Brabners is a purpose-led independent law firm.

Our independence allows us to be objective, principled and provide a service with heart and character.

We’re on a mission to make the difference for our clients, people and communities. 

A certified B Corp with award-winning sustainability and social impact credentials, we seek to demonstrate that business can bring about positive change.

Proudly anchored in the North since 1815, we serve all of England and Wales.

Our multidisciplinary and diverse range of talented individuals think independently yet work collaboratively to achieve the right results for our clients.

With over 500 colleagues, we offer the full range of legal services.

We make the difference

Our mission to make the difference guides everything we do, pushing us to go the extra mile for our clients and empowering our people to do what they do best.

As a B Corp, we’re committed to responsible business. That means high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

With four modern offices in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Lancashire, our people have the choice to work remotely and flexibly to best support our clients’ needs.

Our services

We offer the full range of legal support.

Our practice areas cover business crime and compliance, commercial, corporate, employment, family, immigration, intellectual property, litigation, pensions, private client, professional conduct, real estate, regulatory and more.

We work with clients across a wide range of sectors including health, manufacturing and supply chain, professional services, property, construction and regeneration, recruitment and workforce solutions, retail and leisure, sport and technology.

We have strong connections with legal advisers around the world. As active members of Eurolegal and the Association of European Lawyers (AEL), we offer cross-border support and trusted foreign legal advice.

Multi-award-winning

We're multi-award-winning, including featuring in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame and The Times’ Best Law Firms 2024, being named the best law firm and the 11th best large company to work for in the UK by Best Companies for 2024, CSR Champions of the Year at the Manchester Legal Awards, Sustainability Initiative of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2023 and Outstanding Marketing Innovation by Law.com for our podcast series Rooney v Vardy: The Breakdown.

Our vacation scheme is a fantastic opportunity for you to experience work and the culture of Brabners. You will have the opportunity to experience a variety of sectors and meet experienced colleagues from across our teams.

Anyone is welcome to apply for our vacation scheme as long as you are studying an undergraduate degree or hold a degree certificate, but we recommend that first year students attend our insights programme.

You will need to complete an online application and a situational judgement test — there is no assessment centre to secure a place on a vacation scheme.

The scheme has been designed to support your skill and knowledge development as you prepare for your career ahead. We are passionate about adding value to your journey. With talks from our experienced leaders, advice and guidance from our current trainees and a series of challenging tasks, we are confident that you will have a rewarding experience. You will undertake work in a real context, be involved in live client work and embrace workshops designed to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for you to be outstanding in your field.

We support successful applicants to the vacation scheme by providing a Real Living Wage for the duration of the scheme, ensuring that the process is accessible to all.

Successful applicants to our vacation scheme will be able to choose a training contract assessment day to attend, if you wish to do so.

Our vacation scheme dates for 2025 are:

2-6 June 2025 (Liverpool)

9-13 June 2024 (Manchester)

Applications for our vacation scheme will open on 7 October 2024 and close on 27 February 2025. We don’t recruit on a rolling basis.

Your training contract lasts for two years. You will complete four seat rotations in six monthly blocks, enabling you to gain experience in a variety of practice areas. You will have caseloads, attend client meetings, work closely with experienced Solicitors and much more.

We want you to make the most of your training, which is why we operate a preference-based method of allocating your seats.

Your development is our priority: you will have a training supervisor throughout the duration of your training contract, and ongoing support from our dedicated early careers team. We will also pair you with one of our second-year Trainee Solicitors who will be your mentor, enabling you to learn from those with direct experience.  

To ensure your success, we conduct mid-seat and end of seat career conversations for all trainees, focusing on developing all of your skills into strengths.

Our training contacts are designed for both those on the LPC or SQE route as we appreciate your study route is your choice (see Brabners Bursary for more information on funding).

We welcome applicants who are already studying or about to embark on an SQE programme.

As a minimum, you must have successfully completed and passed your SQE1 exam before starting your training contract with us. We will support applicants who require SQE2 with study leave, prep courses and exam support, if required.

Our training contract will provide you with two years’ qualifying work experience, required to support the successful completion of your SQE programme. Please note that, regardless of any time to count (TCC) taken elsewhere, your training contract with Brabners will be for two years.

Our legal apprenticeship programme is designed for those looking for alternatives to university.

Paralegal apprenticeship

For the first two years of our legal apprenticeship programme you will grasp the basics of working in a law firm, working alongside our paralegals while you undertake a paralegal apprenticeship.

At the end of the second year, we will review your progress to date with a view to progress you onto our solicitor apprenticeship programme. However, if you would like a year’s break from study, we are entirely flexible in our approach.

Solicitor apprenticeship

When you progress from the paralegal apprenticeship, you will commence a three-year solicitor apprenticeship. This will involve a 35-week training programme towards qualification, joining our cohort of trainee solicitors in the final two years.

As part of the programme, you’ll be given the opportunity to rotate around departments on an annual basis ­— by the end of your apprenticeship you will have experienced at least five different areas of law. During your rotation, you will deal directly with clients and assist on complex transactions with close partner support.

This route to qualification is for those who haven’t attended university, therefore we welcome applicants who are in the process of completing or have completed A levels. Candidates must have at least five GCSEs at grade C (or 4) or above, including English and mathematics (or equivalent) and a minimum of three A levels – obtained or predicted at grade BCC.

Applications for legal apprenticeships will open on the 7 October 2024 and close on the 27 March 2025. We don’t recruit on a rolling basis.

After you’ve submitted your application, we’ll invite you to complete a situational judgement test. If successful, you will then be invited to attend an assessment day.

Our legal apprenticeship assessment dates are:

26 May 2025 – Liverpool

27 May 2025 – Manchester

https://www.brabners.com/our-culture

Sponsorship is available for any future study required. Visa sponsorship is also offered.

• Corporate
• Commercial & intellectual property
• Private client
• Litigation
• Regulatory
• Business crime
• Employment
• Real estate
• Housing & regeneration
• Construction
• Investment & property management
• Family

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial

• Liverpool
• Manchester
• Lancashire
• Leeds

• Breaking Barriers
• Legal Apprenticeships
• Pathways to Law
• Sutton Trust