Litigation and Dispute Resolution at CMS | Career Guide

CMS is an international firm with a substantive disputes offering in the UK that covers commercial litigation, arbitration and a number of niche areas such as construction, insurance, competition litigation and financial disputes. The team's reputation rests on handling cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters, working alongside CMS offices in Europe and beyond.

Strengths to note when researching the team:

• Look For cross-border experience and the way disputes are managed across jurisdictions.

• Look For technical specialisms such as energy, construction or financial services disputes within the UK LDR teams.

• Look For rankings and commentary in Chambers UK and The Legal 500 to understand where practice bands and individual lawyers are placed.

How to evaluate fit:

• Read CMS's UK disputes pages and recent team news to identify the types of instructions the team wins.

• Use firm profiles on YourLegalLadder and Chambers Student to get seat-by-seat insight and trainee testimonials.

• Identify practice groups within LDR (for example, arbitration, commercial litigation, insolvency-linked litigation) and choose ones that align to your interests.

CMS disputes lawyers typically handle high-value commercial litigation and arbitration with a significant cross-border element. While client names and confidential outcomes vary, common matter types include disputes arising from international supply contracts, energy and infrastructure claims, insurance coverage disputes, and complex professional negligence or financial services litigation.

Examples of the sort of matters you should be able to discuss intelligently in an application or interview:

• Acting in arbitration under ICC or LCIA rules on disputes arising from international supply or construction contracts.

• Advising insurers or reinsurers on coverage disputes and subrogation issues during policy periods.

• Representing corporate clients in multi-party commercial claims involving jurisdictional challenges and parallel proceedings.

• Handling litigation linked to regulatory enforcement or investigations in financial services.

How to prepare evidence for applications:

• Use public sources (press releases, legal directories, court lists) and firm publications to compile examples of recent CMS disputes work.

• Read short practice notes or case summaries and be ready to explain the legal or commercial issues, the firm's role and what a successful outcome involved (keeping confidentiality in mind).

At a large international firm like CMS you should expect a structured training contract with a mixture of formal and on-the-job learning. Typical benefits for dispute-resolution trainees and junior lawyers include exposure to drafting court or arbitration documents, client correspondence, disclosure, witness statements and advocacy preparation.

Practical training opportunities to look for and request during seats:

• Ask To draft pleadings, applications and skeleton arguments early; supervisors often allocate drafting tasks when they trust your attention to detail.

• Ask To take ownership of discrete pieces of work (eg. preparing a chronology, managing bundles) and then produce a short note recommending next steps.

• Seek Out mock hearings and advocacy training arranged by the firm or external providers to develop oral skills.

• Request Feedback after each piece of substantive work and keep a training diary of tasks and lessons learned to demonstrate progress in TC interviews.

International exposure and secondments:

• Explore secondment opportunities to other CMS offices or client secondments to gain cross-border experience; check the firm's published trainee brochure and YourLegalLadder's firm profile for specifics.

Continuing professional development:

• Use workshops on disclosure technology, document review platforms and case-management software - these are increasingly central to dispute resolution practice.

When applying, tailor your application to demonstrate litigation-relevant skills: structured reasoning, drafting ability, commercial awareness and resilience under pressure. Below are specific, actionable strategies.

CV and cover letter tips:

• Quantify Achievements where possible (for example, "Managed a 1,500‑document review for a pro bono housing case"), and highlight law-related drafting or research tasks.

• Include Relevant Experience such as mooting, pro bono litigation support, paralegal roles, or internships where you assisted on disclosure, witness statements or trial bundles.

• Show Commercial Awareness by referring to a recent CMS disputes matter or market trend and explain the commercial implications briefly.

Application question tactics:

• Use The STAR technique for competency answers but adapt it for legal tasks: set the legal/ commercial issue, explain your analysis, state your action and the outcome.

• Be Specific when asked about interest in disputes: name a practice area (eg. arbitration or insurance litigation) and explain why with reference to a recent legal development or case-type.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

• Avoid Generic Statements about 'liking litigation' without evidence; instead cite concrete tasks you've done or a learning experience demonstrating fit.

• Don't Overclaim technical knowledge; if you don't know the answer to a technical question, explain how you would research or approach the issue.

Interviews and assessment centres for a disputes seat often blend commercial scenarios, role-plays and technical questioning. Prepare to showcase both legal reasoning and interpersonal skills.

Interview preparation:

• Prepare To walk an interviewer through a piece of work you did: the legal problem, the options you considered, why you chose a course of action and what you learnt.

• Rehearse A short explanation of the litigation lifecycle (pre-action, claim, disclosure, witness evidence, trial, enforcement) and be able to outline the solicitor's role at each stage.

Assessment centre exercises:

• Expect Group Exercises where you must negotiate or prioritise actions for a client; practice structuring input and listening actively.

• Prepare For Role-Plays that simulate client meetings or partner debriefs - practise giving clear, concise advice and managing timelines.

Networking and research:

• Speak With current trainees and junior associates on LinkedIn or at university law fairs to ask about seat allocation, typical day-to-day work and training structure.

• Use Resources such as YourLegalLadder, Chambers Student, LawCareers.Net and Legal Cheek for up-to-date market intelligence and alumni insights.

Post-interview follow-up:

• Send A short, professionally worded thank-you email reiterating a single point that demonstrates fit - for example, how a particular disputes matter discussed in interview aligned with your experience.

Final tip: keep a log of training contract deadlines and application stages. Tools on platforms like YourLegalLadder and LawCareers.Net can help you track deadlines, manage documents and prepare for each stage efficiently.