Last updated:
Howard Kennedy
A London law firm advising businesses and individuals, with strengths in real estate, corporate transactions, private wealth and business crime.
About Howard Kennedy
Howard Kennedy is a London law firm based at No.1 London Bridge, advising clients in the UK and internationally. Its work brings together commercial and personal legal matters, with specialisms including corporate and capital raising, business crime, international disputes, real estate, private wealth, and retail and leisure. This combination gives prospective trainees scope to explore transactions, disputes and advisory work involving both businesses and individuals. The firm’s approach centres on understanding clients’ objectives and giving clear, practical advice. Its values—talk straight, think smart and be yourself—also provide a useful starting point for applicants considering how their own working style fits the firm.
Howard Kennedy’s two-year training contract comprises four six-month seats in different departments, with an annual intake of six to eight trainees. Trainees work directly with clients and gain experience across different practice teams. The programme offers opportunities to develop legal skills alongside involvement in pro bono work, charitable projects and firm activities.
Future trainees complete SQE1 and SQE2 before beginning their 24 months of qualifying work experience. The firm funds the SQE assessments and preparation courses through The University of Law, with a £10,000 maintenance grant. Funding does not extend to the GDL or PGDL, and previously completed qualifications are not reimbursed retrospectively
Practice areas & rankings
Howard Kennedy has 15 ranked departments in Chambers UK 2026. Its rankings include Band 2 for Financial Crime: Private Prosecutions and Media & Entertainment: Publishing, alongside Band 3 recognition for corporate M&A, real estate, financial crime, art and cultural property, international construction arbitration, and high-net-worth family finance. Other ranked practices include employment, civil fraud, property litigation and reputation management.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Howard Kennedy is ranked Band 2 for Financial Crime: Private Prosecutions and Band 3 for Financial Crime: Individuals, London, in Chambers UK 2026. The practice advises companies, senior executives and individuals facing criminal allegations and regulatory scrutiny. Its services include fraud and financial crime, internal investigations, money laundering compliance, sanctions and extradition. The work involves managing legal proceedings alongside the financial, professional and reputational consequences of an investigation.
Ranked Band 3 for Corporate/M&A: £10–100 million, London, in Chambers UK 2026, the firm advises on business growth, funding and transactions. Its wider corporate practice includes capital markets, investment structures, joint ventures and investment funds. Clients include founders, management teams, boards and investors, giving the practice exposure to the different commercial interests involved in raising capital and completing acquisitions.
Ranked Band 3 for Real Estate: £50–150 million, London, in Chambers UK 2026, Howard Kennedy advises on property investment and the management of real estate assets. Its services connect transactions with finance, development, planning, construction and dispute resolution. This provides opportunities to understand how different legal disciplines contribute to acquiring, developing and operating property.
Howard Kennedy is ranked Band 3 for Family/Matrimonial Finance: High Net Worth, London, in Chambers UK 2026. Family work sits within a broader private wealth practice covering trusts, succession planning, estates, residential property and international wealth structures. This brings together the personal and financial issues affecting individuals and families, including circumstances involving assets or relationships across jurisdictions.
Awards
Private Client Team of the YearLegal Business Awards 2026
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Howard Kennedy recruits directly for training contracts and does not run a vacation scheme. Applications for the 2028 intake are due to open later in 2026; an exact opening date and deadline have not yet been published. The previous round, for September 2027 entry, closed on 8 March 2026.
Candidates apply through the online application form. Applications undergo blind screening, with names and information identifying schools and universities anonymised. Academic grades are not scored or used to screen candidates out. Interviews take place after the application deadline.
Build your written answers around a clear explanation of why Howard Kennedy’s work interests you. Choose particular practices or client sectors and explain the connection to your experience, studies or independent research. For example, an interest in retail and leisure could connect property transactions, employment issues and the commercial pressures facing operators.
Use specific examples to demonstrate your contribution. Explain the situation briefly, then focus on the decisions you made, how you worked with others and the result. The firm’s emphasis on clear communication makes concise, direct writing particularly relevant: answer the question early and remove sentences that add little evidence.
Howard Kennedy: quick answers
How much does Howard Kennedy pay trainees?
Howard Kennedy pays first-year trainees £45,000, rising to £48,000 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Howard Kennedy earn £83,000.
When is the Howard Kennedy vacation scheme deadline?
September 2027 training contract closes 8 Mar 2026 · no GDL or PGDL funding, SQE only Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Howard Kennedy take on?
Howard Kennedy takes on around 8 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What tests does Howard Kennedy use in its applications?
Shortlisted candidates complete an online critical reasoning assessment before progressing through the remaining selection stages. Prepare by practising how to evaluate arguments, identify assumptions and decide whether a conclusion follows from the information provided. Keep your reasoning tied to the passage: a statement may sound plausible without being supported by the evidence. Review explanations for incorrect answers to identify recurring mistakes. Pay particular attention to the difference between something being possible, probable and necessarily true. Use the instructions in your assessment invitation to establish the test format, time limit and completion deadline.
What grades do you need to apply to Howard Kennedy?
To apply to Howard Kennedy 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.
Get the tools and support you need to succeed.