Burges Salmon LLP

Overview

Burges Salmon LLP is an independent, full-service UK commercial law firm headquartered in Bristol with a strong regional base in the South West and an established presence in Scotland and Ireland. The firm traces its origins to the 19th century (firm founder qualified 1837; firm established as sole practice in 1841) and has developed market-leading sector expertise in areas such as energy & infrastructure, agriculture & estates, ESG/net zero, projects and technology while emphasising responsible business and an inclusive culture. Distinctive features include a six-seat training model, a reputation for high-quality practical sector-led advice (extensive sector pages and sector case studies), and a sustained focus on ESG, legal project management and innovation.

• Headquarters: Bristol, One Glass Wharf
• Founded: 1841
• Trainees: 30
• Offices: 4

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Agriculture & Rural
• Banking & Finance
• Commercial Contracts
• Construction & Engineering
• Corporate & M&A
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Environment & Planning
• ESG & Sustainability
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Intellectual Property
• Pensions
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Technology & Digital
• Transport & Logistics
• Tax

Geographic Focus: Strong UK presence centred on Bristol (headquarters) with a significant Scottish offering based from the Edinburgh office and a Dublin office established to maintain EU/Irish capability for IP and other EU-facing work. The firm advises clients nationwide and builds cross-jurisdictional teams drawing on its international network and sector specialists for projects, energy and large infrastructure work.

Training Contract

Trainees follow a six-seat training contract model: six four-month seats across departments over a two-year period. Each seat includes a dedicated supervisor and structured feedback; the firm emphasises breadth so trainees can explore multiple practice areas before deciding where to qualify. Trainees have access to skills sessions, trainee buddies, coaching-style L&D initiatives and opportunities to get involved in firm-wide projects and client work early on.

• Starting Salary: £49,500 (first year trainee salary, supplementary data).
• NQ Salary: £76,000 (newly qualified solicitor salary, supplementary data).
• Trainee Intake: 30
• Qualification Rate: 97% (latest trainee retention/qualification rate, supplementary data).
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1. Minimum A-level requirement: BBB. The firm accepts non-law graduates and welcomes applications from career changers (vacation scheme wording confirms penultimate/final law students, final year non-law students, graduates and career changers).
• Application Deadline: 2027-06-21

Seat Options

• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Pensions
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Corporate & M&A
• Real Estate
• Environment & Planning
• Employment
• Tax
• Private Client & Wealth
• Intellectual Property
• Commercial Contracts
• ESG & Sustainability
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Technology & Digital

Sponsorship

PGDL/PGDL grant: £11,000 (supplementary data).

International Opportunities

Client and international secondments are offered but chances of a secondment abroad are limited (Legal insider data indicates 0% chance of secondment abroad).

Client Secondments

Client secondments are part of the development pathway (firm blogs describe trainee secondments including a secondment to BP); supplementary data records a c.21% chance of client secondment for trainees.

Mentorship

Trainees have dedicated supervisors for each seat, a trainee buddy scheme for vacation schemes and peer support through cohort activities; structured feedback and trainee networks are promoted across the firm.

Apply on the Burges Salmon LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Burges Salmon LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Attention to detail
• Resilience and adaptability
• Client focus and communication
• Intellectual curiosity and sector interest (ESG, energy, agriculture, tech)
• Commitment to the firm’s core values

Evidence Signals

• Vacation scheme participation or relevant commercial work experience
• Demonstrable interest or experience in ESG/Net Zero or sector specialisms (energy, agriculture, real estate, technology)
• Client-facing experience or examples of responsibility in prior roles (including secondments)
• Mentoring, outreach or community engagement (e.g., involvement with school outreach or diversity programmes)
• Transferable professional experience for career changers (as highlighted by firm career stories)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• First-year trainee salary: £49,500
• Second-year trainee salary: £51,500
• Newly qualified salary: £76,000
• PGDL/PGDL grant: £11,000
• SQE grant: £11,000
• Annual leave: 28 days
• No annual chargeable/target hours (no targets)
• Reimbursement of travel expenses up to £100 and up to £80 for hotel for in-person early-career events
• Trainee buddy scheme
• Access to wellbeing resources including Headspace, a digital GP service and mental health first aiders
• Structured learning and development, mentoring and internal secondment/secondment opportunities

Wellbeing

Wellbeing resources include Headspace access, a digital GP service, mental health first aiders and a financial wellbeing offering; the firm runs wellbeing and inclusion programmes and provides internal support networks.

Awards & Recognition

• Law Firm of the Year 2025 (The Legal Business Awards 2025)
• RollOnFriday: Best Law Firm to Work at: 2022-2025 (retained top accolade 2024 as joint winner)
• Investors In People Platinum accreditation
• Best Use of Technology 2024
• Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Champion of the Year (Bristol Law Society Awards 2023)
• Legal 500 ESG Awards: Ethnicity and Disability/Neurodiversity: Best Initiative to Attract and Retain Talent (2024)
• The Lawyer Awards 2026 – Excellence in Client Services (LPM work on UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry)
• AllAboutLaw Awards – Most Popular Law Firm – Highly Commended (2023)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Firm-wide commitments to inclusive recruitment and responsible business are embedded across policies and programmes; the firm emphasises accessibility and social mobility through targeted outreach and mentoring.

• BEnabled (disability people-led network)
• Reverse mentoring programme (senior leaders paired with colleagues with lived experience of diversity characteristics)
• Bristol Future Talent Partnership
• Mentoring schemes with University of Bristol Law School, University of Bristol, University of the West of England and IntoUniversity (Edinburgh and Glasgow)
• Pioneering recruitment programme to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and neurodivergent people
• Member of PRIME
• Use of the Rare Contextual Recruitment System in some early-career recruitment

Pro Bono

The firm participates in community and education partnerships (for example, Envision mentoring in schools), supports pro bono and outreach activity as part of early talent development and community-focused responsible business programmes; specific firm-wide pro bono hours target not stated on the provided pages.

Innovation

Burges Salmon invests in practical legal-technology tools and sector-facing digital products (notably ESG and pensions tools) and has an active Legal Project Management capability used on complex clients such as public inquiries. The firm promotes legal tech adoption across teams, has dedicated technology and AI specialists and has received external recognition for technology use. Trainees and junior lawyers engage with LPM and technology-led projects and have exposure to digital initiatives and toolsets as part of their development.

• ESG Corporate Disclosure Tool
• Pension Schemes ESG Tool (ESG Pensions Tool)
• Legal Project Management (LPM) capability and embedded LPM teams
• Investment in legal technology (winner: Best Use of Technology 2024)
• Head of AI (Advisory) and technology sector teams advising on AI, data and cyber

Quick Application Angles

• Emphasise fit with the firm’s values (Commitment; Quality; Fairness; Respect; Ambition; Collaboration) and give concrete examples that demonstrate those values in action.
• Highlight commercial interest and knowledge in a target sector the firm is known for (for example energy/ESG, agriculture/landed estates or technology) and reference a recent relevant firm matter (e.g., battery storage financing or agricultural sector work) to show sector alignment.
• Make the most of the six-seat training model in applications and interviews — explain how breadth of exposure matters to your career plans and give examples of areas you want to explore on rotation.
• If relevant, showcase experience or commitment to ESG, sustainability or responsible business (the firm has dedicated ESG tools and a strong practice) — practical examples of ESG-related work or coursework will resonate.
• Mention collaborative and people-focused experiences (group projects, mentorships, client-facing roles) — the firm scores highly for peer support and partner approachability, so evidence of strong teamwork and interpersonal adaptability is persuasive.