South Africa
Based in our Johannesburg office
Show meAll our applications are submitted online on via our application portal. There is no need to submit a CV and a cover letter. We will also not accept any CV's or cover letters sent via email.
Your gateway to Pinsent Masons
Our vacation placement programme is the perfect introduction to Pinsent Masons and a pathway to securing articles at the firm. We meticulously design, structure, and develop the programme to provide you with an experience that is both practical and enjoyable, while genuinely reflecting the trainee experience.
Navigating your vacation placement journey
Our two-week vacation placement programme often serves as the first opportunity for many individuals to work in a professional setting. We ensure this initial step is a smooth one through a day one induction, welcoming you to the firm and encouraging you to seize every opportunity. You will be paired with a dedicated supervisor and a buddy who will guide you throughout the placement, assign hands-on tasks, provide constructive feedback, and address any questions you may have about the firm.
Building Professional Skills
The primary goal of our programme is to give you the chance to experience what it means to be part of the Pinsent Masons team and to develop transferable professional skills, boosting your confidence along the way. Additionally, this is an excellent opportunity to understand the social dynamics, forge friendships, and begin constructing a valuable network of contacts for your future career.
Vacation placement to training contract
If you are offered a placement, it signifies that we already recognise you as a potential trainee. During your time with us, we will strive to give you every opportunity to validate our confidence in you. This is why our vacation placement students are not required to submit a separate application for our candidate attorney programme; in our perspective, you are already being considered. Throughout your placement, we will facilitate your development of knowledge, skills, and confidence, gathering feedback from your team to assess the outcome of your training contract application.
Candidates typically apply for our vacation placement programme two years in advance of when they wish to commence their candidate attorney programme.
Our commitment to diversity & inclusion
Our firm is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, and support applications from individuals of all backgrounds.
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If you don’t meet the above minimum academic criteria but you have mitigating circumstances, there’s an opportunity for you to include this information in your registration form.
- Applications open: 24th February 2026
- Applications close: 29th May 2026
- Programme start: The placement will take place during the months of June/July 2026
- Programme duration: 2 weeks
A stipend will be paid for the two weeks of your placement.
What is the recruitment process?
The below shows the typical recruitment process for our Early Talent programmes in our UK, Dublin, Johannesburg and Dubai offices.
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01. Registration & application form
Tell us about yourself, your academic history and your employment history where applicable. We also gather information about you to support our contextualized recruitment approach.
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02. Online blended assessment
The next stage of the recruitment process will involve completing our online blended assessment. This includes completing a range of situational judgment questions, a short written exercise and two video questions, allowing us to evaluate how you would perform in different scenarios.
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03. Assessment centre
If you pass the online blended assessment, we’ll ask you to book a place at one of our in-person assessment centres. You will complete three exercises over the day – This will include a one-to-one interview, a business simulation exercise and a case study.
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04. Offer
Whatever the outcome, we’ll let you know as soon as we can after the assessment centre. If you display the key attributes we are looking for and perform well throughout the assessment, we’ll send you an offer and talk you through the onboarding process.
How to apply
To start your application, please click on apply now. Once you have registered an account, you will need to complete the following before the application closing date:
- Registration form
- Application form
- Online blended assessment
Once you have submitted all of the above, our recruitment team will review your application alongside your online blended assessment and will be in touch in due course regarding your outcome.
Frequently asked questions
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Do I need to submit my CV and cover letter when applying?
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Is it compulsory to have a driver's licence?
No, a driver’s licence is not a requirement for any of our graduate programmes in Johannesburg.
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Do you offer a relocation package if I am outside the province?
Unfortunately, we do not offer any relocation packages for our graduate programmes in Johannesburg.
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Will I be informed if my application is unsuccessful?
Yes, we will aim to deliver all outcomes as soon as possible after the application closing date passes. Please bear with us as we receive a high volume of applications each year.
Early Talent
Want to find out more about our work experience, apprenticeships, vacation placements or training contracts? You’ll find everything you need here.
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What’s it like to work at Pinsent Masons?
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to work here? Hear from some of our people sharing their experiences, our culture, and what truly sets us apart.
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