White & Case LLP - True Picture

White & Case training contract review 2025

The Firm

Fancy yourself a globetrotter? As one of a select few firms to guarantee an international secondment, a training contract at White & Case will be right up your alley. With 44 offices across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia, from Frankfurt to Seoul, White & Case has well earned its place on the global stage. As training principal Victoria Landsbert emphasises, “We pride ourselves on being a truly nationwide and global firm, so we can offer trainees some of the largest and most prestigious international work.”

Historically speaking, White & Case has some of the strongest international credentials too. It was one of the first US firms to establish an overseas office – starting with Paris – and was even one of the first to set up shop in London back in the 70s. Internationalism is clearly embedded into life at the firm, as evidenced by one of our sources who commented that their first matter was spread across eleven different jurisdictions. Aspiring solicitors at White & Case are frequently able to work with their colleagues across borders, and this cross-border work sweeps up top-notch rankings in Chambers UK for capital markets, both equity and debt. White & Case also has exceptional strength nationwide in the international arbitration elements of construction, oil and gas, and infrastructure, securing another host of gold medals across these practices, and the firm also wins big in Chambers Global.

“It perfectly combines the elite work and high salary of US firms with the legacy of training in the English market.”

The cosmopolitan nature of the firm was a big point of appeal for trainees too, as one confessed, “I loved the international expertise and reach. It perfectly combines the elite work and high salary of US firms with the legacy of training in the English market.” And similarly to American firms, there’s also a slightly smaller trainee intake: “The intake size is particularly good – about 50 trainees a year. So, you know all the other trainees, but you’re not lost in the system. Because of it, you’re given a good level of work.”

The Seats

The seat allocation process has recently changed, with trainees providing a written statement and ranking each department from one to 19. The written portion gives you a chance to explain why you are interested in a certain seat and how you see your training contract progressing. This is thought to be a good opportunity to strengthen your application, although it’s not mandatory; our interviewees were pleased with the new system, which has seen 90% of trainees get one of their top three choices. “It gives the firm a broader idea of what you want to do,” said one, “it means they know what your seventh choice would be rather than your 17th.” A finance seat – such as debt finance, restructuring, capital markets, or project finance – is a compulsory element of the training contract at the firm.

“…you don’t tend to do any work without at least one other office being involved.”

The guaranteed international secondment was a massive draw for our interviewees, and it’s highly encouraged as it allows you to forge cross-office connections – especially considering one of the firm’s values is ‘united.’ When it comes time to lobby for your preferred secondment, a list of seats and locations are released, and trainees speak with graduate recruitment: “You can just tell them business reasons why you want to go, like if you’re worked with the location before, that you want to qualify into a certain team, or language reasons.” Paris was the current cohort’s most in demand destination, with around five trainees undertaking their secondment there. One hailed it as a “great opportunity to see how other offices work, which is especially beneficial at W&C, as you don’t tend to do any work without at least one other office being involved.”

Capital markets was a popular seat choice amongst our interviewees, and it’s a sizeable department with several sub-teams including structured finance, debt capital markets, and equity capital markets. That said, there is rolling training throughout all the subgroups to ensure no trainee is pigeonholed into one section. Due to the high calibre of work the department takes on, it offers trainee and associate development opportunities every few weeks, on top of a two-week induction. There are frequently multiple jurisdictions involved in any given matter, so trainees can become somewhat familiar with French, Italian and US law – and this group is also a good way to tick off your compulsory finance seat! Within work like this, newbies can expect to work on drafting offers and memorandums, helping to turn comments on those too. One interviewee told us, “Although you can’t get involved in the mechanical parts of a deal, you are very much encouraged to look at the documents and start drafting client advice. You can also lead on the due diligence side, looking through the data room and advising clients on their options of selling bonds, raising private debt, etc.” As expected, the hours can be a bit more demanding in this seat, so some of our sources reported a few all-nighters. However, one stated, “I do still finish at six or seven some days, so it varies. I’ve never worked late when someone senior isn’t.”

Another seat available to trainees is the energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance group – or EIPAF for short. This seat is “much more than your mundane tasks,” and with the department handling projects of great magnitude, insiders admitted that this seat requires a lot of hard work and long hours. Don’t stress, though: newbies are given a proper induction before getting stuck into any work. Tasks include CP checklists (a drawdown checklist which is used for cross-border and non-English loan finance transactions,) note-taking, and sitting in on calls. As one interviewee laughed, “Note-taking might sound boring, but someone needs those notes!” Another shed some light on the team, telling us, “I had such a good relationship with everyone. I never felt like I couldn’t ask them for something.” As you develop, there is also the chance to get involved in more complex work, most notably bespoke contract drafting.

The firm’s client list for international arbitration consists of some heavy hitters, and insiders reported that their main duties involve legal research, document review, and proofreading. Partners also take trainees along with them to hearings and client interviews. Be warned, though, that this seat is research heavy: “I often researched a matter for three or four hours at a time. I also did a lot of proofreading.” As time goes on, you can have a go at drafting minor claims and administrative reports, and there are “plenty of opportunities to ask questions in client meetings.”

“The responsibility has accelerated my learning and development, as out of your comfort zone is where growth happens.”

Private equity“may be a scary first seat for some people, but it is also very rewarding.” In typical W&C fashion, matters in this department will rarely involve just one jurisdiction. So, as you would expect, “there is plenty of interaction with local counsel.” This department doesn’t waste any time getting rookies in front of clients, as one told us, “I got client contact from very early on. Within my first month, I would wake up to a lot of emails from clients.” Other tasks include drafting documents of equity injections and due diligence reports, reviewing contracts, and drafting resolutions. When it comes to signing, trainees track documents and launch DocuSign envelopes. Newbies are also encouraged to partake in business development through giving presentations and attending meetings. Juniors do eventually get given their own work streams, so overall, our sources were pleased with the amount of responsibility they received. One affirmed that it “has accelerated my learning and development, as out of your comfort zone is where growth happens.”

Trainee Life

White & Case’s office is nestled comfortably in the heart of the City, right between Bank and Liverpool Street stations. Alongside a hefty (and just increased) first-year trainee salary of £62k, trainees can revel in the fact that they never need to pay for a meal again. Why? The firm provides all three meals daily, “which is a massive perk!” So much so that our sources didn’t feel the need to use their Deliveroo/Uber Eats late night meal allowance – the food in the canteen is just that good. There are even baristas working on the premises, as well as a juice and protein shake bar! Despite this tempting offering, the firm’s only mandatory in-office days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Hours, of course, vary, with several interviewees telling us that they work some late nights and weekends. This was the consensus amongst our survey respondents too who reported lower happiness with their hours than the market average. However, insiders assured us that this balances out overall, and there is no expectation to stay in the office past 6.30pm if you don’t have any work to do.

All our sources commented that the culture was another main selling point: “I think everyone from your fellow trainees, who are some of my closest friends, to partners is super approachable and willing to give you a hand.” We were also told there is a big contingent for after work drinks every Thursday, and employees even get a discount at one of the local pubs. There are plenty of other events too, some as creative as pasta-making and a three-day firmwide football cup of around 1,500 W&C’ers! Other events include everything from Bollywood dancing workshops, Seder table gatherings, and fai chun – Chinese calligraphy classes. White & Case also regularly host athletes, authors and actors like Lauren Ridloff, Tom Daley, and Jill Scott MBE who share personal stories and insights on identity. In terms of pro bono, there are regular emails from the global pro bono team inviting everyone to participate. All trainees are required to complete 20 hours of pro bono annually, but according to insiders, this is easily achievable even before the end of your first seat. Even better, those who go above and beyond the mandatory 20 hours are bestowed a special star award! Some pro bono work trainees can get involved in includes research into immigration and asylum matters, the London Zoo, and the Cornell Death Penalty Project.

“Everyone from your fellow trainees, who are some of my closest friends, to partners is super approachable and willing to give you a hand.”

There is a formalised feedback process when it comes to supervision, but we were told that supervisors are always happy to go for a coffee and catch up. (This won’t be difficult considering the food and beverage offerings in the office!) “I have received really good feedback on my work,” nodded one newbie, “they are committed to learning and development.” The firm also has a trainee buddy system which is great for day-to-day advice, and each department offers two-week training at the start of each seat too.

Good news! Those we spoke to were keen to continue their career at the firm, and the qualification process was described as “transparent.” Early careers circulates a list of qualification seats for which trainees then submit their CVs. White & Case’s retention rate sits higher than average at around 87%, and in September 2024, the firm retained all 21 of its cohort.

How to get a White & Case training contract

• Training contract deadline: 12 July 2026
• Winter vacation scheme deadline: 26 October 2025
• Spring vacation scheme deadline: 12 January 2026
• Summer vacation scheme deadline: 12 January 2026
• Open days deadline: 30 October 2025
• STEM open day deadline: 8 February 2026
• University Insight Scheme deadline: 12 April 2026
• Solicitor Apprenticeship deadline:  4 January 2026
• Solicitor Apprenticeship Open Day deadline: 2 November 2026

White & Case has several ways for prospective trainees to get to know the firm, from vacation and insight schemes to open days. Of course, if you’ve already made up your mind, then there is also the option to apply directly for the training contract.

Open days and insight schemes

White & Case holds two open days in November as well as two, two-day insight schemes in May. The former, says Early Careers Legal Recruitment and Development Manager Gemma Barns, are “for penultimate-year students, finalists and graduates from any degree discipline,” while the insight schemes are also for any degree discipline, but are aimed at first-year students only.

In both instances, those interested “are required to submit an online application form.” However, if you’re not lucky enough to attend one of these, Barns says they’re “a stand-alone opportunity” and are not part of the application process for a vacation scheme or training contract at the firm.

The vacation scheme

One route into the firm is via its three vacation schemes, which take 25 people each. Running in winter, spring and summer, each one is two weeks long and “participants sit in one practice area during the vacation scheme,” Barns explains. “This allows them to develop really strong supervisor and buddy relationships over the two weeks, and to take on more advanced work as the scheme progresses.” Barns tells us that during vacation schemes, participants can expect to do “real client work, which can include drafting memos, legal research, attending meetings and court hearings, for example.” The aim, says Barns, is to ensure that “participants get exposure to our different practice areas and members of the firm across all levels, allowing them to build their networks both professionally and personally.” If that’s sounding rather tasty, be aware that the firm gets approximately 3,000 applications, which takes the form of an online application and covering letter. From there, it’s a “video interview assessed by the graduate resourcing team” followed by “a face-to-face interview with a member of the team and one associate, plus a written assessment.”

The training contract

For those looking to score the training contract, W&C want-to-be trainees need a solid 2:1, or be on track to get one, and an AAB at A level, or equivalent. However, it’s not all about the academics and Barns tells us that “we are looking for candidates with a broad range of experiences and transferable skills that allow them to thoroughly demonstrate the competencies that we are looking for.” Rather than a one size fits all approach, Barns explains, “we actively seek out people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to join our global teams.” To ensure the process is as fair as possible, Barns tells us the firm has several measures in place. “We use Rare Recruitment’s Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) which allows us to review every candidate application in context of their background,” Barns explains. Furthermore, the firm operates “blind recruitment whereby interviewers don’t receive a copy of the candidate’s application before, during or after the interview. This puts all candidates on a level footing during the interview process as the interviewers assess candidates against our set competencies.” The firm also has “one on one conversations with candidates who notify us that they have a disability or long-term health condition to understand any adjustments they require.”

White & Case receives around 1,500 applications for the training contract each year, and as with the vacation scheme, this starts off with a cover letter and online application form. For those applying directly, the firm “runs assessment centres, of approximately eight candidates” per assessment. These centres “include a written assessment, group business simulation, interview with one member of the Early Careers Legal Recruitment and Development team and one associate, and a networking lunch with current trainees,” Barns tells us. “Successful candidates are then invited to a training contract interview with two partners, including delivering a pre-prepared commercial presentation.”

Prior to the assessment centre and following the online application, applicants will do a video interview, where Barns tells us, “Candidates will answer three questions. They’ll have 15 seconds to prepare for each question and 90 seconds to answer. Before they answer the questions, they’ll have the opportunity to complete a practice question to help them feel more at ease.”

For direct applicants, there is also a 30-minute telephone interview with a member of the Early Careers Legal Recruitment and Development team, “and the questions focus on the competencies we look for in our trainee solicitors,” says Barns.

As with the vacation scheme, Barns says face-to-face interviews are an opportunity to meet the team, associates and partners. Barns says, “We want to hear about candidates’ experiences so far and why they’re interested in a career in law. We also want to know why they’re interested in joining White & Case.”

Whatever the route in, Barns is at pains to explain that “through our assessment and interview processes, we are looking for candidates who have real integrity, are driven to succeed, share our mindset and client focus, and those who are a demonstrated team player.”

The firm offers 50 training contracts each year, more than any other international firm in London.