Clarke Willmott Summer Vacation Scheme

This summer, we are giving candidates the chance to experience what it’s like to be part of our firm by offering a weeklong paid placement.

Our Vacation Scheme is the perfect opportunity to get an insight into the day-to-day life of working at Clarke Willmott. You will have the opportunity to work with a team of specialists in a particular area of law, doing real work with expert supervision. You will also spend some time attending workshops to improve your legal skills and aid professional development and will have plenty of opportunities to meet others, ask questions and socialise.

You will be immersed in our positive work culture and feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

Content

We want the experience to be enjoyable, informative and engaging for you. As part of the placement, you will be informally assessed by your allocated team. Students who successfully complete the vacation scheme and receive positive support from their placement team may be invited to attend an Assessment Centre for our SQE Pathway. Please note that progression to the Assessment Centre is also dependent on whether the team the student is allocated to has a role available for the upcoming intake.

Where both criteria are met—strong performance on the scheme and a role within their team—we will be able to invite the student to the next stage of the process.

Recruitment Process

Clarke Willmott is committed to applying its equal opportunities and diversity policies at all stages of recruitment and selection. The application form includes a personal details section and education section however these sections will be hidden from our selection team and not used as part of the selection process.

If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to complete the application form, please let us know by contacting vacation.scheme@clarkewillmott.com so that we can provide any support, aids or adaptions. For example, you can request for the application form to be in a different format.

Successful applicants will be informed that they have been shortlisted for interview via email from our Early Careers Team. This notification will include the office and team the individual has been shortlisted to. If your application has been shortlisted, you will be invited to a virtual interview (via Microsoft Teams). The interviews will take place throughout May 2026. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their interview within two weeks.

Your application

Please note that this application form will need to be completed in one sitting. There is no save function so you will not be able to save the progress of your application and return to complete it at a later date. If needed, we recommended entering your answers into a separate document to enable you to complete the form in one go when you are ready.

Once you have submitted your application, please stay on the page and you will see an ‘application submitted’ notification. You will not receive an email confirmation.

At Clarke Willmott, everyone is welcome and we want everyone to be their authentic selves. The same is true for our future talent and we want to get to know the real you from your application form. An application form is the first opportunity you have to communicate as your authentic self. The legal industry is evolving rapidly with advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly in generative AI.

You may use AI to undertake research or to help you develop your answer structure but we want to see our future talent be able to demonstrate the core skill of reflecting on their skills and performance – a vital skill for a successful lawyer. Therefore, please ensure that the final answer submitted is your own, is reflective of your personal skills and experiences and is not simply a copy and paste from any technology solution.

Successful applications will be personal. You’ll demonstrate genuine effort and diversity of thought and most importantly, you will be able to demonstrate your passion for working at Clarke Willmott.

Key dates

Application opens: 23^rd February 2026

Application deadline: 5pm 5^th April 2026

Interviews: Virtual interviews will take place throughout May 2026

Onboarding: June 2026

Placement date: 6^th – 10^th July 2026

FAQ

Although very exciting, we appreciate applying for Vacation Schemes can be overwhelming. We have set out some frequently asked questions below to help you with your queries and considering our Vacation Scheme.

Will the Vacation Scheme take place at all your offices?

The 2026 Vacation Scheme will take place in our Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Taunton and Southampton offices.

Can I choose which office I take part in?

Yes, there will be an option to select your office preference on your application form. You can also select a second preference if this is available to you. Please note the limited number of placements that are available in each office.

How many placements are available?

There are 21 placements available overall, divided as follows:

Office	Number of placements	Practice areas
Birmingham	3	Corporate Commercial Property Construction Employment Family Insolvency
Bristol	3	Corporate & Employment Commercial Property & Property Litigation (split placement) Family, Private Client & Private Client Litigation (split placement)
Cardiff	2	Commercial Services (Banking & Finance and Corporate & Commercial) (split placement) Real Estate (Commercial Property and Construction) (split placement) Clinical Negligence
Manchester	3	Commercial Services (Commercial, Employment & Tax) (rotating placement) Property Services and Litigation (Construction, Property Litigation, Commercial Litigation) (rotating placement) Private Client (Private Capital, Family and Private Client Litigation) (rotating placement)
Southampton	3 (rotating placements)	Corporate & Commercial Commercial Property Commercial & Private Client Litigation Employment Regulatory
Taunton	7	Business (Debt) Recovery Commercial & Private Client Litigation (split placement) Commercial Property Corporate & Employment (split placement) Family & Private Property and Agriculture (split placement) Private Client & Planning (split placement) Property Litigation

Will I be able to choose the practice area I work in?

You will be able to select your top three preference for practice areas on the application form. Due to the number of applications, we may not be able to guarantee your top preference.

Will I rotate round different teams during the week?

Please review the placement availability above to find out which placements will be split or rotated.

Will I be paid for my time on the Vacation Scheme?

Yes, this is a week-long paid placement. You will receive a salary of £490 for the week and your working hours each day will be 9 am to 5.30 pm with an unpaid hour lunchbreak.

Am I eligible to apply for the Vacation Scheme

The Vacation Scheme is open to anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in law, provided you are 18 or over. You do not need to have completed a University Degree (or equivalent). There are no set minimum requirements as your application will be considered as a whole. You must have the right to work in the UK to be enrolled on the scheme.

Can I apply if I took part in a previous Clarke Willmott Vacation Scheme?

Unfortunately, you will not be eligible to take part in the scheme if you successfully participated in a previous scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to provide people with the opportunity to work in a law firm who may not otherwise have had the chance. We therefore want to make sure there is opportunity for all.

Can I take part in the Vacation Scheme remotely?

The Vacation Scheme is an in-person placement. You will need to be based at one of the offices stated above for the duration of the week.

What if I cannot complete the online application form?

If you are unable or struggle to complete the online application form, have any queries, or need to have reasonable adjustments in place to complete the form, please contact vacation.scheme@clarkewillmott.com.

Will you have any psychometric testing or other assessments as part of the selection process?

No. Our selection process only includes an online application form and subsequent virtual interview.

What format will the interview be in for the selection process?

The interview will take place virtually via Microsoft Teams and will be competency based. It will be with a member of Human Resources and the practice area you have selected.

If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the interview process or are unable to attend a virtual interview, please let us know in advance so that any support, aids or adaptations can be put in place to assist you in the interview process.

Will I hear back when my application is submitted?

Please look out for a pop up message on your screen which will confirm receipt of your application (you will not get an email confirmation). Due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to respond to everyone. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks, your application has not been successful on this occasion.

If my application is not shortlisted, can I be given feedback?

Due to the volume of applications, we cannot issue applicants with individual feedback.

Do you offer other work experience placements outside of the Vacation Scheme?

We do not currently offer work experience placements outside of the Vacation Scheme. Our Vacation Schemes run on an annual basis and the next scheme will be in July 2027.

Will I be offered a Training Contract or Paralegal role if I am successful on the Vacation Scheme?

As part of the placement, you will be informally assessed by your allocated team. Students who successfully complete the vacation scheme and receive positive support from their placement team may be invited to attend an Assessment Centre for our SQE Pathway. Please note that progression to the Assessment Centre is also dependent on whether the team the student is allocated to has a role available for the upcoming intake.

Where both criteria are met—strong performance on the scheme and a role within their team—we will be able to invite the student to the next stage of the process.