Ask Withers Anything!

[Jaysen]

Hi everyone,

I'm delighted to welcome Katherine Sharp, Talent Acquisition and Diversity Manager at Withers, to the TCLA forum.

This is an excellent chance to learn more about the firm directly from someone who leads on early talent. Whether you’re curious about the application process, what makes a strong candidate, or what it’s like to work at Withers, feel free to ask your questions below.

Thank you and best of luck!

Jaysen

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And here are the upcoming Withers Deadlines

Vacation Schemes

Apply by 9 January 2026

Training Contract

Apply by 27 February 2026

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Thank you, Jaysen.

Hi everyone - I'm Katherine and I have been at Withers for just over a year recruiting all of our fee earners from paralegal through to senior associate. I have been an Early Careers Recruiter for almost 20 years and have worked at a number of law firms.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

[Laila]

Hi Katherine.

Nice to meet you and thank you for answering our questions. My questions are:
1. Do you have an advice on how to get across our motivations for why we are interested in Withers in the 60 word limit and what the firm looks for given the tight word count?
2. How does the firm support trainees in their your career development, whether through seat allocation of other support?

Thank you!

Laila

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine.

Nice to meet you and thank you for answering our questions. My questions are:
1. Do you have an advice on how to get across our motivations for why we are interested in Withers in the 60 word limit and what the firm looks for given the tight word count?
2. How does the firm support trainees in their your career development, whether through seat allocation of other support?

Thank you!

Laila

Hi Laila,

Thanks for your questions. To answer them:

1. Be authentic and genuine - we know what the website says - we want to know why YOU are interested in the firm
2. Each trainee has a partner mentor for their two year training contract, they also have a buddy and supervisor for each seat and an HR Advisor who is there to oversee all of the trainees with our Training Principal. For each seat we ask you to rank all options in terms of preference.

 

[yk1906]

Hi Katherine!

Does Withers sponsor visas for international students willing to attend a vacation scheme?

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine!

Does Withers sponsor visas for international students willing to attend a vacation scheme?

Hello,

Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor visas for vacation schemes.

Katherine

 

[S'bonelo Phungula]

Hi Katherine.

I hope all is well with you. I am S’bonelo Phungula, a South African looking to qualify in the UK. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

1. Could you please detail whether Withers considers applicants from a different jurisdiction, and if so, how many? Is there anything in addition applications outside the UK need to do to be considered for a training contract?

2. Outside extracurricular activities, what aspects do you recommend candidates consider when putting their application together. What do you find is the differentiating factor with applicants?

Thank you very much!

 

[OliviaLM]

Hi Katherine,

I hope that you are well. I am a third year undergraduate Law student at Cambridge University with a particular interest in family law, art and cultural property law, and private client more generally.

I would love to hear about how big your teams are in these areas and how much exposure a trainee gets in these seats. For example, how much hands-on involvement can a trainee expect in such teams, especially given the sensitive nature of information being handled and emotionally charged family law situations?

Also, what international secondment opportunities do you have? I am working towards full professional fluency in French and I would be keen to have the chance to work in one of your offices in French-speaking countries.

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine.

I hope all is well with you. I am S’bonelo Phungula, a South African looking to qualify in the UK. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

1. Could you please detail whether Withers considers applicants from a different jurisdiction, and if so, how many? Is there anything in addition applications outside the UK need to do to be considered for a training contract?

2. Outside extracurricular activities, what aspects do you recommend candidates consider when putting their application together. What do you find is the differentiating factor with applicants?

Thank you very much!

Hello S'bonelo,

1. We do consider applicants from different jurisdictions. We do not have quotas for the number we take. In terms of the application, it is exactly the same as for anyone inside the UK.
2. My best advice is to be genuine and authentic in your application form and make sure you actually answer the question you are being asked as part of that stage of the process

Katherine

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine,

I hope that you are well. I am a third year undergraduate Law student at Cambridge University with a particular interest in family law, art and cultural property law, and private client more generally.

I would love to hear about how big your teams are in these areas and how much exposure a trainee gets in these seats. For example, how much hands-on involvement can a trainee expect in such teams, especially given the sensitive nature of information being handled and emotionally charged family law situations?

Also, what international secondment opportunities do you have? I am working towards full professional fluency in French and I would be keen to have the chance to work in one of your offices in French-speaking countries.

Hi Olivia,

The size of our teams varies hugely. Our private client and tax team is by far the biggest. Trainees gain exposure in all seats and are involved in matters from day one.

We currently have a trainee secondment to Milan.

Katherine

 

[OliviaLM]

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Hi Olivia,

The size of our teams varies hugely. Our private client and tax team is by far the biggest. Trainees gain exposure in all seats and are involved in matters from day one.

We currently have a trainee secondment to Milan.

Katherine

Thank you, Katherine.

Could you provide any more information about the work being done by your Family Law team? Understandably, there is less information available than there is for other teams e.g., deals in corporate.

For example, are you involved in any interesting litigation available in the public domain regarding family law?

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Thank you, Katherine.

Could you provide any more information about the work being done by your Family Law team? Understandably, there is less information available than there is for other teams e.g., deals in corporate.

For example, are you involved in any interesting litigation available in the public domain regarding family law?

Hi Olivia,

Due to the nature of the work undertaken by the family team, I am unable to share anything further than that which is on the website.

Katherine

 

[Angie Goh]

Hi Katherine,

Lovely to meet you.

May I ask which assessment provider Withers uses for the Situational Judgement Test? I’d also love to hear if you have any advice on how candidates can best prepare for or approach the Situational Judgement Test.

Thank you.

 

[L2023]

Hi Katherine,

My name is Julia, and I am a Durham Law graduate. Thank you very much for your time today and for this opportunity to learn more about Withers. If possible, I would be grateful for your advice and opinion on a few areas of the application process:

1. What aspects of a candidate’s personality or motivation are you aiming to learn through the question: ‘If your life had a mascot, what would it look like and what would it cheer for?'
2. Could you share more about the interview process, will it be primarily competency-based or strengths-based?
3. Could you tell us more about what to expect from the online strengths-based assessment, will it include numerical, verbal reasoning and critical thinking components?
4. Lastly, what distinguishes the most successful trainees at Withers, especially given the firm’s strong client contact?

Thank you again for your time and guidance, and I hope you have a great day!

 

[Jolie_RD]

Hi Katherine,

My name is Jolie and I am a recent PGDL graduate from BPP. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, it's hugely appreciated!

I have recently received an invitation to attend an Open Day with Withers. I was wondering whether you could offer any advice on how to make the most of this opportunity?

 

[Natasha Chapman]

Hi Katherine,

Thank you so much for being here today!

My questions were:

1. What is the company culture like at Withers; and
2. What makes Withers stand out from it's closest competitors?

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine,

Lovely to meet you.

May I ask which assessment provider Withers uses for the Situational Judgement Test? I’d also love to hear if you have any advice on how candidates can best prepare for or approach the Situational Judgement Test.

Thank you.

Hello - we use Cappfinity for our Situational Judgement Test.

My best advice is to answer the questions honestly and do not try and overthink it. Many candidates try and analyse and think about we are looking for rather than giving their genuine answer.

 

[Bread]

Hi Katherine,

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions today!

I was just wondering whether you could provide any insight into the situational judgement test, such as what will be assessed and whether there is a benchmark.
Thank you!

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine,

My name is Jolie and I am a recent PGDL graduate from BPP. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, it's hugely appreciated!

I have recently received an invitation to attend an Open Day with Withers. I was wondering whether you could offer any advice on how to make the most of this opportunity?

Hi Jolie,

With regards to the Open Day, come with an open mind, lots of enthusiasm and questions.

Katherine

 

[Katherine - Withers]

Hi Katherine,

Thank you so much for being here today!

My questions were:

1. What is the company culture like at Withers; and
2. What makes Withers stand out from it's closest competitors?

Hello,

Thank you for your questions.

1. In terms of culture, Withers is very unique and different to the other four firms I have previously worked at. It is very collaborative, non-hierarchical, friendly and supportive. We have a high-performing culture and everyone wants to deliver for their clients. As we only have one profit-centre globally, everyone collaborates globally as well. We always have the client's needs at the forefront of our efforts.

2. I think our global reach is one key differentiator

Katherine