We’re a firm that puts you in control, giving you more client contact, more autonomy, and more development. We help you to create your own influence and shape your own fate. Because we’re not like everybody else.

Our open, transparent and collegiate style of management drives exceptionally high levels of employee engagement year on year. That’s what happens when you put people first. At Clarion, our values and characteristics underpin everything we do. They’re the foundation of #BeingClarion, defining who we are and our approach. At their heart, they’re our beliefs. The beliefs that make us successful as individuals, as a team, and to clients. We’re proud to live these values every day, and to see the success of them borne out in the way we do business.

And it’s not just us who think we’re something special. So far in 2024, we have been recognised by the Sunday Times as the Best Place to Work for Young People, top 10 Big Organisations to Work For, as well as winning Best Employer at the Yorkshire Business Desk Awards. In 2023, The Lawyer named Clarion Independent Law Firm of the Year and at the close of 2022, recognised us as the third Fastest Growing Law Firm in Europe. 

We are extremely proud of our reputation and standing in the marketplace. Over the years, Clarion has established itself as one of the foremost players in Yorkshire’s highly competitive legal community, providing legal support to both business and individuals across the region, the UK and internationally. Many of our talented lawyers are also ranked in the Legal 500 and we have our fair share of individual award winners too!

We have a long term ‘forward investment’ approach to our client relationships. We give our people the time to develop strong relationships, both internally and externally. And that’s what allows us to deliver a first-class service for our clients. The success of our approach is clear. Not only by the loyalty of our clients, but also by our outstanding reputation. Everyone at Clarion is encouraged to develop and build client relationships, whether this be through our junior lawyer network, attending internal or external events or Business Development training with our dedicated team.

Sector experience

With noted legal experts working within sectors from healthcare to IT, energy, manufacturing, food and drink, media and the built environment; when it comes to understanding the market in which our clients operate throughout the UK and around the world, we have the strength to support, protect and advise them.

Work with businesses

At Clarion we're proud to be different from other law firms. We believe in building long term relationships with all our clients, asking curious questions and getting under the skin of our clients’ businesses to help them achieve their ambitions. You see, as well as excellent lawyers, we're business people too. We understand clients' real issues, rather than just serving their immediate legal needs.

Many of our clients already enjoy added value services like strategic advice, network introductions, access to events and seminars, and use of Clarion facilities – whenever they need them.

Work with individuals

Enjoying our lives and making the most of what we have, and wish to pass on to family and friends, plays a key role in protecting our peace of mind and lifestyles. We’re here to help individual clients successfully negotiate life’s potholes and always ensure their best interests are served.

Through the preparations we can help clients and take much of the worry and emotional heartache attached to wealth protection, making a will, probate, cohabitation agreements and heading off potential disputes.

Protection

Listening is a big part of what we do and with good reason. Being able to ‘stand in clients' shoes’ and understand their needs and those of their families and loved ones means we’ll be able to help protect them for the future.

Peace of mind

Sympathetic and straightforward, experienced and friendly, nothing is too much trouble; no issue is insurmountable and no question left unanswered. Leaving the legal jargon behind, we’ll take care of the hard stuff while the client gets on with their life.

Our strategy has supported us to achieve double digit growth year on year and the firm continues to secure significant brands as clients from FTSE 100 and major in-bounds through to some of the leading entrepreneurial OMBs in the region and nationally.

Career prospects

At Clarion, we have a structured career path for lawyers. Because your development is as important to us as it is to you. We consider promotions on a yearly basis and at every step in your career, you will know what is expected of you, and how to make the next leap. Many of our juniors enjoy long-term successful careers within the firm, including a few of our senior partners joining as trainees themselves many years ago!

You’ll be supported by our dedicated Central teams, Clarion Academy and HIVE team, who curate development, resources and research, to help you do your job in the most efficient and effective way possible. Because when we work together, we succeed together.

As part of our role in the industry, and a firm that takes its social responsibility seriously, we created a work experience scheme with social mobility in mind. It is widely accepted that early careers is the best place to make an impact and improve things for the future. We actively encourage participation from individuals who would otherwise experience additional challenges and barriers to accessing ‘traditional’ legal work experience schemes.

Twice a year, for a week in spring and a week in summer, we give ambitious people like you the opportunity to complete a work experience placement right here at Clarion. Throughout your placement, you’ll sit alongside fee-earners at all levels and hear from colleagues in our central teams. You’ll get invaluable hands-on experience, unearthing more about what it’s like to work in an award-winning law firm.

During a placement with us you will be given the chance to follow various team members through their day to day workloads and, where appropriate, meet with clients and attend court hearings. In addition, you will be given a number of tasks to complete. To gain an insight as to what it is really like to work at Clarion. We also aim to give an insight into how a law firm works by hosting sessions with our central teams.

Our work experience opportunities are open to university students and graduates over the age of 18 and applications close on 19 January 2025. 

A vacation scheme also comprises part of our training contract application process, for which you can also apply, applications close on 30 March 2025, details provided in the section regarding training contract selection.

At Clarion, trainees are part of the team from the very outset.

We believe that to be involved in Clarion is to be at the heart of one of the most exciting firms the legal profession can offer. We are looking for trainee solicitors who will share that belief and work with us over the long term to realise the immense potential of the firm.

Thirteen of our departments – corporate; commercial; business restructuring and insolvency; commercial property; property litigation; construction; commercial dispute resolution; banking and finance; intellectual property; employment; family; contentious private client; or private wealth – offer seats, and you will sit in four over the course of your training contract. Driven by an ethos of openness, enthusiasm, commerciality and support, we believe in giving trainees quality work and exposure to clients from the get-go, setting you up for success when you qualify.

In addition to a full training programme in all the disciplines necessary for the legal side of your work, Clarion creates an environment for our trainees to become the best, most well-rounded lawyers they can be. Encouraged to acquire experience of the marketing and self-development activities that take place in the firm through our learning and development Academy, you will have a wealth of resources at your disposal. Trainees are encouraged to join the firm's networking group, ClarioNet, attend the firm's frequent social events, assist in representing the firm at law fairs and marketing events, and to participate in mentoring schemes at law colleges, universities and schools.

We expect all those commencing a training contract to have completed and passed their SQE1 and 2 exams prior to September 2026.

At Clarion, equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our core values. Because we believe that everyone should feel comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. BeingOne, one of our colleague-led groups, is about how we at Clarion foster an environment in which each and every colleague, with their unique experiences and perspectives, thrives. The group provides us with a strategic framework for raising awareness, fostering togetherness and giving back to the community. The impact should be seen as well as felt as we enhance what we do, and how we do it, on a day-to-day basis.

If you want to find out more about our colleagues’ experience of inclusion at Clarion, please do follow this link to read BeingOne stories from our team. Diversity and inclusion is integral to our success as a firm and is always on our agenda.

We are committed to doing our part to improve social mobility through our work experience placement scheme and our partnership with a local school, with which we regularly volunteer and support with their internal events.

In addition, our BeingOne forum raises awareness through the celebration and education of religious festivals and diversity events, such as Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Ramadan, Diwali, Pride, South Asian History Month, Interfaith Harmony Week and Deaf Awareness Week.

We recognise, though, that this work is never done and strive to continuously adapt and improve our strategy for creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work. BeingOne helps maintain our focus on, and commitment to, this crucial aspect of our firm.

We do not currently provide sponsorship for the LPC, GDL or SQE courses.

• Commercial
• Corporate
• Banking & finance
• Commercial dispute resolution
• Business restructuring & insolvency
• Commercial property
• Property litigation
• Construction
• Intellectual property
• Employment
• Private wealth
• Family
• Contentious private client

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial
• General Practice

• Leeds

• BPP Legal Advice Clinic

• Ahead Partnership
• BPP Legal Access Scheme
• Disability Confident Leader
• Legal Apprenticeships
• Mindful Business Charter