FAQs

You can discuss the prospect of a Traineeship with our Talent team by contacting us here.

Our annual Trainee recruitment process opens for applications at the beginning of September and closes at the end of September.

All final year students, postgraduates and those who have successfully obtained a third level degree qualification can apply for the Trainee Solicitor Programme. Individuals need to be able to evidence their planned route of qualification. We accept individuals through the following qualification routes: Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS), Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and Legal Practice Course (LPC)*.

*Subject to meeting the transitional arrangements.

Yes. It is generally a two stage interview process.

Each interviewee will be interviewed by a two person panel at the individual interview stage.

The number varies from year to year, but normally we recruit between eight and ten trainee solicitors per annum. It is important for us to support the firm’s resourcing strategy by taking in top calibre trainee solicitors who we hope will stay with the firm in the long term. We are focused on ensuring all trainee solicitors have a positive experience with ALG whereby each trainee solicitor has all the support and training they need during their traineeship. Therefore, we monitor our intake numbers to ensure we can deliver a quality traineeship to those who have been offered a position with the firm.

We will be recruiting for Trainees to join our Trainee Programme from 2024 onwards.

Trainee solicitors are not normally given a choice of seats, however, we do try to accommodate any preferences. 

Trainee solicitors will work in some of our main departments, namely: Corporate and M&A, Disputes & Investigations, Finance and Commercial Property.

Our official start date is in September of each year. However, some individuals commence earlier as paralegals depending on resource requirements at the time.

Challenging yourself outside of your comfort zone means that you can bring something more to the table as a trainee solicitor. Your life experience will help you adjust to the challenges that a traineeship brings and often helps you cope when in pressurised situations, so yes, we encourage future trainee solicitors to go out and sample some of what life has to offer before beginning a traineeship, but it’s not a pre-requisite and is very much a personal decision.

Our position is that it's very much something for you to decide upon. We provide full training for all trainee solicitors. In conjunction with your professional qualification route and the courses they provide, you will be fully prepared for life as a corporate lawyer when you qualify. Therefore, having a Masters degree is not a pre-requisite to getting an offer from ALG. Doing a Masters is an expensive undertaking and whilst there is certainly no negative impact in doing a Masters (our view is that all knowledge is helpful), applicants should not feel that they 'need' to have a Masters to get into ALG. It is very much a personal decision.

Students often ask how they can differentiate themselves on their application form. Most application forms have a limit on the amount of information you can put in each section. Therefore, it's important to choose your words carefully and to be clear and concise. It is also very important to think about exactly what you are putting on your application and what a corporate law firm might look for/expect in a candidate. Ask yourself the following questions and how you might demonstrate your knowledge and skills in these areas on your form:

• Do I read business pages in newspapers or online?
• Do I know what's happening in the markets and on the global political stage?
• Do I know what legal developments are currently taking place in Northern Ireland / abroad?
• What are the biggest challenges currently facing law firms?
• Do I have varied interests?
• What do I know about ALG and how are my skills suitable for the work we do?
• How have I challenged myself in my life to date? Am I resilient? How do I demonstrate this?
• Am I a good communicator? How can I demonstrate this on my form?
• What are my achievements to date which show that I am a suitable candidate for corporate law?
• How do I demonstrate that I've thought about / know why a career in corporate law is for me?