Forsters LLP
Overview
Forsters is a London-based law firm with a market-leading reputation in private client and real estate work, supported by strong corporate & commercial and dispute resolution teams. The firm combines specialist technical teams (notably in residential and commercial property, trusts & estates and tax) with cross-practice capability to act for high‑net‑worth individuals, family offices, developers, investors and businesses. Forsters emphasises building long-term client relationships, pragmatic commercial advice and close client engagement, and positions sustainability and responsible business as firm priorities.
- Headquarters: London, 22 Baker Street
- Founded: 1998
- Trainees: 12
- Offices: 1
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Private Client & Wealth
- Real Estate
- Commercial Contracts
- Corporate & M&A
- Banking & Finance
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Construction & Engineering
- Tax
- Employment
- Immigration
- Family Law
- Charities & Not-for-Profit
- ESG & Sustainability
- Environment & Planning
- Technology & Digital
- Media & Entertainment
- Fraud & Investigations
- Intellectual Property
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Retail & Consumer
Geographic Focus: Core London practice acting for UK and internationally mobile individuals, family offices, developers and investors. The firm advises on UK domestic matters and cross‑border work, maintaining relationships across Asia, the Middle East and the US and coordinating multi‑jurisdictional matters through its international network of advisers.
Training Contract
Two‑year training contract with a six‑seat structure. Trainees are guaranteed time in Commercial Real Estate (CRE) and/or Tax, Trusts & Estates (TTE) and must complete at least one contentious seat (options include Dispute Resolution, Real Estate Disputes, Family, Employment & Partnerships or Construction Disputes). Seats typically last four months each, with mid‑seat and end‑of‑seat reviews. The final four‑month seat is spent in the department the trainee will qualify into (giving eight months' overall experience in that qualifying department). Trainees are given hands‑on responsibility from day one and progressive increases in autonomy throughout the contract.
- Starting Salary: Year 1: £47,000; Year 2: £50,000
- NQ Salary: £88,000
- Trainee Intake: 12
- Qualification Rate: 82% retention rate
- Academic Requirements: Minimum A‑levels: ABB; Minimum degree: 2:1. The firm recruits from a broad range of degree backgrounds and considers contextual factors in applications.
- Application Deadline: 5 January 2026
Seat Options
- Commercial Real Estate
- Tax, Trusts & Estates
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Real Estate Disputes
- Family Law
- Employment
- Construction & Engineering
- Residential Property
- Corporate & M&A
- Banking & Finance
- Planning
Sponsorship
PGDL grant: £9,000; SQE grant: £12,000
SQE Support
SQE grant: £12,000; PGDL/PGDL grant: £9,000. (Financial support figures published.)
International Opportunities
0% chance of a secondment abroad (reported figure)
Client Secondments
0% chance of client secondments (reported figure)
Mentorship
Each trainee is paired with a named supervisor (senior associate or associate) who is the day‑to‑day contact and mentor. Trainees are also assigned buddies; formal mid‑seat (2 months) and end‑of‑seat (4 months) reviews feed into development and NQ qualification readiness. The firm also operates trainee networks and offers ongoing L&D support through the Learning & Development and Knowledge teams.
Programmes & Schemes
One‑week vacation scheme offering supervised, fee‑earning style work and skills workshops; treated as potential route to a training contract with provision to interview for training contracts during the week. Students are paired with a buddy and a supervisor.
- Duration: 1 week
- Salary: £475 gross for the week
- Places: About 10 students
One‑week vacation scheme offering supervised, fee‑earning style work and skills workshops; treated as potential route to a training contract with provision to interview for training contracts during the week. Students are paired with a buddy and a supervisor.
- Duration: 1 week
- Salary: £475 gross for the week
- Places: About 10 students
One‑week vacation scheme offering supervised, fee‑earning style work and skills workshops; treated as potential route to a training contract with provision to interview for training contracts during the week. Students are paired with a buddy and a supervisor.
- Duration: 1 week
- Salary: £475 gross for the week
- Places: About 10 students
In‑person insight day for early‑year undergraduates (first year of 3‑year law degrees or first/second year of 4‑year degrees, and non‑law students not in final year). Includes talks from trainees, overviews of departments, and introductions to D&I and responsible business initiatives.
- Duration: 1 day
- Deadline: 24 april 2026
Firm open days and online Q&A sessions offering presentations on practice areas, culture and the application process; travel expenses can be supported for attendees.
A six‑year paid route to qualification combining four days a week in the firm with one day of part‑time study (BPP University). Early years focus on one department with a compliance placement; middle years rotate annually through core practice areas; final two years align trainees with the six‑seat trainee cycle and the final qualifying seat. Applications open in September; cohorts are small (up to four apprentices).
- Duration: 6 years
- Places: Up to four apprentices per cohort
- Deadline: TBC 2027-02
Notable Matters
Forsters advised Swiss Life Asset Managers on a major joint venture valued at £860 million to deliver 2,250 homes across England. The firm acted on the acquisition/transaction structuring and financing aspects across real estate and development workstreams, reflecting its capability on large-scale residential development financings and joint ventures.
Real Estate
Forsters advised Marchmont and Invesco Real Estate on the acquisition of a UK multi-let industrial portfolio for £101 million, providing transactional real estate advice on the acquisition and completion mechanics for investors in the industrial/logistics sector.
Real Estate
Forsters acted for Consolidated Developments on the complex redevelopment of St Giles Circus (Outernet), coordinating a cross-practice team (planning, construction, real estate finance and corporate) over several years to deliver a major central London development project.
Real Estate
Forsters advised two founders of Peakon ApS on their sale to NASDAQ‑listed Workday, Inc in an all‑cash deal valued at US$700 million, providing corporate/sale advice to founders in a high-value technology exit.
Corporate & M&A
Forsters advised Mark Quinn‑Newall’s Neurotribes investment fund (founder of Net‑a‑Porter) on the sale of its substantial stake in Cult Beauty to The Hut Group for £275 million, acting on private equity/strategic sale matters for founder investors.
Corporate & M&A
What Forsters LLP Looks For
Key Competencies
- Commercial awareness
- Intellectual ability and problem solving
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Attention to detail
- Drive, ambition and a strong work ethic
- Personability and client service skills
- Open‑mindedness and adaptability
Evidence Signals
- Vacation scheme experience or attendance at open days/insight days
- Relevant work experience or pro bono/volunteering demonstrating client focus
- Demonstrable commercial interest in private wealth, real estate or corporate transactions
- Evidence of teamwork (clubs, societies, team projects)
- Contextualised academic achievement (A‑levels and degree performance)
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Trainee salary Year 1: £47,000
- Trainee salary Year 2: £50,000
- NQ salary: £88,000
- PGDL/PGDL grant: £9,000
- SQE grant: £12,000
- Vacation scheme weekly pay: £475 gross
- Annual leave: 27 days
- Annual target hours: 1,300
- Support for travel expenses to open days/assessment days (reimbursed within mainland UK; notify if likely to exceed £150)
- Wellbeing Fund (36% of staff signed up)
- Extensive Learning & Development and Knowledge programme (300+ workshops)
- Buddy and supervisor scheme for trainees
- Support for apprenticeships and part‑time study
- Firm socials, sports teams and social clubs (football, netball, running, yoga, choir, book club)
Awards & Recognition
- LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards: Best Recruiter – Medium City Firm (winner 2018)
- LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards: Shortlisted Best Trainer – Medium City Firm (2019)
- British Legal Awards: Property Team of the Year (winner 2021)
- Chambers High Net Worth Awards: Shortlisted Residential Property Team of the Year (2022, 2024)
- Legal 500 Future Lawyers Winners 2024: Social Life; Quality of Work; Vacation Scheme
- Legal 500 ESG and LexisNexis Legal Awards shortlistings (2024)
- Social Mobility Employer Index Top 75 Employer (2025)
- Multiple partner and lawyer inclusions in Spear’s Property/Tax & Trust Indices (2025/2026)
- Multiple lawyers recognised on the 2026 Pro Bono Recognition List
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Published Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and annual Diversity Statistics and Gender Pay Gap reports; signatory to the Sustainable City Charter; active social mobility and inclusion programmes with contextual recruitment tools and blind first‑round interviews on assessment days.
- Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Disability support network
- Faith support network
- Gender equality network
- Pride network
- Race network
- Social Mobility network
- Working Parents and Carers network
- The Halo Code / Halo Collective adoption for Afro‑hairstyle inclusion
- Social Mobility Employer Index participation and Top 75 ranking (2025)
Pro Bono
Pro bono is a core part of the firm's practice; 11 Forsters lawyers were recognised on the 2026 Pro Bono Recognition List (each volunteered 25+ hours). The firm publishes a Responsible Business Review and runs charity partnerships and volunteering programmes.
Innovation
The firm’s Knowledge team and L&D focus on leveraging legal technology and knowledge management to improve efficiency and client service. Trainees and staff are exposed to technology and knowledge resources as part of skills development.)
Quick Application Angles
- Lead with Forsters’ private wealth and real estate focus: reference a recent firm matter (for example, the St Giles Circus redevelopment or the Marchmont/Invesco £101m acquisition) to show you understand the type of high‑value, cross‑practice work the firm handles.
- Demonstrate fit with the culture by highlighting collaborative, client‑facing experiences and examples of building relationships — the firm prizes personable candidates who can work across teams.
- If applying for real estate or private client seats, show specific technical interest (e.g., recent planning/BNG or residential SDLT developments) and mention the firm’s sustainability focus where relevant (science‑based emissions target and Sustainability Hub).
- Use the vacation scheme/interview to demonstrate commercial thinking and attention to detail rather than rote coverage of news — trainees are praised for strong problem‑solving and practical drafting ability.
- Mention the firm’s graduate/apprenticeship pathways and any D&I or social mobility activity you’ve engaged with; Forsters places emphasis on inclusive recruitment, contextual considerations and hands‑on apprenticeship routes.
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