The University of Bristol Law Fair is just around the corner!
The Law Fair will take place on Thursday 9 October, from 12:30 pm to 4 pm and will be held at Wills Memorial Building.
This is the perfect opportunity for those of you interested in law to explore a career in the legal sector. This year, we’re pleased to welcome Birketts LLP as our fair sponsor. Representatives from the firm will be coming along to the fair to speak with students, and they’ve also kindly contributed a blog post about their company and shared top tips on applying for their vacation scheme.
About Birketts
Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 service law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based across our seven office localities; Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks.
We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally. Our business is divided into four principal practice groups: real estate, corporate services, commercial dispute resolution and private client.
With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 42% of our partnership.
Our training contract structure
At Birketts, our training contracts are designed to offer a comprehensive and hands-on training experience, supported by a dedicated Early Careers Team, Early Careers Partners, and tailored learning modules. Trainees are immersed in high-quality work from day one, gaining direct client exposure and developing key legal skills such as negotiation, drafting, and networking—all within a supportive and balanced environment. Our commitment to nurturing talent is reflected in our recent Legal Cheek ratings, where our 2024/25 cohort awarded us A* for overall training, peer support, and work-life balance.
Our two-year training contract is divided into four six-month seats across our core divisions: Real Estate, Corporate, Private Client, and Dispute Resolution. Trainees have the opportunity to explore both core and niche areas of law, with seat preferences considered from the second rotation onwards. Alongside this, our exclusive partnership with the University of Law ensures flexible and fully sponsored study options for both law and non-law students, including SQE Plus and Law Essentials. We stay connected with future trainees who are completing their studies through regular newsletters, offering insights and exam tips to support their journey into law.
What to Expect from Our Summer Vacation Scheme
Our annual two-week summer vacation scheme is a fantastic opportunity to experience life as a trainee solicitor at Birketts. Running across all seven of our offices (including Bristol) in the last week of June and the first week of July, the scheme is designed to give you a real taste of what it’s like to work at a UK Top 50 law firm. You’ll explore three different practice areas, work directly with our Partners, take part in networking events, and get involved in exercises like mock trials or negotiation simulations. It’s a chance to build core legal skills, meet our people, and see our culture in action. Plus, by taking part, you’ll automatically be considered for a training contract—94% of our 2027 trainee cohort came through the scheme.
We’re proud to offer a structured and supportive experience, starting with a full induction and continuing with dedicated supervision throughout the fortnight. You’ll be involved in live matters, attend client meetings, and get a genuine feel for trainee-level work. At the end of the scheme, you’ll have a 1:1 debrief with the Early Careers Partners from your office to reflect on your experience and celebrate your achievements. Our interns consistently rate the scheme highly—100% of our 2025 participants gave our friendly and welcoming colleagues a 5-star rating and said they’d recommend the scheme to a friend.
Hear from a Future Bristol Trainee
Pearce Doherty, an incoming 2027 trainee who studied Law at the University of Bristol, took part in our 2025 summer vacation scheme at our Bristol office. He’s written a fantastic article reflecting on his experience, offering insights into what it’s really like to be part of the scheme—from the quality of work to the supportive culture. You can read Pearce’s full article here.
How to Apply
Applications for our 2026 summer vacation scheme will open on Monday 3 November and close on Monday 5 January 2026. You can apply directly through our website.
When you complete your application form, you will be asked to take part in an online assessment.
If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be contacted by our Early Careers team and invited to an assessment centre in February 2026.
Top tips for your application
All firms will look for differing things from their candidates, so we have included our top three tips to help your Birketts application shine.
- Do your research – and then dig deeper. Go beyond the ‘About Us’ page. Explore our recent cases, initiatives, or team members. Find something that genuinely interests you and tell us why—it shows curiosity and motivation.
- Accuracy matters. Attention to detail is a key skill for any solicitor. Double-check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. A polished application speaks volumes about your professionalism.
- Show us who you are. We value individuality and shared values. Let your personality shine through—tell us what drives you, what you care about, and what you’ll bring to Birketts.
Check out mycareer to find out more about other law firms that will be attending this years Law Fair.
