NQ Salary
~£107,000
TC Salary
~£51,000 / £56,000 (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
19 per year (UK)
Seats
6 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check WFW's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Watson Farley & Williams' London office has 70 partners and 153 solicitors, and the firm has 14 offices elsewhere. Chambers UK 2026 ranks it Band 1 for shipping finance and Band 2 for aviation finance, shipping, and power and renewables, and Legal 500 puts it in the top tier for transport finance and leasing.
The training contract
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 14 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.
Some trainees go abroad twice during the six seats
Summer Vacation Scheme
Last cycle opened 9 October and closed 6 January · 2027 dates not yet published
Training Contract (direct)
Last cycle opened 9 October and closed 24 May · 2029 intake dates not yet published
Spring Vacation Scheme 2027
Last cycle opened 9 October and closed 6 January · 2027 dates not yet published
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
Deals and announcements in the firm's own words. Naming a recent matter is the fastest way to show you have paid attention.
Watson Farley & Williams newsroomUnlock the full interview pack for WFW
Practice questions built around WFW's actual assessment stages, with “Why this firm?” evidence traced to verified facts.
Sign up free →Vacation Scheme / Training Contract
Method
“Four stages on the firm's selection page: the online application (checked with an AI-detection tool), a video interview of four questions with 30 seconds to prepare and 90 to 120 seconds to answer each, an assessment centre built around a client scenario with written and group exercises, then an in-person interview. No online test.”
Tests
Explore WFW's work before you apply: free simulations on Forage, built to mirror real trainee tasks.
WFW joined City Century in June 2023, the City of London Law Society's collaboration of 50 or more firms to increase the number of solicitor apprentices in the City. The route students apply to is the firm's own six-year solicitor apprenticeship, open to school leavers with at least ABB at A level and seven GCSEs at grades 5 to 9; students who have completed more than a year of a degree are not eligible.
The 2026 intake's applications ran from 17 November 2025 to 20 February 2026. The next window is not yet published.
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Watson Farley & Williams. 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.