Government Legal Profession (GLP) Legal Trainee Scheme - Trainee Solicitors | London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol

13-Apr-2026
GLD/1413884
London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol
Category: Trainees
Position Type: Fixed Term
Attachments: No File Attached

Job Description

Summary

The Government Legal Profession (GLP) Legal Trainee Scheme offers you a two-year training contract (i.e. period of recognised training/qualifying work experience), in one of the participating departments – i.e. the Government Legal Department (GLD), GLD Commercial, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), National Crime Agency (NCA), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The Trainee Solicitor positions on offer will commence in early September 2028.

Whilst this can never be guaranteed, on successful completion of the two-year training period, departments hope to be able to offer a permanent qualified lawyer position. This will be subject to meeting the standards applied in their recruitment of qualified lawyers.

 

Locations:

GLD, Westminster, London

GLD, Wellington Place, Leeds

GLD, New Bailey Street, Salford

GLD, Temple Quay, Bristol

Competition and Markets Authority, Cabot Square, London

HMRC Legal Group, Stratford, London

National Crime Agency, London, Stratford, London

 

Job Description

Whether the government is creating new laws, buying goods and services, investigating mergers which could restrict competition, setting the annual budget and collecting the right amount of tax, employing people, fighting organised crime or defending its decisions in court, it needs significant levels of legal advice on a whole range of complex issues. To carry out this work, the government needs its own lawyers, who understand its business, to provide legal services to a wide client base - including a range of central government departments and other government bodies. 

We are offering 64 Trainee Solicitor positions in total, across the Government Legal Department (GLD), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), National Crime Agency (NCA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), to start early September 2028.

The Trainee Solicitor positions are based in London, Bristol, Manchester and Leeds. Please note that offers will be made in merit order. 

If successful, you will join one of the recruiting departments on a two-year fixed term training contract. No account will be taken of any training or qualified work experience completed elsewhere.

 

What you can expect

If your application is successful, you will be allocated to one of the recruiting departments. Your training will be the responsibility of that department.

As part of your training you will be given a broad range of experience in government legal work. A number of Trainee Profiles are provided on the GLP Website.

If you have a particular interest in commercial law, you may wish to consider applying for the trainee positions available within GLD Commercial.

 

Salaries

Salaries differ according to department and location and are subject to review and change. Below provides details of current legal trainee salaries in each of the recruiting departments.

Note: As this is a fixed-term training scheme, all individuals will be employed on the advertised Legal Trainee salary for their allocated department. Existing civil servants transferring from other government departments will not retain their current salary or any allowances on transfer.

Government Legal Department (GLD)

  • Current 1st year legal trainee salary: £34,695
  • Current 2nd year legal trainee salary: £39,645

Competition & Markets Authority (CMA)

  • Current 1st year legal trainee salary (London): £34,695
  • Current 2nd year legal trainee salary (London): £39,645

National Crime Agency (NCA)

  • Current 1st year legal trainee salary (London): £36,057
  • Current 2nd year legal trainee salary (London): £45,326

Note: NCA also pays London weighting which amounts to around an additional £4,218.

 

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)

  • Current 1st year legal trainee salary (London): £42,631
  • Current 1st year legal trainee salary (National): £37,682
  • Current 2nd year legal trainee salary (London): £42,752
  • Current 2nd year legal trainee salary (National): £37,682       

Note: the above figures will increase in line with annual pay awards within HMRC.

 

Funding for the Legal Practice Course or LPC or SQE

Funding arrangements for the LPC and SQE differ by department. Please see the GLP Website for information.

Note: Our trainees (Trainee Solicitors and Pupil Barristers) are provided with a laptop and mobile phone and other working from home equipment. Other arrangements in place to support employees include, for example, season ticket loan, rental deposit and salary advance schemes. Departments will also contribute towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

 

Person Specification

A detailed Person Specification, setting out the skills and behaviours required for the Trainee Solicitor role (e.g. making effective decisions, communicating and influencing, delivering at pace and motivation for the role) is available on the GLP Website.  These skills and behaviours will be assessed at various stages throughout the recruitment process.

 

What do you need to be eligible to apply?

As you would expect, there are some must-haves. The minimum being that you must meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements and have obtained, or be predicted to obtain, a minimum of a 2:2 (Hons) in a qualifying law degree or in an undergraduate degree in a non-law subject; or hold equivalent qualifications (e.g. CILEx) as recognised by the professional bodies.

You'll also need to have successfully completed the Graduate Diploma in Law/CPE (i.e. a law conversion which covers the foundation topics in law) where a degree is held in a non-law subject; and the Legal Practice Course or Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (depending on which route you are following to qualification) prior to the start of your training with us. 

Further details can be found on the GLP website.

Note: The GLP Legal Trainee Scheme is not open to anyone who is already a qualified solicitor or barrister; or anyone who has previously completed or is currently on the GLP Legal Trainee Scheme; or anyone who has already qualified as a lawyer in another jurisdiction.

 

Nationality requirements

There are some restrictions as to who can become a Civil Servant, based on nationality. The Civil Service Nationality Rules has further details, and you can ensure your eligibility to work for the Civil Service. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that they meet the Civil Service nationality requirements before applying for a role.

Please note: We do not provide visa sponsorship for the Legal Trainee Scheme

 

Disability Confident scheme

Departments recruiting under the legal trainee scheme have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. For further details, please see the GLP Website.

If you consider yourself to have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010, you can apply under the terms of the scheme.

We will invite you to attend the assessment centre if you:

Meet all aspects of the eligibility criteria

Meet the standard in each of the 3 online tests to be invited to complete the video interview

Be amongst the highest scoring candidates at the video interview stage to be invited to the final assessment centre stage.

 

Security checks 

Some departments require their trainees to obtain higher level security clearance prior to starting their training contract.

  • For applicants interested in roles within GLD, you will ideally be able to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance, or, at minimum, you will need to obtain Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) level clearance prior to starting in the role.
  • For applicants interested in roles in HMRC and CMA, trainees may have the opportunity to obtain higher security clearance (for example SC clearance) but you will only require Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) prior to starting in the role.
  • For applicants interested in roles in NCA, the NCA will conduct enhanced pre-employment checks on top of the minimum Security Check (SC) requirement to determine suitability to work for an organisation combatting serious and organised crime. All NCA officers must hold SC Enhanced upon entry as a minimum. Failure to achieve SC Enhanced will result in the job offer being withdrawn. Individuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.

 

There are residency requirements associated with higher levels of clearance. Further information on clearance levels and associated requirements can be found at National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Office Attendance

As part of our current smarter working policies, you will be expected to work at least 60% of your contracted hours each month from the office to which you have been recruited (unless adjustments are agreed for disability or caring responsibilities).

Application Process

The application process opens at 11:00 on 14 April 2026. The deadline for the online application form to be submitted is Tuesday 28 April at 12:00 (Midday) and the deadline for the Situational Judgement Test to be fully submitted is Tuesday 28 April at 15:00.  For further details about the timetable and recruitment process please see the GLP Website. 

 

Contact Point for Applicants:

GovTrainees@tmpw.co.uk

0117 923 4417

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