Middle East Trainee Solicitor Programme 2026

We are Dentons. The world’s largest law firm. With more than 12,500 people in 80+ countries around the world, we have unique breadth, depth and diversity. Alongside our award-winning global work, we are committed to a culture of innovation, giving back and inclusion. 

Dentons is designed to be different. The landscape we work in is changing at an accelerating pace. We embrace this change and are looking for trainees and apprentices to join us in redefining what is possible and in shaping the future of law. 

Your career at Dentons can shape up to be something extraordinary. It’s a place for those who are driven to challenge. To question. To break tradition. To put your career firmly into fast-forward. This could be the start of something big. 

Middle East

Our size and distinction speak volumes, especially in the Middle East. We’re the biggest of any international law firm, spanning the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. This means a breadth and depth of coverage, knowledge as well as the means to shape the local legal industry into something we’re all proud to be part of.

Our Middle East Practice Areas include:

• Corporate & Commercial
• Banking & Finance
• Energy, Transport & Infrastructure
• Construction & Dispute Resolution
• Telecom, Media & Technology

Middle East Trainee Solicitor Programme 2026

The business of law is changing, and we want you to be right there with it. To take us from largest to leading, we're looking for our trainees to think big and see the future of law in a new way.

Our Trainee Solicitor Programme is designed to equip you with the skills required to be the lawyer of the future. On top of our award-winning development programme, we have included three additional modules that you will be required to complete throughout your time with us: legal project management, innovation and resilience. All designed to help you become the lawyer of the future.

Our modernised programme marks the first stage in your journey from lawyer to leader. The lawyers of the future start here.

Who Should Apply?

There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ trainee or apprentice at Dentons and that’s the way we like it. Our expertise within the Firm is as diverse as the needs of our global clients. What we have in common is the ability to contribute to our growing success.

We generally look for a strong academic performance, but consider every application we receive in context and holistically. We also encourage you to include mitigating circumstances if relevant.

We have also implemented the Rare Contextual Recruitment System, to give us additional context to every candidate’s application.

If you are a bi-lingual (Arabic) Law Graduate and are interested in a career with Dentons Middle East, we would like to hear from you. 

We are particularly keen to hear from bi-lingual GCC Nationals who are qualifying in their respective jurisdiction and/or interested in qualifying as an England & Wales Solicitor.

The deadline to apply is 6 June 2025.

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Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing

At Dentons, inclusion and diversity are not just core values – they are an integral part of our strategy. Building a more inclusive and diverse law firm is core to our strategy because it leads to better business outcomes for our clients, our communities and for Dentons.

We believe in creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We work hard to nurture a sense of inclusion that is empowering to the individual, to the teams and to the Firm.

Examples of our inclusion strategy include a focus on allyship programmes, access initiatives, mentoring programmes, and a series of events and conversation focussed on equity and inclusion.

Our Inclusion Networks also play a huge part in fostering a sense of belonging and support for everyone at the firm. These groups include Sayyidaat (Middle East Women's Network), GLOW (LGBTQ+), Fusion (Asian professionals), Black Professionals Network, Inspire (gender equality), Accessibility (disability, neurodiversity, and long term conditions), and our Parents and Carers network. 

Innovation

Here at Dentons, innovation isn’t something that sits in isolation – we believe it comes from everywhere and from everyone, and it is critical to our position as the world’s largest global law firm. We do this by challenging ourselves to identify and implement innovation across all areas of service delivery to our clients. 

We have created a highly bespoke programme for our trainees, to enhance their knowledge around legal innovation and digital transformation. At every seat rotation, each trainee will undertake an innovation project, and with the help of their designated Innovation Training Scheme supervisor, and Innovation team, will create a project based on one of the following categories: AI (Machine Learning), Document Automation, Design Thinking, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), Data Visualization or a Business Case. These projects, not only help to broaden trainees’ understanding of legal innovation, but also help us to identify and address innovation gaps within the firm.

See here for further information on how we help our clients innovate in different ways.