Business services
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Why work for Business Services in a law firm?
We want every one of our colleagues, and anyone looking for a new role, to think of our firm as an employer of choice. The strategic plans prepared by each of our business services teams have this ambition at their heart. Every role at Brodies has a purpose and we are committed to providing opportunities for skill and career development as well as ensuring everyone is rewarded fairly for the contribution they make.
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Can I apply speculatively?
Yes, you can send your CV to recruitment@brodies.com and we'll consider you for any vacant roles. If there aren't any, your details will be kept on file and we'll contact you should a suitable role arise.
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Will I receive any training/personal development?
Yes. We are committed to ensuring that our colleagues get the support they need so that they can be successful in their current role, or if they are looking to make the next step in their careers. Visit our progression & development page to find out more.
Early careers
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Are there any other virtual work experience programmes I can complete?
As well as the Brodies work experience programme, PRIME also offer something similar - click here to find out more.
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How long do I have to complete the virtual work experience programme?
You can work through each of the four tasks at your own pace, fit them around your studies. You'll receive feedback on competing each task and a completion certificate at the end.
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Where are your career insight days held?
Career insight days are held twice a year in each of the following office locations – Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
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I live too far away to travel to any of the offices offering career insight days, what can I do?
Please contact us at workexperience@brodies.com and we'll work with you to find a solution.
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How long will I be given to complete my modern apprenticeship?
Our modern apprentices usually join on 1-year fixed term contracts. You will have the full year to complete the apprenticeship coursework but will be given deadlines by your assessor to complete each assignment.
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Who is eligible to apply for a modern apprenticeship?
To qualify for our modern apprenticeships, you should be aged between 16 and 24.
Legal careers
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What can I expect from the legal recruitment process?
Recruitment for paralegals and qualified lawyers usually involves two interviews with the recruiting partner and another senior member of the team. Our interviews aim to give you the opportunity to find out more about the role you are applying for, the team and the wider firm, as well as an opportunity for us to find out about you. Our interviews are relaxed in style and conversational as we believe this will allow you to perform to the best of your ability.
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Do you accept speculative applications?
Yes, we recruit qualified lawyers throughout the year for most of our practice areas. If you don't see an application on our vacancy list which fits your skill and experience, please do get in touch with a member of the People Engagement team for an informal discussion.
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Are there secondments available?
We have numerous secondments ongoing throughout the firm. The opportunities will depend on the practice area you join and we would be happy to discuss this further during interview.
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What training and development is available for legal colleagues?
Yes, we provide support and guidance to enable colleagues to reach their full potential. Please visit our progression & development page to find out more.
Newly qualified solicitors
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What does Brodies look for in NQ candidates?
Understanding and living our values is important as they underline the behaviours we expect from all our colleagues.
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What advice would you give to a second-year trainee applying for NQ roles?
Take time to reflect on your traineeship. Think about what you enjoyed. Don't be afraid to get in touch with lawyers already working in the area you are interested in to find out more about the team and the work you'd be involved in. Click here for our top five tips for making your application stand out.
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Do I need to have completed a seat in the area that I'm interested in applying for?
No, just let us know in your application why you are drawn to this specialism and think about the transferrable skills you have that make you the right person for the role.
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How do I apply for an NQ role at Brodies?
Our main NQ recruitment drive usually launches in the spring, however we regularly have opportunities for junior lawyers. Click here to view our current vacancies.
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What can I expect from the NQ recruitment process?
Recruitment for newly qualified lawyers usually involves a short written assessment and up to two interviews with the recruiting partner and another senior member of the team. Our interviews aim to give you the opportunity to find out more about the role you are applying for, the team and the wider firm, as well as an opportunity for us to find out about you. Our interviews are relaxed in style and conversational as we believe this will allow you to perform to the best of your ability.
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What support can I expect to receive as I move into an NQ Role?
All our NQs are allocated a dedicated mentor who provides invaluable support as you transition into your NQ role. You'll have regular meaningful conversations with your line manager to discuss objectives, support and training and to identify any opportunities to help you progress. Our firm-wide training programme is designed to help our lawyers develop key business skills and enhance their legal knowledge. This comprehensive training programme is tailored to colleagues at the different stages of their career. Bespoke team training is also provided.
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What's the social life like at Brodies?
We have a variety of networks, committees and clubs to enable colleagues to come together as a community and to make it easy to get to know people across the firm. Our Colleague Networks – carers', multicultural, parents', Pride, women's and younger colleagues' - give colleagues a collective voice to enable positive change. Our climate, environment, and sustainability group also champions change, helping colleagues and the firm to take real positive actions towards improving the sustainability of our working practices, work environment and individual lives. Care is our charitable initiative, for which colleagues can join the committee. Socially, our colleagues enjoy our golf society, running and rounders clubs, and Yoga and Pilates classes.
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Can I apply speculatively?
Yes, you can send your CV to legalrecruitment@brodies.com and we'll consider you for any vacant roles. If there aren't any, your details will be kept on file for six months and we'll contact you should a suitable role arise.
Summer placements
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What office locations offer summer placements?
Placements are available in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness.
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I'm worried I don't have any legal work experience; will this disadvantage me?
We don’t expect you to have lots of legal experience – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the qualities we’re looking for. Remember to include part-time work, sports activities, or hobbies and interests, particularly ones where you learned or applied skills that would be useful for a lawyer to have, strong communications skills, being prepared and organised, being self-motivated and resilient.
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I have a part-time job that helps me finance my studies, it will be challenging to ask for three weeks off, can I still apply?
We appreciate your position and would welcome an application from you. For successful candidates we would be happy to build in a degree of flexibility to the working pattern of the placement to help accommodate part-time work.
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How important are my academic grades?
We do not ask for school or college grades. We are looking for bright, motivated individuals and are keen to hear about your experiences, hobbies and interests, and your answers to the questions on our application form. Rare’s contextualised recruitment process helps us review your university grades in the context they were achieved.
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If I applied last year and was unsuccessful, can I apply this year?
Yes, we would welcome you to reapply, it’s a very competitive process and showing resilience to keep going is a key competency we look for in our candidates.
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When can I apply?
To apply you should be minimum 3rd year of the LLB or 1st year accelerated LLB.
Applications for summer 2025 are now open - apply today! If you have any questions please get in touch at gradrecruit@brodies.com.
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How can I apply?
Applications for summer 2025 are now open - apply today! If you have any questions please get in touch at gradrecruit@brodies.com.
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l am unable to attend any campus events, does this put me at a disadvantage when I apply for a traineeship or summer placement?
There is lots of helpful information on our traineeship and summer placements pages to get to know us that will help you prepare. Our recruitment process does not favour candidates that have attended these events.
Traineeships
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I'm worried I don't have any legal work experience; will this disadvantage me?
We don’t expect you to have lots of legal experience – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the qualities we’re looking for. Remember to include part-time work, sports activities, or hobbies and interests, particularly ones where you learned or applied skills that would be useful for a lawyer to have, strong communications skills, being prepared and organised, being self-motivated and resilient.
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What makes a traineeship contract application stand out?
Wendy Murphy our Graduate Engagement manager shares her top tips in this blog
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What is the firm’s policy on hybrid working for trainees?
Learning from the expertise of colleagues is such an important part of your development as a trainee and there is no better place to do that than within the office environment, surrounded by opportunities to hear your colleagues speaking to clients or taking 10 mins to grab a coffee while they explain a complicated technical matter to you is so important. So, most of your time will be spent in the office, we all recognise the benefits of a home working day when we can get our heads into larges pieces of work with less distractions. The norm for our trainees is 3-4 days office based 1-2 days home working per week.
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How is the firm trying to facilitate diversity and inclusion amongst it's trainee group?
Within graduate recruitment we have many successful initiatives in place to encourage diversity across the trainee group. Our early careers PRIME programme supports students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and provides work experience during school years and mentoring during university years. PRIME alumni have successfully returned to us as interns and trainees following their studies. We also partner with Scottish Ethnic Minority Lawyers Association (SEMLA) and Black Professionals Scotland to offer internships to their student members; we have future trainees joining the firm over the next few years that completed the SEMLA programme.
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l am unable to attend any campus events, does this put me at a disadvantage when I apply for a traineeship or summer placement?
There is lots of helpful information on our traineeship and summer placements pages to get to know us that will help you prepare. Our recruitment process does not favour candidates that have attended these events.
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How do I apply?
Applications for our 2026 traineeships are now closed. News about our 2027 applications will be announced in due course on our website and via our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram pages. If you have any questions please get in touch at gradrecruit@brodies.com.
Get in touch
Contact a member of our People Engagement team to find out more.
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