Your Training Contract

What will you do?

We like our trainees to progress quickly, so once they’ve learnt the ropes they are given more responsibility and offered the chance to meet clients, be responsible for their own work, and to take part in marketing and client development activities. 

Our trainees are allocated a supervisor in each seat who monitor the type and amount of work the trainee is being given, as well as acting as a mentor during the seat. Trainees have weekly catch-ups with their supervisors, and meet with the Training Principal at least once a seat.  Trainees also have a designated contact (Nicole Alexander, Early Talent Advisor) within our People & Culture team, with whom they can discuss any aspects of their training with.

Format

Our trainees will follow the SQE pathway.

Funding

For our trainee solicitors, we fund the SQE1, SQE2 as well as the SQE plus.

We also provide maintenance grants to help support with costs whilst our future trainee study the PGDL and SQE. 

When can I apply?

We currently recruit two years in advance. From December to March each year we accept applications for Training Contracts beginning in September two years later. 

You are eligible to apply for a Training Contract at Kingsley Napley if you are, at least (and as a minimum), in the penultimate (second to last) year of a law degree or, you are currently in your final year of a non-law degree. Candidates who already hold a degree or are considering a career change are also eligible and welcome to apply.

How do I apply

To apply for our training contracts, please click here. Please do have a look at our FAQs which will hopefully answer any questions you may have.

Applications for our September 2028 intake will open on the 15th December 2025, and close on the 31st March 2026.

 

For an idea of what you can expect in each seat, here is a summary for each of our practice areas.

CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE

The Clinical Negligence team is mostly claimant-focused, which means that the work is varied and can be highly contentious.  The work a trainee can expect to be doing will include; drafting court documents, instructions to Counsel, witness statements and schedules of loss. Trainees will also be asked to undertake legal research on a number of issues, including liability and quantum research, and undertake analysis of expert reports.

The team has expertise across a range of areas, from complex spinal and brain injury to cerebral palsy and other birth injury claims, and has expanded its expertise in personal injury work.  The clients are primarily individuals, acting either on behalf of themselves or as Litigation Friends for children or persons lacking capacity. Some cases can be quite emotionally challenging, and it is certainly not an area for the faint of heart.

A seat in Clinical Negligence gives trainees a solid understanding of the basics to the litigation process, and can improve drafting skills. During this seat, trainees are likely to be taken to a number of client meetings, conferences with Counsel, round table settlement meetings and even the occasional trial.

Trainees are given responsibility from day one and are expected to be able to manage and progress the matters on which they are assisting across all aspects of the team's work, and can expect daily contact with clients, experts and Counsel. They will also gain a good basic understanding of different medical conditions and terminology as they progress through the seat. 

Despite being one of the biggest at the firm, trainees can expect to work one-on-one with most fee earners at some point during their seat. Clinical Negligence also works closely with Private Client in respect of deputyship and court of protection work, and also with the Costs team. 

 

CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL

In the Corporate and Commercial team trainees work on a variety of matters, including advising on banking and finance transactions, company incorporations, corporate governance issues, corporate transactions and partnership issues.

The practice area's clients are largely entrepreneurs and start-up ventures but also include owner managed and family businesses, investors, funds and AIM or smaller quoted companies. The department receives repeat client work and referrals from other departments such as Employment, and in particular, Real Estate.

Trainees can expect to attend client meetings, carry out company searches and other legal research, draft corporate governance documents including minutes and board resolutions, deal with Companies House filings and assist on the department's large transactions.

Trainees will improve their legal document drafting and researching skills during a seat in Corporate and Commercial, as well as their proficiency in reading long commercial/corporate documentation (a transferable skill that trainees can apply to all commercial work undertaken).

Corporate and Commercial is one of the smaller teams at KN, and as a result trainees can expect increasing levels of contact with clients throughout their seat. The practice area is growing, and trainees often work one-on-one with all fee-earners in the team.

 

CRIMINAL LITIGATION

In the Criminal team, trainees work on a mix of general crime, financial and business crime, investigations, international extradition and a range of complex and unique cases with a criminal angle.

No case is ever the same as trainees will be exposed to a wide variety of work. For example, trainees often assist fee-earners with attending client meetings, drafting statements, attending court, attending the police station, conducting legal research, filing documents at court and analysing complex financial documents.

The team is open to trainees getting involved in most matters and the trainee supervisor will often ensure that trainees get involved in work that they enjoy.

There can be high levels of client contact in this seat. The work the trainee will be doing is high-end and they will be working on, and contributing to, very high profile and sensitive cases.

Trainees will often work as part of a team with partners, fee-earners and paralegals in larger cases and one to one with a fee-earner on smaller matters.

The criminal team is one of the biggest in the firm and while the trainee may not necessarily work with everyone in the department, the team is very friendly and they value the role of the trainees.

 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The Dispute Resolution team advises on a broad spectrum of complex, high-value and often cross-border disputes. Our work spans the following core contentious areas:

• General Commercial Litigation – contractual claims, director and shareholder disputes, professional negligence and business-to-business conflicts.
• Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery – emergency applications (freezing injunctions, Norwich Pharmacal Orders, search and seizure orders), tracing claims and multi-jurisdictional fraud matters.
• Contentious Trusts & Estates – disputes involving estates, trusts, fiduciary conduct and high-net-worth family conflicts.
• Insolvency & Restructuring – contentious and advisory work involving administrations, liquidations, director liability issues and cross-border insolvency processes.
• Reputation & Media Management – defamation, privacy and crisis-response work for individuals and corporates.
• Tax Disputes – HMRC enquiries, appeals and contentious tax matters for companies and private clients.
• Arbitration – domestic and international arbitration, including enforcement of awards and jurisdictional challenges.

 

What Trainees Can Expect

Trainees in the Dispute Resolution team are fully integrated into supporting active cases from day one. The seat offers exposure to fast-moving, intellectually demanding work and the opportunity to develop client skills, drafting and strategic thinking skills. Typical tasks (always carried out under the supervision of a qualified fee earner) include:

• Drafting court documents, application notices, witness statements and instructions to Counsel and experts.
• Preparing trial, application and mediation bundles.
• Attending client meetings, mediations and conferences with Counsel.
• Managing day-to-day client communication and liaising with opponents.
• Conducting legal research and reviewing complex documentary evidence.
• Assisting with urgent applications, including injunctions and other forms of interim relief.
• Attending court to lodge documents and observe hearings.
• Handling initial new-matter enquiries and helping assess suitability for the team.
• Training & Team Culture.

We pride ourselves on being a friendly, cohesive and highly supportive team. Trainees work closely with Partners and senior fee-earners, receiving regular guidance, constructive feedback and meaningful involvement in live cases. Alongside developing strong technical skills, commercial awareness and procedural knowledge, trainees build valuable soft skills — including confident client communication, handling sensitive or urgent queries, drafting with clarity, managing competing deadlines and working collaboratively with colleagues, Counsel and experts.

 

Why Choose This Seat?

A seat in Dispute Resolution offers exceptional breadth of experience and is one of the best ways for trainees to build a solid foundation for any future practice area. You will gain exposure to high-profile matters, urgent strategic decision-making and the lifecycle of litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. It is a demanding but highly rewarding seat that accelerates both professional growth and practical experience.

 

EMPLOYMENT

In the Employment team trainees work on a mixture of contentious and non-contentious matters, which means that the work is varied and interesting.

The practice area's clients are a mix of senior employees and employers; there is a large amount of repeat client work and referrals from other departments including Corporate and Commercial and Regulatory.

The variety of work includes; advising on discrimination at work, grievance and disciplinary hearings, team moves, restrictive covenants, redundancy, settlement agreements, whistleblowing, bonus disputes, bullying and harassment at work and outsourcing. Trainees can expect increasing levels of contact with clients throughout their seat, as well as improving their legal document drafting and research skills.

During a seat in Employment, trainees create bundles for Counsel and Employment Tribunals, draft contracts of employment, carry out research on a large variety of topics, draft letters of advice and letters to the other side on contentious matters.

The team is a growing one, and trainees work one-on-one with all fee-earners and Partners.

 

FAMILY

While undertaking a seat in Family, trainees will have the opportunity to work on a range of private law family matters including divorce, financial remedies, private law children (including relocation) and prenuptial agreements.

Trainees will have client contact from the outset and will be drafting inter partes correspondence, divorce applications, Forms E and consent orders and assisting in preparations for conferences with counsel and hearings from early on in their seat. Family is a busy litigation seat and trainees will be directly involved in cases from day one, including attending client meetings, conferences with counsel and attending mediations, round table negotiations and court hearings.

The team itself is medium-sized, and trainees are encouraged to work with all fee-earners and Partners at some point during their six month seat.

There is some overlap in the work the team does with Private Client, Dispute Resolution, Crime and Immigration. The Family team also works closely with the Immigration team on Surrogacy cases.

 

IMMIGRATION

The Immigration Team is divided into four sub-teams: the private client team and three corporate teams.  Trainees can normally expect to spend around half of the seat in the private client team and the other half in the corporate teams.

Private client immigration work is centred on personal immigration matters. KN's private clients are mostly high-net worth and/or highly skilled individuals (and their families). The private client team helps clients with applying to enter and stay in the UK, applying for settlement and applying for British citizenship. The team also acts for clients making complex asylum claims in the UK, and for those whose status is affected by criminal proceedings. There is also a significant contentious element of the work, with the team regularly acting in appeals and judicial review challenges to Home Office decisions.  

Corporate immigration work involves assisting companies with bringing foreign national employees into the UK to work. KN's corporate clients are varied but consist for the most part of large multi-national firms, including law firms, architect practices and media organisations.

Trainees are also encouraged to contribute to the team’s pro bono work, which has recently included applications under the Windrush Scheme, asylum claims and applications for refugee family reunion.

The Immigration Team is large and trainees will work with all members of the team, from partners to legal assistants and paralegals.

The Immigration Team’s work often interacts with that of other teams. The team works closely with the Criminal Litigation Team (e.g. in cases where clients are facing criminal proceedings abroad or in the UK), the Private Client Team (e.g. in cases where clients need advice on issues such as tax liability), the Family Team (e.g. in cases involving international surrogacy) and the Public Team (in some judicial review matters).

Immigration is rarely out of the headlines, and legal developments are regular and far-reaching. The pace of the work is varied: corporate immigration is fast-moving, with matters concluded within days of initial instructions; while private client matters can last anywhere from a couple of months to several years.  

 

PRIVATE CLIENT

In the Private Client team, trainees will gain experience in areas such as succession planning, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Administration of Estate (probate), trusts and Court of Protection Deputyship.

The types of clients vary from high net worth individuals, families, businesses to vulnerable people. KN is often appointed to act as deputy under the Court of Protection for those without capacity. KN also acts as executors and trustees.

In broad terms, trainees have wide-ranging work – preparing wills, tax notes, Lasting Power of Attorney, Deed of Appointment and Retirement, HMRC Inheritance Tax papers to Deputyship applications and complicated estate accounts. Issues with mental capacity arise frequently and trainees are required to arrange capacity assessments where necessary. Trainees can expect daily contact with clients by phone and to regularly attend meetings with other fee earners. Each day is varied, and can include for example, attending client meetings, drafting documents, dealing with the auction of items forming part of an estate and preparing accounts.

The team is small, so trainees will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with all fee-earners. There is a large amount of cross-over work with other departments, including Real Estate, Family, Corporate and Commercial and Dispute Resolution and opportunities to work with fee-earners in other departments.

 

PUBLIC LAW

Trainees sitting in our public law team will be involved in a diverse range of cases falling within four broad categories.. Most trainees will gain court experience working on judicial review claims before the Administrative Court. You will also typically have the chance to work on at least one inquest and one public inquiry. Finally, we provide support and advice to clients on information law (covering data protection and freedom of information), including when matters get contentious. You may also be able to get involved in a cross-departmental matter, such as a criminal or regulatory investigation resourced with a mixed team from multiple practice areas.

In the course of your seat, you will generally be involved in strategy discussions and meetings within the team and with clients and barristers. You will hone your drafting skills by preparing court documents and working on witness statements. Hopefully there will be a chance to prepare for and attend at least one hearing. There will also be opportunities to hone your legal research and factual analysis by drafting memos that review the law and interpret relevant documents.

One of the particular attractions of public law is the diverse range of clients and sectors with needs in this area. We act for both public sector organisations and private clients. You might find yourself working with clients from a wide range of sectors such as politics, police work or financial services. Our most recent caseload has included religious organisations, companies, trade bodies and political groups. Equally, your client might be a regulator or a branch of government. Every case is different.

During your six months with us, we aim to ensure that you get a good grounding in the principles and procedures relevant to the cases on which you work, and a chance to work with everyone in our small and specialist group. You will be expected to take responsibility for particular projects or areas of case work, but you will also get to be in the room and see how the big picture decisions are made in high-profile cases.

 

REAL ESTATE

In the Real Estate team, trainees work on a mix of residential and commercial property transactions. The team has expanded its expertise in construction law and trainees can potentially expect experience in projects and developments.

The work is varied and highly commercial. Trainees begin advising on residential sales and purchases, and can expect to assist on more complex commercial transactions by mid-seat.

The clients are a mix of private individuals and companies, and there is a large amount of repeat client work and referrals from other departments. The Corporate and Commercial team work closely with the Real Estate team and trainees can work on the property elements of company share sales, while CoCo handles the financing and corporate documentation.

The variety of work includes advising on property developments from planning and construction phases, acting for the buyer in a multi-million pound commercial purchase and negotiating with banks on property re-financings.

Trainees draft deeds, contracts and agreements for sale, leases, licences, and can expect to have daily contact with clients. A seat in Real Estate will improve legal document drafting and reading skills.

The team is small and so trainees work one-on-one with all fee-earners and Partners. There is a large amount of cross-over work with other departments, including Private Client and Dispute Resolution and opportunities to work with fee-earners in other departments

 

REGULATORY AND PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINE

The largest client in the Regulatory Department is the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the vast majority of work the trainee will do will be to assist on HCPC investigations.

Trainees will be assigned HCPC cases together with a supervising solicitor and will be expected to manage and progress a caseload of around 20 HCPC cases with the support of the supervising solicitor.  Trainees are required to investigate the case by obtaining documents and interviewing witnesses. The trainee will then assess the allegations against the evidence and prepare a bundle for the final hearing. It is an excellent seat for developing drafting and case management skills.

There is also a growing defence practice within the team and we advise Doctors, Nurses and Therapists among other professions. Trainees should actively seek out defence work if that is something they are interested in.

Opportunities for advocacy occasionally also may arise, and trainees can take part in training sessions for the HCPC and other regulators. There is also scope for working with the Public Law team on some cross-over issues.