Baker & McKenzie to welcome first Belfast trainees next year Baker & McKenzie currently takes on around thirty new trainees in London every year, but will be capping the number of training contracts on offer in Belfast at two for the time being. The trainee program will be open exclusively to paralegals already employed within the firm’s 60-strong Belfast hub. Trainees will qualify as solicitors in Northern Ireland, though it is understood that a secondment to Baker & McKenzie’s London office is a likely feature of the training program.

Belfast bourgeoning

Baker & McKenzie’s Belfast office opened in 2014 as the firm’s second support centre, following the launch of a similar facility in Manilla in 2000. Herbert Smith Freehills and Allen & Overy have both also chosen to invest in opening Belfast support offices in the last five years, with Allen & Overy committing to increase its Belfast headcount by 100 staff before 2020. Baker & McKenzie’s first pair of Belfast-based trainees will commence in September next year.

Sources: Legal Week; Legal Cheek