The 2026 Summer vacation scheme will run from Monday 22 June 2026 to  Friday 10 July 2026.

In each of the three weeks, you will be assigned to a fee earner in one of our core teams and will become actively involved with their caseload. 

We make every effort to ensure that the students who attend our summer vacation scheme obtain a genuine insight into life as a trainee solicitor at Wedlake Bell.

Where possible, we will invite you to attend meetings and court hearings. You will be encouraged to spend time with our trainees, giving you an opportunity to informally discuss our training programme and get a true picture of the firm.

In your final week, we will ask you to prepare a presentation as part of a summer student group, you’ll have ownership over the topic and final output. 

These presentations will be made in your last week to a selection of our lawyers and our current trainees.

At the end of your vacation scheme you will be invited to attend a Training Contract interview and complete a written assessment. More information about our training contracts can be found here.

Applications will open for the 2025 Summer Vacation Scheme on 1 November 2025. The deadline to submit your application is 23.59 on 12 January 2026.

In person interviews will take place in late February 2026. 

To apply, you will need to:

• Complete the online application form – access the online application form and apply here.
• You will be asked to answer motivation and skills based questions as part of the application. 

For any questions and queries, contact us via email.

Please contact Annabel Hale, Early Careers Manager, ahale@wedlakebell.com, if you have anything you would like to discuss. 

To be eligible for a place on our scheme you must either:

• Be a law undergraduate (final year or penultimate year student) or graduate;
• Be a non-law final year student or graduate; or
• Have begun an SQE preparation course.

All applicants must have achieved (or expect to achieve) at least an upper class second for their undergraduate degree course.

All applications are carefully reviewed, and selected candidates are invited to interview in February. Offers will be made to successful candidates shortly after completion of interviews.

We plan to conduct vacation scheme interviews in person, at our offices in London. As well as an interview with two members of our recruitment committee, candidates will also complete a written assessment and attend a networking coffee.

Will I get paid?

We currently pay our summer students £460 per week.

If I am selected to attend an interview, will my travel costs be reimbursed?

Yes, Wedlake Bell will reimburse reasonable travelling expenses from within the UK and Ireland. 

A copy of your receipt is required and reimbursement will be paid by payment transfer. Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse any expenses incurred if you travel back from a holiday to attend an interview.

Please contact the team with any questions regarding travel after you have been invited to attend an interview.

Will my application be acknowledged?

Yes, we acknowledge receipt of all validly completed applications received by us on or before the application deadline. If your application has not been acknowledged within two weeks, please contact us at earlycareers@wedlakebell.com.

Do you accept CVs in place of the application form?

No, all applications must be made by completing our online application form. Applications which are made by any other method will not be considered.

What is the closing date for applications?

The deadline to submit your application for the 2026 Summer Vacation Scheme is 23:59 on 12 January 2026.

Can I add supplementary information to my application after submitting it?

If you have applied, you can’t change the application yourself after submitting. If you need to make any changes, please contact earlycareers@wedlakebell.com.

I applied last year but was unsuccessful, can I apply again?

Yes, you can submit a new application this year.