Clyde & Co

Overview

Clyde & Co is a large global law firm with a particular strength in insurance and casualty work and an extensive international office network. The firm positions itself as a specialist in managing commercial risk across disputes, transactional and regulatory work while serving clients across sectors such as insurance, transport, energy, construction and technology. It has a widely distributed global footprint (over 70 offices) and invests in sector-focused legal products and legal technology (for example Clyde & Co Newton) to support claims and risk management.

Headquarters: London, The St Botolph Building
Trainees: 73
Offices: 70+

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

Insurance & Reinsurance
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
Corporate & M&A
Energy & Natural Resources
Shipping & Maritime
Infrastructure & Projects
Real Estate
Technology & Digital
Data Protection & Privacy
Regulatory & Compliance
Employment
Transport & Logistics
Financial Services & Regulation
Professional Negligence
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Investment Funds

Geographic Focus: Global reach with a particularly strong footprint in the UK, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa and North America. The firm operates through a mix of wholly owned offices and associated/local partner firms (Regional Resource Network in Africa), enabling cross-border delivery for insurers, multinational corporates and project clients.

Training Contract

Starting Salary: £48,500 (first year trainee salary, insider data)
NQ Salary: £90,000 (newly qualified salary, insider data)
Trainee Intake: 73
Qualification Rate: 73% (latest trainee retention rate, insider data)
Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1. Minimum A Level requirement: AAB (insider data).
Application Deadline: 5 January 2026

Sponsorship

PGDL / GDL grant: £9,600 (insider data).

SQE Support

SQE grant: £9,600 (insider data).

International Opportunities

Chance of secondment abroad cited at 6% (insider data). The firm references an international office network and regional secondment opportunities across its global offices; specific destination offices are public (e.g.

Client Secondments

Client secondment chance cited at 18% (insider data).

Programmes & Schemes

LIFT Insight Day - Middle East & Africa

A regional insight event (LIFT Insight Day) aimed at early career candidates interested in the Middle East & Africa legal market and Clyde & Co's regional practice. The event is presented as part of the firm's early careers outreach.

Notable Matters

Advising Etihad Credit Insurance on a US$50 million trade finance facility

Clyde & Co advised Etihad Credit Insurance on a US$50 million trade finance facility, acting for the insurer in relation to the trade finance arrangement and supporting documentation.

Financial Services & Regulation

Motorola Inc: sale of worldwide network assets to Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) – USD 975 million

Clyde & Co advised Motorola Inc in relation to the sale of its worldwide network assets to Nokia Siemens Networks for USD 975 million, handling corporate, tax, regulatory and employment issues across multiple jurisdictions in the MENA region (transfer of approx. 6,900 employees and responsibility for 50 operator customers in 52 countries).

Corporate & M&A

Advising NOTUS energy on project financing of a 123.9 MW wind farm in Ukraine

Clyde & Co advised NOTUS energy on the project financing of a 123.9 MW wind farm in Ukraine, supporting documentation, financing and project delivery matters.

Energy & Natural Resources

Advising W&W Group on acquisition of insurance portfolio of Neodigital

Clyde & Co advised W&W Group on the acquisition of Neodigital's insurance portfolio, providing transactional and insurance regulatory advice on the acquisition.

Insurance & Reinsurance

Advising Cennox on USD $6.25 million strategic ATM manufacturing acquisition

Acted for Cennox in its acquisition relating to ATM manufacturing (post-merger matters after Wincor Nixdorf and Diebold), value stated at USD $6.25 million.

Corporate & M&A

Advising on the Trans‑Pennine Connect infrastructure project

Clyde & Co will advise on the Trans‑Pennine Connect project linking Manchester and Sheffield, providing legal support on a pioneering transport infrastructure scheme.

Infrastructure & Projects

What Clyde & Co Looks For

Key Competencies

Commercial awareness
Teamwork and collaboration
Resilience and adaptability
Sector interest (insurance, transport, energy, technology)
International awareness / willingness to work across jurisdictions
Analytical skills and attention to detail

Evidence Signals

Relevant commercial or sector-specific work experience (insurance, shipping, energy, transport, tech)
International experience or evidence of adaptability to cross-border work
Demonstrable commercial awareness (e.g., commentary on recent deals or market developments)
Demonstrable interest in technology/AI for candidates aiming for technology/data roles

Benefits & Wellbeing

First year trainee salary: £48,500 (insider data)
Second year trainee salary: £51,000 (insider data)
NQ salary: £90,000 (insider data)
PGDL / GDL grant: £9,600 (insider data)
SQE grant: £9,600 (insider data)
Annual leave: 25 days (insider data)
Annual target hours: No targets (insider data)

Awards & Recognition

Germany: 'Top Law Firm' for Litigation, WirtschaftsWoche 2025
France: 'Law Firm of the Year' for Insurance Law, Best Law Firms™ / Best Lawyers 2025
Germany: 'Top Law Firm' for Insurance Law, WirtschaftsWoche 2025
Europe: Insurance Law Firm of the Year, Lexology European Awards 2025
Europe: Shipping & Transport Law Firm of the Year, Lexology European Awards 2025
KSA Arbitration Firm of the Year, Chambers Middle East Awards 2026
Middle East Dispute Resolution Firm of the Year, Chambers Middle East Awards 2026
Hong Kong's Best Insurance Law Firm, InsuranceAsia News Country Awards for Excellence 2026
International Law Firm of the Year, The Law's Finest Awards 2025
Law Firm of the Year, MENA II Awards 2025
Recognized as one of Canada's Best Law Firms, The Globe and Mail 2022

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Responsible Business (firm-wide initiative referenced on site)

Pro Bono

Pro bono culture referenced through awards (e.g.

Innovation

Clyde & Co develops bespoke legal-technology solutions for insurance and casualty claims through its Clyde & Co Newton platform, combining the firm's legal expertise with machine learning and automation to support claims handling, fraud detection, valuation and settlement decision-support. The firm markets technology products and bespoke integrations for clients and highlights evolving intelligence and analytics as part of its product offering.

Clyde & Co Newton (AI solutions and process automation for casualty claims)
Automation and Machine Learning tools for casualty claims
Calculation Tools, Data Extraction and Analytics products within Clyde & Co Newton

Quick Application Angles

Emphasise commercial awareness of risk: reference the firm's 'risk' framing and recent risk-focused publications or Risk Quarterly insights when explaining motivation to join.
If applying for insurance or casualty roles, mention relevant sector work or knowledge and reference Clyde & Co Newton as evidence of the firm's innovation in casualty claims.
Highlight international experience or willingness to work across offices — the firm has 70+ offices and frequently handles cross-border mandates (use specific region examples such as MENA or Africa if relevant).
Reference the firm’s strong trainee and work-quality ratings (insider scores: Training A, Quality of Work A*) to show you have researched day-to-day training standards and can give examples of how you will contribute to that environment.