The Legal Cheek View
Meet Weil Gotshal & Manges at Legal Cheek’s solicitor apprenticeship application masterclass on Thursday 26 November 2026 and sixth-former insight session on Thursday 14 January 2027.
This is the Weil Gotshal & Manges profile for those considering solicitor apprenticeships. Students looking to apply for training contracts should check out Legal Cheek’s main Weil Gotshal & Manges profile.
Weil Gotshal & Manges is the first US-headquartered law firm to enter the UK solicitor apprenticeship market. The firm offers apprenticeships in London and typically recruits up to two each year. Apprentices can expect an in-depth experience in the firm’s core practice area, private equity, while also gaining valuable experience in the finance, restructuring, disputes & investigations, and private funds teams. With 15 global locations, Weil partners with top international brands and major banking institutions.
Weil apprentices say they chose the apprenticeship route for the “breadth of experience it offers” and the opportunities to build “both specialist knowledge and transferable skills”. One current apprentice explains that “the idea of taking out a student loan and still having the major risk of not attaining a training contract offer made me nervous”, describing the apprenticeship route as “an incredible opportunity”. Another insider tells Legal Cheek that, for apprentices, “by the time you qualify, you have built up years of practical experience and developed skills that you might not have had the same opportunity to develop through the traditional university and training contract route.”
Weil in particular was attractive to its current apprentices because “the firm’s lean teams allow you the opportunity to work directly with colleagues of all levels of experience from an early stage in your career,” an insider explains, adding, “this gives you invaluable insight into how to approach complex work and genuine opportunities to contribute to interesting matters.” Another source says, “personally, I was interested in the corporate side of law, particularly high-value, impactful deals, which Weil specialises in”.
We’re told that Weil’s apprentices start their journey with two business services “mini-seats”, lasting two months each, before transitioning into their first legal team. This initial phase provides recruits with insight into the firm’s operations behind the scenes. We hear from Weil’s current apprentices that these seats “can range from business development and events to the accounts team or the pro bono team”. One of our inside sources finds this structure particularly useful: “This gave us time to adapt to working life”, they say, adding, “it’s also nice to know a few more faces around the firm.” Another source points out that the mini-seats provide a useful opportunity to “understand how a law firm operates as a business before starting legal seats.”
Following this, apprentices spend the next four years rotating through the firm’s busy legal teams while pursuing their law degree part-time, one day a week. A current apprentice praises these year-long seats, describing how they give apprentices “enough time to properly integrate into a team and see how matters develop over an extended period” and “the opportunity to understand the bigger picture rather than only seeing individual pieces of work in isolation.”
Insiders praise the training they have received so far which, they say, “combines structured learning and practical application, enabling you to quickly understand the theory and practical need for every task and aspect to a transaction or case.” One source says, “When I am given a task, particularly if it is something I have not done before, associates will give me clear instructions and are always happy to sit down with me and talk through the task in more detail.”
Offering a window into life as a Weil apprentice, one insider reveals that “the nature of the work is varied and differs based on the practice area. For example, apprentices in the disputes and investigations team have been given the opportunity to draft correspondence, research complex areas of law and participate in due diligence exercises.” Another apprentice in the finance team reveals that “some of the tasks I deal with day-to-day are drafting documents for review by a supervisor; researching and providing reports on relevant companies; and keeping track of various work-streams across different matters.” The work on offer is praised by apprentices, with one telling LC, “one of the main strengths of the firm is the high-level work, and the fact you are introduced to this very early on, but always with sufficient support.”
Balancing this hands-on learning with academic work can be challenging, but insiders assure us that the combination of their protected study day and study leave ahead of exams is “a realistic way to keep on top of academic requirements while maintaining plenty of time to get involved in work at the firm.” One apprentice describes the balance as “very manageable”. This is down to the fact that “my team knows that Friday is our university day, while the university understands that we are working throughout the rest of the week, so the structure is designed around balancing both commitments.” We also hear there is plenty of support on offer. One source reveals that “there are regular check-ins with your coach at BPP to ensure that you’re on track with your learning” while another shares that “my team is very conscious of my workload” and supervisors are “more than happy to step in and take work back” to prevent apprentices being overloaded.
In the final two years of the programme, apprentices begin studying for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) under Weil’s novel “block learning approach”. Instead of studying for the SQE part-time while working, apprentices will study full-time for eight months after their initial four years. The firm says this dedicated period allows apprentices to fully focus on the challenging exams before returning to the firm full-time, ensuring they are well-prepared and ready to hit the ground running for their final phase of the programme.
During the final 18 months of the firm’s solicitor apprenticeship, adventurous apprentices will have the opportunity to undertake a six-month international secondment in Washington DC, Hong Kong, Paris or New York. Apprentices cite this “exciting” opportunity as a key factor setting Weil’s apprenticeship programme apart. These final months will mark the completion of the six-year programme, with apprentices emerging as qualified commercial solicitors.
But it’s not all work and no play at this global firm. Apprentices can expect to join the graduate trainee ranks for social activities from the start. With a trainee intake of around 15 a year, newbies will likely get to know the rest of the juniors quickly. One of our inside sources tells us that “being a smaller cohort has been really nice. It naturally creates closer-knit relationships, both between apprentices and with trainees.” We hear that these relationships are important for the social side of the apprenticeship as well as for support and advice. Overall, the firm is described as an open and friendly place, with one insider emphasising “how genuinely invested people are in your development” while another reveals that “people I haven’t worked with before have been keen to hear about my experience and are always happy to grab a coffee and get to know me.”
Firm-wide social events are complemented by events with Weil’s Affinity networks, including WeilPride, Women@Weil, and Black Lawyers Achieving Success Together (BLAST). Apprentices are invited to an initial induction day and the firm’s summer party, providing plenty of opportunities to get to know their teams before they start.
Offering insider top tips for securing a coveted apprenticeship offer, one source advises candidates to “find transferable skills from a wide variety of experience: anything from work experience schemes at City law firms, to a Saturday job, sports team or volunteering.” For this apprentice, “some of my most valuable skills came from working in a fast food restaurant: as much as it felt a bit strange to talk about in an interview, it worked!” Another apprentice insider advises future applicants to “evaluate why you want to pursue this path.” Get ready to answer questions on ‘Why corporate law?’ and ‘Why a solicitor apprenticeship?’ in a way that is “genuine and uniquely tailored to you”. This is echoed by another apprentice who explains that apprenticeship “is a big commitment, so having a genuine reason for choosing it is important and I think that comes across much better in an application or interview than giving an answer you think people want to hear.”
Our insiders’ final piece of advice is: “Try not to worry too much. Approach the application journey with confidence and try to enjoy the process.”
This is Weil Gotshal & Manges’ Solicitor Apprenticeship profile. Read Weil Gotshal & Manges’ full Legal Cheek profile here.