Graduate Recruitment
Why Forbes?
Forbes offers the best of both worlds. If you are looking for a "city" practice without the everyday hassles of travelling to and working in the "big city", then Forbes could be for you. One of the largest practices in the North, we have 60 partners, 11 offices, 380 staff and a reputation for being progressive and forward-looking.
The firm has a broad based practice dealing with both commercial and private client work and can, therefore, provide a varied and exciting training contract. We are, however, especially noted for excellence in our business law; civil litigation; insurance; crime; family and employment departments. We have a number of Higher Court advocates and the firm holds many Legal Aid Agency contracts.
At Forbes, people are an integral part of our culture and business, One Team is one for the firm's stand out values and your success is our success.
Our aim is to keep things as straightforward as possible whilst ensuring the needs of our clients are put first.
Client Contact
Approachability
Job Satisfaction
Quality of Work
Confident of being kept on
Living up to expectations
Work/Life balance
The firm supports, and encourages agile working for a great work-life balance. With a focus on learning and development, we are proud to have consistently high trainee solicitor retention rates.
Our Training Contracts
We currently offer two routes to qualification; these are Period of Recognised Training and Qualifying Work Experience.
Both routes will consist of four, six-month training seats. From the beginning of your training, you will be given hands on client work to deal with. As you become embedded into the team your responsibilities will grow along with your learning and development and there will be opportunities to be involved in more complex cases. All of which is helping you in your journey to qualification. Trainees will be supported throughout with one to ones with experienced solicitors, mentors and dedicated Training Partners.
You can apply for training contracts from the final year of your law degree or during your Graduate Diploma in Law, as we recruit two years in advance. You will need to have completed the LPC or the SQE1 by the commencement date of the training contract.
Our applications are now open for a September 2028 commencement. You can apply here.
Graduate Recruitment Process (Save the Dates!)
Online Application (Closing Date: 28th May 2026)addremove
Whether you are applying for a traditional training contract or a Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship, your journey starts with an online application.
Applications for our Graduate Recruitment process open every year, at the beginning of January and close on the 28th May.
First Stage - Shortlisting and Video Presentation (2nd June 2026)addremove
After the closing date, all applications are reviewed against our selection criteria. Applicants who meet our selection criteria will be invited to submit a short video presentation, the topic of which will be provided in advance. You will be contacted following the closing date and will be required to submit your video by the 2nd June 2026.
What do we look for in applications?
Qualifications (Law Degree, GDL) at 2:1 and above;
Completion of the LPC or SQE 1, or working towards;
Dedication to Law (work experience, attendance at courts, pro-bono, legal clinics, work placements etc.);
Knowledge of the Firm (Our Values, who we are, etc.);
Local Connections (Northwest, Manchester, Leeds);
IT Knowledge/Experience (Microsoft Office and other IT systems);
Evidence of Teamwork and Collaboration;
Evidence of Organisation Skills and Time Management;
Attention to Detail (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation);
Commercial Awareness;
Response to application questions (Understanding of what has been asked, research skills, problem solving, critical thinking etc);
Second Stage - Assessment Day (18th June 2026) addremove
Should your video presentation prove successful, you will be invited to attend an assessment date on Thursday 18th June 2026 with other successful candidates and the Graduate Recruitment team. On the assessment day you will be required to undertake a number of exercises both individually and within a team and you will be assessed on a number of criteria throughout the day.
Third Stage - Final Interview and Presentation (2nd July 2026)addremove
Candidates that are successful after the assessment day, will be invited to a final stage panel interview where a presentation will be required. The topic of the presentation will be provided in advance. The interviews will be scheduled to take place on the 2nd July 2026.
A day in the life of a Trainee Solicitor
My name is Beth and I am a second year trainee at Forbes Solicitors LLP. I am currently undertaking my third seat in the Governance, Procurement, and Information (GPI) department at Forbes, having spent my first seat in the Crime team, and my second within the Family department.
The GPI team at Forbes provide advice to a wide range of clients across the public, private, and third sectors to ensure they operate effectively and properly. The three main elements of the team’s expertise commonly overlap, so I knew that I would be undertaking a wide range of work involving various areas of law throughout my seat in the department.
From the beginning of my GPI seat I was extremely busy with finding my way around a new office at Gordon House, seeing a number of new faces within the various teams that are based here, and learning about the department and the way it works on a day-to-day basis. From my first day within the team, I was afforded the responsibility of undertaking legal research to assist a client in relation to a Data Protection query, so I knew the rest of my time here would involve me having a hands-on approach within the department.
Take a look below at a typical day in my life working from the office within the GPI team:
Pre-work: I usually begin the morning by taking a trip to my local gym and working out for around an hour. I then head to the office at Gordon House and upon my arrival, I make my first coffee of the day!
Morning: I log onto our system at Forbes, read and respond to emails, check my diary, and make a list of what I need to do for the day. Our team has a 10:00am meeting every morning to discuss what work we have to complete that day. Within the meeting, we collaborate with each other regarding our work and ensure that everyone is provided with the relevant assistance and/or supervision, where necessary. Following on from our meeting, I will undertake any tasks that are required of me that day which can sometimes consist of joining forces with other departments such as the Housing and Regeneration Team to work in partnership and provide appropriate advice to our clients. This means that I am able to meet and chat with even more of my colleagues at Forbes which is fantastic!
Lunchtime: I usually bring my own lunch into the office and eat within our open seated canteen area. I regularly chat with other colleagues in the office within my lunch period about our day, how our week is going, and what we have been up to recently.
Afternoon: I continue with my work which varies on a daily basis. It can consist of undertaking legal research in relation to client specific queries ranging from governance, data protection, procurement, and charity law. I also draft documents such as terms and conditions, privacy notices, share purchase agreements plus many more, and I regularly prepare advice reports to send to our clients, providing them with legal advice in respect of their enquiry.
Evening: After I log off and head home, I try to make the most of my evening by heading out for a walk (weather dependent), watching, or playing football, and spending time with friends and family.
I’m glad to be able to say that the GPI team has fully supported me throughout my time here and I feel confident that I have settled into the department well. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many departments were forced to alter the way that they worked. Although the team offers hybrid working, meaning I work from home two days a week, this doesn’t result in me feeling any less supported by my colleagues. My team ensure that they communicate with me consistently throughout any days I am at home, whether this be through telephone calls, emails, or Microsoft Teams meetings.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two months of my third seat and consider myself lucky to work for an organisation who ensures there are appropriate structures in place to allow trainee solicitors to thrive throughout their training contracts. I look forward to continuing to work with the GPI department and further developing skills such as drafting, teamwork, and legal research.
Nice to know....
We receive a significant number of applications annually for approximately three to six positions at Forbes Solicitors.
Once a training contract commences, each trainee will spend approximately six months in four departments from the following practice areas:
Criminal Litigation
Family (Public and Private)
Contentious Trusts and Probate
Insurer Litigation
Non-contentious, essentially comprising Commercial or Residential Property, Wills, Trust & Probate and Contracts and Projects, Corporate and Restructuring
Employment
Dispute Resolution
Housing (Litigation)
Housing (Property)
During each seat, formal appraisals are conducted. During these appraisals, discussions take place regarding performance, learning and development and your Training Diary.
During the course of the training contract, each trainee has the opportunity to meet a mentor who is usually a newly qualified solicitor to help with any other issues that may arise.
Kella Bowers
Training Principal