Charles Russell Speechlys

Overview

Charles Russell Speechlys is an international full-service law firm focused on private capital at the intersection of personal, family and business. The firm combines a strong private client/wealth capability with integrated transactional, real estate, disputes and sector teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia — supporting high-net-worth families, family offices, entrepreneurs and commercial clients. The firm emphasises long-term client relationships, cross-border capability and a culture of innovation delivered through dedicated teams such as Advanced Client Solutions and the CRS Business School.

• Headquarters: London, Fleet Place
• Partners: 200+ partners
• Trainees: 25
• Offices: 13

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Private Client & Wealth
• Family Law
• Real Estate
• Corporate & M&A
• Construction & Engineering
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Tax
• Intellectual Property
• Technology & Digital
• ESG & Sustainability
• Banking & Finance
• Financial Services & Regulation
• Investment Funds
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Charities & Not-for-Profit
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Media & Entertainment
• Sports Law
• Immigration
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Commercial Contracts

Geographic Focus: Strong UK presence (London, Guildford, Cheltenham) complemented by offices across continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia (Paris, Milan, Luxembourg, Geneva, Zürich, Dubai, Doha, Manama, Hong Kong, Singapore). The firm positions itself as cross-border adviser for private clients, family offices and international corporates and maintains country desks and partner-led teams for Germany, Italy, the Nordics, China, India and North America to deliver coordinated multi-jurisdictional work.

Training Contract

Two-year training contract with four six-month seats (4 x 6-month rotations). Trainees start in September with an induction week in London, receive practice-area specific training from Knowledge Development Lawyers, and have a dedicated supervisor for each seat with mid- and end-seat reviews. Seat allocation is by preference: trainees discuss interests with the Early Talent team, submit formal seat preferences and the team allocates seats to provide a range of choices across the four seats.

• Starting Salary: London Year 1: £52,000; London Year 2: £55,000; Guildford Year 1: £42,000; Guildford Year 2: £45,000; Cheltenham Year 1: £41,000; Cheltenham Year 2: £44,000
• NQ Salary: London NQ: £93,000; Guildford NQ: £67,500; Cheltenham NQ: £66,000
• Trainee Intake: 25
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree: 2:1 (or on track for a 2:1); Minimum A-level requirement for Training Contracts and Apprenticeships: A-levels (apprenticeships: ideally BBB; training contracts: AAB). The firm accepts international grades and courses and considers contextual factors/mitigating circumstances in applications.
• Application Deadline: 15 January 2026

Seat Options

• Corporate & M&A
• Commercial Contracts
• Banking & Finance
• Corporate Tax
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Real Estate
• Real Estate Disputes
• Construction & Engineering
• Commercial Dispute Resolution
• Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency
• Private Wealth Disputes
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• Family
• Private Property
• Tax, Trusts & Succession
• Employment
• Immigration
• Financial Services & Regulation

Sponsorship

PGDL/GDL and SQE financial support: LegalCheek shows a PGDL grant of £10,000 and an SQE grant of £10,000. The firm also provides qualification leave and other study support (details administered via Early Talent).

SQE Support

The firm supports both LPC and SQE routes. The firm is carrying out reviews to support SQE starters and offers study and training through CRS Business School and programme-specific support (SQE Plus for depth in practice areas). LegalCheek records an SQE grant of £10,000.

International Opportunities

International secondments are encouraged and include destinations such as Zurich, Geneva, Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris and Luxembourg. Secondment opportunities vary by business need and are supported by the Early Talent team. LegalCheek shows a 14% chance of an overseas secondment for trainees.

Client Secondments

Client secondments are supported (examples include a private equity fund manager, a commercial bank and an in-house commercial team for a large construction client). LegalCheek lists a 7% chance of a client secondment for trainees.

Mentorship

Trainees are assigned a dedicated supervisor for each seat and receive ongoing feedback; the programme includes mid- and end-seat reviews, access to CRS Business School coaching, buddy systems and reverse mentoring initiatives as part of DEI and personal development support.

Apply on the Charles Russell Speechlys website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Charles Russell Speechlys Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Adaptability and resilience
• Technological savviness / interest in legal tech
• Attention to detail
• Client focus and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to responsible business and pro bono
• Communication and drafting ability
• Cultural and international awareness

Evidence Signals

• Participation in pro bono or community impact projects
• Commercial internships, placements or sector-focused academies (e.g., CRED Academy)
• Demonstrable teamwork and leadership on academic or extracurricular projects
• Experience with legal technology, coding, data or automation projects (Russell Up relevance)
• Language skills or international study/experience for overseas desks
• Evidence of sustained interest in the firm’s practice areas and values (e.g., family offices, private wealth, property)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Trainee salaries: London Year 1 £52,000; London Year 2 £55,000; Guildford Year 1 £42,000; Guildford Year 2 £45,000; Cheltenham Year 1 £41,000; Cheltenham Year 2 £44,000
• NQ salaries: London £93,000; Guildford £67,500; Cheltenham £66,000
• PGDL grant: £10,000
• SQE grant: £10,000
• 25 days annual holiday (plus long service accrual)
• Private medical insurance
• Income protection
• Life assurance
• Pension scheme
• Employee assistance programme (EAP)
• Virtual GP access
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Qualification leave
• Holiday purchase scheme
• House move day
• Dress for your day policy
• Reasonable travel expenses for open days and academy events
• No annual target hours (no billable hours targets indicated)

Wellbeing

Comprehensive mental health and wellbeing programme including trained Mental Health First Aiders, trainee supervisor mental health training, private medical insurance, virtual GP, employee assistance programme, regular webinars/speaker sessions (anxiety, resilience), 'This is Me' storytelling campaign, Mindful Business Charter signatory, corporate membership of WorkLife Central, and reverse mentoring.

Awards & Recognition

• Legal Cheek Awards 2026 – Best Law Firm for Training
• HealthInvestor Awards 2026 – Legal Advisers of the Year (Transactional)
• Chambers Asia Pacific Guide 2026 – Leading Firm for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Singapore) – Highly Regarded
• Chambers Greater China Guide 2026 – Leading Firm for Family/Matrimonial (Hong Kong)
• Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026 – Tier 1 for Private Client and Family (Hong Kong, Singapore)
• The Lawyer Awards 2024 – Winner: Best Talent Management (recognition for Russell Up)
• FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2025 – Shortlisted (including Innovation in Training and Development: Russell Up)
• BIALL Lexis Nexis Award for Excellence 2026 – Research & Information Services Team

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The firm publishes Diversity Statistics on a six-monthly basis and publishes Gender and Ethnicity Pay Reports. DEI strategy is driven by a senior leader taskforce and supported by an internal DEI team with action plans for each focus area.

• DEI Advisory Council taskforce (co-chaired by Managing and Senior Partners)
• Employee-led DEI Networks (Gender; Race, Ethnicity, Belief & Religion; LGBTQ+; Social Mobility; Disability & Neurodiversity; Mental Health & Wellbeing; Working Parents & Carers)
• Gender Action Plan
• Disability & Neurodiversity Action Plan
• Reverse mentoring programme
• Career Start Talent Pipeline
• Partnership with Aspiring Solicitors
• Reasonable Adjustments Policy and Workplace Reasonable Adjustments Statement
• Signatory to the Mindful Business Charter
• Corporate membership of WorkLife Central

Pro Bono

The firm has a large pro bono practice: 71 lawyers were named in the 2025 Pro Bono Recognition List contributing over 6,400 hours. Key programmes include the Windrush Compensation initiative, Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), Disability Benefits Appeal work, Schools Consent Project, Secondments with European Lawyers in Lesvos, Social Housing Clinic, Family Law Clinics, Employment Law Clinic and Civil Procedure clinics for litigants in person. The pro bono practice is supported by Pro Bono Champions and close partnerships with frontline legal charities.

Innovation

Innovation is embedded in the firm's culture via a dedicated Advanced Client Solutions team, Legal Technologists, Legal Project Managers and continuous legal process improvement. The Russell Up scheme tasks trainees with delivering innovation projects in legal tech and process automation. The firm has adopted generative AI tools, runs Legal Project Management alongside technology deployment, and is developing bespoke SaaS solutions to combine AI with legal expertise. The firm has been shortlisted and recognised in several innovation and technology award categories.

• Russell Up (trainee innovation scheme)
• Advanced Client Solutions (ACS) team
• CRS Business School (training & development)
• Adoption of Harvey (generative AI solution roll-out)
• Legal Project Management aligned to each division
• Solution development (bespoke SaaS combining Generative AI with legal process)
• Use cases including Relativity aiR and Sidekick

Quick Application Angles

• Mention Russell Up and the CRS Business School—highlight a specific idea about legal tech or process improvement you’d like to explore to show fit with the firm’s innovation focus (the firm rates highly for legal tech).
• For private client/family office roles, reference recent family office or FIC commentary and the firm’s Family Office team (e.g., Family Office Conference takeaways) to show sector-specific commercial awareness.
• Emphasise pro bono and responsible business experience (the firm records large pro bono hours and many lawyers on the Pro Bono Recognition List) to match their culture and DEI commitments.
• If applying for international-facing roles, reference the firm’s offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and European hubs and any relevant cross-border experience you have.
• Show concrete examples of early responsibility and client contact from your background (the firm stresses early responsibility for trainees and supervised client contact).