Career opportunities at Tees
Life at Tees is good. You will join a fast-growing regional firm that offers a wide range of legal and financial services, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to shine.
Life at Tees
Picture yourself in a role where you will be surrounded by teams and people who support you, challenge you, and inspire you to be your best self. Here at Tees we focus on providing excellent legal and financial advice in our local communities. Our regional business is growing, and so are the opportunities for you to grow with our business.
We’re known for our collaborative and friendly working environment where your voice is heard and your input appreciated. We value our people and their work, which has established and sustained long term relationships with clients for over 100 years.
2021 Best Companies
In May 2021 Tees was confirmed in the Best Companies listings as being one of the top 20 law firms to work for in the UK. Additionally Tees was awarded the One Star Best Companies accreditation and listed as a Very Good place to work, in the Large Companies category (200-1999 people). If you’re looking for a new start with a top legal and financial services firm, then get in touch via teesrecruitment@teeslaw.com or give us a call
Legal 500 - Leading Firm 2022
Legal 500 Top Tier 2022
The Legal 500 independently analyses the capabilities of law firms, highlighting the practice area teams who are providing “the most cutting-edge and innovative advice” to their clients. It's published each year and is researched and written by an independent team who talk to real clients as part of their assessment process.
You can see our listing here UK Legal 500 2022 directory. Tees is recommended in 23 practice areas with five departments rated in the Top Tier 1 category
We are a company built on values
One team, together - We know that we achieve more by working together. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re determined to get the best results for them.
Passionate about our work - We embrace change and come up with creative solutions that exceed our client’s needs and expectations.
Easy to talk to - Our relationships are built on trust. We talk to each other openly, honestly and with empathy.
At the heart of the community - Our business is built on long standing relationships with the communities where we have our offices.
Training and development
We pride ourselves on having a mindset focused on lifelong learning, so much so that we have created a Tees Learning and Development brand. The Inspire brand is made up of three components to inspire and support your development at Tees.
- Our specialist IT Trainers offer an annual rolling programme of technical support ranging from Outlook to more specialist programmes.
- A range of professional qualifications is on offer to further your knowledge, aid your progression and our collective success. Apprenticeships, CILEx, STEP, ATT and CII are some of the range of qualifications we support.
- We also offer a variety of personal development opportunities to further accelerate your growth. Annual leadership training courses, new manager training, interview skills, call handling, stress and resilience training are on offer to ensure your Tees journey is progressive and fun.
- Our training scheme for trainee lawyers is excellent and in 2019 we won the 2019 Law Careers.net ‘Best Trainer – Regional Law Firm’ award.
- We run a vacation scheme for a group of students to gain insight into what it's like working at a top regional law firm. This year we provided a virtual scheme with students participating online. One of the activities was to write an article about the health and well-being of lawyers, with the best article published on our website. You can read the winning article here, authored by Sophie Charles.
Current vacancies at Tees
More about working at Tees
At Tees, we value our people. Our business is built on people, and the great relationships we enjoy with our clients are a reflection of the relationship we’ve built with our employees.
People stay with Tees because it’s a place where their career can grow. We believe that rewarding staff for their contributions, both great and small, and investing in their future is vital to the growth of the firm.
We offer all the normal benefits of working at a modern law firm – a stakeholder pension scheme, non-contributory death in service benefit and permanent health insurance are standard.
At Tees, we see the big value in little things. That’s why everyone here gets their birthday off – to relax with family and friends, or go on that birthday adventure. We understand how important the details are – and how much small changes can make a big difference to you. That’s what sets Tees apart as a place to work.
Tees is an open, friendly place to work. We have beautiful offices, and each is full of supportive people who will value your contributions.
Our benefits package is designed to make your life easier. Life can be challenging, so we believe in providing practical help along the way. So, we offer childcare vouchers, reduced costs for a range of legal services and things like a contribution to the cost of your glasses.
Benefits of working at Tees include…
- Stakeholder pension scheme (up to 3% matched contribution)
- Perkbox membership – access to gyms, big brand discounts, free phone insurance and more!
- Permanent Health Insurance scheme
- 25 days’ annual leave
- Birthday leave.
There are also opportunities to get involved in social and community activities.
Are you a law student? Our popular graduate scheme offers a road into a major regional law firm.
We are a major regional law firm, and we’re growing fast. We offer a wide variety of opportunities in a range of departments. So whether it’s wills or leases, farmland development or divorces – we'll have something that piques your interest.
You will absolutely be allowed and encouraged to contribute effectively day-to-day – and of course you will be surrounded by experienced lawyers, helping you at every step. We carefully assess the level of responsibility we give you and when you’re ready, you can deliver client-facing work too.
Vacation schemes are a great way of deciding to which firms you would like to apply for a training contract, and Tees’ vacation scheme is no exception. During your placement, you’ll have the chance to chat with our current trainees about life as a trainee solicitor here.
Our training contract consists of four seats of six months in different departments at one of our six offices. Trainees work in supportive teams and are supervised by either a Partner or Senior Associate. We actively encourage our trainees to get involved in marketing, networking, training and social events hosted by the firm. The environment is an enthusiastic and friendly one and trainees have regular meetings with their supervisors.
At Tees, we support our trainees and their progression through the firm. Some of our previous trainees include:
Chris Claxton-Shirley – Wills Tax Trusts and Probate Solicitor at Tees
Sally Powell – Family Partner at Tees
David Miller – Commercial Property Partner at Tees
We only recruit academically strong, personable and ambitious people to train with Tees. Our trainees are a big part of the firm’s future, as they progress through their training, into qualification and beyond. In fact, 8 of our current partners, started their careers as trainees at Tees!
When to apply
The application process for Tees 2024 training contracts opens on 1 January 2022 and closes on 30 June 2022. The 2024 trainee assessment centre is due to take place in early August 2022. Please check our website before applying for any updates.
Please note the application process for training contracts starting in 2022 and 2023 is now closed.
We receive a very high volume of applications, so please do apply well in advance of the closing date, we will respond to all applications after the closing date.
What we’re looking for
- At least 320 UCAS points (ABB) or equivalent
- At least a 2:1 in your degree
- A keen and genuine interest in Tees
- A personable and ambitious nature
- A well-rounded individual with interests both related and unrelated to the law
- Commercial awareness
- A sense of humour!
If that sounds like you then we would like to hear from you.
Please send your CV with a covering letter clearly marked – Application for Tees 2024 Training Contract - addressed to Jane Winfield by email to gradrec@teeslaw.com or by post to our Bishop's Stortford office.
Tees’ award-winning vacation scheme provides a first-hand look into what it’s like to work at a top UK 200 law firm.
Tees 2020 & 2021 Vacation schemes
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Tees delivered a one day virtual vacation scheme, in which students participated online.
What is the Vacation Scheme?
Every year, we welcome talented students and graduates for a week’s placement on our vacation scheme. It’s your chance to get to know us and about working in a modern law firm.
It’s also our chance to get to know you and we regularly invite vacation scheme candidates to join our training contract assessment process.
How the Vacation Scheme works
The vacation scheme runs for one week during the first two weeks of July, and is open to:
- Second and third year undergraduates
- Graduates
- Students/graduates of the LPC or GDL
During your placement, you’ll get to work on real cases and will work in two or three different departments. You’ll get to see the range of the firm’s work and talk to experienced solicitors about what it’s like to work in their field.
We are looking for candidates with:
- At least 320 UCAS points (ABB at A Level or equivalent)
- A keen and genuine interest in applying to Tees for a training contract
- A personable and ambitious nature
- Interests both related and unrelated to the law
- Commercial awareness
- A sense of humour!
During the week, you will be invited for lunch with some of our current trainees. We will reimburse any travel expenses up to £50.
Tees 2022 Vacation Scheme Application Deadlines
The deadline for each summer is the preceding 31 March and interviews are normally conducted in April.
The deadline for our 2022 summer vacation scheme is 31 March 2022. We will let you know after the closing date whether you will be invited to interview.
Applications are open from 1 January 2022 by cover letter with attached CV addressed to Helen Midgley and emailed to:gradrec@teeslaw.com
We believe in enabling our people to grow in their roles and develop their careers
