: scenario-based SJT and critical reasoning tasks across practice areas (Corporate/M&A, Banking/Finance, Private Client, Litigation). Stage 2: immersive job simulation: join a fictional project team and respond to realistic trainee scenarios. Both stages assessed application-blind.”
Tests
For first-year LLB students at Brunel University London who are from underrepresented backgrounds. Three-year programme delivered in partnership with Brunel Law School.
Applications typically open in early calendar year
Widening access to law programme for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Applications open annually
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Macfarlanes. 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.