Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Overview

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is a national, multi-award‑winning law firm headquartered in the City of London with a large network of offices across England and Wales. Founded in 1998, the firm is a major provider of publicly funded (legal aid) services and is notable for its national reach, high volume of training opportunities (c.100 training contracts), and deep specialism in public law, immigration, housing, family and criminal work for vulnerable clients. The firm combines a paperless, hybrid-working modern practice with long‑standing quality accreditations such as Law Society Lexcel and Investors in People Gold.

• Headquarters: City of London, 143-149 Fenchurch St, EC3M 6BL
• Founded: 1998
• Lawyers: 500+
• Partners: 60
• Trainees: 100
• Offices: 50+

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Public Law
• Immigration
• Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Housing & Social Housing
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Professional Negligence
• Charities & Not-for-Profit
• Data Protection & Privacy

Geographic Focus: Nationwide UK coverage with a particularly strong presence in London and major English regional cities; the firm deliberately maintains offices in areas of high legal aid demand and operates a national network (50+ offices) to service publicly funded and private clients across England and Wales.

Training Contract

Two-year training contract involving three areas of law; trainees are supervised directly by a Partner or a Solicitor. Most training is delivered in‑house with a combination of on‑the-job casework, formal external courses and completion of the Professional Skills Course. The firm is authorised to hold 100 trainee places at any given time and places strong emphasis on progression from internal caseworker roles.

• Trainee Intake: 100
• Academic Requirements: The firm welcomes law and non-law graduates and generally expects a 2:1 degree minimum. Only candidates who have achieved their LPC examination are eligible for a training contract with the firm. Prospective trainees are encouraged to demonstrate commitment to public funding through voluntary or work experience in law centres, clinics or the charity sector.
• Application Deadline: TBC

Seat Options

• Action Against Public Authorities
• Business Immigration
• Child Care
• Clinical Negligence
• Community Care
• Crime
• Debt
• Employment
• Wills and Probate
• Family
• Housing
• Civil Liberties & Human Rights
• Civil Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Prison Law
• Professional Negligence
• Public Law
• Welfare Benefits
• Regulatory Law
• Court of Protection
• Motoring Law
• Commercial & Company
• Commercial Litigation & Disputes
• Commercial Property Services
• Business Crime & Investigation
• International Disputes
• Charities
• Education Law
• Domestic Abuse and Violence
• High Net Worth Divorce
• Personal Immigration
• Data Claims
• Consultancy

Mentorship

Trainees are supervised directly by a partner or solicitor and benefit from in‑team supervision and a structured in‑house learning programme; the firm operates trainee networks and publishes careers videos and 'day in the life' resources to support development and pastoral care.

Apply on the Duncan Lewis Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Duncan Lewis Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commitment to public funding and access to justice
• Strong academic record (generally a 2:1 degree expectation)
• Practical casework experience (caseworker, law clinic or charity experience)
• Good written and oral command of English
• Teamwork and client-focused empathy
• Commercial awareness for business immigration and regulatory roles
• Resilience and ability to manage high-volume casework

Evidence Signals

• Prior caseworker or law clinic/volunteer experience with public funding cases
• Pro bono involvement and charity work
• Relevant departmental work experience (immigration, housing, public law, family)
• Practical advocacy or tribunal/court exposure (for crime/immigration seats)
• Multilingual skills or community outreach experience

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Hybrid / flexible working (firm embraces hybrid-working; over 80 colleagues benefit from flexible or hybrid working arrangements)
• Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation (since 2009)
• Law Society Lexcel accreditation (since 1999)
• Vibrant learning and development programme and continuous investment in staff training
• Guaranteed interview for candidates who disclose a disability and meet essential requirements
• Extensive pro bono and clinic opportunities (70+ clinics pre-pandemic)
• Multilingual service capability (staff speak over 60 languages across offices)
• Paperless working environment
• Support for reasonable adjustments (130 employees supported under reasonable adjustments)

Wellbeing

Inclusive HR framework covering menopause, pregnancy loss, neurodiversity and family support; dedicated wellbeing video content and employee support measures. The firm highlights reasonable adjustments, disability support and membership of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme.

Awards & Recognition

• Law Firm of the Year — Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2026
• Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion — London Signature Awards 2022
• Excellence in Legal Services — Signature Awards Birmingham 2022
• Outstanding Firm for Diversity and Inclusion — Chambers Europe Awards 2021
• Highly commended — Modern Law Awards (Case of the Year & Innovation of the Year) 2025
• Shortlisted — Modern Law Private Client Awards (Charities & Philanthropy) 2023
• Multiple industry recognitions including The Lawyer UK Top 200 (named best firm for diversity & gender)
• Investors in People Gold Standard (since 2009)
• Law Society Lexcel Accreditation (since 1999)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Signatory to the Law Society Equality & Diversity Charter; Disability Confident Employer; active programmes to promote social mobility, inclusive leadership and access to justice for marginalised communities.

• Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC)
• Disability Confident Employer
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme membership
• Charity Committee and wide-ranging charity partnerships (Not Beyond Redemption; Women's Aid; MENCAP; National FGM Clinic; FORWARD; Refugee Community Kitchen; Mental Health UK; Anti‑Slavery)
• Guaranteed interview for disabled candidates who meet essential requirements
• Inclusive HR framework covering menopause, pregnancy loss, neurodiversity and family support

Pro Bono

The firm has historically participated in over 70 pro bono clinics and surgeries (pre-pandemic) and continues to operate pro bono and community advice clinics; it supports a wide range of charities and community projects and highlights pro bono as core to its client access mission.

Innovation

Duncan Lewis emphasises digital delivery (paperless working, online meetings) to increase accessibility for vulnerable clients and to reach clients beyond local office areas. The firm invests in staff training and cross‑firm projects (such as FLANC) to innovate in client service delivery, especially for neurodivergent and disabled clients. Trainees are exposed to digital casework and remote client engagement as part of in‑house training.

• Paperless practice implementation across the firm
• Use of online meetings to extend client accessibility
• Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC) — innovation in family justice processes
• Vibrant learning and development programme and digital careers/insight video content

Quick Application Angles

• Demonstrate a clear commitment to public funding and access to justice — reference any casework, law clinic or pro bono experience and explain its connection to the firm’s client base and mission.
• Mention the firm’s recent legal aid judicial review success (the Legal Aid Challenge) and explain how that outcome matters to vulnerable clients — this shows you understand the firm’s strategic priorities and impact.
• Emphasise teamwork and client empathy with concrete examples (e.g., volunteering at a community advice clinic or supervising casework) — the firm prioritises community-facing skills.
• If applying for immigration or public law roles, highlight tribunal/appeal advocacy or detailed procedural experience, and note any language skills that match the firm’s multilingual client profile (staff speak over 60 languages).
• Reference diversity and inclusion initiatives (e.g., FLANC, Disability Confident Employer) when describing how you would contribute to an inclusive workplace and to client‑facing improvements.