Reed Smith LLP

Overview

Reed Smith LLP is a longstanding international law firm (over 140 years of history) combining full-service legal capabilities with sector-focused expertise across five industry pillars (Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, and Transportation). The firm operates a global platform that supports local and cross-border work from its largest office in London (300+ lawyers) and a network of offices across the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Reed Smith emphasises collaborative client service, deep industry knowledge and innovation (including an internal innovation function and legal-technology subsidiaries) as differentiators.

• Headquarters: London
• Founded: 1877
• Lawyers: 1,600+
• Trainees: 26
• Offices: 31

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Energy & Natural Resources
• Media & Entertainment
• Financial Services & Regulation
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Transport & Logistics
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Corporate & M&A
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Intellectual Property
• International Arbitration
• Investment Funds
• Pensions
• Employment
• Real Estate
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Shipping & Maritime
• Technology & Digital
• Tax
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Insolvency & Restructuring

Geographic Focus: Global platform with concentrated strength across the United States, the UK (London as largest office), continental Europe (notably Paris and Munich), the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh), and Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Silicon Valley presence for tech). The firm aims to provide coordinated local and cross-border solutions and runs targeted industry teams that combine lawyers across jurisdictions for major transactions, disputes and regulatory matters.

Training Contract

Reed Smith’s training contract is a rotation-based programme in which trainees sit in multiple departments (trainees are expected to sit in at least one Finance-focused and one Litigation-focused department). Trainees are assigned experienced supervisors and a trainee buddy; seat preferences can be submitted and seats are allocated to ensure broad exposure. The firm highlights integrated practical SQE placements and paid work during study.

• Starting Salary: Year 1: £53,000; Year 2: £58,000
• NQ Salary: £125,000
• Trainee Intake: 26
• Qualification Rate: 69%
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree: 2:1 (or equivalent) – the firm states that candidates without a 2:1/first must demonstrate exceptional academic ability elsewhere. Minimum A-level requirement: no minimum (LegalCheek: No minimum). The firm accepts non-law graduates and operates potential-based assessments rather than requiring prior legal knowledge.
• Application Deadline: 2026-05-27

Seat Options

• Corporate & M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Real Estate
• Employment
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Intellectual Property
• International Arbitration
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Tax
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Investment Funds
• Pensions
• Technology & Digital
• Shipping & Maritime
• Regulatory & Compliance

Sponsorship

Reed Smith will pay course fees for the GDL (where required) and SQE, and provides a maintenance grant of £15,000. The firm sponsors PGDL through BPP and SQE tuition with the College of Legal Practice for sponsored trainees. (Apprenticeship-specific: solicitor apprentices start on a salary of £26,500 with a £2,000 sign-on bonus.)

SQE Support

Reed Smith pays course fees for the GDL (if required) and the SQE and provides structured SQE preparation. The firm sponsors SQE training with named providers: PGDL sponsorship through BPP and SQE sponsorship with the College of Legal Practice for those offered contracts prior to qualification. The firm also operates a Reed Smith Academy SQE preparatory offering in collaboration with regional law-

International Opportunities

The firm runs regular trainee secondments to Singapore, Dubai and Paris. Secondments (both international and client secondments) are reviewed annually; details on selection process are managed locally and depend on business needs and trainee preferences.

Client Secondments

Reed Smith offers client secondments across a range of clients and industries; LegalCheek figures indicate a roughly 31% chance of a client secondment for trainees. The firm states a wide range of client secondments are available and that they review secondment opportunities each year.

Mentorship

Each trainee is assigned an experienced seat supervisor and a trainee buddy for informal guidance; the firm also provides formal mentoring, writing coaches (noted in US summer programme), and an in-house Learning & Development team to support structured training and pastoral development.

Apply on the Reed Smith LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Reed Smith LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Intellectual curiosity
• Attention to detail
• Resilience and adaptability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Leadership and initiative
• Commitment to inclusion and pro bono/public interest work

Evidence Signals

• Vacation scheme or similar commercial work experience
• Pro bono involvement or community engagement
• International experience or language skills (valuable for cross-border work and secondments)
• Demonstrable teamwork (e.g., law society, sports teams, group projects)
• Commercial internships (banks, funds, corporates) or fund/finance exposure for finance seats
• Technology/FinTech interest or experience for tech and digital roles

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Trainee salary: Year 1 £53,000; Year 2 £58,000
• NQ salary: £125,000
• PGDL/Sponsorship: PGDL sponsorship through BPP (where applicable)
• SQE sponsorship: SQE course fees paid (College of Legal Practice) and Reed Smith Academy SQE prep in some regions
• Maintenance grant for sponsored trainees: £15,000
• Apprenticeship sign-on bonus: £2,000
• 25 days' annual holiday
• Permanent health insurance
• Private medical insurance (listed under flexible benefits)
• Dental insurance
• Contributory pension scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Staff introduction bonus
• Subsidised cafeteria
• Conveyance fees reimbursed for domestic conveyance
• Lifestyle discounts and concierge service
• Childcare vouchers (flexible benefits package)
• Critical illness cover
• Health screening
• Travel insurance
• Personal training / discounted gym membership / cycle to work scheme
• Restaurant card
• Give As You Earn (GAYE)
• Flexible benefits package

Wellbeing

Reed Smith runs wellbeing initiatives and inclusion events (e.g., annual Disability Inclusion Summit organised by LEADRS). The firm commits to reasonable adjustments and disability accommodations for events and recruitment, offers health screening and employee assistance-style supports via benefits, and runs employee networks and wellbeing events.

Awards & Recognition

• Chambers Global rankings: multiple Band 1 listings across jurisdictions (various years, including 2023/2024/2026 mentions)
• Chambers FinTech recognitions (Band 1 & individual rankings) – Singapore and UK listings (2024/2025/2026 references)
• Legal 500 UK: multiple Tier 1 rankings (e.g., Media: Digital Content & Social Tier 1; Shipping Tier 1; Trade Finance Tier 1) (2023–2026 references)
• Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards: multiple nominations and finalist listings (North America and Europe) including nominations for digital products, generative AI strategy, data use, and healthcare pro bono (2022–2024)
• Pennsylvania Legal Awards: ESG Impact and individual recognitions (2024)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• LEADRS (Disability Business Inclusion Group)
• Disability Inclusion Summit (annual)
• Employee networks (unnamed corporate networks referenced across offices)
• Trainee and Apprentice Social Committee
• E.M.E.A. pro bono team and EMEA pro bono projects (Ukraine Refugee Project; Rule 39 Human Rights Project; Afghan Pro Bono Initiative)
• Post‑Dobbs Pro Bono Committee
• Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (national pro bono partnership)

Pro Bono

Reed Smith contributed 70,000 pro bono hours in 2024 (valued at over US$50 million), provides legal advice and representation to around 600 individuals each year, delivers commercial legal advice to over 300 charities and non-profits annually, and allows 140 billable-credit pro bono hours per lawyer annually. Flagship projects include the Ukraine Refugee Project, the Rule 39 Human Rights Project, and the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative; the firm also co‑ordinates the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance.

Innovation

Reed Smith invests in legal-technology and innovation through a dedicated innovation function and standalone tech subsidiaries (Gravity Stack), a Global Solutions delivery arm in Leeds, and specialised tools such as a Data Inventory Survey Tool for e-discovery and information governance. The firm has appointed a director of applied AI, runs pilots and partnerships with generative AI vendors, and highlights the integration of data and AI into client-facing and internal workflows. Trainees and junior lawyers may engage with innovation via project secondments, the Global Solutions teams, and technology-integrated seats.

• Gravity Stack (big law tech subsidiary)
• Reed Smith Global Solutions (Leeds legal services delivery centre)
• Reed Smith Academy (SQE preparatory and learning offering)
• Director of Applied AI role and expanded data framework
• Partnerships and experimentation with generative AI tools (including a partnership with Harvey)
• Records & E-Discovery Data Inventory Survey Tool
• Global intelligence system and data framework

Quick Application Angles

• Highlight international interest and mobility — reference the firm’s regular trainee secondments to Singapore, Dubai and Paris and express openness to cross‑border work in your application.
• Showcase commercial and technical curiosity for industry-led practice areas — mention a relevant Reed Smith insight or recent matter (for example, private credit tokenisation or the receivables financing for CapRelease) to demonstrate sector awareness.
• Emphasise teamwork and peer support — the firm scores highly for peer support and partner approachability, so give concrete examples of collaborative work where you both led and supported a team.
• Reference the firm’s training and SQE sponsorship offer — if applicable, note your interest in the firm’s funded PGDL/SQE pathway (BPP/College of Legal Practice) and the £15,000 maintenance grant to show you’ve read the practicalities.
• Talk about pro bono and sustainability engagement — Reed Smith places weight on pro bono (70,000 hours in 2024) and sustainability initiatives; mention any relevant volunteering or ESG work you’ve undertaken.