Key information:
- Scheme dates:
- Spring: Monday 31 March to Friday 11 April 2025
- Summer one: Monday 23 June to Friday 4 July 2025
- Summer two: Monday 7 to Friday 18 July 2025
- Salary - £450 per week
- Application open date – Monday 23 September 2024
- Application close date – Friday 3 January 2025
About the scheme
You get hands-on experience enabling you to develop a real understanding of the firm’s culture and our work. You may draft a letter to a client, then work through it with an associate or trainee. You may research a pressing issue on a live piece of work. Or, you may sit in on a client meeting. In addition to this, you carry out a mock transaction that runs throughout the two weeks.
Away from the work, the scheme has a strong social component. This includes socials with trainees, lunch with partners and coffees with other representatives from across the firm.
During your two weeks at the firm, you take part in:
- a mock transaction negotiation with your fellow vacation scheme participants;
- introductory sessions to a variety of our practice areas;
- sessions exploring our business development and international strategies;
- an introductory session with the inclusion and CSR team;
- multiple networking opportunities with partners, associates, trainees and other representatives from across the firm;
- a one to one meeting with an associate to talk about work beyond being a trainee;
- evening social events with your fellow vacation scheme participants, trainees and the early legal careers team; and
- work shadowing with a trainee in two separate practice areas.
- In the second week you are assessed for the training programme.
Assessment process
Complete this application form if you would like to apply for a place on one of our vacation schemes. You will then be sent a link to our online assessment, which you will have seven days to complete.
We invite candidates with the strongest application forms to attend a vacation scheme assessment day.
There are three assessments which are all application blind:
- an interview with a partner and a senior associate, which is split into two sections: a case study exercise and a skills-based interview;
- a written exercise; and
- a group exercise.
We welcome applications from candidates regardless of degree discipline as long as they are at least in their penultimate year of study.
It was emphasised throughout the scheme that this was a two-way process, so we were given the opportunity and space to decide if Macfarlanes was truly the right firm for us.