Training Scholar Review

As a training scholar at Macfarlanes, you are placed within the firm's practice groups for a structured year-long placement, sitting alongside partners and associates and contributing to live matters from the start. You rotate between two six-month seats to ensure you gain broad exposure to different areas of the firm — just like a trainee solicitor.
Day to day, the role involves conducting legal research, drafting memos, reviewing contracts and due diligence materials, and assisting teams on active transactions and disputes. Because the firm actively encourages a collaborative environment, it is very normal to work in small teams made up of partners, senior associates, and trainees, meaning you are given meaningful, substantive tasks rather than purely observational work — from attending client calls and taking attendance notes to helping prepare transaction documents. The firm also places real value on ongoing development, with regular training sessions and support available at every level, not just for trainees.

I was given a significant amount of responsibility from day one, ranging from drafting client correspondence and assisting with legal drafting to sitting in on client calls and taking detailed notes. What stood out most was the firm's genuine open-door policy — everyone, from trainees to partners, was always willing to help and share their time, which creates an incredibly supportive and welcoming working environment. Even as someone still at university, I felt like a valued member of the team on every task I was given, and I was trusted with meaningful work that gave me a real insight into what life as a solicitor at Macfarlanes looks like.

From a technical perspective, I have significantly improved my legal research and drafting abilities — learning how to produce concise and client-ready correspondence to the standard expected in a leading City firm. Working on live matters has sharpened my attention to detail and taught me how to review and analyse complex documents with a critical eye, picking out the issues that really matter to the client.
Other skills include a developed strong commercial awareness by seeing first-hand how legal advice fits into the broader context of a client's business objectives, which is something that is difficult to learn in a classroom. The collaborative, partner-led team structure has also improved my communication and confidence — regularly attending client calls, presenting research findings to senior lawyers, and contributing to team discussions has pushed me well beyond what I thought I was capable of at this stage.

The support and guidance I've received at Macfarlanes was outstanding - I never felt hesitant to ask for help, and that gave me the confidence to take on increasingly challenging work. The firm also provides structured training sessions and regular check-ins with graduate recruitment to ensure you are progressing and developing throughout the programme. You are trusted to take ownership of your work, but never left without support, and that balance is something that genuinely sets Macfarlanes apart.

The culture at Macfarlanes is one of the things that impressed me most during my placement. From my first day, people at every level went out of their way to introduce themselves, include me in conversations, and make me feel welcome.
At the same time, the firm takes its work extremely seriously, and there is a shared pride in delivering the highest quality of work - which, as a university student is incredibly motivating to ensure I am always looking for pro-active ways to improve my work in the early stages of my career.
Social life is also a strong part of the culture, with regular firm-wide events, departmental socials, and informal get-togethers that make it easy to build relationships across the firm. For anyone wondering what it actually feels like to work at Macfarlanes, I would say it is the kind of place where you are pushed to do your best work, but always with the support and warmth of people who want to see you succeed.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Macfarlanes and can genuinely see myself building a career here. The placement has given me the opportunity to explore the realities of being a solicitor in a leading City practice and it has only strengthened my ambition to pursue a career in law after university. From the quality of work to the people and the culture, I enjoyed every aspect of my time with the firm. I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone with an interest in City law to get involved with the schemes Macfarlanes offers — it is the best way to gain a true insight into what life as a solicitor at a top firm looks like.

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