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Cleary Gottlieb
A US-founded international firm known for cross-border transactions, competition law and financial disputes.
About Cleary Gottlieb
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is an international law firm founded in 1946, operating through a single integrated partnership across 14 offices worldwide. Its London office opened in 1971 and began practising English law in 1997, combining English and US legal capabilities with the firm’s wider international network. The London practice is particularly recognised for competition law, corporate M&A, capital markets, finance and complex disputes. Its lawyers advise financial institutions, multinational companies, private equity investors and sovereign clients on matters involving multiple jurisdictions. A distinguishing feature of the London office is its approach to working across practice areas: the firm does not organise its lawyers around rigid departmental boundaries, encouraging collaboration across transactional, regulatory and contentious work. This international and interdisciplinary approach is central to its trainee programme.
Cleary recruits approximately 16 trainees annually for a two-year training contract comprising four six-month seats. Chambers’ current trainee review describes a seat-allocation system designed to provide breadth across the firm’s practices, including contentious experience in competition or disputes and corporate experience in areas such as M&A, debt finance or funds. Trainees discuss their preferences with HR, with further opportunities in specialist practices such as intellectual property and technology. International secondments can include Brussels, Paris, New York and Abu Dhabi, while client secondments provide experience within businesses in the banking and corporate sectors. These opportunities depend on availability. Each trainee receives support from a partner mentor, an associate mentor and a trainee mentor, alongside seat inductions, practice-specific training and formal six-monthly performance reviews.
The firm funds the SQE preparation course for future trainees and provides a £20,000 maintenance grant. Non-law graduates also receive PGDL funding and a separate £20,000 maintenance grant. An interest-free loan of up to £8,000 is available to future trainees. Professional development continues through regular informal feedback and discussions with supervisors and HR about individual training needs. The mentoring arrangements provide both practical guidance on work and broader support throughout the training contract.
Practice areas & rankings
In Chambers UK 2026, Cleary Gottlieb has nine ranked departments across London and UK-wide categories. Its highest department rankings are Band 2 for Competition Law and Competition Law: Litigation in London, and Capital Markets: Debt UK-wide. Further rankings recognise its corporate M&A, equity capital markets, banking litigation, private equity, leveraged finance and restructuring practices.
Cleary won Finance Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2025, recognising its work across financing disciplines. The firm’s award announcement highlights bank lending, acquisition finance, structured finance, project finance and debt capital markets.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Cleary is ranked Band 2 for Competition Law and Competition Law: Litigation, London (Firms), in Chambers UK 2026. Its competition practice advises on regulatory clearance for major transactions, including in-depth merger investigations before the Competition and Markets Authority. It also handles sector inquiries, investigations and competition litigation, including collective proceedings and follow-on damages claims. The London team works closely with colleagues in Brussels on matters involving both UK and EU authorities. Chambers highlights its representation of Synopsys in the CMA investigation and global foreign investment filings connected with its acquisition of Ansys.
Cleary is ranked Band 3 for Corporate/M&A: £800 million and above, London (Firms), in Chambers UK 2026. The practice advises financial institutions, private equity firms, public companies and privately owned businesses on complex international transactions. Its work includes deals involving Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, drawing on the firm’s international network. Chambers identifies its advice to The Walt Disney Company on combining its Star India business with Viacom18 to establish a joint venture with Reliance Industries as a significant mandate.
Cleary’s debt capital markets practice is ranked Band 2 UK-wide in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises on US and European securities offerings, with particular experience in emerging markets and transactions involving sovereign issuers and their underwriters. Its work connects fundraising with the securities-law and regulatory requirements of international markets. Chambers highlights its representation of shipping and logistics group CMA CGM on an offering of €400 million of senior notes, illustrating the practice’s corporate financing work alongside its sovereign capabilities.
Cleary is ranked Band 3 for Capital Markets: Equity, UK-wide, in Chambers UK 2026. Its practice advises on international equity offerings, combining US securities-law expertise with experience in European and emerging markets. Chambers also recognises its presence on Nordic equity transactions. A highlighted mandate is its representation of a sovereign wealth fund as a selling shareholder in Galderma’s initial public offering on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The practice demonstrates the firm’s ability to advise investors and other transaction participants on offerings involving different jurisdictions and regulatory requirements.
Cleary is ranked Band 3 for Banking Litigation, UK-wide, in Chambers UK 2026. The practice represents international financial institutions, investors, governments and trade associations in complex financial disputes. Chambers particularly recognises its experience in derivatives and sovereign bond litigation, alongside regulatory investigations and enforcement. Its cross-border capabilities are relevant where disputes involve financial instruments, parties or proceedings in several jurisdictions. The guide highlights its representation of Fir Tree Partners in proceedings against SBB concerning alleged breaches of financial covenants in notes held by Fir Tree.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Candidates apply through Cleary’s online recruitment portal, submitting a full CV with a subject-by-subject breakdown of their A-level or equivalent results and university module results where available. The firm normally expects AAA at A-level or equivalent and a high 2:1 degree or above, while also valuing extracurricular achievement. Cleary uses Rare Recruitment’s Contextual Recruitment System to consider achievements in the circumstances in which they were obtained. Foreign-language skills are welcomed but are not essential. Applications for the 2027 spring and summer schemes close on 29 January 2027. The CV should make the applicant’s responsibilities and achievements easy to understand. Employment, volunteering, university activities and other commitments can demonstrate analytical ability, initiative and collaboration. Applicants should explain their own contribution rather than simply describe an organisation or activity. Preparation should also include understanding Cleary’s London practice and how its international partnership supports transactions, regulatory matters and disputes. The current vacation-scheme listing requests a CV; it does not specify a separate cover-letter requirement.
How to answer why youCleary Gottlieb: quick answers
How much does Cleary Gottlieb pay trainees?
Cleary Gottlieb pays first-year trainees £62,500, rising to £67,500 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Cleary Gottlieb earn £172,500.
When is the Cleary Gottlieb vacation scheme deadline?
Cleary Gottlieb runs more than one vacation scheme round in the 2026/27 cycle: the winter scheme closes on 30 Oct and the spring scheme closes on 27 Feb. Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Cleary Gottlieb take on?
Cleary Gottlieb takes on around 16 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What tests does Cleary Gottlieb use in its applications?
pplicants who pass the initial screening complete the Watson Glaser critical-thinking test before progressing to the online interview. The assessment tests critical reasoning rather than knowledge of substantive law, making careful interpretation of the information supplied particularly important. Candidates should practise distinguishing evidence from assumptions, evaluating arguments and deciding whether conclusions are supported by a passage. Reviewing the reasoning behind practice answers is useful preparation, especially where an answer feels plausible but relies on information outside the question. Candidates should follow the timing and completion instructions provided with Cleary’s invitation.
What grades do you need to apply to Cleary Gottlieb?
To apply to Cleary Gottlieb you will generally need a 2:1+ degree. At A-level, Cleary Gottlieb asks for AAA. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
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