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Bristows
A specialist firm advising innovative businesses, with leading intellectual property, technology, data protection and life sciences practices.
About Bristows
Bristows advises businesses developing, commercialising and protecting new ideas. Intellectual property, technology and life sciences are central to its practice, supported by corporate, competition, regulatory, commercial and dispute resolution teams. This allows the firm to advise on different stages of a product or business’s development, from investment and collaboration agreements to regulatory questions and litigation.
Its London training contract guarantees experience in intellectual property. Applicants do not need a science degree: the firm recruits from law, humanities, science and other disciplines. An interest in learning about clients’ products, technology and commercial objectives is particularly relevant.
The two-year training contract combines seats of different lengths, including a compulsory six-month Patent Litigation seat. Other areas can include commercial IP and technology, corporate, competition, regulatory work and disputes.
Trainees receive practical supervision, legal and professional skills training, regular appraisals and meetings with an allocated training partner. Client secondments usually last three months and involve an in-house legal department in or near London. Availability depends on client demand and individual seat plans.
Bristows sponsors the PGDL where required and SQE preparation and examinations, generally through the University of Law in London. Current published maintenance figures are £10,000 for the PGDL and £15,000 for the SQE. Candidates who have already completed the PGDL and LPC can follow the existing qualification route without taking the SQE.
Practice areas & rankings
Bristows has 17 ranked departments in Chambers UK 2026. Its Band 1 practices include Intellectual Property, Patent Litigation and Information Technology & Outsourcing in London, alongside Data Protection & Information Law and Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation UK-wide. These rankings reflect the firm’s focus on businesses whose value depends on technology, intellectual property and innovation.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Ranked Band 1 for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation in London in Chambers UK 2026, Bristows handles disputes concerning patent infringement and validity. The team represents global corporations and growing technology businesses before the English courts and Unified Patent Court, alongside coordinating international litigation. Matters often require lawyers to understand detailed scientific or engineering evidence.
Ranked Band 1 for Information Technology & Outsourcing in London in Chambers UK 2026, the practice advises technology suppliers and major purchasers of IT services. Its work includes commercial transactions, outsourcing and complex disputes, with expertise in cloud computing, digital advertising and emerging technologies. This combines negotiating agreements with resolving problems when technology projects fail.
Ranked Band 1 for Data Protection & Information Law, UK-wide, in Chambers UK 2026, the team advises on international compliance programmes and the use of data in products and services. Its work includes helping organisations build practical GDPR frameworks and address privacy requirements throughout product development. The practice connects legal compliance with how clients collect, use and manage information.
Ranked Band 4 for Corporate/M&A: £10–100 million in London in Chambers UK 2026, the practice advises on acquisitions, disposals, mergers and joint ventures. Technology and life sciences are particular strengths, with cross-border transactions forming an important part of the work. A recent example is advising CityFibre on its acquisition of Lit Fibre.
Awards
UK Impact Case of the YearManaging IP EMEA Awards 2026
Awarded for the firm's work on Hill v Touchlight, a dispute over entitlement to patents covering a process for producing close-ended DNA.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Apply directly for the London training contract through the online recruitment portal. Applications for the August 2029 intake opened on 7 September 2026 and close on 3 January 2027.
Bristows runs IP workshops rather than vacation schemes. These provide an opportunity to explore its work, meet lawyers and understand the firm’s specialist focus. Attending a workshop is separate from securing a training contract.
Explain why you are interested in the legal issues surrounding innovation. Choose a specific example, such as a patent dispute, technology agreement or privacy issue, and explain what interests you about the client’s problem and the lawyer’s role.
Show curiosity through your experiences. This could involve learning unfamiliar material, investigating a technical subject or explaining a complex idea clearly. A non-science background can still provide strong evidence of analytical thinking and an appetite for learning.
Explain any mitigating circumstances affecting your academic record. Applications are reviewed holistically rather than filtered automatically by grades.
Bristows: quick answers
How much does Bristows pay trainees?
Bristows pays first-year trainees £49,000, rising to £52,500 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Bristows earn £95,000.
When are the Bristows application deadlines?
No vacation scheme · IP workshops instead, closing 16 Oct 2026 (sessions 18 and 24 Nov) and 23 Oct 2026 for the STEM IP workshop (session 9 Dec) · training contract for an Aug 2029 start closes 3 Jan 2027 Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Bristows take on?
Bristows takes on around 10 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What grades do you need to apply to Bristows?
To apply to Bristows you will generally need a 2.1 degree. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
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