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Ropes & Gray
An elite US law firm known for its private equity, asset management and complex cross-border transactions.
About Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray is an international law firm founded in Boston in 1865, with a longstanding reputation for advising private equity sponsors, investment funds and major corporations. Its London office, established in 2010, is an important part of the firm's international network and focuses particularly on private equity transactions, asset management, finance and restructuring. Unlike larger full-service City firms, Ropes & Gray's London practice is concentrated on sophisticated transactional and regulatory work, often involving substantial cross-border investments. The office works closely with the firm's US and Asian teams, advising international clients on acquisitions, fund formation and financing arrangements.
Ropes & Gray recruits 15 trainees annually into a two-year training contract comprising four six-month seats. The programme is predominantly transactional, with opportunities to gain experience in private equity, leveraged finance, strategic transactions, asset management, real estate finance, tax and restructuring. Additional seats are available in antitrust, anti-corruption and international risk, data protection and life sciences compliance. Trainees share an office with their supervisor and receive formal performance reviews every three months, while seat preferences are discussed with HR before each rotation. The firm offers both international and client secondments, although these are dependent on business needs rather than guaranteed. Its Dublin office has previously been identified as an international secondment destination.
Ropes & Gray covers the full cost of the PGDL for non-law graduates and the SQE1 and SQE2 preparation programme, providing a £20,000 maintenance grant to support future trainees during their studies. All future trainees complete their legal education at BPP University in London, including a 12-month SQE preparation programme incorporating an LLM and an additional semester focused on practical legal skills. The firm also provides a three-week induction programme, ongoing technical training and a structured mentoring system throughout the training contract.
Practice areas & rankings
In the 2026 edition of Chambers UK, Ropes & Gray received 8 practice area rankings and 17 individual lawyer recognitions, maintaining its position as a prominent international adviser to private capital clients. The firm achieved Band 3 rankings in Corporate Crime & Investigations, Leveraged Finance: Borrowers/Sponsors: Big Ticket, Capital Markets: High-Yield Products and Investment Funds: Private Equity: Secondaries. Its private equity buyouts, private equity funds and sanctions practices were ranked Band 4, while its tax practice received a Band 5 ranking. These results reflect the firm's concentration on sophisticated private capital transactions, supported by specialist financing and regulatory capabilities.
Ropes & Gray won Private Capital Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2026 for advising EQT on its acquisition of Coller Capital, described as the largest acquisition of a secondaries fund manager at the time. The firm also received Private Capital Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2025 for its role advising EQT on the $14.5 billion acquisition of Nord Anglia Education, which was reported as the UK's largest transaction by value in 2024. These awards highlight the London office's involvement in major private equity transactions and its position within the international private capital market.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Private equity is one of Ropes & Gray's defining strengths, with its London practice ranked Band 4 for Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and Above in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises leading private equity sponsors and institutional investors on acquisitions, disposals, leveraged buyouts and portfolio company transactions, frequently involving multiple jurisdictions. Its work includes advising EQT on the $14.5 billion acquisition of Nord Anglia Education and its subsequent acquisition of Coller Capital. The firm's integrated approach allows private equity clients to access specialist advice on financing, regulatory approvals and tax structuring throughout the investment lifecycle.
Ropes & Gray's investment funds practice is ranked Band 4 for Investment Funds: Private Equity and Band 3 for Investment Funds: Private Equity: Secondaries in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises private capital managers and institutional investors on fund formation, fundraising, secondary transactions and investment structures. Its secondaries practice is particularly relevant to investors seeking to acquire or dispose of existing fund interests, as well as fund managers establishing continuation vehicles to hold portfolio investments for longer periods. The firm's work advising EQT on the acquisition of Coller Capital demonstrates its involvement in major transactions within the rapidly developing private capital secondaries market.
Ropes & Gray's leveraged finance practice is ranked Band 3 for Leveraged Finance: Borrowers/Sponsors: Big Ticket in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises private equity sponsors and corporate borrowers on financing arrangements supporting major acquisitions, refinancing transactions and recapitalisations. Its lawyers regularly work on complex financing structures involving syndicated loans, high-yield debt and alternative capital providers. The practice is closely integrated with the firm's private equity team, allowing lawyers to advise on the financing aspects of significant transactions from their initial structuring through to completion.
Ropes & Gray's capital markets practice is ranked Band 3 for Capital Markets: High-Yield Products in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises issuers, private equity sponsors and investment banks on high-yield bond offerings and debt capital markets transactions, often involving companies with complex financing arrangements. High-yield financing plays an important role in leveraged acquisitions and corporate refinancing, making the practice closely connected to the firm's private equity and leveraged finance capabilities. Its lawyers regularly advise on cross-border transactions involving both English and US law considerations.
Ropes & Gray's corporate crime and investigations practice is ranked Band 3 in Chambers UK 2026, with partner Amanda Raad individually recognised in the same band. The team advises corporations, financial institutions and senior executives on internal investigations, regulatory enforcement and allegations of corporate misconduct. Its work frequently involves cross-border investigations, sanctions compliance and anti-corruption matters, particularly where clients face overlapping UK and US regulatory requirements. The firm's international capabilities allow it to coordinate responses to investigations involving multiple enforcement authorities, while its specialist compliance expertise supports clients seeking to manage regulatory risk.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Ropes & Gray recruits trainees exclusively through its vacation schemes, with no separate direct training contract application route. Candidates must first complete an assessment day before being considered for a place on a two-week spring or summer vacation scheme. The firm recruits 15 trainees annually and accepts applications from law students in their second year, non-law students in their final year, graduates and career changers. Applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis, and the firm considers mitigating circumstances and contextual recruitment data when assessing academic achievements. For the 2026/27 recruitment cycle, Ropes & Gray has introduced a revised application process in which candidates initially submit their academic record before completing the Thrive psychometric assessment. Applicants who meet the firm's eligibility requirements and achieve the required Thrive score are then invited to complete the written application. This represents a change from previous recruitment cycles, when candidates submitted their written answers before taking a psychometric test. The firm uses Rare's Contextual Recruitment System to assess academic achievements alongside candidates' educational and socioeconomic circumstances, allowing it to identify applicants who have performed strongly relative to their opportunities. Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of Ropes & Gray's private capital-focused practice, explain their motivation for pursuing commercial law and provide evidence of the skills they would bring to the firm.
How to answer why youRopes & Gray: quick answers
How much does Ropes & Gray pay trainees?
Ropes & Gray pays first-year trainees £62,000, rising to £67,000 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Ropes & Gray earn £170,000.
When is the Ropes & Gray vacation scheme deadline?
Ropes & Gray runs more than one vacation scheme round in the 2026/27 cycle: the summer scheme closes on 24 Jan and the spring scheme closes on 24 Jan. Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Ropes & Gray take on?
Ropes & Gray takes on around 15 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What tests does Ropes & Gray use in its applications?
Ropes & Gray uses the Thrive psychometric assessment as an early screening stage in its 2026/27 recruitment process. Candidates who meet the initial academic eligibility requirements are invited to complete the assessment before submitting their written application. Only those who achieve the required score progress to the next stage. The firm has not publicly confirmed the assessment's duration, question types or scoring methodology, so applicants should follow the instructions provided with their invitation rather than assume it follows a conventional verbal reasoning or Watson Glaser format. The revised process makes the Thrive assessment particularly important, as candidates must pass it before their written application is considered.
What grades do you need to apply to Ropes & Gray?
To apply to Ropes & Gray you will generally need a 2:1+ degree. At A-level, Ropes & Gray asks for AAB. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
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