Last updated:
Osborne Clarke
An international law firm known for technology, energy, and real estate — operating across London, Bristol, and Reading with one of the best cultures in the mid-market and a direct training contract route alongside the vacation scheme.
About Osborne Clarke
Osborne Clarke has UK offices in Bristol, London and Reading, alongside an international network serving businesses across Europe, Asia and the United States. Its commercial practice covers transactions, finance, disputes, employment, intellectual property, technology and real estate.
The firm’s approach centres on understanding how digitalisation, decarbonisation and urban change affect clients. These themes connect its legal work across sectors including technology, financial services, energy, transport, life sciences and the built environment. For prospective trainees, this means looking beyond an individual legal issue to understand the client’s business model, investment priorities and changing market. Its work ranges from supporting growing technology businesses to advising established companies on development projects, regulation and disputes.
The two-year training contract comprises four six-month seats, with an expectation of experience across transactional, disputes and regulatory work. Trainees express preferences as their interests develop, with available departments varying between offices. An OC Solutions seat offers experience of developing digital tools for clients and lawyers.
Support includes supervisors, mentors, development managers and regular reviews. The Ready for Success programme connects future trainees with the firm before joining, while structured development continues into the first year after qualification. Client and international secondments may be available.
Sponsored students study at BPP. The firm covers required PGDL and SQE course fees and the first sitting of the SQE examinations. Maintenance grants are £11,300 for the PGDL and £15,500 for the SQE course and examinations. Funding is not retrospective.
Practice areas & rankings
Osborne Clarke has 65 practice area rankings in Chambers UK 2027, including 17 Band 1 rankings. Its leading practices include Information Technology & Outsourcing in London, Real Estate: £50–150 million in London, and Banking & Finance in the South West. The latest results also include new recognition for life sciences transactional work and patent litigation.
The firm was part of the team that won Case of the Year at the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 for BDW Trading Ltd v URS Corporation Ltd. Its IP team also won three Impact Case of the Year awards at the Managing IP Awards 2026, recognising work on Optis v Apple, Tesla v InterDigital & Avanci, and Alexion v Amgen and Samsung Bioepis.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Ranked Band 1 for Information Technology & Outsourcing in London in Chambers UK 2027, the practice advises on business-critical systems, new digital products and technology development. Its experience includes telecommunications and artificial intelligence. The team supports both established technology companies and emerging businesses, connecting technical issues with commercial objectives.
Ranked Band 1 for Real Estate: £50–150 million in London in Chambers UK 2027, the team handles investment transactions and complex development projects. Its work includes logistics facilities, infrastructure, residential development, build-to-rent and retirement living. Cross-border investment is another feature of the practice.
Ranked Band 2 for Intellectual Property in London in Chambers UK 2027, the practice advises on licensing, transactions involving valuable IP and disputes concerning patents, copyright, trade marks and designs. Clients include businesses in technology, life sciences and the creative industries. The team also represents clients before UK and EU trade mark registries.
Ranked Band 1 in the South West in Chambers UK 2027, the practice advises on acquisition, corporate and real estate finance. Its work supports businesses obtaining funding and lenders structuring their investments, providing a transactional counterpart to the firm’s corporate and property practices.
Awards
Network Group of the YearBritish LGBT Awards 2025
Won by OC Pride, the firm's UK LGBTQ+ network.
Ranked in The Times Best Law FirmsThe Times 2025
Recognised for the seventh year running.
Law Firm of the Year for Regulation and for Energy LawJUVE Awards 2025
Two wins at the Frankfurt ceremony, for the energy and life sciences and healthcare teams.
Energy Team of the YearLegal 500 Germany Awards 2025
Awarded in February 2025.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Candidates can apply for a vacation scheme or through the direct training contract route. Applications opened on 1 October 2026 and close at 11:59pm on 15 January 2027. Current recruitment covers September 2029 training contracts.
The online form explores your motivation, experience and academic achievements. Non-legal work experience is relevant, and contextual recruitment allows achievements to be considered alongside personal circumstances. Applications are read as they arrive, but assessment centre places are not filled before the deadline.
Explain why Osborne Clarke’s work interests you through a specific sector, client issue or practice. For example, consider how a technology business might balance product development, funding and regulation, or how decarbonisation changes investment decisions. Connect that interest to your experience rather than simply repeating the firm’s themes.
Use clear prose and examples showing your contribution, judgement and learning. The firm permits AI only for light refinement of text you have already written, such as correcting grammar. It prohibits using AI to generate application content or assist at later assessment stages.
Osborne Clarke: quick answers
How much does Osborne Clarke pay trainees?
Osborne Clarke pays first-year trainees £55,500, rising to £57,500 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Osborne Clarke earn £97,000.
When are the Osborne Clarke application deadlines?
Osborne Clarke has more than one deadline in the 2026/27 cycle: the training contract closes on 15 Jan and the summer scheme closes on 15 Jan. Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Osborne Clarke take on?
Osborne Clarke takes on around 35 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What tests does Osborne Clarke use in its applications?
After submitting the form, applicants complete SHL verbal reasoning and deductive reasoning tests. These assess understanding of written material and logical arguments. For verbal reasoning, distinguish what the passage establishes from what you assume or know independently. For deductive reasoning, identify the rules, apply them consistently and check whether a conclusion necessarily follows. Use the linked practice materials to become familiar with the format. The Watson Glaser test takes place at the in-person assessment centre and is covered below.
What grades do you need to apply to Osborne Clarke?
To apply to Osborne Clarke you will generally need a 2:1 degree. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
Get the tools and support you need to succeed.