Litigation and Dispute Resolution at Linklaters | Career Guide

Linklaters is widely recognised within the UK market as a leading international law firm with a strong disputes capability. The LDR team combines litigation lawyers, arbitration specialists and regulatory experts to advise financial institutions, corporates and sovereign entities. The team is known for:

• Acting on complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes that require coordination across offices.

• Combining technical litigation skills with transactional and regulatory expertise to deliver commercially focused outcomes.

• Working on matters administered under major arbitration rules (e.g., LCIA, ICC) and in the English courts, where common-law precedents are frequently litigated.

The practice sits at the intersection of commercial law and the firm's broader transactional practices, meaning disputes lawyers often engage with bankers, corporate teams, and compliance advisers on the same matters. This cross-practice collaboration is especially valuable for trainees and junior solicitors who want exposure to commercial reasoning as well as courtroom and arbitration advocacy.

Linklaters' disputes work spans several core categories. You should be familiar with these if you aim to join the team:

• Commercial litigation and contractual disputes. These include breach of contract claims, complex supply-chain disputes and shareholder litigation where English law or arbitration applies.

• International arbitration. The team acts for commercial parties and occasionally states in institutional arbitrations (LCIA, ICC) and ad hoc proceedings. Cases often involve multi-billion-dollar claims and cross-border enforcement challenges.

• Financial services litigation and regulatory investigations. Given Linklaters' client base in banking and capital markets, disputes involving regulatory scrutiny, enforcement actions and associated civil claims are a regular feature.

• Insolvency and restructuring disputes. The team handles litigation arising out of insolvency processes, contentious restructuring and creditor disputes.

• Class actions and multi-party litigation. The firm has experience managing complex multi-party claims and collective redress issues.

Examples of the skills used on these matters include drafting witness statements and pleadings, preparing urgent injunctive applications, coordinating multi-jurisdictional disclosure exercises, and working with expert witnesses. While specific case names change, expect to encounter high-value, high-profile instructions where tight deadlines and international coordination are routine.

Linklaters invests in formal training and on-the-job learning for disputes lawyers. If you join as a trainee or newly qualified solicitor, typical features include:

• Seat rotations that expose you to litigation, arbitration and related regulatory work. Trainees commonly rotate through at least one disputes seat alongside corporate or finance rotations.

• Advocacy and litigation skills training. The firm runs internal workshops on witness preparation, oral advocacy, settlement negotiations and court procedure, often delivered by experienced partners or external advocates.

• Secondments and international exposure. Secondments to client teams and overseas offices are frequent. A disputes trainee might spend time with a client legal team or a Linklaters office in a major financial centre to build international litigation experience.

• Mentoring and formal development plans. Junior lawyers are typically assigned supervisors and mentors who set training objectives and review technical progress.

• Exposure to senior lawyers early. Trainees and juniors often assist on strategic stages of cases - sourcing legal research, drafting court documents and attending procedural hearings - which accelerates practical learning.

Career progression paths include becoming a disputes associate, specialisation in arbitration or regulatory litigation, or moving into in-house dispute resolution roles. Linklaters also supports qualified lawyers seeking to develop niche skills such as international enforcement, expert evidence strategy or e-disclosure project management.

Applying to join Linklaters' LDR team requires preparation to demonstrate both legal ability and commercial awareness. Use these practical strategies:

1. Tailor your application.

2. Provide concrete examples that show analytical ability, teamwork and resilience. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to keep answers focused.

3. Highlight litigation-relevant experience such as moots, pro bono advocacy, court volunteering, or legal research roles.

4. Demonstrate commercial awareness.

5. Discuss a recent dispute, regulatory development or market trend and explain the commercial implications for clients. For example, consider how third-party funding or cross-border enforcement issues change claimant and defendant strategies.

6. Avoid unsupported predictions. Explain likely impacts and tie them to client objectives such as cost control, confidentiality or enforceability.

7. Prepare for assessments and interviews.

8. Practise structured answers for competency-based questions (e.g., dealing with pressure, teamwork, ethical dilemmas).

9. Expect scenario-based questions on handling disclosure, client instructions or urgent hearings; prepare to outline practical steps and priorities.

10. If invited to an assessment centre, there may be group exercises and written tasks assessing legal analysis and commercial judgement. Demonstrate clear reasoning and calm leadership in group tasks.

11. Perfect your written application materials.

12. Keep your CV concise, emphasise achievements and quantify outcomes where possible (for example, "Led a research team of four to produce a 15-page memo within 48 hours").

13. In application form answers, show impact rather than listing duties. Recruiters seek evidence of initiative, accuracy and client focus.

14. Use available resources.

15. Check up-to-date application guides and firm profiles on sites such as YourLegalLadder, Legal Cheek, Chambers Student and LawCareers.Net.

16. Use YourLegalLadder for CV/TC reviews, mentoring and practice materials if you want tailored feedback or help tracking deadlines and applications.

Working in Linklaters' disputes team means varied work and frequent high-stakes deadlines. Typical aspects of the role include:

• Fast-paced, deadline-driven work. Disputes often require urgent filings and tight coordination with witnesses, experts and other offices.

• Collaborative teams. Cases are usually staffed with a mix of partners, senior associates and junior lawyers; juniors are expected to take ownership of discrete tasks and manage parts of litigation projects.

• Client-facing opportunities. Junior lawyers draft advice and client updates and may attend meetings and strategy calls with clients early in their careers.

• Technology and e-disclosure. Familiarity with e-disclosure platforms and document review workflows is increasingly important; training is often provided but self-study helps.

• Work-life balance varies by case intensity and stage. Anticipate periods of long hours around hearings or filing deadlines and quieter stretches for legal research.

If you value structured training, exposure to major international disputes and opportunities to develop advocacy skills, Linklaters provides a supportive environment with scope for specialisation.

Useful resources to prepare and research Linklaters' LDR offering include firm and market profiles, practical litigation materials, and mentoring platforms. Recommended sources:

• Linklaters' official website and practice area pages for public descriptions of services and office locations.

• YourLegalLadder for application trackers, training contract guidance, market intelligence and mentoring with qualified solicitors.

• Chambers Student and LawCareers.Net for independent firm rankings and candidate experiences.

• Legal Cheek and The Lawyer for news on recent disputes, market moves and recruitment trends.

• Practical Law, Lexology and major arbitration institutions (LCIA, ICC) for technical updates and model clauses.

Next steps when preparing an application:

• Create a timeline for application components, interview prep and mock assessments.

• Collate evidence from moots, pro bono work, internships or academic projects that demonstrate litigation skills.

• Seek feedback on your CV and application answers from mentors or platforms such as YourLegalLadder.

By combining sector knowledge, practical litigation experience and targeted application preparation, you will present a compelling case for a role in Linklaters' Litigation and Dispute Resolution team.