Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Overview
Fried Frank is a global US-headquartered law firm with a significant London presence and recognised strengths in investment funds and finance work. The firm is highlighted for top-tier investment fund formation and management capabilities in London and a broad full-service offering across corporate, finance, real estate and dispute resolution. Trainee and associate compensation and partner profitability metrics sit at the top end of the market, reflecting a high-value, demanding practice with strong technical work and a city-style environment.
- Headquarters: Italy
- Offices: 5
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Investment Funds
- Banking & Finance
- Real Estate
- Corporate & M&A
- Capital Markets
- Tax
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Competition & Antitrust
- Financial Services & Regulation
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Employment
- Transport & Logistics
- White Collar Crime
Geographic Focus: Strong presence in London with global coverage typical of a US-based international law firm; focus on cross-border finance, investment funds, capital markets and large corporate transactions.
Training Contract
- Starting Salary: Year 1: £65,000; Year 2: £70,000
- NQ Salary: £173,000
- Trainee Intake: 4
- Qualification Rate: 100%
- Academic Requirements: Minimum A-level requirement: AAB. Minimum degree requirement: 2:1.
- Application Deadline: 2026-05-22
Seat Options
- Investment Funds
- Banking & Finance
- Real Estate
- Tax
- Capital Markets
- Corporate & M&A
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Competition & Antitrust
- Financial Services & Regulation
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- White Collar Crime
- Intellectual Property
- Employment
- Transport & Logistics
Sponsorship
SQE grant of £13,000 (study/assessment financial support reported).
SQE Support
SQE grant: £13,000.
International Opportunities
11% of trainees have secondments abroad.
Client Secondments
11% chance of client secondment for trainees.
Apply on the Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP website →
Notable Matters
Fried Frank is recognised for top-tier work on investment fund formation and management in London, acting for fund managers and sponsors on formation, structuring and governance across private funds.
Investment Funds
The firm acts on fund finance matters in London across fund-level and manager-level financings, recognised in Tier 2 for fund finance work.
Banking & Finance
Advises on commercial real estate investment transactions and real estate fund work in London (ranked in Legal 500 across commercial property investment and real estate funds).
Real Estate
The firm handles debt capital markets, acquisition finance and debt financings on sizable transactions, reflecting practice strength in Capital Markets and Banking & Finance.
Capital Markets
Advises on M&A transactions across lower mid‑market to premium deals, including cross-border and high‑value transactions in the GBP 100m+ to GBP 750m+ ranges as reflected in rankings.
Corporate & M&A
What Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Looks For
Key Competencies
- Commercial awareness
- Strong academic record (minimum 2:1 and AAB at A-level)
- Attention to detail
- Resilience and capacity for high-billable target environments
- Teamwork and strong interpersonal skills
- Interest in finance, funds and corporate work
- International orientation
Evidence Signals
- Relevant internships or vacation scheme experience in finance/corporate teams
- Commercial transactional exposure (eg. fund, finance or M&A work)
- Mooting or litigation experience for dispute teams
- Demonstrable teamwork and client-facing experience
- Language skills and international secondment experience
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Trainee salary Year 1: £65,000
- Trainee salary Year 2: £70,000
- NQ salary: £173,000
- SQE grant: £13,000
- Annual leave: 25 days
- Annual target hours: 1,850
- High partner and office perks (insider ratings give perks and office top marks)
- Reported average start time: 09:22
- Reported average finish time: 21:13
- Profit per equity partner: £3,800,000
Awards & Recognition
- Legal 500: Investment fund formation and management — Tier 1 (London)
- Legal 500: Fund finance — Tier 2 (London)
- Legal 500: Multiple ranked practice areas across London (total ranked practice areas: 16)
- Chambers & Partners: multiple departmental rankings across corporate finance, M&A, leveraged finance, employment, IP, restructuring and tax (total ranked departments: 20)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Innovation
Quick Application Angles
- Highlight demonstrable commercial awareness and interest in investment funds or fund finance — the firm is top-tier in investment fund formation in London.
- Emphasise academic excellence (2:1 minimum, AAB at A-level) and give concrete examples of handling complex technical material to match the firm's high-quality work rating.
- Reference the firm's high training and peer-support grades and give examples of collaborative work and situations where you learned quickly from senior lawyers.
- Be realistic about hours and targets: mention resilience and time-management strategies (the firm reports an annual target of 1,850 hours and longer average working days).
- Mention interest in international work and mobility — a measurable percentage of trainees obtain secondments abroad or with clients.
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