Gowling WLG
Overview
Gowling WLG is an international, sector‑focused full‑service law firm with a global platform built around deep industry knowledge and cross‑border capability. The firm employs over 1,500 legal professionals and combines Canadian roots with a substantial UK and Europe presence, supporting clients across energy, infrastructure, real estate, technology, life sciences, financial services and natural resources. The firm emphasises innovation (client solutions such as the Saturn brand‑protection platform), data‑driven DEI and a responsible business agenda, and routinely appears in major legal rankings.
- Lawyers: 1,500+ legal professionals
- Trainees: 18
- Offices: 20
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Banking & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Commercial Contracts
- Competition & Antitrust
- Construction & Engineering
- Corporate & M&A
- Data Protection & Privacy
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Employment
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Environment & Planning
- ESG & Sustainability
- Financial Services & Regulation
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Infrastructure & Projects
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- Intellectual Property
- International Arbitration
- Investment Funds
- Pensions
- Public Law
- Real Estate
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Retail & Consumer
- Tax
- Technology & Digital
- Transport & Logistics
Geographic Focus: Sector‑focused international practice with a strong platform in Canada and the UK and substantive coverage across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm combines on‑the‑ground offices (UK and Canadian city offices listed) with cross‑border teams, regional desks and alliances to handle multi‑jurisdictional transactions and disputes, and frequently coordinates work via sector teams (energy, infrastructure, IP, tech, real estate).
Training Contract
Two‑year training contract comprising four six‑month rotations ('seats') across the firm's core practice groups. Seats combine contentious and non‑contentious experience; the firm operates a partner principal system, midpoint and end‑of‑seat reviews, seat feedback processes and a trainee enrichment programme. The training contract counts as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) under the SQE route and includes opportunities for client and international secondments.
- Starting Salary: Year 1: £52,000 (London) / £35,000 (Birmingham)
- NQ Salary: £108,000
- Trainee Intake: 18
- Qualification Rate: 61% (latest trainee retention rate, supplementary data)
- Academic Requirements: No minimum A‑Level or degree classification requirement; accepts law and non‑law graduates and values diverse routes (including apprenticeships).
- Application Deadline: 2026-11-18
Seat Options
- Housing Development and Regeneration
- Commercial Development and Investment
- Planning
- Banking
- Corporate
- Financial Services and Funds
- Public Companies and Capital Markets
- Commercial Disputes and Risk Advisory
- Intellectual Property
- Non-contentious and Contentious Construction
- Energy Transition and Infrastructure Projects
- Pensions
- Commercial Litigation
Sponsorship
£7,000 PGDL/PGDL grant (supplementary data); maintenance/study support referenced in supplementary data.
SQE Support
£7,000 SQE grant (supplementary data) — the firm provides financial support figures listed in supplementary material.
International Opportunities
The firm offers international secondments and cross‑office opportunities; trainees are eligible to apply for client and international secondments. (Supplementary indicators estimate chances of secondment abroad at around 10%.)
Client Secondments
Client secondments are available; supplementary data indicates a c.30% chance of client secondment for trainees.
Mentorship
Each trainee has a partner principal (a constant reviewer/mentor), seat supervisors and access to cohort buddies and trainee networks. The firm runs structured mid‑seat and end‑seat reviews and provides personalised mentoring, coaching sessions and a dedicated Learning & Development (LEARN) platform.
Programmes & Schemes
Annual immersive schemes in London and Birmingham giving students seats in core practice areas, learning from lawyers and senior leaders; successful participants are assessed for training contract offers. Open to penultimate year law students, final‑year non‑law students and graduates with no minimum A‑Level or degree classification required.
- Places: London and Birmingham
- Deadline: 2026-11-18
Two‑year paralegal apprenticeship for those with limited legal experience; includes work‑based portfolio, supervisor support and placement in a key practice area. Recruitment cycle opens in February and closes in April with cohort starts in September.
- Duration: 2 years
Progression route from the Paralegal Apprenticeship towards an LLB and the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE), enabling qualification without student debt; structured workplace learning and academic study over a similar timeframe to the traditional route.
Why choose the Real Estate Training Contract? Specialist focus: Immerse yourself in Real Estate from the start of your career, accelerating your development and building deep legal and sector expertise. Clear path to qualification: With a clear route into one of our busiest and most successful practice groups, you’ll be well-positioned to qualify into a team where demand for talent is high. Exceptional training: Benefit from a full induction, structured learning, and one-to-one support from a partner mentor, supervisor, and the Early Talent team. Broader exposure: You’ll also complete two sector-focused seats alongside your training contract to build your commercial awareness and network across the firm. Financial support: We’ll sponsor your Postgraduate Diploma (law conversion) and/or LLM Legal Practice (SQE1 & 2) at the University of Law, covering course fees and providing a maintenance grant (£7,000 for London trainees / £5,500 for Birmingham trainees).
- Deadline: 18 November 2026
Notable Matters
Advised Royal London Asset Management Property on the acquisition of a 50% stake via a joint venture with British Land in 1 Triton Square; the transaction was for £192.5 million as part of the Regent's Place transformation project.
Real Estate
Advised the Government Property Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the acquisition and development of a new state‑of‑the‑art headquarters for the European Centre for Medium‑Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at the University of Reading.
Real Estate
Acted on the acquisition of approximately 250,000 sq. ft. office building in Central London (largest Central London office transaction in 2024), executed via the share purchase of the Lux s.a.r.l that owned the asset.
Real Estate
Advising Virtus Data Centres on customer relationships, drafting standard colocation terms and negotiating outsourcing of facilities management agreements; ongoing multi‑year relationship on data centre commercial contracts.
Technology & Digital
Acted as lead international legal adviser to the IFC on the joint concessioning of the railway systems for Kenya and Uganda — a large infrastructure project recognised in industry awards.
Infrastructure & Projects
Advised the EEHC and the IFC in relation to the development, design, engineering, construction, financing and maintenance of a US$2.5‑billion, 2,250MW CCGT power generation complex in Dairut, Egypt.
Energy & Natural Resources
What Gowling WLG Looks For
Key Competencies
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Commercial awareness
- Attention to detail
- Resilience and adaptability
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Client relationship skills
- Sector interest and technical curiosity
- Effective communication
Evidence Signals
- Relevant commercial or sector work experience (energy, real estate, tech, life sciences)
- Pro bono or volunteering demonstrating commitment to access and community
- International experience or interest for cross‑border work
- Demonstrable teamwork (e.g., group projects, sports, societies)
- Engagement with innovation/technology projects or legal tech exposure
- Apprenticeship or alternative route experience (valued by the firm)
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Year 1 trainee salary: £52,000 (London); £35,000 (Birmingham)
- Year 2 trainee salary: £56,000 (London); £38,000 (Birmingham)
- NQ salary: £108,000
- £7,000 PGDL grant (supplementary data)
- £7,000 SQE grant (supplementary data)
- Competitive employer pension contribution
- Private medical insurance
- Permanent health insurance / income protection scheme
- Life assurance (four times annual salary)
- Electric vehicle scheme
- Option to purchase an extra week's leave
- Paid volunteering leave
- Access to virtual GP appointments
- Agile / Agile+ flexible working policy
- Wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives
- Learning & Development support and LEARN platform
Wellbeing
Wide wellbeing initiatives including virtual GP access, paid volunteering leave, health and wellbeing programmes, and learning & development support.
Awards & Recognition
- 1,500+ legal professionals in seven countries (firm statement)
- 141 individual rankings in Chambers & Partners
- 109 individual rankings in The Legal 500
- The Legal Charter 1.5 — Best Environmental / Sustainability Strategy (2025)
- Featured in The Legal 500 UK Green Guide 2025
- Fiona Nicholls listed in The Lawyer Hot 100
- Great Place to Work Institute's Best Workplaces list (25 years)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Signatory to PRIME; firm emphasises data‑driven DEI strategies, social mobility programmes, and structured volunteering leave to support community engagement.
- PRIME signatory (social mobility alliance)
- KCL K+ Insight Day (King's College London outreach)
- KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) partnership
- Windrush compensation legal assistance (United Legal Access, Southwark Law Centre)
- Apprenticeship programme with social mobility focus
- Work placements and insight days for Year 12 students
- Internal diversity, equity & inclusion strategies and networks
Pro Bono
14K+ pro bono hours (firm headline); 7,406 hours of pro bono work in financial year 2024/25. Key programmes include work with KIND (Kids In Need of Defense), Windrush compensation assistance, and professional skills volunteering for non‑profits.
Innovation
Gowling WLG runs an applied innovation strategy: cross‑disciplinary teams (lawyers and allied professionals) use design thinking, AI, machine learning, document assembly and workflow automation to build client tools and bespoke platforms. The firm both deploys off‑the‑shelf solutions and develops proprietary tools (e.g., Saturn and a dawn‑raid app), and encourages lawyers to propose client‑facing innovations.
- Saturn (online brand protection service/platform)
- Competition law dawn raid web app
- Internal client solutions / Innovation Hub and bespoke software development
- Use of artificial intelligence, natural language processing and workflow automation in client solutions
Quick Application Angles
- Reference the firm's sector focus and a relevant recent matter (e.g., Triton Square £192.5m JV or the ECMWF headquarters) in your application to demonstrate commercial fit with their Real Estate or Infrastructure practice.
- Highlight teamwork and client‑facing experience — the firm emphasises 'The power of teamwork' and gives trainees early client exposure; evidence of collaborative achievements resonates.
- Mention interest or experience in legal innovation or tech (Saturn, dawn‑raid app) to align with the firm's client solutions and AI/automation focus.
- If applying via apprenticeship or alternative routes, emphasise social mobility, resilience and practical experience — the firm actively recruits and supports apprentices and values non‑traditional pathways.
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