Representing you in life & business

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors
Training Contracts

Training Contracts

You can find out more about applying for a training contract at Blandy & Blandy and pursuing a career at our firm below.

We recognise that our firm’s continued growth and future success are dependent on our ability to recruit, develop and retain excellent lawyers.

We therefore attach a great deal of importance to our award-winning training programme and we have an excellent record of retaining those who have trained with us. Indeed, many of our current partners and colleagues trained at Blandy & Blandy, including our joint managing partners Tim Clark and Jonathan Gater.

In the past five years we have offered permanent roles to 80% of our trainee solicitors upon completion of their contracts. You can read about our current trainee solicitors, as well as Sophie, Natasha and Louise, who all joined us as newly qualified solicitors in 2022, having trained at our firm.

With a team of 16 partners and more than 60 specialist solicitors and advisers, in Reading, Henley-on- Thames and Wokingham, we are here to represent our clients in life and business.

We are committed to providing trusted, effective and valued legal advice and a responsive and highly personal service, and to achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients.

Recognised as a top tier firm in the UK’s leading guides to law firms, Chambers UK and The Legal 500, we have also held the Law Society’s Lexcel quality mark since 2003. Our successful approach has been recognised in the likes of Chambers Student Guide, the LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards, the Lex 100 Survey and by Best Companies. Factors such as the quality of work undertaken and the level of client contact our trainees enjoy, alongside a welcoming and supportive culture, job satisfaction and good work/life balance, have all been highlighted by our trainee solicitors.

Having marked our 290th anniversary in 2023, we are proud to be one of the UK’s longest established law firms, and we combine this heritage and our independence with a modern and forward-thinking approach.

The deadline for training contract applications in 2023 and 2024 has now passed. Please revisit our website in due course for further information on applying to join us in 2025.

Benefits we offer

  • Competitive salary
  • Discretionary annual bonus scheme
  • Centrally located offices, with excellent transport links
  • 25 days annual leave
  • Contributory pension scheme
  • Healthcare cash plan scheme
  • Interest free season ticket loan
  • Support with training and continuing professional development (CPD)
  • Work anniversary awards
  • Summer outing and Christmas party plus regular events organised by our social committee
  • Internal recruitment bonus scheme

Some of the above benefits will only be available upon qualification, should you accept a permanent role.

Benefits

Training programme

Find out more about the structure of our training programme

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Typically, you will join a group of up to six trainee solicitors, each working in a different department across the firm. Our size and structure mean that you will enjoy the opportunity to get to know everyone, and them you.

You will work in an open plan environment and have regular contact with your assigned supervisor (a partner or associate solicitor) and the head of department (a partner), providing you with ongoing support and a chance to absorb and learn from everything happening around you.

You will also benefit from gaining hands-on experience and direct exposure to client work throughout your training contract, and be actively encouraged to network and to attend or support events.

In recent years, factors such as the quality of work undertaken and the level of client contact our trainees enjoy, alongside a welcoming and supportive culture, job satisfaction and good work/life balance, have all been highlighted as positives by our trainee solicitors, in guides such as the Lex 100 Survey and Chambers Student Guide.

Our trainee solicitors typically spend six months working in up to four departments (known as seats) over a two-year period. Wherever possible, we aim to cater to your individual preferences.

Seats are typically available in:

  • Commercial Property
  • Corporate & Commercial
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Employment
  • Family
  • Planning & Environmental
  • Residential Property
  • Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts

You will also complete a compulsory PSC (Professional Skills Course), focusing on three core areas - business skills, advocacy and client care – alongside electives in areas of law that are of professional interest.

We will review your progress and discuss your ongoing development through ongoing 1:1s, informal reviews and a formal appraisal held every six months.

How to apply

Find out more about our requirements and how to apply for a training contract.

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To be considered, you will have:

  • A strong academic background, including a 2:1 (hons) degree or above
  • Completed (or expect to) the LPC. If you are applying for a training contract commencing in 2024, we will consider those interested in pursuing the SQE route and have completed SQE1
  • Demonstrable and relevant work experience
  • Be enthusiastic and hard working
  • Have good communication and IT skills
  • Share and embody our values of excellence, integrity and approachability

Please note that we are not accepting applications from candidates who have applied previously.

Candidates must be able to prove that they are eligible to work in the UK. Blandy & Blandy is an equal opportunities employer. Blandy & Blandy is an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to eliminating discrimination and to promoting equality and diversity.

The deadline for training contract applications in 2023 and 2024 has now passed. Please revisit our website in due course for further information on applying to join us in 2025.

Meet our training partner

Elizabeth Short is a partner in our leading Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts team and is also responsible for managing our training programme.

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Elizabeth Short is a partner in our leading Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts team and is also responsible for managing our training programme.

She specialises in the preparation of Wills, estate and Inheritance Tax planning, probate and estate administration and drafting lasting powers of attorney (LPAs).

Elizabeth studied History at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She then spent two years working for a global management consultancy firm based in London, before completing her GDL and LPC at the College of Law. Elizabeth joined Blandy & Blandy in 2014, having completed her training contract with a firm in Brighton, and became an associate solicitor in 2018 and a partner in January 2022.

She is a member of the Law Society Private Client Section, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Solicitors for the Elderly, an independent, national organisation of lawyers (solicitors, barristers and legal executives) who provide specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers. She is also a trained Dementia Friend, an Alzheimer's Society initiative, and is recommended in The Legal 500.

Elizabeth Short

Elizabeth Short

Partner, Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts

0118 951 6845

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Ben Cowdry

“Not only is the firm a regional heavyweight but it also covers a broad range of practice areas, which provides trainees with wide-ranging experience. I have already been made to feel at home.”

Ben Cowdry, Trainee Solicitor

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Emma Ford

“Following completion of my training contract with Blandy & Blandy, I was thrilled to qualify into the Corporate & Commercial team. The guidance and support of my colleagues, combined with exposure to a wide range of corporate matters, provided an excellent start to my legal career and a seamless transition to qualification. Having been qualified for two years now, my enthusiasm for this area of law has only continued to grow. I have developed in confidence and continue to build on my knowledge each day, as I undertake an increasing level of responsibility. The process of guiding our clients from the outset of a corporate transaction to the completion of the deal is always particularly rewarding.”

Emma Ford, Solicitor, Corporate & Commercial

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Debbie Brett

“I trained at Blandy’s so have been here for all of my legal life! I consider myself lucky to come to work here every day with talented, likeable, people.”

Debbie Brett, Partner, Corporate & Commercial Law

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Georgie Bright

“Blandy & Blandy was my first-choice law firm from the offset, so I was absolutely delighted when they offered me a training contract. When I first stepped into Blandy I was struck by how friendly and supportive everyone was towards me. Blandy is the type of law firm that makes you feel like you are part of a family that celebrates each one of your successes.”

Georgie Bright, Trainee Solicitor

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Anisha Ali

“Applying for training contracts was an incredibly competitive and challenging process, but I am delighted to begin my training contract at Blandy & Blandy, as it was my top choice for the beginning of my law career. I have lived in Reading my whole life, so I was already fully aware of the strong reputation the firm has in the community. I feel grateful for the opportunity to train at a leading law firm with nearly 290 years of history. Not only do I feel like I am the right fit for Blandy & Blandy, but I can already tell that the firm is also a right fit for me.”

Anisha Ali, Trainee Solicitor

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Adam Chalker

“I am delighted to be qualifying into such a great team. I would like to thank everyone for their support throughout my training contract and I can’t wait to continue to support our fantastic clients.”

Adam Chalker, Solicitor, Corporate & Commercial

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Louise Low

“I wanted to work for Blandy & Blandy because it had such a great reputation, in both legal circles and in the community of Reading generally. I wanted to become part of its longstanding history and benefit from its great client base. Now working here, my supervisors have always been friendly and approachable which has made training really enjoyable. I’m given great work and whatever degree of help is needed to complete it.”

Louise Low, Solicitor, Dispute Resolution

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Natasha Hood

“I am very excited to be qualifying and cannot wait to continue working with such an amazing team. I would like to thank all the staff at Blandy & Blandy for their support during my training contract.”

Natasha Hood, Solicitor, Residential Property

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Alice Chaplin

“I am really excited to start my training contract with Blandy & Blandy. Having worked here as a legal assistant for the last couple of years I knew that this is where I wanted to train as it is a great firm, and everybody is so approachable and supportive. I am looking forward to building on my experience and learning a lot over the next two years!”

Alice Chaplin, Trainee Solicitor

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Deena Radi

“I first met someone from the firm back in 2015, at a school visit, and began to look into the journey of becoming a solicitor. Eight years later, I am now a trainee at Blandy & Blandy! One of the many reasons I chose the firm is that it offers a variety of practice areas which will allow me to develop as a trainee and meet my full potential. I am in my first seat, planning and environmental law, and have already picked up on the supportive atmosphere of my department and firm as a whole. I feel I made a great decision in choosing this firm and am confident that this is the most suitable place for me to train.”

Deena Radi, Trainee Solicitor

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Sophie Stone

“I have been at Blandy’s for six years and have enjoyed my time with the firm, working in various departments. Everyone at Blandy’s is friendly and approachable. I started in the Planning team and since starting my training contract have worked in Employment, Residential Property and Wills, Probate Tax and Trusts. I am really excited to be qualifying.”

Sophie Stone, Solicitor, Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts

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Claire Kirk

Claire Kirk

HR Manager

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