Vacation Scheme
Get your legal career off to a flying start with an award-winning Wiltshire law firm
Our Vacation Scheme
We are excited to be able to offer a two-week paid Vacation Scheme each year with the next Scheme set to run from Monday 22 June to Friday 3 July 2026.
You will get a genuine insight into life at Goughs, allowing you to experience first hand what it’s like to work at our award-winning law firm. You’ll gain real experience across different practice areas and work with a variety of individuals.
During the two weeks you will spend two days in each of our Family, Private Client, and Residential Property departments as well as time with our wider Commercial department in the Commercial Property, Corporate and Housebuilding & Development teams.
We feel it is important to experience what goes on behind the scenes in a law firm and you will therefore also spend a day with our Marketing department, who are crucial in the day-to-day running of our business.
The final day will be an Assessment Day held off-site at a local venue. We use the Assessment Day as part of our Trainee Solicitor recruitment and selection process.
Next year’s Scheme is open to students who will have completed at least the first year of their undergraduate degree and are seeking a training contract to start on or after September 2027.
What's it like to be a Trainee Solicitor at Goughs?
Taking part in Goughs vacation scheme was a fantastic experience. Each department I sat in offered valuable insight into different areas of law and gave me the opportunity to get involved in real world cases from day one. I was trusted with meaningful work and made to feel like part of the team throughout. It was also a great opportunity for networking, as I was able to connect with a wide range of professionals across the firm and with people who mentored me through my time at university. Experiencing the law in such a practical environment really helped solidify my decision to pursue a career in legal practice. The scheme was not only insightful but also instrumental in confirming that I wanted to practise law and gave me a real understanding of how the law transfers from a lecture room into real world application.
By Sam Berkeley, Trainee Solicitor
Our aim is for you to gain real experience and an insight into our award-winning law firm and see first-hand what it is like to work at Goughs.
Where possible your time with each department will be scheduled at different office locations so you get to know and work with a variety of colleagues across different departments and offices.
Your time in each department will be well structured so that you are given an overview of key department work practices, but then are also given the time to have a go at collating and drafting pieces of work. Where relevant you will also have the chance to attend client meetings.
The Assessment Day will involve activities such as an interview, presentation, skills testing and a group task.
The application process for the 2026 Vacation Scheme is currently open.
Please send a copy of your CV with a covering letter to recruitment@goughs.co.uk
The application process will close on 31 January 2026.
Why work at Goughs?
Partnership opportunities
Over 40% of our current Partners joined us a Trainee Solicitors
Career progression
In the last 4 years, 40% of Solicitors who joined the firm were promoted to Associate within 2 years
Training opportunities
9 support team members have moved into fully-fledged fee earning roles in the last 5 years
Evolving workplace
In the past 2 years, we’ve had 34 people join the firm
Employee satisfaction
49% of employees have been with the firm over 3 years