How it all works

What to expect

We’re a Glasgow and Edinburgh based commercial law firm. A two-year legal traineeship will see you working in a number of different practice areas, and in four different seats for a period of six months each. So you’ll get experience in a variety of areas – which means excellent all-round legal and business knowledge, as well as everything you need to make an educated career choice at the end of your traineeship.

Our quarterly performance reviews mean you get regular feedback, and you’ll attend a comprehensive in-house seminar programme as well as the required PCC (Professional Competence Course) modules.

Ongoing training

All our practice areas have their own training programmes, aimed at both trainees and fee earners. Our Professional Support Lawyers are responsible for knowledge management, technical awareness within all the departments. And you’ll be assigned a mentor within your department who will be there to offer you day-to-day support. So you’ll be learning all the time – and we’ll encourage you to go to any relevant client seminars, too.

Quarterly performance review

Every 13 weeks you’ll have a quarterly performance review (QPR) – as required by The Law Society. We also have a performance and development review process just for our trainees, so you can get feedback focused on helping you to continually improve throughout your time at Burness.

Qualifying

During your second year, we’ll talk to you about any positions available at Burness. And if you’ve completed your traineeship successfully, we’ll always try to offer you a job in the department of your choice.