Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors

Overview

Cartmell Shepherd is an award-winning regional law firm headquartered in Carlisle with seven offices across Cumbria and Northumberland. The firm combines strong local roots and community engagement with nationally capable legal services, and its Agriculture & Estates team is repeatedly ranked in top-tier directories. Cartmell Shepherd runs an established training, apprenticeship and vacation-scheme pipeline and promotes flexible routes to qualification alongside blended academic/practical training. The firm emphasises client-focused, transparent pricing and cross-office collaboration backed by modern technology.

• Headquarters: Carlisle, Viaduct House (Victoria Viaduct)
• Lawyers: 40+
• Offices: 7

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Agriculture & Rural
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Family Law
• Employment
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Commercial Contracts
• Corporate & M&A
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Hospitality & Leisure
• Tax
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Energy & Natural Resources

Geographic Focus: Primary strength and client base across Cumbria and Northumberland with seven local offices; capability to act nationally across England & Wales. The firm positions itself as a regional leader (particularly in rural/agricultural matters) while operating for clients with needs outside the region and working with national networks and groups.

Training Contract

Trainees undertake multiple seat rotations designed to give broad exposure: the programme requires training in at least three to four major areas of law with structured seat rotations and mentorship. Practical experience includes client contact, court attendance, participation in real cases, written assessments and team-based skills workshops during interview/recruitment days. The firm supports both the traditional LPC pathway (part-time while working) and progression to SQE, with firm contribution to study costs and time at the firm counting towards the qualifying period.

• Academic Requirements: Holders of a law degree or equivalent qualification. Applicants must demonstrate strong academic performance and excellent communication and interpersonal skills; must be legally eligible to work in England and Wales. The firm accepts non-law graduates who meet equivalent qualifications (LPC/SQE pathway) and offers apprenticeship routes.

Seat Options

• Agribusiness
• Dispute Resolution
• Residential Property
• Family
• Private Client
• Business services

SQE Support

The firm offers a flexible route: law graduates may complete the LPC part-time while working for the firm with a contribution towards the cost; trainees are then put forward for their final SQE qualification with time working at the firm counting towards the qualifying period.

Mentorship

Dedicated mentors are assigned (vacation-scheme mentors and training mentors). The recruitment/interview process includes skills workshops, a tour with a current trainee and one-to-one feedback; trainees receive review feedback forms and end-of-placement feedback sessions.

Apply on the Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Strong academic performance
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Client service and empathy
• Resilience and adaptability
• Commitment to the region and community (for regional roles)
• Interest or background in agriculture for rural/agri roles

Evidence Signals

• Relevant work experience or paralegal experience (particularly in rural/agriculture, dispute resolution, private client)
• Vacation scheme participation or work-experience placements at the firm
• Community involvement or local-network participation (e.g., Carlisle Futures)
• Practical farming background for agriculture roles
• Demonstrable client contact or volunteering (pro bono/Will Month)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Competitive salary
• Fee Earner Bonus scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption provision
• Access to free confidential counselling service (Employee Assistance Programme)
• Good annual leave package
• Flexible working options and case management system that supports remote working
• Personal pension scheme
• Bring your own dog to work (BYOD)
• Complimentary access to some legal services
• Bike to work and electric car schemes
• Funded professional study (support for LPC/SQE routes and apprenticeship development)
• Opportunities for networking and business development

Wellbeing

Access to a free confidential counselling service, wellbeing programmes and encouragement to participate in community and fundraising activities. The firm runs initiatives (charity challenges, community events) that support staff wellbeing and team cohesion.

Awards & Recognition

• Chambers UK – Agriculture team ranked Band 1 (multiple years, including 2023 and 2025 mentions)
• The Legal 500 – Agriculture & Estates Tier 1 (multiple editions)
• Legal 500 – Personal tax, trusts and probate ranked (Tier 3)
• STEP Worldwide Excellence Award (recipient: Rebecca Adams; Matthew Rogers also cited as STEP award winner)
• Penrith Business of the Year Award 2018
• Finalist, Northern Law Awards 2019 (Private Client Team of the Year)
• Winners, Northern Law Awards 2017 (Law Practice Management)
• Winners, Carlisle Living Awards 'Best Place to Work' 2015
• Lex 100 (2015) – multiple category wins for training

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Equality & Diversity (dedicated page)
• Dementia Friends training for Private Client team
• Participation in Dementia Action Alliance (Penrith and Carlisle DAAs)
• Support and volunteering with Cumbria Wheelchair Sports Club (CWSC)
• Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland – official Business Partner and fundraising activities
• Teenage Cancer Trust (Cumbria) promotion and fundraising
• Penrith Goes Orange Festival support
• Carlisle Ambassadors and Give A Day participation
• Penrith Beekeepers Society sponsorship
• Gift Of A Wedding drop-off points for multiple offices

Pro Bono

The firm runs pro bono-style initiatives such as 'Will Month' (preparing wills free of charge in return for donations to a charity partner) and encourages volunteer work with local charities; there is a strong culture of charity fundraising and community pro bono activity, but no published firm-wide hours target is given.

Innovation

The firm uses modern case management technology to enable hybrid working and to support consistent service delivery across its seven offices. It delivers grant‑funded training and leverages group/network memberships to provide value-add commercial training to clients. No named proprietary legal‑tech platforms are published on the site.

• Case management system to support remote and flexible working
• Grant-funded training workshops (customs/import-export) delivered to business clients via network membership

Quick Application Angles

• Lead with regional knowledge and community ties: emphasise any farming or local-business experience for agriculture roles and reference the team's repeat Chambers/Legal 500 rankings.
• Show practical client-facing experience: highlight paralegal work, work‑experience placements, pro bono or vacation-scheme outcomes and specific examples of client responsibility.
• Reference the firm’s training flexibility: if applying as a graduate, explain how you would combine part‑time study (LPC/SQE) with on-the-job experience and how the firm’s supportive mentorship would help you specialise early.
• Demonstrate cultural fit by citing the firm’s stated values (Fairness; Respect; Collaboration; Commitment; Quality; Ambition) and concrete community involvement you’ve done or plan to do.
• If applying for agriculture/rural roles, mention knowledge of rural issues (tenancies, succession planning, renewables) and any direct farming background or course work to stand out.