Gateley PLC

Overview

Gateley is a UK-listed legal and professional services group combining legal practice with consultancy and specialist professional businesses. The group emphasises commercial, client-facing work across corporate (including M&A), real estate, dispute resolution and specialist advisory services (tax, IP, built environment, international expansion). The firm promotes alternative training routes (training contracts and solicitor apprenticeships) and recruits trainees directly from a one-week summer vacation placement. Gateley positions itself as a forward-thinking, straight-talking employer focused on practical experience, apprenticeships and cross-discipline collaboration within its group structure.

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Corporate & M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Tax
• Pensions
• Real Estate
• Construction & Engineering
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Intellectual Property
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Environment & Planning
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Commercial Contracts

Geographic Focus: Primarily UK-focused with multiple regional offices (including Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Guildford and Reading) and a small international footprint (the group operates in two countries in total). The group's Gateley Global business focuses on international expansion and inward investment, combining legal, tax and consultancy capabilities to support cross-border projects and economic development.

Training Contract

Training contracts and graduate solicitor apprenticeships are comprised of four six-month seats. The firm provides a week-long induction, a residential 'Gateley Graduate Getaway', formal mid- and end-of-seat evaluations, mentorship from supervisors and buddy arrangements. Gateley recruits future trainees from its one-week summer vacation placement and runs an assessment process (online interactive assessment, video assessment, assessment centre, then a one-week summer placement).

• Starting Salary: £33,500
• NQ Salary: £60,000
• Trainee Intake: 19
• Qualification Rate: 69%
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: No minimum. Minimum A-level requirement: No minimum.
• Application Deadline: 7 January 2026

Seat Options

• Corporate & M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Tax
• Pensions
• Real Estate
• Construction & Engineering
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Regulatory & Compliance

Sponsorship

The firm publishes a PGDL/PGDL grant of £5,000 and an SQE grant of £5,000 in supplementary data.

SQE Support

The firm provides SQE grant support (a published SQE grant of £5,000 appears in the supplementary data).

International Opportunities

Chances of secondment abroad are reported as 0% in available data.

Client Secondments

Client secondments are possible but rare — reported chance approximately 5%.

Mentorship

Trainees are assigned supervisors and have access to a buddy system (trainee buddies during placements and post-offer buddy relationships). The Training Principal oversees the programme and trainees receive coaching and structured support from the learning and development team and technical training from professional support lawyers.

Apply on the Gateley PLC website →

Programmes & Schemes

What Gateley PLC Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Resilience and adaptability
• Drive and ambition
• Attention to detail
• Client-focused communication
• Willingness to learn and practical orientation

Evidence Signals

• Completion of the Gateley M&A Virtual Experience programme (demonstrates initiative and commercial interest)
• Relevant work experience or apprenticeship experience (including paralegal or built environment placements)
• Participation in vacation placements, insight evenings or university/careers events
• Examples of teamwork, problem-solving and client-facing activity
• Demonstrable interest in specific practice areas (M&A, real estate, IP, built environment, international expansion)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Trainee salary Year 1: £33,500
• Trainee salary Year 2: £35,500
• Newly qualified salary: £60,000
• PGDL grant: £5,000
• SQE grant: £5,000
• Annual leave: 25 days
• No annual target hours / no billable hours targets (reported)
• Participation in Gateley Sharesave Scheme (open to all employees)
• Gateley Graduate Getaway (residential development/induction event)
• Access to structured learning and development (technical training from professional support lawyers, L&D coaching)

Awards & Recognition

• Ranked in multiple practice-area rankings (25 practice areas listed in available ranking data)
• 4 lawyers listed in external ranked-lawyer data

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Gateley Gives (group charitable initiatives and community projects)

Pro Bono

Gateley Gives initiatives: trainees and apprentices are integral to Gateley Gives; over the past decade the group has raised over a million pounds for chosen charities and community projects and contributed substantial volunteer hours.

Innovation

Gateley integrates innovation and client solutions roles into its early careers offering (e.g., client solutions and innovation analyst apprenticeships). The group also highlights digital and transformation roles in business support and IT apprenticeships, suggesting an ongoing investment in digital capability and specialist early-career roles focused on technology and client solutions.

• Apprentice Client Solutions and Innovation Analyst role (early-career role focused on client solutions and innovation)
• Use of a virtual experience platform (Forage) to deliver the M&A Virtual Experience Programme

Quick Application Angles

• Reference the Gateley M&A Virtual Experience when applying to legal roles — it shows initiative and familiarity with the firm’s corporate work.
• Attend a Gateley insight evening or careers fair (the firm runs in-person insight events nationwide) and mention conversations with current trainees to demonstrate genuine research and fit.
• If you are considering an apprenticeship route, highlight experience or motivation for applied learning: Gateley emphasises apprenticeships and progression from paralegal apprenticeship to solicitor apprenticeship.
• Mention Gateley Gives or the firm’s community engagement to show cultural fit — the firm emphasises being collaborative and community-minded.