16 years of age, at least. GCSE grade 7-9 or equivalent. Studying A or AS levels or equivalent. High grades expected in your A Levels or equivalent.
If you’re interested in a legal career, our school legal work experience programme, set to be delivered online in 2022, offers the perfect way to find out if law is the right career for you.
Join us for a 4-day online work experience placement and you’ll get a full overview of what it’s like to work in a leading commercial law firm. You’ll get valuable experience and discover for yourself what law in practice is really like. What’s more, the experience will give your CV a real boost.
Whatever your background, legal knowledge or experience it’s a great way to get an insight into the commercial world and develop your skill-set. So, what are you waiting for?
If successful in securing a place, you will need access to a computer or laptop and an Internet connection to take part. A headset would be beneficial but not essential. You will not be required to come into an office.
After you have applied why not also take a look at our open access virtual work experience programme.
You’ll get a full overview of what it’s like to work in a leading commercial law firm; gain valuable experience and discover for yourself what law in practice is really like. What’s more, the experience will give your CV a real boost.
We’ve designed the programme so you’ll work with – and learn from – some of our top legal talent. And we’ve aimed to make it interesting, informative and fun. Our previous students really enjoyed their placements and said they were particularly impressed by how close the online programme was to an in-person experience.
We believe the legal profession should reflect society as a whole and want to develop both a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace. That’s why we were one of the first law firms to sign up for PRIME, the legal sector’s commitment to providing high-quality work experience.
Running for over 10 years, our award-winning programme is one of the largest in the legal sector. In fact, we offer placements to over 150 students each year across our nine UK and Irish offices, around 50 of which are linked to our PRIME Commitment.
Each year, we’re seeing candidates from a greater variety of backgrounds applying for our vacation placements and training contracts. In many cases, those who apply to us had their introduction to law through our school work experience programme.
After your placement, you can further develop your interest in, and experience of, commercial law. You could undertake work experience at another firm or undertake a virtual placement.
If you decide to go to university, you can apply to us for a Vacation Placement or a Training Contract. We normally recruit our Trainees two years in advance, so you should take that into consideration in your overall planning.
Even if you decide the law isn’t for you, you’ll have learned some valuable skills that can be transferred into a wide range of careers.
If you don’t meet the above criteria but there are mitigating circumstances that explain why you’ve failed to meet the minimum academic requirements, there’s an opportunity for you to include this information in your application.
If you’re interested in a legal career it’s important to find the right firm and the right area of law for you. Join our school legal work placement programme, set to be delivered online in 2022, and you’ll learn skills that will be valuable wherever the future takes you.
You’ll learn how the law has a commercial impact on our clients and find out about practice areas like Banking and Employment. You’ll also get an insight into the qualifications you might need for a legal career, so you can make future decisions based on knowledge and experience.
We’ve designed an interesting, informative and fun programme. You’ll work with – and learn from – some of our top people. Here’s what you can look forward to:
We think it’s a great placement and probably why we were the top ranked law firm in Rate My Apprenticeship’s Top 100 Employers for the last 3 years.
Here are the dates for our 2022 Virtual Legal School Work Experience Programme. No applications will be accepted after the application closing date. So, if you’re serious about applying, please don’t leave it to the last minute.
Summer
All students who are accepted into the Summer 2022 Work Experience programmes will have an opportunity to take part in an optional in-person Insight Day in their chosen Pinsent Masons office location. We ask all candidates to select their preferred office location and date during the application process.
Applications for the 2022 Summer Work Experience programmes are now CLOSED. Before you apply, please make sure that you’re going to be available for all 4 days.
Applications for the 25-28 July programme (Scotland, Dublin & Belfast) CLOSED on Friday 29th April 2022.
Applications for the 15-18 August programme (England) CLOSED on Friday 1st April 2022.
Autumn
Applications for the 2022 Autumn Work Experience programme (17th – 20th October, Scotland) were extended. They are OPEN and will close at 11:59pm on the 31st August 2022.
Applications for the 2022 Autumn Work Experience programme (24th – 27th October, England) CLOSED on Friday 29th July 2022.
You’ll need to do some research to answer some of the questions on the application form. This is your chance to make a positive impression, so take your time and double-check everything before submitting it. We’ll review all the applications after the closing date and have designed the process ensure you'll know the outcome within 6 weeks of the application deadline.
If successful in securing a place, you will need access to a computer or laptop and an Internet connection to take part. A headset would be beneficial but not essential. You will not be required to come into an office.
You will need to be able to prove your right to work in the UK and will be asked to provide original documentation prior to commencement (e.g. a passport or birth certificate and written proof of your national insurance number).
Good Luck!
No, we only offer work experience placements to school students who are over 16 years old and who are studying towards their AS/A Levels, Highers (or equivalent) or who will have completed their GCSEs, National 5’s (or equivalent) before the start of the programme..
We don’t offer non-legal work experience in areas such as Facilities, Finance and Human Resources at the moment, although this may change in the future.
Once the deadline for applications has passed, we screen applications against a pre-defined framework and shortlist students who best meet our requirements. We will contact all candidates within 6 weeks of the application deadline.
Unfortunately, we can’t cover travel or accommodation costs due to the large number of students we offer placements to each year.
For the first two years of my LLB I didn’t think I would be a solicitor. Pursuing a career as a Barrister was my initial passion. For various reasons, my mind changed in third year, so I attended my university law fair for the first time. At the law fair, I was keen to talk to as many people as I could to demonstrate my confidence and competence, but when I got there, confidence and competence turned into awkwardness. I didn’t know what to talk to people about, what questions to ask, or how to make a positive, lasting impression.
My name is Charlotte and I am currently undertaking my second seat in Projects. I am usually based in the Manchester office but currently working from home during the pandemic.
Anna is a newly qualified lawyer in our Property team in London. We asked her what attracted her to this area of law and what challenges she encountered on her path to qualification.