Placement Schemes

“I enjoyed the challenge of quickly learning about areas of law that I previously hadn't studied, and then attempting a task from that practice. It was a really rewarding experience, and I have had the opportunity to practice skills required of a trainee at Jones Day.”

“I appreciated being able to speak to lawyers from different practice areas and learn more about what their day to day work life was like. This gave me a good sense of the people that work at Jones Day.”

A Placement Scheme is your opportunity to spend some serious time interviewing us; and our opportunity to get to know you. Our placements in the Winter, Spring and Summer vacations replicate our Training Contract as much as possible and have an emphasis on trainee work. The experience is challenging, but gives you a real insight into life at our Firm.

We recruit nearly all our trainees from our Placement Schemes. If you enjoy your time on placement with us, and we see your potential, it's the way to secure a Training Contract and your future with us.

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.

Virtual Schemes

If it is not possible for us to run a scheme at our offices because of the restrictions and government guidelines around COVID-19, the scheme will take place online for the reduced period of one-week.

All of our schemes, whether virtual or in-person, are designed to give you an insight into working at our Firm and are the assessment process for our Training Contract vacancies. Our virtual schemes have been tailored to provide a realistic view of a working week of a trainee and an introduction to the Firm.

What to expect on a Virtual Scheme

Flexibility
A key component which mirrors our non-rotational style of training. Virtual schemes give you the flexibility to try work from any department, so you can experience a wide range of practices and meet many lawyers in the Firm. All tasks are based on real trainee work, which provide a unique opportunity to use a variety of skills required of our trainees.

Responsibility
You will be afforded the responsibility to juggle your own workload and mould your scheme to reflect your interests, meaning each candidate’s experience is unique. You will learn how to manage your time just as a trainee would, in between your scheduled events.

Insight
Interactive practice area insights and skills workshops are an important part of learning about the Firm. We aim to leave you with a real understanding of the work we do and an honest look into the interesting careers of our lawyers.

Support
A trainee mentor will be on hand to help settle you in, answer your questions and offer advice and guidance. The Graduate Recruitment team will also be available to speak to openly about your experience and support you throughout the process.

Social
It’s important to get to know our people too – which is why we incorporate opportunities to get to know your scheme cohort and our lawyers on a more social level.

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.

Scheme Dates

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

Spring Scheme: 12 - 16 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

Placement Schemes

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