We recruit trainees from our Vacation Scheme. Participants take part in the vacation scheme with the potential of joining one of our teams initially as a Paralegal and commencing our Training Programme in March or September 2026.

Our Trainees will prepare for the SQE exams alongside working at the firm. In the first-year trainees will remain in the department in which they were a paralegal while studying for SQE1. You would be completing a part-time 40week preparation training course with our preferred provider, The College of Legal Practice.

After completing SQE1 in your first year, trainees will complete 3 seats of 6 months each in other departments while studying for the SQE2 exam, again through 40 weeks of preparation training with the College.

Trainees will work 4 days and have one study day each week whilst they are studying for the SQE exams over a two-year period. They will also receive coaching and support to develop a work-based portfolio for their Qualifying Work Experience.

We have seats in Film/TV, Music, Corporate, Commercial, Litigation and Employment. Trainees usually complete a seat in Litigation or Employment, Corporate or Commercial and either Film/TV or Music depending on which department they were in when they completed their first year as a trainee.

The SQE training and exams will be fully funded through The College of Legal Practice.

The College of Legal Practice is an accredited postgraduate law school based in the UK, specialising in the SQE. Their flexible online learning will ensure that trainees can study alongside their work, and receive an excellent level of supervision and coaching from their experienced team.

Applications for our Training Programme are made through our Vacation Scheme Programme. Click here to apply.

Applications are open from February 2025 and close on Monday 31st March 2025.

Participants will be taking part in this programme with a view to being recruited to join one of our teams initially as a Paralegal and commencing our Training Programme in March or September 2026.

We launched our first Vacation Scheme for aspiring media lawyers in 2019 and have since recruited many paralegals and trainees from the programme, most of whom are still valued members of the firm. Read about our 2024 Vacation Scheme here.

Because we want to ensure that our Vacation Scheme is as inclusive and rewarding as possible, we do not currently offer alternative forms of work experience at Lee & Thompson.