Trainee Professional Development
At William Fry we invest considerably in continuous learning, education and professional development for everyone and we recognise that as a trainee you have significant and specific learning needs. As a William Fry trainee, you will benefit from a bespoke in-house learning and development programme which offers you the best opportunity to excel and reach your potential.
Trainees enjoy the support of William Fry’s industry leading in-house learning and development team. The L&D team is lawyer-led and includes a dedicated learning and development manager for trainees.
Our smaller trainee group size (circa 30-35 trainees) allows for a more personalised traineeship experience, enabling you to thrive. We get to know you better one-on-one and there are more opportunities for you to get involved with firm initiatives and to influence firm strategy.
The trainee development programme at William Fry comprises personal and professional skills development, including a bi-monthly legal seminar series with industry experts. The programme is focused on building your legal technical, client care and practice/business skills, to help you achieve your full potential.
Trainees at William Fry have the option to take part in ‘STRIVE’, the firm’s award winning dedicated personal and professional coaching programme for trainees. Trainees can also participate in the firm-wide mentorship programme where they are matched with a more senior colleague.
Trainees rotate through four departments as part of the William Fry traineeship and complete their first rotation before attending Blackhall PPC. Trainees work directly with a partner in each rotation, building up their on-the-job experience and working with professionals who are experts in their field.
As part of each rotation, trainees benefit from both a mid-rotation and end-of-rotation review. These regular check-ins ensure trainees are given feedback on their performance throughout their traineeship.
During the summer months, trainees engage in innovative summer projects which enable ‘big thinking’ and empower them to bring ideas to fruition and work collaboratively with others in the firm. Examples of previous summer projects include the trainee designed and led pro-bono ‘FryTY’ programme for TY students. Trainees also have the opportunity to go on secondment to our offices in Cork and London, and externally to clients such as IBM.
The William Fry trainee community support each other across teams and departments with many taking on trainee buddy responsibilities. Trainees have a dedicated social committee and social budget which they control, allowing for plenty of opportunities to network and have fun with the trainee community during your traineeship.