Traineeship Highlights

You will have a number of varied rotations where you are assigned to a practice group and a Supervising Partner. During your rotations you will acquire practical legal skills such as how to draft legal documents, interact with clients, manage cases and, importantly, work as a team member. We will work with you to identify the practice area of your choice and assign you there for your final rotation before you qualify.

If you are successful, we will make you a verbal offer in January, followed by a written offer outlining salary and benefits. Your contract is in the form of ‘Indentures of Apprenticeship’, which bind you, the Law Society and William Fry for the duration of your traineeship.

On joining the firm you will be assigned a ‘buddy’ – a fellow trainee who joined ahead of you and works in the practice area to which you have been assigned. Your buddy will help you to settle in and will show you around, making the necessary introductions, and answering all your questions.

At William Fry we believe you develop your experience based on the work you are given. The Firm strives to ensure the work you do is challenging and extends both your experience and capabilities.

At the end of your rotation in each practice group, you will receive an appraisal from the Supervising Partner to whom you have been assigned. The appraisal is intended to be objective and constructive and is designed to help you develop your particular strengths and abilities. At the same time, we will identify any difficulties you may be experiencing and find solutions to keep you on track.

You will be given an individual learning plan which includes legal training to support the core legal knowledge required for your practice rotations. Your learning plan will also build your knowledge of the technology you need as a Solicitor, along with the soft skills needed to work as part of a team and manage client relationships.

Our learning culture is one where Partners and Solicitors share their knowledge, legal insight and experience through direct involvement in your training – whether by presenting a legal seminar or through direct coaching during your practice rotations.

In week one you will attend a comprehensive Induction Programme run by training staff from the Firm’s dedicated in-house training facility. This will give you an introduction to our people and our culture, as well as an overview of the Firm. You will also receive training on all our systems.

At William Fry you will have desktop access to a comprehensive suite of technology which allows you to perform at the highest level. A key component of this is the Firm’s Knowledge Management System, linking you to legal information, both internal (know how and library resources) and external (online and other electronic services). Our library staff will train and support you in legal research, and our dedicated team of professional support lawyers will keep you up-to-date with legal developments.

Trainees elect a Committee which meets regularly to identify any issues that need to be brought to the attention of the Partners’ Trainee Committee. The full group of trainees meets regularly with the Managing Partner to share ideas and discuss suggestions for refinement of your training experience at William Fry.

It may be possible for you to do a secondment of up to six months with one of the Firm’s clients either in Ireland or abroad. This has proven an invaluable experience for Trainees.

At every stage of your development within the Firm, you are encouraged to use your own initiative as much as possible. Your responsibility for handling aspects of cases and transactions will increase rapidly as your knowledge and confidence grows. But you will not be working alone – our ethos is team-based, and you will have the support of an assigned Partner throughout.

Throughout your career at William Fry, you will have the support of our HR team. They will help you to complete and submit your Law Society paperwork, discuss rotation choices at every stage of your Traineeship, and provide tailored advice on how to best match your interests and talents to one of the Firm’s practice areas upon qualification.

William Fry’s social committee organises a regular and varied series of activities funded by the Firm. Recent activities have included barbecues, rugby weekends, treasure hunts, tennis and soccer leagues, tag rugby and  table quizs.