Baker & McKenzie London offers a trainee experience that no other firm can match.

Central to that is the global setting in which we work. The London office is large enough to be significant, but not so large that our graduates are lost. Therefore by working here, you have influence in a key office of a firm with one of the largest international networks in the world.

You will be dealing with colleagues in overseas offices on an almost daily basis, working together on cross-border transactions and sharing knowledge. There are plenty of opportunities for you to gain overseas experience, either through our Trainee Secondment Programme or, post-qualification, through the Associate Training Programme.

Because of our global mindset, we attract a high proportion of multinational clients, many of which are household names. It is what Baker & McKenzie was founded on. It is still a huge part of what we do, whether global corporations like EQT, Mittal Steel, Nike and Oracle; or blue-chip British companies like BP and RioTinto. As a trainee here, you will work with big names on big deals.

Clients do not come to us solely because of our international reach, however. They come to us because of the pragmatic, commercial insight that we bring to our legal advice. We work hard to understand our clients’ businesses and their priorities, and then we consider how our legal advice can best support them.

It is an approach on which we place a lot of emphasis, for our trainees in particular. Much of your training and development is geared to enabling you to be an incisive, yet practical lawyer. One who can give their clients advice in a page of succinct, business-focused English. At every stage of your career, our focus is on helping you make the most of your strengths, of your experience and of your expertise.

It means we are looking for trainees who have an interest in business as well as the law, who have an interest in supporting our clients to achieve their objectives, and who are keen, not just to deliver a legal opinion, but to build quality client relationships. We need bright, intelligent people who can develop a rapport with senior figures at major international companies, and who can articulate legal issues in an appropriate way for that business.

In terms of culture, ours is one of friendship; a culture in which people are committed to the firm and its approach, but at the same time, have the freedom to think for themselves. We aim to foster an environment where you are encouraged to have ideas, where you are consulted about decisions, and where no matter who you are in the organisation, your opinions are valued.

Our approach to CSR and pro bono work is an integral aspect of this ethos. For us, diversity has always been a cornerstone of the firm - understanding that people are different and that we are stronger as a firm when we embrace those differences and allow people to develop and play to their strengths.

Above all, our culture is one in which you can develop your strengths. And through the development of your strengths, with our support, our training, our commercial approach and the way we work, we enable you to be the best lawyer you can be.

To find out more about training contracts and vacation schemes at Baker & McKenzie, please visit www.multiplyingyourpotential.co.uk