Slater Heelis Solicitors

Overview

Slater Heelis is a long-established regional full-service law firm operating across multiple UK city offices, presenting itself as a trusted adviser to individuals, families and businesses. The firm emphasises client-facing personal services (family, wills & probate, Court of Protection, personal injury and criminal defence) alongside business services (corporate, commercial, employment, property and dispute resolution). It highlights local expertise with an expanding UK footprint, community and charity relationships (for example Storyhouse and Chester Zoo) and strong client satisfaction scores (4.9/5 on ReviewSolicitors).

• Lawyers: Over 140 legal experts
• Offices: 10

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Family Law
• Private Client & Wealth
• Criminal Law
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Employment
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Real Estate
• Corporate & M&A
• Commercial Contracts
• Intellectual Property
• Construction & Engineering
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• White Collar Crime
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Media & Entertainment
• Tax
• Professional Negligence
• Sports Law

Geographic Focus: Strong regional focus across the North West of England with multiple city offices (Manchester, Sale, Chester, Liverpool, Leeds, York, Sheffield and Daresbury) and a London presence. The firm positions itself as delivering local expertise with a national reputation and has been expanding its UK footprint through new offices.

Training Contract

A clear path to qualification: We’ll guide you through your Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), offering structure, feedback, and development opportunities. Dedicated training mentors in each department: You will have access not only to central training support but also to a mentor in each team to ensure your training needs are met and you have all you need to succeed. Comprehensive training: Gain hands-on experience across a wide variety of practice areas, both private client and corporate, working alongside experienced solicitors who are passionate about nurturing the next generation. Seat rotation: During your training programme, you may complete up to four training seats across different legal departments. You will be able to indicate your preferences, and we’ll match this with department needs. Real responsibility: From day one, you’ll be given meaningful work and direct client exposure in a supportive environment. A place to belong: Be part of a dynamic, inclusive firm with a strong regional presence and a reputation for excellence.

• Trainee Intake: 6
• Academic Requirements: A law degree (of at least a 2:1 standard) or law conversion course.
• Application Deadline: 2026-05-15

SQE Support

Full SQE funding: If you have yet to enrol onto the SQE route, we are proud to offer sponsorship of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route to qualification, including course fees and exam costs (subject to eligibility).

Apply on the Slater Heelis Solicitors website →

What Slater Heelis Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Client care and empathy (important for personal services such as family, Court of Protection and wills & probate)
• Commercial awareness (for corporate, commercial and property work)
• Teamwork and collaboration across regional offices
• Clear communication and practical problem-solving
• Community and charity engagement / commitment to pro bono and civic initiatives

Evidence Signals

• Direct client-facing experience or volunteering with community/charity organisations
• Practical work experience in relevant practice areas (conveyancing, family law, litigation, commercial contracts)
• Demonstrable commercial awareness for business-facing roles
• Examples of teamwork and involvement in wellbeing or ED&I activities

Benefits & Wellbeing

Wellbeing

The firm runs wellbeing initiatives and has published content on wellbeing during lockdown and Stress Awareness Month, indicating active mental-health and employee-wellbeing activity across the business.

Awards & Recognition

• Rated 4.9 out of 5 on ReviewSolicitors
• Legal 500 — multiple North West rankings (examples: Contentious trusts and probate: Tier 2; Family: Tier 2; Commercial property: Elsewhere in the North West: Tier 3; Corporate and commercial: Manchester: Tier 3; General crime and fraud: Tier 3; Personal tax, trusts and probate: Tier 3; plus further Tier 4 and Tier 5 listings)
• Chambers & Partners — ranked with multiple departments (Chambers data notes 20 ranked departments and 4 ranked lawyers)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Celebrate ED&I at Slater Heelis
• Our Culture of Giving
• Equality & Corporate Social Responsibility
• Legal Services for ADHD, Autism & Neurodivergent Individuals

Pro Bono

The firm emphasises a culture of giving and corporate & charity partnerships (page references and partnerships include Storyhouse and Chester Zoo).

Innovation

Quick Application Angles

• Emphasise local/regional impact: highlight experience or commitment to serving local communities and charities (the firm publicly promotes partnerships with organisations such as Storyhouse and Chester Zoo).
• For personal-services roles, illustrate empathy and client-care with concrete examples (e.g. long-running client support, deputyship or Court of Protection-related experience).
• If applying to corporate/commercial or property roles, demonstrate clear commercial awareness and reference specific service pages (corporate, commercial contracts, real estate) to show alignment with the firm’s full-service offering.
• Mention involvement in or interest in wellbeing and ED&I work — the firm highlights a culture of giving, stress-awareness and neurodiversity services.
• Reference the firm’s regional expansion and multi-office model (Manchester and other North West offices plus London) to show you understand their geographic strategy.