How Hard is it to Get a Training Contract?

It is no secret that getting a law training contract is difficult. But just how hard is it to become a trainee solicitor? The statistics on this are not entirely clear and can be misleading, so we will describe and explain:

1. the broad statistics relating to number of training contract applications and available places;
2. the number of training contract placements given to Oxbridge and Russell Group candidates; and
3. the increasing requirements at each stage of the application process.

Ultimately, as you will see, getting a training contract and starting your career in legal practice is challenging, but it is not impossible!

Training Contracts Offered vs. Number of Applicants

Before looking at the statistics concerning training contract applications, you should note that there is no official number of training contract applicants or applications per year. Some firms take applications directly, whilst some use a particular application portal (like Apply4Law or cvMail). It would be near impossible to aggregate the application data from these different sources, so any figures relating to the total number of applicants or applications per year is an estimation.

AllAboutLaw estimates that 30,000 candidates apply for 5,500 training contracts per year. This suggests a 18.63% success rate per candidate. The latter figure of 5,500 seems very nearly correct. Law Society's Annual Statistics Report 2021 states that 5,495 trainees started their training contracts during the 2020-2021 period. However, the 30,000 figure is debatable.  

The Law Society's Annual Statistics Report 2021 states that 26,290 law students were accepted for a law degree in the UK (where that degree is their first one). You should note that not all these acceptances will translate into students taking up the offer (but it can be assumed that the vast majority will). If one assumes that a law degree is three years long, that means, with some very rough estimation, there are approximately 78,000 students studying law in the UK at any one time. But not all vacation scheme and training contract applicants do law degrees or are in higher education (they may have already graduated). And, of course, not all those who do a law degree apply for training contracts. Some will take the barrister route or other alternatives. When all of the above is considered, it is very difficult to estimate just how many applicants there are per year; however, we would suggest it is certainly more than the 30,000 that AllAboutLaw suggests.

According to the Chambers Student statistics as of 2023, there were at least 104 major City firms and regional firms offering training contracts that are included in that guide. Although the training contract placements and application counts vary between each firm, the success rate for each firm is almost always between 1%-3%. This is clear when you divide the number of places by the number of applicants per each firm.

Now, this is a lot to take in, and in abstraction it may mean very little. However, there are some key takeaways.

First, you should note that your likelihood of success will increase with the number of good quality applications you put out. If each application has a raw 2% chance of eventually being converted into an offer for a two year training contract, the more applications you put out, the better your chances of success. You can draw an analogy to a dart board that has 50 scoring areas. You are aiming for the bullseye but throwing randomly. Each throw has a 2% chance of hitting the bullseye. So, the more you throw, the more likely you are to hit your target! And remember, you can only accept one training contract, so you only need to hit once!

Second, on a related point, you do not need to submit 50 training contract applications. Of course, the more good quality applications you send out, the higher your chance of success. But this does not mean you need to put out large quantities every year. You should remember that the 2% success rate is the raw statistical chance. Unlikely the dartboard, you are not going to be throwing randomly. With each application you send off, the better you will become at writing applications and advancing through the process. So, each application does not have a 2% success rate – your first one might, but the follow ones will be increasingly upwards of that! To give a ballpark figure, we would recommend putting out at least 10 training contract or vacation scheme applications per year but to aim for around 20 (especially if it is your first cycle).

Influencing Factors and Trends for Training Contracts

Oxbridge and the ‘Russell Group’ Universities

It is no secret that there is a demographic bias in law firms. The worlds of finance, consulting and law have long been disproportionately male dominated, with little room for people of colour and women. There has also been a strong preference for candidates that graduated from elite universities. While this trend is slowly being unwound, there is still a bias.

According to Legal Cheek, across 2017-2019, almost 1/3 of all trainees at Magic Circle law firms went to Oxford or Cambridge despite ‘making up less than 1% of each year’s graduating class’. Furthermore, almost half of the trainees went to non-Oxbridge, Russell Group universities. Clearly, those who attend Oxbridge or other Russell Group universities have a significant statistical advantage. This particularly appears to be the case at US firms and Magic Circle firms. This will vary from firm to firm; however, here are some illustrations of the bias concerning current trainees’ universities (these statistics were taken from Legal Cheek’s law firm profile pages at the time of writing):

●      Sidley Austin: 90% Russell Group (52% Oxbridge)

●     Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: 92% Russell Group (45% Oxbridge)

●     Hogan Lovells: 81% Russell Group (27% Oxbridge)

Women and People of Colour

Although many firms have a disproportionate number of male associates and partners, the proportion of female trainees is extremely encouraging. According to The Law Society's Annual Statistics Report 2021, 53% of those admitted to the rolls were women. As of the equivalent 2019 report, approximately two-thirds of all trainee solicitors are female. Therefore, despite the underrepresentation of women higher up in the profession, statistically women are more likely than men to secure vacation schemes and law training contracts (assuming an equal number of men and women apply for them).

Chambers Student Law Firm Ethnicity Survey 2021 gives an overall picture of the number of BAME trainees in various firms. In 2020, the Magic Circle offered the most training contracts to BAME candidates with an average of 30% of BAME trainees. City, US, and other London firms had between 20-23%. Elsewhere, regional, and national firms had an average of 12% and 10%, respectively. Whether this is proportional or not will naturally depend on the number of BAME applicants compared with the number of training contracts available. Nevertheless, it is clear that fewer training contracts are given out to people of colour. Again, this does not necessarily mean it is harder to get a training contract as a person of colour (being a smaller part of the population), but it is something to bear in mind.

Although some of these statistics may be intimidating, they should not take up too much of your attention. Law firms are employing diversity initiatives which are helping to combat bias in the training contract application process. If you are pre-university, then, naturally, you should strive to get into the best university you can. When you are at university, focus on your applications and getting a First class degree (or at least a high 2:1). You cannot do anything about your ethnicity or gender (nor should you!), so be proud of who you are. Whilst there may be some bias in the process that makes it harder for certain individuals, hard work will always win out in the end.

Furthermore, there are institutions out there which are focused on helping underrepresented groups, including Rare, SEO London, and Aspiring Solicitors. These organisations have made a HUGE impact in helping minority candidates secure legal roles and we would highly recommend you work with them when you apply (if eligible).

More Difficult Training Contract Application Processes

Oxbridge and the ‘Russell Group’ Universities

It is no secret that there is a demographic bias in law firms. The worlds of finance, consulting and law have long been disproportionately male dominated, with little room for people of colour and women. There has also been a strong preference for candidates that graduated from elite universities. While this trend is slowly being unwound, there is still a bias.

According to Legal Cheek, across 2017-2019, almost 1/3 of all trainees at Magic Circle law firms went to Oxford or Cambridge despite ‘making up less than 1% of each year’s graduating class’. Furthermore, almost half of the trainees went to non-Oxbridge, Russell Group universities. Clearly, those who attend Oxbridge or other Russell Group universities have a significant statistical advantage. This particularly appears to be the case at US firms and Magic Circle firms. This will vary from firm to firm; however, here are some illustrations of the bias concerning current trainees’ universities (these statistics were taken from Legal Cheek’s law firm profile pages at the time of writing):

- Sidley Austin: 90% Russell Group (52% Oxbridge)

- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: 92% Russell Group (45% Oxbridge)

- Hogan Lovells: 81% Russell Group (27% Oxbridge)

Women and People of Colour

Although many firms have a disproportionate number of male associates and partners, the proportion of female trainees is extremely encouraging. According to The Law Society's Annual Statistics Report 2021, 53% of those admitted to the rolls were women. As of the equivalent 2019 report, approximately two-thirds of all trainee solicitors are female. Therefore, despite the underrepresentation of women higher up in the profession, statistically women are more likely than men to secure vacation schemes and law training contracts (assuming an equal number of men and women apply for them).

Chambers Student Law Firm Ethnicity Survey 2021 gives an overall picture of the number of BAME trainees in various firms. In 2020, the Magic Circle offered the most training contracts to BAME candidates with an average of 30% of BAME trainees. City, US, and other London firms had between 20-23%. Elsewhere, regional, and national firms had an average of 12% and 10%, respectively. Whether this is proportional or not will naturally depend on the number of BAME applicants compared with the number of training contracts available. Nevertheless, it is clear that fewer training contracts are given out to people of colour. Again, this does not necessarily mean it is harder to get a training contract as a person of colour (being a smaller part of the population), but it is something to bear in mind.

Although some of these statistics may be intimidating, they should not take up too much of your attention. Law firms are employing diversity initiatives which are helping to combat bias in the training contract application process. If you are pre-university, then, naturally, you should strive to get into the best university you can. When you are at university, focus on your applications and getting a First class degree (or at least a high 2:1). You cannot do anything about your ethnicity or gender (nor should you!), so be proud of who you are. Whilst there may be some bias in the process that makes it harder for certain individuals, hard work will always win out in the end.

Furthermore, there are institutions out there which are focused on helping underrepresented groups, including Rare, SEO London, and Aspiring Solicitors. These organisations have made a HUGE impact in helping minority candidates secure legal roles and we would highly recommend you work with them when you apply (if eligible).

Conclusion

Over the course of this article, we have looked at how difficult it is to secure a vacation scheme or training contract. We have described and explained some of the statistics surrounding the number of training contract applications made per year, trainee pools from Oxbridge and the wider Russell Group universities and the number of female and BAME trainees.

In summary:

• Candidates are predicted to have a raw 18.3% success rate per year; however, this figure is highly debateable.
• Each application is estimated to have an approximate base 1-3% success rate. Each application you send off will increase your overall chance of success as a candidate and you should improve each application as you go along based on feedback.
• Going to Oxbridge or another Russell Group university drastically increases your chance of getting a training contract at a top commercial law firm.
• Being male or female does not seem to influence your chances of success given that the number of traineeships given to female candidates is proportionate to the number of female law graduates.
• The highest proportion of BAME trainees are in Magic Circle firms. Followed by other City, US, and London firms. Regional and national firms have the smallest proportions.
• The application process is increasing in difficulty due to the increased number of applications. Recruiters will be less forgiving when it comes to mistakes and may even penalise answers which are ‘average’.

We hope you found this article useful – if you did, please share it with other candidates who might find it helpful!