Qualified Lawyers - London

Working at Saughter and May means joining a firm renowned for its commitment to excellence, and with a global reputation for providing exceptional legal service. Our reputation is consolidated by our rankings in the legal directories, our pre-eminent position in numerous league tables and the awards we have won - both for our legal work and for our contribution to the world around us, including our commitment to diversity.

As a partnership, we achieve this excellence through collective effort and a willingness to share expertise. The scope and variety of our work is such that it suits many different personalities, unified by a shared commitment to quality of service and outcome.

Throughout the firm, you will find an underlying sense of pride in who we are and what we do.

At Saughter and May, we believe the best results come from working collaboratively and creating an open and supportive environment where everyone can contribute their unique perspective. You will find that our high standards are sustained by everyone’s commitment to one another and to our collective purpose.

With the majority of our people based in the London office, you will benefit from a close-knit community where in-person collaboration is part of everyday life. This sense of connection means you can easily collaborate with colleagues, share ideas, and enjoy a workplace where everyone’s contribution matters. 

There is also plenty to get involved with away from your desk. A range of employee networks and clubs - including football, netball, badminton, running, reading and art - are open to everyone. In addition, our social events including our annual dinner dance offer a memorable occasion for colleagues to come together and celebrate our achievements.

A network of networks

The firm has eleven employee networks, which are supported by partners. Collectively, they form a Network of Networks that work collaboratively with each other and the firm to create a more open-minded and inclusive working environment.

Each network offers an informal support mechanism for employees with similar backgrounds, outlooks or interests and they all host a number of events throughout the year, ranging from inspirational lunchtime talks to social evenings.

We have a set of core values that, together, allow us to achieve excellence. These are:

The highest standards
We set exacting standards for our work and our performance. We conduct ourselves with integrity, responsibility and candour.

Independence of thought
We thrive on original thinking and novel approaches. We welcome diversity of experience and different points of view.

Collective endeavour
We are intentionally collaborative and supportive. We encourage personal initiative, yet prize collegiality over competition.

Respect for all
We strive to be fair, considerate and inclusive in all our dealings. We are attentive to others’ needs and mindful of the consequences of our actions.

We are committed to the training and development of people across the firm. Our legal and business services populations, across our London and international offices, have access to a bespoke, comprehensive programme of knowledge and skills training, as well as individual support and guidance.

The firm’s Learning and Development team provide training aligned to career paths via a combination of on-demand material together with face-to-face, virtual and hybrid sessions.

Legal Training Programmes

For associates, our modular approach, underpinned by guidance on ethics and compliance, includes partner-led toolkits and regular practice driven training, helping our lawyers develop and maintain the technical excellence we are known for.

We also offer a topical firmwide programme of seminars, during which leading lawyers and experts such as barristers and academics speak to recent developments and areas of specialist knowledge, helping our lawyers build connections and maintain a cutting edge understanding of the law and its application.

Skills and Professional Development

Our flagship skills and professional development programme provides an accessible training pathway for all members of the firm. This comprehensive programme covers essential commercial, people and management and leadership skills, that supports individuals in legal and business services teams to tailor their training to their role and career aspirations. The programme also includes training from other areas across the firm including ethics and compliance, innovation, technology and AI, business development and legal project management.

Coaching and Mentoring

Mentoring and coaching play an important role in the development of our people.

 Mentoring is encouraged through firmwide, cross-company schemes and reverse mentoring initiatives. These schemes are designed to support professional growth, enhance networking opportunities and promote inclusion across the organisation.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the comprehensive and generous benefits package that is available to all of our London employees.

Our current benefits package includes:

• 30 days of annual leave with the option to apply annually for up to five days’ unpaid leave (pro-rated for part-time employees)

• Money purchase pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Income protection insurance
• Enhanced family leave (maternity, adoption and surrogacy, paternity and shared parental)
• Private Medical Insurance Scheme
• Fertility and menopause support (through our Private Medical Insurance scheme)

We also provide various wellness and lifestyle benefits including onsite GP services, subsidised health club membership and a subsidised restaurant and coffee bar. You can find out more about our benefits here.

We recognise the value of flexible working – in our London office, most of our Business Services employees and lawyers can work from home for up to 40% of their working week. There may be some roles where this is not possible.

When you first join us, we’ll invite you to spend more time in the office - up to 80% of your week - so you can get to know your team, settle in, and experience our welcoming culture first-hand.

On your days in the office, you’ll benefit from our newly refurbished London workspace, complete with modern facilities (including a subsidised restaurant and coffee bar, shower rooms, onsite GP room and a prayer and contemplation room) and plenty of spaces to collaborate with colleagues.

Our London office practises English law and we recruit qualified lawyers from other common law jurisdictions whose qualifications and experience give them a transferrable skill set.

If you are not qualified in a common law jurisdiction, you may not have the transferrable skills required to apply for a qualified lawyer position with us. You may wish to consider applying for a training contract instead and more information can be found here.

If you join us from abroad, we offer a relocation package to support you with the expenses and practical arrangements associated with the move.

Barristers who have completed the Bar Course and meet our general criteria are welcome to apply.

If you have less than three years' experience, you may not have the required experience to apply for an associate role  - we may ask you to complete a training contract and more information can be found here.

More experienced barristers should apply for associate roles and may be asked to complete the SQE, for which we will meet the costs in full.