Job Description

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.

At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition

The Opportunity

About Digital Legal Delivery

Digital adoption is presenting businesses with efficiencies and opportunities at pace – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is no different. Continuing to support our clients with this rapid change, we have created a team of the best analytical legal minds with investments in cutting-edge technology and technologists in our Digital Legal Delivery (Digital) practice.

Bringing together legal, project management, process design and technology expertise, our Digital group supports businesses who need invention from their legal advisors. Leveraging experience to map the intersections where people and tech deliver results, this team supports businesses undergoing their own digitisation projects and those who seek disentanglement from the manual and inefficient processes in the delivery of legal services. Experienced at delivering large and complex legal services, we are experts in the delivery of data-intensive mandates.

Imagining possibilities, HSF Kramer’s Digital Legal Delivery practice is implementing the best technology solutions today, while horizon scanning and experimenting with emerging technologies to understand their practical applications.

Legal

In Legal, we help shape how the firm delivers legal matters to clients. We have longstanding experience in thinking differently about law, and we are at the forefront of making legal services more efficient – particularly at scale.

We have a deep knowledge across a broad range of sectors, and a wealth of experience in delivering large and complex mandates. We are specialists in contract management, document review, volume claims and remediation, and due diligence.

Working collaboratively with colleagues from across the firm, we use our expertise in law, process design and technology to deliver solutions for our clients. Underpinned by our legal project management capability, we organise our collective effort as efficiently and seamlessly as possible.

This ensures consistent delivery throughout and enables our clients to achieve efficiencies across their operations.

Legal Technology

In Legal Technology, we deploy the firm’s established technology efficiently and reliably across a range of client matters and projects.

We combine our expertise in document automation, custom development, eDiscovery and data analytics and client reporting – to work collaboratively across the firm on disputes, transactions and projects.

Advisory

In Advisory, we bring deep expertise in legal operations and emerging technologies, working across any sector, alongside our teams or directly with clients.

We are trusted advisers to our clients on new ways of working as we scan the horizon, together.

The Role

A Vacation Scheme is a great introduction to being a Trainee Solicitor within Digital Legal Delivery. It gives you a chance to do real work for real clients across different practice areas, whilst getting to know our people and our culture in the Belfast office. You will also get involved in workshops and presentations that provide an insight into the breadth of the Digital Legal Delivery practice group.

The 3 weeks will start in June 2027 and you will be supported throughout with a supervisor and buddy. Across the duration of the scheme you'll be set a written exercise to complete across the duration which will be assessed, alongside your performance in role, to determine offers for permanent graduate opportunities in the Belfast office, such as Trainee Solicitor positions to start in September 2028 and Legal Analyst roles if they are available.

As a leading international law firm, we look for high performing Law students who show a real affinity for the Law and a desire to be part of and contribute to a firm that is a global leader in commercial legal excellence. Diverse interests and experiences, a commitment to the core values of the legal profession and a desire to be part of a global team are all essential attributes.

Qualifications, skills and experience

At the time of application you must:

• Be a penultimate year or final year Law student or LLM student with a Law degree, or a Graduate with a qualifying Law degree (including PGDL);
• Evidence consistent 2:1s throughout your degree, but we do take mitigating circumstances into account;
• Demonstrate an ability to review, analyse and organise documentary and factual evidence;
• Have excellent organisational and communication skills;
• Show an eye for detail, aiming to get it right first time; and
• Be committed to delivering excellent client service through understanding the client context, building relationships, and taking a commercial approach.
• Have an innovative mindset, be curious about AI and emerging technologies.

Note: Applications close at 12pm (GMT) on Friday 27 November 2026

Team

People

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

Belfast

Contract type

Fixed Term Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values - Human, Bold, and Outstanding.