International law firm Kennedys is calling for applications from Bermudian law students for two-year solicitor training contracts at its London office.

Partner Mark Chudleigh said a place is being offered for entry next September, and another spot is available beginning in September 2022.

The deadline for applications in both cases is Thursday.

Mr Chudleigh said the contracts enable Bermudian law graduates to qualify as English solicitors and thereby for admission as barristers and attorneys in Bermuda.

The firm has taken on six Bermudians in its London office as trainee solicitors following a recruitment initiative that began in 2017.

Katherine Freisenbruch and Alex Cooper have graduated and accepted positions as associate solicitors with Kennedys’ London-based insurance and commercial teams.

William Finnerty is now in the second year of his training contract, and is currently seconded to Kennedys’ Bermuda office, while Calyx Tucker, Jonathan Marion and Michael Cabot started their London training in September.

Mr Chudleigh, who manages Kennedys’ Bermuda office, said: “It is hard to believe how quickly the Bermudian group has grown and the success of the programme has certainly exceeded our initial expectations.”

He added: “Training contracts for law graduates are becoming increasingly difficult to secure, particularly with City of London law firms, some of whom have scaled back or deferred 2020 training contracts due to Covid slowdowns, which will make 2021 positions even harder to obtain.”

Mr Chudleigh said that an additional challenge for non-UK nationals is that London law firms may perceive them as lacking a longer term commitment and be concerned they will return to their home countries after the firms have invested in their training.

But he added: “However, this is not the case at Kennedys, which has seen its workload increase during the pandemic, and in any event Kennedys’ international practice and network means we work together across borders and of course Kennedys has a Bermuda office where graduating trainees may move to at some point.

“No doubt some graduates will in future take up in-house legal positions with Kennedys’ Bermuda clients where we will continue to work together.”

Law students can find details of the requirements and application process for the training contracts on the careers section of Kennedys’ website at https://www.kennedyslaw.com.