Job Title: SPARK 2024
Location: 10 Upper Bank Street, London
Salary: £450 per week
Dates: Week commencing 4th May 2024
SPARK is an award-winning and unique opportunity to gain an unparalleled introduction to the world of commercial law, undertaking classroom-based learning alongside work shadowing in a practice area.
The programme has been developed from a one-week internship into a two-year programme to give you deep insights into our work and to develop your legal knowledge, commercial awareness, and core business skills. You can learn more about SPARK and other opportunities available at Clifford Chance here.
Am I eligible?
SPARK is open to all first-year law students on a three-year degree, second-year law students on a four-year degree, or penultimate-year non-law students. You are not eligible to apply to any other roles, such as the/a Training Contract.
The SPARK programme launches on 1st May 2024 and you will need to be available in the week commencing 8th July 2024 as this is when the in-person SPARK shadowing will take place.
Why choose Clifford Chance?
Clifford Chance is one of the world’s leading law firms, offering local and global clients expert advice on all aspects of commercial law. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across five continents and five core practice areas.
What experience do I need?
You do not need any prior legal experience, a law degree, or any specific qualifications to apply to us. However, as SPARK may lead to a Training Contract, we are looking for committed individuals with certain personal qualities. We expect you to be a problem-solver with strong communication skills and a basic awareness of how businesses function. You’ll have knowledge of the role and our Firm, with an understanding of how this aligns with your skillset. In addition, you’ll be someone who has the following qualities:
- Business awareness and problem solving with commercial insight
- Ability to identify legal vs business issues
- Knowledge of the role and Firm with an understanding of how this aligns with your skillset
- Strong communication skills (oral and written)
- Leading and managing oneself and others
- Relationship building and collaborating with colleagues and clients
- Thriving through challenges in a high-pressure environment with deadlines
Where could it lead?
If you are successful on SPARK, you may be invited to interview for a Training Contract and receive an offer in the weeks after the scheme. A Training Contract means you will be employed under a fixed-term contract as a Trainee Solicitor, working from our offices in Upper Bank Street, London, and earning a starting salary of £50,000 per year, rising to £55,000 in your second year.
About the Firm
Whatever your area of expertise, you’ll find a range of career opportunities at Clifford Chance. And wherever you’re heading, Clifford Chance is where you can be true to your ambitions.
Our firm, work, and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. In a world where commercial success increasingly relies on globalisation, we offer clients a truly international perspective, and we offer our people a rewarding and stimulating career.
We’re proud of our approachable, friendly, and team-based way of working. Highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak, our people are more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge.
Hybrid Working
This role follows our ‘balanced’ hybrid working approach, and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time. Please see our careers site for further information on our working environment.
To find out more about what it is like to work in Clifford Chance in the UK, please visit link.
Equal Opportunities
At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm, and society.
We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally, regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment, including pay, promotion, training, transfer, and every other aspect of employment.
Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration, and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our Firm. Find out more here.
SPARK application process
Applications open on Monday 4th September 2023 and close at 11:59pm on Thursday 8th February 2024. We do not recruit on a rolling basis, and we do not review applications until after the deadline has passed.
Please be aware that we will only review your application form. If you upload your CV, this will pre-populate some of your application; however your CV will not be reviewed. Please do NOT upload a covering letter, as this will not be reviewed.
We will only review the information on your application form at the point of submission – any changes made after this will not be taken into consideration, so please refrain from making any changes after you have submitted.
Shortly after submitting your application, if you fall into one of the groups eligible to apply, you will receive an email from us asking you to complete an online Watson Glaser critical reasoning assessment. This takes approximately 30 minutes and should be completed within five days of receiving our email with instructions.
The assessment centres for SPARK will take place in-person from the week commencing 11th March 2024