Trainee solicitor programme

Once you’ve accepted your training contract, we’ll stay in regular contact to help you feel confident and supported ahead of your start date.

You’ll be matched with a buddy, usually a current trainee who joined the year before you. They’ll be on hand to offer advice, answer questions and share insights from their own experience. We’ll also introduce you to the other trainees starting at the same time, so you’ll have a ready-made network from day one.

Throughout your pre-joining period, you’ll be invited to externally facilitated development sessions designed to complement your SQE preparation course and help you feel ready for the exams. These sessions are usually followed by a social event, giving you the opportunity to get to know your future colleagues and build relationships within your cohort.

In June, you’ll be invited to our annual Seat Fair, where you can meet lawyers from across the firm, learn more about our practice areas and ask questions before submitting your preferences for your first seat. Around the same time, we’ll also welcome you to our ‘Hello Day’ in our Tunbridge Wells office, designed to give you all the information you need before starting your training contract and help you begin building your network across the firm. Both events are great opportunities to reconnect with your future colleagues and get a feel for life at Cripps before you join.

Cripps has offices in London, Tunbridge Wells and Horsham. When you receive your training contract offer, you will be assigned one of these locations as your home office. We will ask for your preferred location during the recruitment process and will do our best to accommodate this, although we cannot guarantee that everyone will be placed in their first-choice office.

As part of your training contract, you will be expected to complete seats across our different office locations. This provides exposure to a wider range of teams, clients and experiences across the firm. Where you are required to work from an office other than your home office, support will be provided in line with our travel and expenses policy.

Your training contract will begin with a comprehensive induction programme in early September, designed to give you the tools, knowledge, and confidence to thrive from day one in your first seat.

The induction is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your trainee cohort, meet Partners and colleagues across the firm, and get a real sense of our culture and values. You’ll be introduced to key teams and initiatives, including our charity committee, EDI and wellbeing programmes, and learn how you can get involved.

You’ll also meet our professional support lawyers, the talent development team and participate practical and skills-based sessions to ensure you’re fully equipped for the journey ahead.

Our training contract runs for two years, and we ask all trainees to commit to the full duration—even if you have “time to count” under the LPC route or have completed Qualifying Work Experience under the SQE pathway. We believe the breadth of experience gained across the full programme is invaluable, and the structured training and development you receive will set you up for success as you transition into a newly qualified role.

Trainees join us in September and rotate through four seats over the course of the contract. There’s a wide range of seats available across real estate, corporate, and private client, spread across our three office locations. We expect trainees to complete seats, across all three of our office locations. You’ll have the opportunity to express your seat preferences, and while we do our best to accommodate them, seats are subject to availability and business requirements.

From day one, you’ll be working on live matters, engaging directly with clients and other professionals. You’ll be supported through regular supervision, a mix of formal and informal training, and a working environment that encourages collaboration while empowering you to take initiative and grow with confidence.

All trainee solicitors and solicitor apprentices take part in our Future Lawyers Programme, a structured development journey that runs alongside their training contract and continues into their first year as a newly qualified lawyer. Designed to complement technical legal training, the programme helps future lawyers build the professional, client and commercial skills needed to succeed in modern practice. Through a blend of interactive workshops, practical learning, supervisor support and workplace application, participants develop confidence, professional judgement, client awareness and commercial understanding. The programme is tailored to each stage of development, helping our future lawyers contribute effectively, build trusted relationships and transition successfully into qualified practice.

You’ll benefit from comprehensive technical training delivered by our experienced team of professional support lawyers, who run in-depth subject matter sessions at the start of each seat. Most of your learning, however, will take place ‘on the job’, guided by your supervisor. To support your development, you’ll receive a tailored checklist for each seat to ensure key areas are covered, alongside monthly progress meetings with your supervisor. At the end of each seat, we’ll conduct a performance review and provide honest, constructive feedback focused on identifying your strengths and development areas.

Beyond formal training, you’ll be encouraged to take initiative in organising firm-wide and charitable events, and to actively participate in our wide range of sports and social groups.

In 2021, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) as the new route to qualification for solicitors in England and Wales. The SQE is gradually replacing the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and is now the primary route to qualification for future solicitors.

Trainees joining our 2027 cohort and beyond will follow our SQE programme, delivered in partnership with BARBRI. Alongside BARBRI’s SQE preparation courses, trainees benefit from a structured programme of support from Cripps, including externally facilitated revision and exam preparation sessions, study leave and regular guidance throughout the qualification process.

We are committed to helping our future trainees succeed and will provide support throughout both stages of the SQE, alongside the practical experience gained through your training contract at Cripps.

Unless you have already passed the SQE, successful candidates will join BARBRI’s SQE preparation programme before starting their training contract.

Candidates who have not studied law will first complete BARBRI’s Foundations in Law course, designed to provide the legal knowledge needed to progress onto SQE preparation.

This is followed by a 20-week SQE1 preparation course, with assessments typically sat in January, and then a 20-week SQE2 preparation course, with assessments typically sat in April. Alongside BARBRI’s programme, Cripps provides additional support through externally facilitated revision and exam preparation sessions, together with opportunities to connect with fellow future trainees through cohort socials.

Following completion of SQE2, you will take part in BARBRI’s Prep for Practice programme. This course is designed to bridge the gap between passing the SQE assessments and starting life as a trainee solicitor, helping you build the practical skills, confidence and commercial awareness needed for your training contract.

Throughout the programme, you will receive support from both BARBRI and Cripps, ensuring you are well prepared for the demands of practice and able to make the most of your training contract experience.

We recognise receiving exam results is a challenging time, particularly those related to the SQE exams. The Firm may use its discretion to support one resit of SQE1 and/or SQE2.

Where a resit is agreed, the firm will pay the cost of the resit and will consider a deferral of the training contract start date. It is important to note that a deferral to the following year cannot be guaranteed.

Our training contract offers will continue to be conditional on a first time pass on the SQE, but this is subject to the resit policy above.

Not at all! We welcome applications from both law and non-law students and graduates. Our cohorts join us with a variety of experience, having studied a range of different subjects. If you have not studied law, and are made a training contract offer, we will ask you to study the PDGL (the course replacing the GDL) before beginning your SQE studies. This will allow you to develop your legal knowledge and key professional capabilities as well providing you with important foundational elements for your SQE1 assessment.

We no longer offer sponsorship for candidates who wish to study the LPC. However, if you have already completed and passed the LPC, please feel free to apply in this recruitment round.

We cannot reimburse the cost of your LPC should we offer you a training contract.

We run our recruitment two years in advance, so our earlier intakes are usually already full. However, should there become spaces available for candidates to join an earlier cohort, we will consider this on a case-by-case basis.

SQE

Cripps will pay 100% of the course fees for BARBRI’s SQE preparation programme. This includes:

• BARBRI’s Foundations in Law course, where required for candidates who have not studied a law degree
• The 20-week SQE1 preparation course
• The 20-week SQE2 preparation course
• BARBRI’s Prep for Practice programme

We will also cover the SRA examination fees for one attempt at both SQE1 and SQE2.

In addition to the BARBRI programme, future trainees benefit from a range of support from Cripps, including externally facilitated exam preparation sessions, study leave and opportunities to connect with their cohort before joining the firm.

Law Conversion Courses

Where a candidate has not studied a law degree, Cripps will fund BARBRI’s Foundations in Law course as part of our SQE pathway. We are unable to fund law conversion or equivalent courses delivered by other providers.

LPC

We no longer fund the Legal Practice Course (LPC). However, candidates who have already completed and passed the LPC are welcome to apply for our training contract programme.

Training costs already paid

Unfortunately, Cripps is unable to reimburse any training costs already paid to BARBRI or any other training provider.

Trainees also receive a comprehensive benefits package from their first day of employment, including a salary adjustment while undertaking any London based seat as well as the associated travel costs to London. Salaries are benchmarked regularly against the market and are reviewed in May each year.

We can only accept applications from individuals who have already secured the necessary permissions to work in the UK.