Womble Bond Dickinson

Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) advises in excess of 40 FTSE 350 companies, many of the largest businesses in the country, government organisations, wealthy individuals and over 100 rural landowners; including National Trust and English Heritage.

With a focus on twelve key sectors (Public, Government and Third Sector; Technology, Healthcare; Insurance, Manufacturing; Real Estate; Retail and Consumer; Transport, Logistics & Infrastructure; Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences; Technology and Private Wealth).

Our clients include Nissan, HSBC, Grainger, Bellway, Sainsbury’s, New Look, Atom Bank, HS2 and Five Guys. Whether we’re working with a FTSE 100 business, a government organisation or a privately managed company, our approach is to build productive, trusting long-term relationships.

We always put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and ask the right questions so that we can really understand and anticipate their needs. That’s why we look for trainees who take the time to listen and who want to work for a firm where integrity and reliability matter every bit as much as insight and legal expertise.

We take our commitment to being a Responsible Business very seriously and care about the impact of our actions on our people, our local community and the environment.

Building sustainable relationships through partnerships with charities, community projects and our own initiatives and networks, we are determined to play a strong role in creating better places to live, work and do business.

At Womble Bond Dickinson, responsible business is integral part of who we are as a firm. WBD focuses on six key areas of responsible business: environment, community engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), wellbeing, social mobility and governance.

A diverse and inclusive workplace, full of the richness of different perspectives, creates better ways of working. We have five networks, WBD Reach, WBD Pride, WBD Disability Network, WBD Thrive and a Family and Carers network.

We want everyone to reach their full potential, by being themselves whilst encouraging each other to achieve their goals with courage, determination and enthusiasm.

Who should apply

Throughout our recruitment process, we measure four competencies. We believe that these encompass the skills and attributes that our colleagues need in order to be successful in our business, They are collaboration, client focus, creating value and adaptability.

As part of our Early Talent recruitment, we typically measure the potential to develop these skills. The definitions and indicators that are related to each of these competencies help us to recognise and measure (as best we can) an individual’s potential to develop - we don’t just collect evidence of a certain behaviour in the past.

There are a lot of things that can shape and help candidates to develop important transferrable skills that could be invaluable to Womble Bond Dickinson, so if you can show us that you have the potential to develop the skills we are looking for these then we want to hear about it!

Our Early Talent recruitment competency framework is the starting point of the behaviours and actions that will be valued, recognised and rewarded at the firm - and these behaviours will underpin your career development at WBD.

Graduate Training Programme

Our training contract forms part of our early talent pipeline. Trainees at Womble Bond Dickinson will have an opportunity to spend six months in four Business Groups, gaining a real breadth of experience.

This is your training contract and it's up to you to make the most of it, but along the way we offer fantastic opportunities to develop your legal career in a growing firm.

Our supervisors are trained and fully supported on an ongoing basis. You'll have access to high quality work and senior client contact. We regularly second trainees to our most high profile clients.

We have now transitioned to qualification through SQE. We have recognised that the changing landscape gives us a chance to do something different when it comes to educating and training our lawyers. In that sense, we are viewing it as an opportunity to make sure we are giving our trainees the skills they need to be successful in the profession and our business.

Aligning with our competency framework, we will be putting more focus on areas such as legal tech, project management and client relationships.

Solicitor Apprenticeship

The legal sphere is rapidly changing and in recent years there has been an increasing demand for business focussed legal education within the work place. We champion alternative routes into the legal professional and The level 7 Solicitor apprenticeship offers just this and more and is fast becoming a sought after option for post A level students.

We currently have 18 Solicitor Apprentices at WBD in our Newcastle, Southampton, Bristol and Plymouth offices.

Through this six year programme you'll experience different practice areas of law, learn from experienced professionals, build a portfolio of work showcasing your development and knowledge, and gain an LLB. You'll have 20% protected study time throughout the apprenticeship which counts towards your 'off the job' training. As you reach yourfinal years you will sit the Solicitor Qualifying Exams (SQE 1 & 2) and ultimately qualify as a solicitor.

We're truly passionate about making a legal career more accessible to local students who aspire to become lawyers and welcome applications from those who have a genuine interest in law.

When and how to apply

All candidates will need to start their application with a registration form – which also enables us to obtain contextualised info through Rare's CRS. Following this, everyone who has registered and is eligible will be invited to complete our blended high potential assessment, which consists of an online assessment and a pre-recorded video interview.

Following the blended high potential assessment, we shortlist candidates for our assessment day.

After the virtual assessment day, we shortlist candidates for the work placement week. During the work placement week, candidates will have the chance to meet WBD colleagues and gain real insight into what it's like to work at the firm. The final stage interview will also be conducted, in person, during this week.

We believe that the variety of stages and methods we use increases our chance of recruiting top talent. We have designed our assessments in a way that enable candidates to demonstrate a range of behaviours in a variety of ways. As a result, we gain a more holistic understanding of each applicant.

Our recruitment process also allows us to showcase the firm in different ways and gives candidates a chance to assess whether Womble Bond Dickinson is the right fit for them, which is equally as important.

Applicants need the minimum grades to be eligible for the programme:

• 3 A Levels at Grade C or above, or equivalent*
• 5 GCSEs, including Maths and English, or equivalent, at Grade C/4 or above.

Virtual Experience Programme

Forage is a free, virtual law programme that you can complete in your own time, introducing you to roles in law, supporting you with developing a personal statement and an introduction to some law based tasks. This is available to all students and a great addition to your CV.

In this programme, you'll research and explore different roles available in law and learn how to craft a personal statement. Then, you'll amend a commercial contract and prepare a business development pitch to gain an idea of the work that our lawyers encounter daily.

We hope this programme helps upskill you in law and explore a potential career with us at WBD.

See more information or take part.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Our approach is to make sure that we have policies which are fit for purpose, and then to concentrate hard on bringing them to life throughout the firm. This filters through at every level – we nurture a spirit of equality, fairness and respect and we challenge non-inclusive behaviour. We want everyone to reach their full potential, by being themselves whilst encouraging each other to achieve their goals with courage, determination and enthusiasm.

We work hard to ensure that difference is visibly valued and welcomed, and that our people understand there is so much to equity, diversity and inclusion and it's not about a set of paper policies. Everything from our award-winning apprenticeship scheme, our Investors in People Accreditation, our focus on health and wellbeing, to our #BeYourself campaign, underlines the importance of a visibly proactive and diverse and inclusive culture.

By working together on a variety of activities, campaigns and initiatives both internally and externally, we have:

• Achieved our Gold Standard Investors in People status
• Awarded Women in Law Empowerment Forum UK 2021 Gold Standard
• Ranked 56th in the Stonewall's Top 100 Employers list
• Achieved the Gold Employer Award by the Stonewall Equality Index 2023 in recognition of our initiatives to foster an inclusive and safe workplaces for all of our people and where everyone feels empowered to be their real selves
• Made our Social Mobility Pledge
• Ranked as a Top 75 Employer in the Social Mobility Index 2023
• Achieved DWP Disability Confident Leader status
• Became a member of the Business Disability Forum
• Signed up to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Membership. This involves training of our people on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and how we can support those who wear the Sunflower both in and outside of work
• Saw an 88% completion rate for Count Me In, our self-declaration diversity questionnaire. The results help to inform our diversity, equity and inclusion strategies
• Launched gender neutral drafting policy
• Began offering a 24/7 flexible online library for our people to access wellbeing and resilience training
• Launched gender pronouns and name pronunciation guides in email signatures
• Marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week for the first time in 2023 by supporting the ADHD Foundation's Umbrella Project.