Trainee Solicitor Programme | Hayes Solicitors LLP

Your Legal Career Starts Here

At Hayes, our Trainee Solicitor Programme offers aspiring solicitors the opportunity to work alongside experienced legal professionals, gain hands-on experience across a range of practice areas, and develop the skills and confidence needed for a successful legal career.

As a trainee, you’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive team where your contribution matters from the outset, with meaningful responsibility, practical training and guidance throughout your time with us.

Applications for our 2027 Trainee Solicitor Programme open on 12 October and close at midnight on 31 October 2026. Successful candidates will join Hayes in August 2027.

Apply by clicking here.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated individuals who are eager to learn, contribute, and develop their careers in law.

While strong academic achiveement and legal knowledge are valuable, we also look for people who can demonstrate that they will make a positive contribution to our firm, and embrace the opportunities available to them.

Joe O’Malley, Managing Partner, seated in a modern office space beside a large potted plant, holding a remote control with a notebook on the table in front of him.

A message from Joe O’Malley, Managing Partner

We are committed to providing our trainees with a rewarding, supportive and engaging experience. Our programme offers high quality and practical experience across a range of legal disciplines, giving our trainees a strong foundation on which to build their careers.

We are very proud that our trainees have progressed to successful careers, many within the firm and others in industry or pursuing opportunities elsewhere. Having started my own legal career in Hayes, I know first hand the enormous benefits of our trainee programme and how it shapes our candidates for a successful career. It is rewarding to see so many of our former trainees progress to senior positions within the firm, including partnership.

“Hayes is a great firm to work for.”

As a trainee I worked for a number of different departments within the firm, in the process gaining an insight into the firm’s practice areas and what being a solicitor in the firm would entail. That experience provided me with exposure to different areas of law and enabled me to discern where my main interests lay.

On a practical level, I was given both considerable responsibility and excellent support and supervision from my supervising partners and solicitors in terms of the tasks allocated to me.

Throughout my traineeship the level of responsibility given to me increased and this stood me in extremely good stead on becoming a fully qualified solicitor.

Cian Clinch is a Partner in our Commercial and Business Team, and a former Hayes trainee.

“A fantastic insight into what life is like as a solicitor.”

Trainees at Hayes are given a fantastic insight into what life is like as a solicitor. From a very early stage, I was given considerable responsibility in terms of file management and assisting with the provision of legal advice, while always under the helpful guidance of my training partners and solicitors. The structured training programme meant I was given an invaluable opportunity to rotate across various practice areas. This gave me a better understanding of my own skill set together with the direction I wanted my career to take.

Catherine Jane O’Rourke is a Partner on our Employment Law Team, and a former Hayes trainee.

Legal Internship Opportunities

Interested in pursuing a career in law? At Hayes, we offer three-month legal internship opportunities throughout the year, depending on the needs of our practice groups.

Our internships provide graduates with a primary degree and an interest in the legal profession, with an opportunity to gain valuable practical experience, working alongside our solicitors and trainees on a range of client matters.

Interns are also encouraged to get involved in all aspects of life at Hayes including our busy CSR programme and social activities.

We welcome expressions of interest from graduates who would like to develop their understanding of the legal profession. If you are interested in joining us, please feel free to submit your CV for consideration as opportunities arise. Submit your CV to: recruitment@hayes-solicitors.ie

Interior view of the Hayes Solicitors LLP office, featuring an open-plan layout with employees at workstations and greenery enhancing the modern workspace.