Why complete a training contract in Edinburgh at Burges Salmon?
At Burges Salmon we firmly believe our people are our greatest asset and this is reflected in the time and care we invest in you.
Our trainees are exposed to an extensive range of work from the very beginning of their career with seat opportunities ranging from banking and real estate to dispute resolution and construction and engineering. Here are a few more reasons why trainees like our approach:
Six seat training programme
On joining us, most trainees have yet to decide on where they want to qualify; the opportunity to experience additional departments can make all the difference. While traditional training contracts offer four seat rotations, our six seat approach is designed to provide you with a greater range of experience allowing you to become an expert in many fields. This approach builds confidence, commercial awareness and adaptability from the outset.
During the training contract you will gain experience in different areas of law. You will spend five seats in the Edinburgh office and have the opportunity (non-mandatory) to spend a seat in Bristol or on a client secondment. Within each seat you will be encouraged to take work from right across the department, ensuring you gain a breadth of experience in each area. Your final seat will normally be spent in your qualification department, meaning you have four months to settle in before starting your career as a newly qualified solicitor.
Secondment opportunities to major clients
We believe in nurturing talent which is one of the reasons we offer secondments. We also believe that commercial awareness, adaptability and people skills are what set a good lawyer apart from a great one.
As well as giving trainees and lawyers a three dimensional view of the profession at large, secondments are an invaluable opportunity to learn more about our clients. Recent secondments have included working with The Crown Estate, HSBC, John Lewis Partnership,& Lloyds Banking Group,& National Express and Virgin Enterprises.
Secondments have also extended to working with our preferred firm network, a non-exclusive group of like-minded leading independent firms around the world, involving a mix of cultural and legal education which benefits your overall career as a lawyer.
Career progression
You won't find a restrictive hierarchy at Burges Salmon. Throughout your training contract you will be an integral part of the team, working alongside lawyers who are experts in their field and sharing a room with a supervisor who will support your growth and development. Working with a range of associates, senior associates and partners means you hit the ground running and experience a real variety of work from a range of personalities.
We invest greatly in recruiting and developing our trainee solicitors and we aim to retain them all on qualification. We set realistic recruitment targets based on future business needs and aim to take on the number of trainee solicitors that we will require in the future. Over the last five years our average retention rate on qualification is 97%, which is well above the industry average.
Your personal and professional development does not end on completion of your training contract; training and support continues at every stage of your career within and outside the law, which may be why 36% of our partners trained at the firm.
Training contracts in Edinburgh
Our Edinburgh office opened in May 2019 and since then has gone from strength to strength. From a small group of Partners in 2019 to team of over 80 and an office expansion in 2022, we now span numerous practice areas and have a number of business professionals and client support colleagues based at Atria One.
We are excited to be recruiting trainees to join our Edinburgh office in September 2025, 2026, and 2027.
Our Edinburgh trainees will benefit from our award-winning six seat training contract and be able to spend time in, and working with both our Edinburgh and Bristol offices – gaining experience across the jurisdictions.
Practice areas in Edinburgh
- Real Estate
- Employment
- Banking and Finance
- Corporate Finance
- Incentives
- Planning
- Construction
- Dispute Resolution
- Pensions
How to apply
In order to become a solicitor in Scotland you will need to complete a Scots law degree (LLB) and the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (PEAT STAGE 1) followed by a two year training contract.
Applications are open to those wishing to apply for either a September 2025, September 2026 or September 2027 training contract.
We will support any future trainees who are due to join us in 2026 and beyond in the completion of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice.
Our application process includes four steps, an application form, assessment centre, vacation scheme and training contract interview. You will find more information on our application process here.
We will be recruiting trainees to be based in our Edinburgh office through our Edinburgh spring vacation scheme.