Vacation Schemes

Our Placement Schemes   
We want you to have an honest insight into what it's like to be a trainee with us and whether our distinct Training Contract will suit you. So our Placement Scheme operates like a mini Training Contract.

What to Expect on the Scheme               

• Real work - research, drafting, preparing documents, attending client meetings and conference calls, visiting court - not just a series of workshops and seminars.
• Flexibility to seek out work from any department at any time and from any lawyer so you can experience a wide range of practices and meet many lawyers in the Firm.
• A trainee mentor and a more senior associate mentor to answer your questions, offer advice and guidance, and help you settle in.
• Several opportunities to come to know people in the Firm on a social level as we organise lunches, dinner, drinks, and sporting events.
• A Mid Scheme Review Meeting with senior lawyers to get feedback for the work you have completed so far and guidance on how to make the most of the rest of your scheme.           

Your Benefits

You will:

• Gain invaluable "real life" legal experience, and an allowance of £500 per week.
• Go away with a clear picture of what being a Jones Day lawyer will be like, how our training system works, and whether it is for you.

Am I Eligible? Which Scheme?

You need a 2.1 degree (gained or predicted). *

Any final year students, graduates, postgraduates and career changers from law or non-law backgrounds can apply for any scheme.

Penultimate year students of qualifying law degrees can also apply for any scheme.

Other students: please meet us at one of our events, enjoy your early years at University, and apply when eligible.

*Note: We have integrated Rare's contextual recruitment system into our recruitment process to better understand an applicant’s potential in the context in which their experiences have been gained (including in the context of their school's average student attainment) in order to hire from the widest talent possible.

When Should I Apply?

Applications open on 1 October.

An application for a 2020/2021 Placement Scheme is also an application for a Training Contract commencing September 2023 - as we expect to recruit all of our trainees from our pool of scheme candidates.

When applying, you can list your first and second choice of scheme. If a scheme is full, you will automatically be considered for a place on a scheme at a later point in the year.

Our scheme dates are below. Please note, that if it is not possible for you to attend a scheme in person because of the restrictions to office-work, travel and government guidelines around COVID-19, the scheme will take place online for the reduced period of one-week.

Scheme Dates 

Winter: 7 - 11 or 14 - 18 December 2020 (Virtual Scheme) (Deadline 30 October 2020)

Spring Scheme: 12 - 23 April 2021 (Deadline 8 January 2021)

Summer Schemes: 5 - 16 July 2021 (scheme 1) and 19 - 30 July 2021 (scheme 2) (Deadline 8 January 2021)

“I found the vacation scheme at Jones Day to be invaluable in giving me a taste of not only real work, but a realistic idea of what life as a trainee at Jones Day is like. Given the non-rotational structure of the training contract, it is an essential experience to see if the rather unique structure works for you. I was given tasks that contributed to live, ongoing work at the Firm which made me feel immediately involved and showed me that they truly value the input of those on the vacation scheme. This approach mirrors how trainees are treated; our work contribution matters and feeds directly to the client. It’s a great feeling as a junior lawyer!”  First-year Trainee, London