Gateley stands apart from the crowd because of what we do and who we are. The first commercial law firm to float on the London Stock Exchange, our strategy is to differentiate what we do by diversifying the professional services that we offer our clients and to incentivise our people. It is this strategy that has seen our turnover nearly double since we listed and our team grow to around 1000 people. We are a business that has a great story to tell and an even more exciting one planned.

We work together to deliver 100% client satisfaction by making the complex simple. We achieve this through our core values of being forward thinking and straight talking.

Forward thinking: since arriving as the new kids on the block all those years ago, we’ve earned our stripes in the legal industry, building a leading name and a revered reputation. It’s why we went Plc. It’s why we’re pushing the limits of what a legal and professional business can offer. Forward thinking within our business helps our clients move forward in theirs.

Straight talking: business is complicated. The last thing we want to do is add more complexity. Which is why we make sure our advice is always clear, straightforward, and easy to put into practice. Our diverse team is made up of experts in all areas of law and business. But it’s about more than just their expertise. It’s about being straight talking. We deliver all this advice in simple, clear, everyday language, so you spend less time decoding legal jargon and more time focusing on what's important to you.

Gateley offers an exciting summer vacation placement for second-year law students and final-year non-law students who would like to apply for our training contracts. We also invite applications from postgraduate candidates.

Our SVPs offer a snapshot of what training with us is like and provide a real insight into a future career in law. They’re also packed full of varied social events so you’ll get a real feel for our Gateley team spirit and culture. During your placement, you will be part of one of our legal teams and have involvement in day-to-day departmental work. You will learn more about our Gateley Group, platforms, network groups and our vision and values.

Whilst training with us, you will experience four six-month seat rotations across a variety of legal practice areas. We also offer exciting client secondments if you would like to gain some experience working in-house.

You will receive supervision and mentoring from highly-experienced solicitors and have opportunities to work directly with clients from early on, allowing you to build your practical legal knowledge, communication, client-care skills and an understanding of the markets within which our clients operate.

You also will take part in L&D courses to become a well-rounded solicitor, based on the O-Shaped Lawyer competencies, and organise social and charity fundraising events for your local Gateley office.

We provide sponsorship to successful candidates for their SQE preparation course fees and the SQE assessments. We provide SQE students with a maintenance grant if they are studying full-time.

The firm values the differences that a diverse workforce can bring and is committed to the principle of equal recruitment, training, development and treatment of all employees. 

We currently have four network groups that focus on our diversity strategy and employee wellbeing initiatives:

Gateley Pride works with the Gateley LGBTQ+ community to make sure that everyone within our business feels confident in being themselves in the work environment. Pride committee members are busy throughout the year raising awareness of LGBT issues, history and culture as well as organising social events and raising money for LGBT related charities.  

Gateley Inspire recognises that Gateley people need support at different times of their lives. For example when they are returning to work after paternity/maternity leave. It can also be when caring for a parent or close family member. Inspire is also committed to supporting more women in achieving leadership positions within the business. 

Gateley Thrive focuses on health and well-being and helping Gateley people to strike a good work/ life balance. Thrive ensures all employees are supported to build personal resilience to maintain good health and perform at a consistently high level.

Gateley Unity sits alongside Pride, Thrive and Inspire and focuses on recognising, celebrating and supporting employees from all different cultures, religions, backgrounds and those with disabilities. As our people are at the heart of everything we do, we want to make sure that we are celebrating all the diversity we have in our business, whether that is a cultural or religious event or making sure that our employees with a disability can thrive in our work environment. 

As a business we are working hard to encourage, inspire and support those from a BAME background or who have a disability to join our sector. One of the ways we are doing this is through our work with the Greater Birmingham Professional Services Academy. They have a BAME majority student body and offer inclusive learning and working environments to ensure there is equality in accessing the professional services sector.  Gateley is a founding legal partner to this academy and provides support in a number of ways – e.g. sitting on the academy board, through lectures, training, mentorship and offering work experience opportunities. 

We were also one of the first partner law firms to work with Birmingham Law Society on their diversity inclusion scheme and have provided a training contract offer to one of the candidates to join us next year. 

We provide sponsorship to successful candidates for their SQE preparation course fees and the SQE assessments. We provide SQE students with a maintenance grant if they are studying full-time.

• Corporate
• Banking
• Pensions
• Restructuring advisory
• Private client
• Tax
• Employment
• Construction
• Real estate
• Residential development
• Commercial dispute resolution
• Complex & international recovery work
• Real estate dispute resolution
• Commercial
• Regulatory
• Family

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial
• General Practice

• Birmingham
• Belfast
• Dubai
• Guildford
• Leeds
• London
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Nottingham
• Reading

• Ahead Partnership
• Aspiring Solicitors
• Birmingham Law Society’s Diversity Inclusion Scheme
• BPP Legal Access Scheme
• Diversity Access Scheme - Law Society
• Halo Code
• Law Returners Scheme
• Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter
• Legal Apprenticeships
• Mindful Business Charter
• Stonewall
• Sutton Trust
• Whizz Kidz