Legal Trainee, Aberdeen
Office located in George Street, Edinburgh
Savings & investment company
Be an early applicant
Savings & investment company
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
Office located in George Street, Edinburgh
1001+ employees
Company mission
To enable its clients to be better investors.
Role
Who you are
- Are you ready to launch a meaningful legal career with real responsibility and support from day one?
- We welcome motivated, inclusive and commercially aware applicants who will have completed the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice by the start date. We value:
- Communication. Clear, concise writing and confident verbal communication
- Teamwork. Collaborative working, breaking down silos to get the best outcome
- Trust and integrity. Sound ethics and confidentiality in everything you do
- Planning and prioritising. Proactive ownership, organised delivery and good judgement on value and urgency
- Attention to detail. Accuracy, consistency and strong matter management
- Analytical thinking. Evidence-based problem solving and sound risk awareness
What the job involves
- Role Type: 2-year programme
- Join the Legal, Secretariat, Public Affairs and Sustainability team at Aberdeen Group plc and gain broad, hands‑on experience across our Investments and Platforms businesses while learning from specialists who protect our reputation, help us deliver for clients and enable the organisation to achieve its strategic goals
- This is a two-year Scots‑law traineeship based in Edinburgh. You will rotate through four six-month seats that reflect business needs and give you a rounded view of in-house practice
- Our cohort typically consists of around three trainees across both years, with experience gained within our in-house team and through close collaboration with secondees from external law firms
- A formal secondment to an external law firm is also likely, providing further breadth and professional networks
- During your traineeship, you will work towards entry to the roll of solicitors with the Law Society of Scotland and complete the mandatory PEAT 2 training via our external partners
- You will also have access to talks and workshops from specialist teams across the business, building both commercial awareness and technical confidence
- Across your seats, you will support the work that keeps a diversified financial services group running securely and responsibly. Typical exposure includes:
- Investments and funds. Drafting, reviewing and negotiating documentation that underpins investment activity and fund operations
- Commercial contracts. Supporting supplier and client arrangements, technology and data contracts, and related governance
- Corporate transactions. Assisting with corporate and intra-group activity, due diligence and corporate record keeping
- Cross-team collaboration. Working closely with Secretariat, Public Affairs and Sustainability to align legal advice with our regulatory, stakeholder and ESG commitments
- You will contribute to real matters that impact our clients and colleagues, always with the guidance of experienced lawyers who will help you grow your judgement, accuracy and commercial instinct
- What you will gain:
- A broad in-house legal foundation across investments, commercial and corporate work
- Structured PEAT 2 training and support towards Law Society of Scotland entry requirements
- Mentoring from senior lawyers and access to firm-wide technical and commercial learning sessions
- Potential secondment experience with an external law firm to expand your perspective and network
Application process
- Closing Date: 6th March 2026 - We reserve the right to close early if application volumes are high
- CV & Online application
- Online testing
- Online pre-recorded interview
- Assessment Centre (group activity, case study and panel interview)
- Start date: September 2027
Our take
Aberdeen, formerly known as Standard Life Aberdeen and Abrdn, is a global investment company helping its clients to save and invest for their futures. It operates three businesses - Investments, Adviser and Personal - and has been operating since way back in 1825.
Nowadays, atop its investment and advice services, the company delivers two platforms for financial advisers. The first, Wrap, enables users to build and manage portfolios for each client. The second, Elevate, encompasses a suite of tools for advisers to save time and make sure their clients are informed.
Over the years, the company has continued to improve its offering, for example by making it simpler, more data-led and to require less admin. This suggests that Aberdeen is keen to keep pace with tech developments across the investment space and position itself as an innovator.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Company benefits
- Salary sacrifice pension arrangement
- Private health insurance
- Life Assurance
- 40 days holiday if you work full time
- Dental insurance
- Health assessments
- Critical illness cover
- Will writing
- Power of attorney
- Financial Guidance and Advice
- Holiday buy
- Discounted gym memberships
- Cycle to work
- Interest free season ticket loan
- Electric car lease scheme
- Travel insurance
- Personal accident insurance
- Share Plans
- Give As You Earn (GAYE)
- Volunteering
- Long service awards
- Subscription to Interactive Investor
- Subscription to Finimize
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- Supportive parental leave policies , delivered regionally (e.g. 26 weeks paid leave in UK for primary and secondary caregivers)
- Employee discount site
- Discounted parking
Company HQ
Edinburgh New Town, Edinburgh, UK
Leadership
Jason Windsor
(CEO)Previously CFO at Persimmon Homes, Group CFO at Aviva and was the Managing Director of Morgan Stanley.
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