Michelmores LLP

Overview

Michelmores is a full-service UK law firm headquartered in Exeter with a strong South West heritage and a national footprint that also maintains a London and Cambridge presence. The firm positions itself as “the destination law firm for enterprises & individuals”, combining sector-led teams (private wealth, real estate, agriculture, technology, energy and more) with market-facing programmes such as MAINstream (an angel investor network) and MiVentures (incubator support for scale-ups). The firm is notable for its Natural Capital capability and a visible ESG/wellbeing agenda alongside award-winning early-stage and TMT work.

• Headquarters: Exeter, Woodwater House, Pynes Hill
• Lawyers: 450+ staff
• Trainees: 10
• Offices: 6

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Agriculture & Rural
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Technology & Digital
• Corporate & M&A
• Employment
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Intellectual Property
• Tax
• Environment & Planning
• Banking & Finance
• Commercial Contracts
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• ESG & Sustainability
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Media & Entertainment

Geographic Focus: Strong South West base (Exeter, Bristol, Cheltenham) with Cambridge and London offices to service clients across the UK. The firm operates as a regional leader in the South West while advising national and international clients (notably in TMT, fintech, natural capital and early‑stage tech) and connects entrepreneurs to investors via its MAINstream and MiVentures offerings.

Training Contract

Two-year training contract with multiple seat rotations across contentious and non-contentious departments. Seats include transactional corporate and real estate, advisory teams such as Tax, Trusts & Succession, and contentious seats in litigation, property litigation and contentious probate. Trainees complete the Professional Skills Course (PSC), participate in the Trainee Development Programme (business development, personal impact, networking workshops) and the Leading Minds Trainee Resilience Programme. The firm allows trainees to shape their seat choices and offers split seats that combine contentious and non-contentious work.

• Starting Salary: £37,500 (first year trainee salary)
• NQ Salary: £78,000 (newly qualified salary)
• Trainee Intake: 10
• Qualification Rate: 80% (latest trainee retention/qualification rate published)
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree classification: 2:2 (published); Minimum A-level requirement: No minimum (published). Accepts non-law graduates; contextual recruitment and social mobility initiatives in place.
• Application Deadline: 31 January 2026

Seat Options

• Commercial & Regulatory Disputes
• Contentious Probate
• Agriculture
• Family
• Property Litigation
• Corporate & Commercial
• Transactional Real Estate
• Tax, Trusts & Succession
• Employment
• Projects
• Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency
• Technology & Innovation
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Private Client

Sponsorship

PGDL/PGDL grant: £5,000 (published); SQE grant: £7,000

SQE Support

SQE grant: £7,000 (financial support for SQE published)

International Opportunities

0% (chance of secondment abroad listed as 0%)

Client Secondments

8% (chance of client secondment c. 8%)

Mentorship

Buddy scheme for future and current trainees, one-to-one mentoring, enrolment on internal trainee networks, participation in schemes such as GROW Mentor Scheme and Aspiring Solicitors mentoring. The firm pairs future trainees with buddies and runs social events to integrate incoming cohorts.

Apply on the Michelmores LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Michelmores LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Attention to detail
• Resilience and adaptability
• Entrepreneurial/creative thinking
• Client focus and responsiveness
• Commitment to ESG and community impact

Evidence Signals

• Early-stage/angel investment experience or engagement (MAINstream/MiVentures)
• Work experience or internships (especially in regional/south-west firms)
• Pro bono and community outreach involvement (Momentum, REACH, Pathways schemes)
• Sector-specific interest (agriculture/natural capital, technology, real estate, private wealth)
• Mentoring/leadership or event organisation experience (organising pitch events, panels)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• First year trainee salary: £37,500
• Second year trainee salary: £39,000
• NQ salary: £78,000
• PGDL/GDL grant: £5,000
• SQE grant: £7,000
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and wellbeing platform (for staff and families)
• Free corporate membership to Headspace App for staff and up to five family members
• Wellbeing Cash Plan (claims towards dental, prescriptions and therapies)
• Private Medical Insurance available to all employees
• Gym schemes, yoga and relaxation classes, running club
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Income protection
• Season ticket loans
• Comprehensive pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Firmwide bonus, on-the-spot awards and individual performance-related bonuses
• EV car scheme
• Sports and social clubs, volunteering days, Give as you Earn charitable giving
• Buying and selling holiday scheme; additional day off for birthday and two days over Christmas/New Year
• Support for fertility treatment (up to 10 days paid leave), antenatal/adoption appointments paid leave
• Enhanced parental leave: 26 weeks full pay for employees meeting statutory requirements; 13 weeks paid paternity/co-parent leave
• Family Network and Family Buddy Scheme
• Paid time off and support for premature babies and pregnancy loss
• Long service recognition and discount/cashback schemes

Wellbeing

Wellbeing Champions across offices trained by Mind Forward Alliance; Menopause Champion scheme and Henpicked partnership; Headspace access, private medical insurance, wellbeing cash plan, workshops and webinars; signatory to the Mindful Business Charter.

Awards & Recognition

• Top 75 in Social Mobility — Ranked 57th, Social Mobility Employer Index 2025
• Law Firm of the Year — Insider South West Residential Property Awards 2025 (Won)
• Gold - Best Employee Brand of the Year — City Wealth Brand & Marketing Awards 2025 (Won)
• Contentious Probate Provider of the Year — The Probate Industry Awards 2025 (Won)
• Best Law Firm to Work At 2025 — RollOnFriday (Won)
• Law Firm of the Year - UK Wide — Citywealth Magic Circles Awards 2024 (Won)
• Regional/Offshore Firm of the Year — Legal Business Awards 2024 (Won)
• Best Legal Team for Early-Stage Deals — Angel Investment Awards 2022 & 2023 (Won)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Signatory to the Mindful Business Charter; member of Mind Forward Alliance; partnership with Planet Mark on sustainability; active social mobility and inclusive recruitment measures (contextual recruitment and targeted work experience programmes).

• Contextual recruitment for early careers roles
• REACH Academy partnership
• Pathways to Law
• VisionPath
• #10000BlackInterns partnership
• GROW Mentor Scheme
• Aspiring Solicitors mentor participation
• Women @Michelmores initiative
• Diversity and Inclusion working group
• Family Network and Family Buddy Scheme
• Momentum schools partnership programme
• Menopause Champion scheme
• Wellbeing Champions (trained via Mind Forward Alliance)

Pro Bono

Firm encourages pro bono and community engagement via Momentum school partnerships, volunteering days, local charity partners (e.g., Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice) and regional access initiatives such as workplace visits, REACH and school mentoring; no formal firm-wide pro bono hours target published.

Innovation

The firm runs a dedicated Technology & Innovation practice combining commercial, regulatory, IP and data expertise. Trainees and lawyers engage with tech and legal‑tech clients through MiVentures and MAINstream, and the firm supports sector events and awards. The firm advertises pragmatic, commercially focused tech advice across a range of specialisms (AI & ML, cyber security, fintech, data, gaming).

• Technology & Innovation team (cross-practice capability advising on AI, cyber, fintech, data and TMT)
• MiVentures (scale-up legal support package)
• MAINstream (angel investor network facilitating tech/start-up engagement)
• Sponsorship and engagement with Tech South West (Clean Tech award)
• Work advising on data, digital content, AI and platform agreements (examples: Landmark, Tap Global, Intelligent AI)

Quick Application Angles

• Reference the firm's values — Collaborative, Commercial and Creative — in your application and give concrete examples of how you've worked in teams to deliver pragmatic, commercially-aware solutions.
• Highlight any start‑up, investor or pitch‑event experience (or genuine interest in early-stage investment): Michelmores runs MAINstream and won Best Legal Team for Early‑Stage Deals, so demonstrable exposure to fundraising, angel networks or commercialisation is a strong signal.
• If applying to agriculture, natural capital or real estate seats, mention interest or experience in environmental markets: the firm's Natural Capital team and published guide on payments for environmental services are cited client-facing strengths.
• Talk about wellbeing and inclusion activities or mentoring experience: the firm emphasises social mobility, contextual recruitment and school partnerships (Momentum/REACH), so examples of community engagement and mentoring will resonate.
• For Technology & Innovation roles, reference specific tech matters on the site (AIM/AQSE admissions, data licensing work for Landmark, AI/FinTech transactions) and demonstrate knowledge of digital/content or IP issues the team handles.