Thompsons Solicitors

Overview

Thompsons Solicitors is a UK-wide, claimant-focused personal injury and employment rights law firm founded in 1921 and built around a long-standing commitment to social justice and trade union work. The firm specialises in high-volume and high-value personal injury, asbestos, industrial disease and medical negligence work, acting only for injured or mistreated people (never insurers or employers), and is known for landmark asbestos litigation, major multi‑claimant settlements and deep links with the trade union movement. Its network of local specialist teams across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and an associated firm in Scotland gives it a broad national footprint and capacity to handle both individual catastrophic injury cases and large-scale group matters.

• Headquarters: London
• Founded: 1921
• Offices: 18

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Employment
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Transport & Logistics

Geographic Focus: Nationwide coverage across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with an associated firm in Scotland. The firm operates through a network of regional offices (London, Midlands, North West, North East, Yorkshire, South West, Wales and Northern Ireland), focusing on serving trade union members and individual claimants locally while coordinating national asbestos, industrial disease and medical negligence litigation teams.

Training Contract

Mentorship

The firm references regular in‑house training events, supervisor and team support, and examples of early‑career placements progressing to substantive roles; careers pages highlight professional development, training courses and encouragement to develop through practice-based learning and specialist supervision.

Apply on the Thompsons Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Thompsons Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commitment to social justice and claimant advocacy
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Professionalism and resilience
• Client empathy and communication skills
• Practical, hands‑on legal experience or placements
• Willingness to learn and engage with specialist claimant work

Evidence Signals

• Experience with trade unions or union legal schemes
• Practical legal placements (e.g., Law in Practice modules)
• Voluntary legal support (e.g., Support Through Court or pro bono work)
• Work or study experience showing commitment to claimant/clinical negligence or industrial disease causes
• Casework or internships in personal injury, clinical negligence or industrial disease

Benefits & Wellbeing

• No win, no fee funding options for clients (reflects firm remit rather than employee pay)
• Access to rehabilitation, medical care and support services for clients (service offering)
• Trade union partner legal schemes — free legal services for eligible union members
• Regular in‑house training and professional development opportunities
• Emphasis on fairness and staff wellbeing in internal policy and people messaging

Wellbeing

The firm states that employee wellbeing is at the centre of its priorities, emphasising fairness, team working and support; the careers pages highlight wellbeing as a central priority and reference training and development as part of staff support.

Awards & Recognition

• Recognised by The Times for medical negligence work (year not specified on site)
• Top tier in Legal 500 for personal injury and medical negligence (Legal 500 ranking cited)
• Appointed to the Mesothelioma UK legal panel (Mesothelioma UK panel appointment, 08 April 2020)
• Shortlist: Law Society Awards, Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice (Linda Millband, 2018)
• Recognised as One of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services™ (Great Place to Work UK, 04 September 2025)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Public commitment to diversity and the Halo Code; stated emphasis on equality and diversity across client work and employee relations.

• Halo Code pledge
• Links and partnerships with charities and support groups (including Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK)
• Work with trade unions to support members

Pro Bono

The firm works closely with charities, support groups and unions, is involved in projects to provide legal help to persecuted trade unionists (example co‑sponsored project for Colombian trade unionists) and acts for vulnerable groups including asbestos victims; Thompsons is a member/partner of various sector organisations and provides representation to unions and their members.

Innovation

Quick Application Angles

• Stress your commitment to social justice and client‑first advocacy — Thompsons only acts for injured or mistreated people and emphasises trade union links.
• Reference the firm’s asbestos and industrial disease expertise (House of Lords asbestos precedent, Mesothelioma UK panel appointment and multi‑million pound asbestos recoveries) when applying for disease or industrial injury roles.
• If you have practical placement experience (for example the Sheffield Hallam 'Law in Practice' module or volunteering with Support Through Court), make it prominent — the firm converts placements into offers.
• Mention experience of multi‑party or large‑scale claimant work, or any exposure to medical negligence/multi‑claimant settlements (e.g., Paterson work), to show you understand the firm’s case profile.
• Emphasise teamwork, adaptability and client empathy — the firm highlights collaboration, regular in‑house training and staff wellbeing as core cultural features.