Language and travel bursaries

Our ambition is to become the leading premium global law firm, so we place a high value on language skills. Obviously, conducting legal negotiations and dealing with clients in another language requires more than conversational competence. You need a grasp of vocabulary that is both technically correct and sophisticated. The purpose of our language bursaries is to take people with existing language skills to a new level of commercial fluency. It is not suitable for students wanting to learn a new language or people who 'get by' on holiday.

The bursary is available for languages relevant to our office locations around the world and it pays for an advanced language tuition course. Depending on the business needs at the time, we can consider providing support for training in most modern European languages. Certain non-European languages, such as Japanese and Mandarin, are also especially valuable in the global business context.

The bursary is available for trainees joining us in the March intake, or those deferring their start for a whole year, so you could combine your language training with some overseas travel. If there is a significant business need, we may offer you ongoing financial support so that you can further enhance your language skills once you have joined. You can apply for a language bursary at any point during your Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or Legal Practice Course (LPC). The graduate team will give you details of how and when to apply.

John Parker Renwick Memorial Bursary:

This bursary has been established in the memory of John, a former associate with our Banking team who died in 2005 after a long illness. Working with John's family, we have established the bursary to support a future trainee who is seeking to broaden their horizons but who might otherwise not have the opportunity to do so.

John was an international guy with a broad outlook on life. He lived all over the world and worked as a journalist and with the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa prior to joining Linklaters as a trainee and qualifying as a solicitor. He had a great sense of humour, was willing to challenge convention and easily mixed with people of all backgrounds. He was very supportive of the disadvantaged and those of a minority background. He would approve of others seeking to explore life in a similar way.

You can apply for this bursary during your LPC; the graduate team will give you further details of how to apply.

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