Contact prior to joining
Once you have accepted an offer from the firm, the Graduate and Trainee Management Team ensure that we stay in close contact and keep you up to date with all developments.
GDL And LPC - Kaplan Law School
Since September 2009, all future trainees have studied an LPC specifically tailored for Bird & Bird at Kaplan Law School, next to Borough Market in London. From September 2010 all future trainees will also be required to study their GDL at Kaplan Law School.
Kaplan Law School is a relatively new school, formed as a collaboration between two very well established and highly regarded institutions. The first is Nottingham Law School, which has received the highest possible rating from the SRA for their LPC since they opened in 1993. The second is Kaplan, a major international training company, who currently train 90% of the UK's accounting profession.
Kaplan Law School have received the SRA's highest possible rating for their LPC.
Bird & Bird’s Graduate and Trainee Management and Knowledge & Learning teams carefully vetted Kaplan Law School, both as an institution and for its GDL and LPC, to ensure that they were right for the firm and our trainees.
Bird & Bird were impressed by the whole of Kaplan Law School, but in particular the following:
- the extremely high academic and practical quality of the GDL and LPC and the standards of teaching;
- the personal care provided, small class sizes and interactive teaching methods; and
- although trainees mix with other students, you will also have the opportunity to study bespoke subjects directly related to the work that Bird & Bird does. Your new LPC will include in-house seminars delivered by Bird & Bird lawyers and legal research exercises based on past matters. This results in you being better prepared at the start of your Bird & Bird Training Contract and a much smoother integration into the firm.
Kaplan LPC Commercial & Corporate Elective
The firm and Kaplan Law School have selected the electives which are available to you in light of the firm’s practice areas. These relevant electives are contained in three trios, namely :
- Trio 1: Commercial and Corporate, Debt Finance and Employment
or
- Trio 2: Commercial and Corporate, Advanced Commercial Litigation and Advanced Commercial Property
- Trio 3: Commercial and Corporate, Equity Finance and Advanced Commercial Litigation
Please be aware that if you are particularly interested in doing IP (which is covered in the Commercial & Corporate elective) you should consider the trio which contains Advanced Commercial Litigation since these subjects compliment each other. Bird & Bird have made the Commercial & Corporate elective compulsory for our students.
For further information, please see Introduction to Kaplan Law School.
Buddy programme
Future trainees are assigned a current first year 'trainee buddy' one year prior to joining the firm. Your buddy will keep you informed of any developments and invite you to shadow them for half a day, and take part in a variety of the firm's social and sports events.
Sports and socials
You will be invited to participate at some of the firm's events including trainee lunches and sporting events.
Extranet site
On accepting a training contract with Bird & Bird you are given access to the extranet site which provides you with all the relevant information you require including all future trainees study details, contact information and trainee in-take figures.
