NQ Salary
~£150,000
TC Salary
~£56,000 / £61,000 (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
c.80–85 per year
Seats
4 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check Slaughters's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Slaughter and May is the most independent and London-centric of the Magic Circle, famous for its 'best friend' network: it keeps a deliberately small office footprint and channels international work to top-tier local firms in each market. It is dominant in UK public M&A and known for taking on a selective book of high-end work.
Culture & Values
Slaughter and May is one of the few City firms with no billable-hour targets, which trainees rate a real draw and which tends to mean lower hours and protected weekends than at Magic Circle peers. Trainees move through four to six seats (a mix of six- and three-month rotations) with compulsory Corporate, Financing and contentious time. Retention has been among the strongest in the Magic Circle in recent years, with 38 of 47 spring 2026 qualifiers staying, about 81%, and the large intake keeps the trainee cohort supportive, with cliques rarely a feature.
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.
Spring Open Days 2027
5 Oct 2026 – 6 Jan 2027
Opens October · Closes January
Spring Forward Programme 2027
5 Oct 2026 – 6 Jan 2027
Opens October · Closes January
Summer Work Experience Scheme 2027
1 Sept 2026 – 4 Dec 2026
Opens September · Closes early December · Interviews rolling
Solicitor Apprenticeship 2027
12 Oct 2026 – 6 Jan 2027
Opens October · Closes January
Training Contract (Round 1: finalists / graduates, Sept 2029 / Mar 2030 start)
17 Aug 2026 – 13 Nov 2026
Opens mid-August · Closes mid-November
Training Contract (Round 2: penultimate / finalists / graduates)
Second window opens June 2027
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
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For first-year law students from lower socioeconomic and/or ethnic minority backgrounds. One-week in-person work experience in April, plus ongoing buddy support for summer scheme applications.
Applications open autumn · programme runs April
For 80 undergraduates per year from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Includes one-to-one support, paid work experience for 25 students, insight days, CV/interview coaching, and 10 scholarships providing financial support throughout university.
Applications open annually
For students aged 16–17, especially from social mobility cold spots across the UK. Virtual work insight programme covering legal and non-legal roles across four placements per year.
Placements run May, July and October
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Slaughter and May. 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.