Mishcon de Reya
A distinctive London firm known for dispute resolution, employment, real estate, and private client work
About Mishcon de Reya
Mishcon de Reya was founded by Lord Victor Mishcon in 1937 in a one-room office in Brixton. Today it employs over 1,450 people including 650 lawyers, with revenue of £330 million in FY2024-25 and profit of £110 million. The firm is headquartered at Africa House, Kingsway, London.
Mishcon is known for taking on high-profile and unconventional work across corporate, dispute resolution, employment, IP, real estate, and private client matters. The firm is particularly associated with high-stakes litigation, media law, contentious employment, family law for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and the representation of major brands in IP disputes. Recent work includes defending Thom Browne against Adidas in trademark infringement proceedings and advising on the Windrush compensation cases.
Mishcon de Reya offers around 30 training contracts each year. The programme runs over two years and involves four six-month seats across various practice areas including litigation, corporate, employment, real estate, private client, and innovation. Trainees rank their seat preferences using a traffic-light system to indicate top (green), middle (amber), and least preferred (red) options. The firm supports multiple secondment opportunities, including client secondments and an international seat in Singapore (with plans for a future Hong Kong placement). This structure offers broad legal exposure, international experience, and a structured route to qualification.
Mishcon is one of a small number of firms that recruits exclusively through the vacation scheme. This is a deliberate choice: the firm wants to assess candidates over two weeks of real work rather than in a single assessment day. In September 2025, the firm retained 26 of 30 qualifying trainees, giving an 87% retention rate — one of the strongest in the market for a firm of its size.
The firm funds SQE and LPC fees in full and provides a £10,000 maintenance grant. SQE preparation is via BPP.
Practice areas & rankings
In Chambers UK 2026, Mishcon de Reya maintained Band 1 rankings in Art and Cultural Property Law, Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Individuals), Gaming, Agriculture & Rural Affairs (East Anglia), Corporate/M&A: £10–100 million, Employment: Employer, Employment: Employer: High Court Litigation, Employment: Senior Executive, Real Estate Litigation, and Restructuring/Insolvency: Disputes. The firm improved rankings in Banking Litigation, Charities, Construction: Non-contentious, Family/Children Law, and Planning. In Legal 500 UK 2026, the firm achieved top-tier rankings in 17 practice areas with 122 lawyers individually ranked.
Dispute resolution
One of the firm's most prominent practices. Mishcon handles complex, high-profile commercial litigation, banking disputes, fraud, and arbitration. The firm is known for taking on the most difficult and high-stakes contentious matters, the type of work where the outcome is genuinely uncertain and the legal and commercial stakes are significant.
Employment
A Band 1 practice in both Employer work and Employment: Senior Executive, and one of only two firms ranked Band 1 in Employment: Employer: High Court Litigation in its inaugural year. The employment team acts for major employers on complex workforce matters and for senior executives on high-value departures and disputes.
Real estate
A leading real estate litigation practice ranked Band 1 by Chambers UK, alongside a strong transactional real estate practice. The firm advises developers, investors, and occupiers on significant transactions and contentious matters.
Intellectual property
One of the largest independent IP practices in the UK. The team acts for owners of some of the world's best-known rights across patents, trademarks, and copyright. Recent work includes defending Thom Browne against Adidas in trademark infringement proceedings in the High Court.
Private client and family
A distinctive practice serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families on wealth management, succession, tax planning, and family law. The family practice is recognised by Chambers UK High Net Worth and is a key differentiator versus most other firms of similar size.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
The online application form asks about academic information, work experience, and achievements. Legal work experience is not required as the firm is looking for any experience that demonstrates transferable skills relevant to being a solicitor. CVs are not accepted. The firm does not recruit on a rolling basis and all applications are read after the deadline.
How to answer why youMishcon de Reya: quick answers
How much does Mishcon de Reya pay trainees?
Mishcon de Reya pays first-year trainees £52,500, rising to £57,500 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Mishcon de Reya earn £110,000.
How many trainees does Mishcon de Reya take on?
Mishcon de Reya takes on around ±30 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What grades do you need to apply to Mishcon de Reya?
To apply to Mishcon de Reya you will generally need a 2:1 degree. At A-level, Mishcon de Reya asks for ABB. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
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