Levy & McRae

Overview

Levy & McRae is a long-established Scottish specialist litigation firm, operating in high-profile and complex cases since 1880. The firm is best known for private crime and commercial litigation work, acting for both individual and corporate clients and maintaining a significant referral practice from other law firms. Levy & McRae combines courtroom advocacy (including Solicitor-Advocates) with advisory work in regulatory, media/reputation, rural and clinical negligence matters, and runs a branded medical negligence offering (L&M MediLaw). The firm operates across Scottish courts and handles multi‑jurisdictional disputes, with strategic partnerships to assist cross‑border matters.

• Headquarters: Glasgow
• Founded: 1880
• Offices: 2

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Media & Entertainment
• Professional Negligence
• Criminal Law
• Family Law
• Agriculture & Rural
• Construction & Engineering
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Real Estate
• Private Client & Wealth
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Fraud & Investigations
• Public Law

Geographic Focus: Primary focus on Scotland (representation at Justice of the Peace, Sheriff Court and High Court of Justiciary). The firm regularly acts in multi‑jurisdictional commercial disputes and reports that more than half of its commercial litigation workload is on behalf of foreign clients. It operates strategic partnerships with other law firms internationally to handle cross‑border issues.

Training Contract

Trainees are visible across practice teams (criminal, commercial litigation, family, etc.), indicating seat experience within core litigation departments.

• Application Deadline: 2025-12-05

Mentorship

The firm runs internal CPD and business skills training days (examples include talks from senior partners and practical workshops on client skills, financial/time recording and online business development). Trainees are listed within practice teams and are likely to receive on‑the‑job supervision from partners, legal directors and senior associates; specific formal mentor/buddy schemes are not described on the site.

Apply on the Levy & McRae website →

Notable Matters

What Levy & McRae Looks For

Key Competencies

• Initiative
• Strong advocacy and courtroom preparation
• Commercial awareness (especially in litigation and regulatory contexts)
• Client skills and relationship management
• Attention to detail and meticulous preparation
• Resilience and ability to work on high‑pressure matters

Evidence Signals

• Demonstrable litigation or advocacy experience (mooting, court attendance, trainee/mini‑pupillage experience)
• Relevant sector experience for specialist teams (e.g., clinical negligence, media, rural/land law)
• Engagement in CPD or professional development activities
• Practical examples of initiative (projects, content creation, leadership in student/professional societies)
• Experience or interest in handling sensitive, high‑profile cases

Benefits & Wellbeing

Awards & Recognition

• Legal 500 Scotland Law Awards – shortlisted in seven categories (year referenced on site)
• Legal 500 Scotland Crime Firm of the Year 2024 (award cited on site)
• Scottish Legal Awards – L&M MediLaw: Excellence in Client Care (2023/2024 reference on site)
• Scottish Legal Awards – Elizabeth Rose: Lawyer of the Year (L&M MediLaw head) (year referenced on site)
• The Times Best Law Firms 2024 – ranked (as listed on site)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Shortlisted for Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Firm of the Year (Legal 500 Scotland Law Awards nomination)
• Community engagement and charity support activity (examples on site include support for the Kris Boyd Charity and sponsorship of the play "90 Days")
• L&M MediLaw weekly Virtual Clinic (accessibility/client engagement initiative)

Pro Bono

The firm publicly supports charitable activity and community initiatives (for example support for the Kris Boyd Charity and trustee involvement by senior partners).g., clinical negligence claimants connected to the Eljamel inquiry).

Innovation

The firm invests in digital client engagement and content: L&M MediLaw operates a virtual clinic and publishes explanatory videos and infographics; firm CPD has included workshops on online brand building and content creation. These initiatives show a practical approach to using digital channels for client engagement and business development rather than a focus on proprietary legal‑tech platforms.

• L&M MediLaw Virtual Clinic
• Client-facing videos, audiograms and infographics (L&M MediLaw)
• Firm content strategy including podcasts, videos and blogs
• Internal online brand-building / 'Winning Business Online' CPD workshop

Quick Application Angles

• Apply specifically to the traineeship email contact (pcassidy@lemac.co.uk) and reference the advertised closing date—applications are accepted by CV and cover letter; cite relevant litigation or advocacy experience and examples of initiative.
• If you have experience or interest in criminal defence or serious regulatory matters, highlight practical advocacy experience (moots, mini‑pupillage, court attendance) and familiarity with Scots procedure—Levy & McRae are a market leader in private crime.
• For applicants aiming at medical negligence or clinical work, reference L&M MediLaw’s Virtual Clinic, its client‑facing resources and the Excellence in Client Care award — explain how you would contribute to client care and digital engagement.
• Demonstrate commercial awareness by discussing cross‑border or multi‑jurisdictional dispute experience or coursework, as the firm handles complex international commercial litigation and product liability matters.
• Show evidence of initiative and business skills (for example, content creation, leadership roles, or participation in business skills/CPD activities), since the firm explicitly values initiative and runs internal business skills training.