Flex Trainee: Spring 2026 Cohort

A new way to qualify
The Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE) route to qualify as a solicitor is designed to open the legal profession to a wider pool of talent. It represents a significant opportunity for organisations to support the next generation of lawyers, and improve social mobility and diversity in the profession. Our Flex Trainee programme helps socially mobile and diverse aspiring solicitors to make the most of this opportunity. We place our trainees in legal teams over the two years of their SQE, where they gather valuable qualifying work experience while completing the academic component of their qualification.

What is Flex Trainee
Flex works with the UK’s most forward-looking legal teams to make sure trainees are exposed to a wide range of work. Our trainees have been placed in renowned companies, including international banks and other financial services organisations, leading manufacturers and retailers, technology and telecoms companies, as well as charities. Trainees are employed by Flex Legal for two years* and seconded to an in-house legal team to gain their QWE. Trainees either complete their placement with one host organisation for the two years or will be placed across two organisations for one year each.

The experience each trainee gains and the legal work they are exposed to will ultimately depend on the client they are seconded to. During our assessment process, we will discuss your preferences for specific industries and areas of law to help guide our matching process. However, please be aware that we cannot guarantee a placement that aligns with all your top choices. Some clients offer rotational schemes, allowing trainees to move between teams every six months, but this varies depending on the client's structure. As our secondments are very competitive, your performance during the client matching and interview process will be a key factor in securing a placement in your preferred area.

We find that the most successful trainees are those who are proactive and open to all opportunities. A job description can only tell you so much, and your role will likely evolve during your time with a client. By networking and building relationships within your secondment, you can create new and exciting opportunities for yourself. To secure a slot on the programme, you need to be open to as many placements as possible; turning down suitable client secondments will decrease your chances of being placed and receiving an offer to join the scheme.

At the end of the two years, and subject to passing the SQE assessments and gaining the necessary QWE, candidates will be able to apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to become a fully qualified solicitor.

*Progression from Year One to Year Two of the Programme is subject to performance and client demand.

What you will receive
With Flex, you will get exposure to a range of experiences in in-house legal teams across a variety of industries. Wherever you go during the programme, your 'home-base' will always be Flex, who will make sure that you're well taken care of. As a Flex Trainee you will receive:

• A year 1 salary of £32,000 in London or £28,000 in the regions. A year 2 salary of £35,000 in London or £31,000 in the regions.

• SQE prep courses and exams, fully funded via Barbri.

• A three week Readiness Programme before you start your first placement to allow you to hit the ground running.

• An in-house supervisor, who will meet with Flex every month to review your progress.

• Regular 1:1s with a Flex development mentor in Y1 and a legal industry mentor in Y2.

• Professional development opportunities with Flex through professional and industry networking events.

• Access to the Flex Legal SQE Journal, which is Flex’s proprietary tool to easily record Qualifying Work Experience.

• Time off during term time to study for the SQE.

• A range of personal benefits, including a cycle to work scheme, nursery benefits and private health care with Bupa (upon successful passing of probation).

Application process and start date

Please ensure you understand our application process by reviewing the following link: https://flex.legal/apply/flex-trainee

1. Apply via our careers page or one of our partner websites

2. If successful, complete our online assessments

3. If successful, book a 1-1 zoom interview with a member of our Talent team

4. If successful, attend and assessment centre

5. If successful, you will become a “Trainee in Waiting” 

6. If offered a secondment by one of our clients, you will be issued with a Flex Legal employment contract and start on our Readiness Programme in Spring 2026.

Trainee in Waiting Process
Entering the Trainee in Waiting pool confirms that you have successfully passed our Flex Legal screening and are now eligible to be matched with our clients in the hope of securing a secondment. It is important to note that this is not yet an offer of employment. Our team will begin sending you client opportunities that align with your experience and preference. You are welcome to decline any proposals that are not of interest; however, please understand that doing so may reduce your likelihood of securing a placement within the cycle. A formal offer of employment to join the Flex Trainee programme can only be extended once you have successfully interviewed with and accepted a placement offer from a client.

Applications for Flex Trainee close at midnight on Sunday 9th November 2025!
We assess applications on a rolling basis, so we highly recommend applying early. There is no benefit to submitting your application close to the deadline. Assessment centre spaces are limited and offered to suitable candidates as they come through the process, meaning an early application gives you the best chance of securing your preferred slot.

Please note that we will respond to all applicants, but there may be delays. For some candidates, progression is dependent on us first confirming client placements in your desired location. If your application is affected by this, we will hold it until we have confirmation and will update you as soon as we can. We are committed to responding to every candidate, so please be patient if you don't hear from us right away - we will be in touch in due course.

What Flex assess through our recruitment process
Throughout our recruitment process we’re not just assessing your legal knowledge! We’re most interested in hearing about your aspirations, your reasons for applying to Flex Legal and why you want to qualify as a lawyer. We will also be assessing your commercial knowledge and reasons for wanting to qualify in an in-house setting. In terms of competencies, we look to the O Shaped Lawyer for guidance on the most desirable attributes for an in-house lawyer.

Eligibility

Our Flex Trainee programme offers a single, accessible training route for candidates, whether or not they have already completed the SQE1 or LPC. Once you join, we will tailor your study and work pathway based on your qualifications.

Please review the below eligibility criteria before applying to the Spring 2026 cohort.

• SQE1: You are welcome to apply if you are currently studying for the SQE1 or awaiting your results. However, your eligibility for the next cycle will depend on when your results are expected. We cannot match candidates to clients until results are confirmed. If you meet the other criteria but are not eligible for the upcoming cycle based on your SQE1 results date, we will roll your application forward to the first cycle you qualify for and keep you updated.

• SQE2: Our programme is designed to prepare you for this stage. Therefore, we cannot accept applications from candidates who are already enrolled to sit, or who have completed, the SQE2 exams.

To apply for the Spring 2026 Flex Trainee programme, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Social Mobility: You must meet our social mobility criteria, which are based on the Social Mobility Commission's framework. You will be asked questions about your economic circumstances whilst growing up during the application process.

• Academic Requirements: You must have completed a UK Qualifying Law Degree from a course listed on the SRA website, and have achieved a grade of 2.1 or above. If mitigating circumstances prevented you from meeting the 2.1 requirement, please provide details in your application for our consideration. 

• SQE exam status: as documented above

• Right to Work: Successful candidates will be required to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide visa sponsorship at this time.
  

We are a Disability Confident employer. We will make reasonable adjustments to support candidates throughout the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or accommodations, please let us know, and we will work with you to meet your needs.