Law firm Harper Macleod has welcomed its new cohort of trainee solicitors, making it the one of the largest employers of legal graduates in Scotland.
Last week, 19 law graduates entered onto Harper Macleod’s two-year traineeship programme, joining 20 existing trainees who have just started their second year.
Trainees feature in a spectrum of teams, and in Harper Macleod’s three largest offices (by number of colleagues) in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness serving clients across Scotland, the UK and internationally.
Since 2022, Harper Macleod has provided 58 traineeships, illustrating its commitment to developing the next generation of legal talent in Scotland.
Last week, 15 Harper Macleod trainees qualified to become solicitors. These were the first trainees to qualify via the firm’s new fixed-seat approach. Traditionally, legal trainees spend six months in a range of departments or seats over a two-year traineeship. In 2022, Harper Macleod adopted a fixed-seat model to allow trainees to develop a deeper understanding of their chosen area, responding to changing graduate and client needs.
In recent years, the firm has seen record numbers of applications from university graduates to its traineeship programme.
Professor Lorne Crerar CBE FRSE, Harper Macleod chairman, said: “We’re proud of the opportunities we can provide for the next wave of legal professionals, particularly those at the very start of their careers.
“Bringing this number of trainees into our business also signifies the long-term and sustainable growth opportunities we’re seeing right across Scotland and in a range of areas including banking, employment, renewable energy, public sector, built environment, private client, corporate and dispute resolution.
“When combined with our total commitment to the Modern Apprenticeship programme, it’s clear that Harper Macleod is an employer of choice not just for young people in our business services teams, but those looking to start and develop a career in the legal industry.”
